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tales of the abyss: jade curtiss

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[Jade had been mostly absent from the Union for a good few weeks, having been busy familiarizing himself with all the newly-discovered areas. Today would be the first day that he spends any length of time in the Union since the events at Caldera. He spends much of his time around the Outpost and at the bar.

All in all, it was shaping up to be quite a normal day up until the moment he first falls through a wall and into someone's house.]

...Oh dear.

[He spends the rest of the day exploring his newfound powers, "accidentally" stepping through walls into restricted areas or into private property. In particular, he can be found around the Signal Tower, Laboratories, and Council Hall, snooping around areas he normally doesn't have access to.]

[The next day, he taps out a quick message to Flemming.]

I'd like to arrange a meeting with you at your earliest convenience. Are you free today?

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It's been a while.

My schedule is free for most of the day. I should be able to meet you at any time.

Edited 2014-07-12 11:18 (UTC)

My apologies, I had been preoccupied with other matters.

[He was curious about the new lands, yes, but he also had other things on his mind. Hence the long absence.

But Flemming doesn't need to know that, so he doesn't mention it.]

I believe a private place would be more suitable for this meeting. Would you have any objections to my apartment?

No matter. I assumed you stayed behind. I can't stand the climate, personally.

[Whatever it is, he doesn't mind. He's been keeping himself busy as usual by being a workaholic.]

Not at all. When should we meet?

Really? I found it quite pleasant myself.

[No he didn't.]

How about right now? Here's my address.

[Insert address here.]

I'll be there shortly.

[It's not long before he shows up, wearing a suit (because he's always in a suit) and knocking on Jade's door.]

[And the door promptly swings open to reveal Jade, who is, amazingly...

...still in his uniform. Some things never change.]

Do come in.

[There's nothing remarkable about his residence at all - if anything, the complete lack of any personal items may be remarkable in itself. The only things of interest are the bookshelves that line the walls, all filled with books.]

[Jade closes the door behind Flemming and leads the way to the decently-sized living room, pulling out a chair for the other man.]

Can I get you something to drink?

[At least that makes two of them.

He enters, of course, taking a look around at the space. It's quite a bit different from Flemming's house. But then, he comes from a different background than Jade as far as he can tell.

The lack of anything personal is a bit odd, but he never did know Jade well enough to really comment on it.]

Tea or coffee will do.

Tea it is, then.

[He already has it brewed, in fact! In no time at all, he brings two cups of something light but fragrant to the table and sits down as well.]

Now then, let's get to business. [His tone had shifted, levity replaced by something more brisk and matter-of-fact.] How has your research been progressing?

[He takes a polite sip of his cup of tea, looking thoughtful. He's had to be careful with his work, because he isn't entirely certain that the rest of the staff would appreciate him mucking around with research into genetics.

They don't exactly have the technology to do it, anyway. But maybe they could find a way to get machines from their new ally that could make things easier...]

I haven't been progressing as far as I'd like. I keep running into walls.

We don't really have the technology to test what I'm trying to accomplish, I don't think. But then, I'm no sure if anyone does. I might have to start working from a different angle.

It would be easier with volunteers but I haven't told a soul about this.

Team Evolution might have the means to investigate, but...

[Well. There's no need to finish that thought. It's because of Team Evolution that they're undertaking this research in the first place. Although they had been helpful during the situation in Caldera, Jade still had not forgotten the way they had sedated Sakina.]

[He adjusts his glasses, then looks directly at Flemming.]

Setting that aside, perhaps I could act as a volunteer. I'd like to play a more active role in your research - that is, if you'll allow me to.

[It's quite a change from his attitude only a few weeks ago, but there's no trace of hesitance as he speaks. He had come to this decision during his time away from the Union, and once he's decided on something, it's rare for him to change his mind.]

[They couldn't exactly ask Team Evolution for help, lest both of them become that group's latest science experiments. Their methods weren't exactly what bothered him. What bothered him was the idea that he could be the one being tested.

No, he couldn't have that. He has a daughter. He had a career. And he wouldn't let either be taken from him.]

Certainly. To make sure the results are more... balanced, I'll have you perform the same on me. None of it is going to be fatal, and by the end of this, I'm sure we'll have valuable notes.

[It might even be enough for the Council to take notice of his work, though Flemming isn't going to be holding his breath.]

[That makes him hesitate. It's one thing to offer his assistance, and quite another for him to be the one conducting human experimentation. His first instinct is to baulk at it, wary of treading that thin and uncertain line between the morally-acceptable experiments and the immoral, but he has committed himself to this course of action, hasn't he?]

[And besides, he sees nothing wrong with allowing Flemming to perform experiments on him. Shouldn't the reverse hold true? Flemming had given his consent - had, in fact, been the one to propose it - so it's not as if he's forcing the man into this. Having multiple subjects would allow for more reliable data anyway.]

Then it's settled. I'd rather not have word of this leaking out yet, so it may be best to perform any needed tests here. I have plenty of room.

[And he knows his house is completely secure. For matters as sensitive as this, he prefers to rely on himself.]

[He trusts no one else with this information. It helps that he and Jade have known each other for a long time, even if it had been years since the two had last spoken earlier this year.

He remembers Jade's work from back when they worked together. It should be simple enough, even if it does go somewhat beyond Flemming's usual skill set.]

That's fine. I'll let you know about anything I'll need to run the tests.

[They'll both have to be careful. While they're doing something that could potentially be beneficial to Union, there's no doubt there would be people who saw what they were doing as no better than Team Evolution torturing that woman, and Flemming isn't about to let himself be compared to that.

This is the pursuit of knowledge. Nothing more.]

I should have enough funds to procure most materials.

[He still has some reservations, but the events at Caldera had convinced him that they needed to act. The Enlightened are their best (and perhaps only) form of defence against the superior technology of Gigas and the influence of Team Evolution.]

[He takes a sip of his tea, quiet and meditative, trying to decide how much he ought to tell Flemming. It isn't long before he speaks again, this time in a much more casual manner.]

By the way, you were looking into Enlightened abilities and heritage, correct?

[Although Jade doesn't plan on divulging the minutiae of his abilities, giving a brief overview won't hurt.]

[If they can figure out how to counteract type weakness, if they can figure out how to power up the Enlightened or even create a temporary secondary type, that would be a boost to defense. Union couldn't afford to be idle now.

They would be seen as an actual threat to Gigas, and without some sort of standing military, the city was going to be attacked and lose.]

That's correct. I was not able to get substantial data, but it appears that at the very least, typing is not hereditary. Though that's only from brief analysis. Without some sort of census, it's hard to tell for certain.

I can only speak for myself, but my background seems to corroborate with your findings. I'm the only Enlightened in my family. I'll look through the Ranger documents too, there should be mentions of family background in personnel files.

[He hasn't done that before now, but now that he's made a decision, there's no reason to hold back. It's a good thing he's of a high enough rank that poking around wouldn't seem suspicious.]

What about your daughter? Is she Enlightened?

[Although he's the very picture of innocent curiosity, Jade is asking for reasons other than gathering data. Now that they'll be working closely together, he wants to learn more about Flemming, and that means poking and prodding and prying into his personal life.]

That would make things a bit easier. We're such an isolated population that it might be difficult. Caldera has Enlightened, too, though they're called something different, but they're rarer in that city. I wonder what it is about our population in particular that has such a high concentration of a rare or unheard of group otherwise.

[He rubs at his chin thoughtfully. ]

She is. Her mother was, too, however, so I suppose it's not a surprise.

[Fortunately he doesn't exactly mind talking about this information. After all, they're researching genetics so it would be strange if he wasn't so willing to talk about this sort of thing.]

Well, we are supposedly descended from the Saviour...

[But he'll let that drop for now. He has never put much stock into religion and the old myths, but neither does he dismiss them entirely. It's not unlikely that there are small grains of truth to be found in them. But he's no expert in the field, which is why he prefers to move away from that topic for the moment, not being one to enjoy divulging half-formed thoughts. He'll look more deeply into it in his own time if they don't find any better leads.]

But let's set that aside for now. I'd like to know more about your family. What are their typing and abilities?

[If it's true, it's there's any truth at all in the story, Flemming wants to be one of the ones to find it. He doesn't understand genetics very well, but he's learned enough from his own research. If the truth exists, he needs to find it.]

My parents are both like me, Ice type. That Steel would show up was a surprise to them, I believe. I'm not entirely sure about my grandparents. I know I had a grandfather who was Electric, and I believe I had a grandmother who was Rock, but I would need to look through family records.

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