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Post by caonedh on Jun 20, 2013 21:41:10 GMT -8
"Will there be anything else, Mr. Loper?"
The man behind the desk frowned. "The hemline of your dress has crept up again."
Construct frowned and concentrated long enough to bring the hem of her skirt down a couple inches. Her new boss confused her, and she found anything confusing to be infuriating. She was psychically linked to him through the binding spell, so she knew he was pleased with her form. And yet every time she picked up on a stray thought and tried to please him, he turned red and insisted she undo the change.
Humans would be so much easier if they could just be programmed.
Right now, her new boss was frustrated. Jenna insisted that some files not be committed to an electronic database due to hackers; given the recent intrusion Aegir had suffered, he had seen the wisdom of that. But her filing system baffled him. And so he was putting in long days at the office, going over files and trying to ride herd on the Raksasha. He had finally broken them, though they still didn't live in awe of him like they did Ms. Mercado. Ah, Ms. Mercado. Now there was a boss. All she had wanted from Construct was efficiency and to scare the bejesus out of anyone who dared step onto the fourteenth floor.
Mr. Loper leaned back into his chair and rubbed his eyes. "This isn't the damned file I need," he said.
"I apologize, Mr. Loper," she said simply. "Ms. Mercado did not give me access to that information."
"I know, Construct, I know," he said; they had had this conversation many times. It was like with her appearence...he said one thing, but meant another. He knew she didn't know, but he WANTED her to know, and so the question kept popping up in his mind. "You'd have thought she would leave SOMETHING, in case something had happened to her."
"Ms. Mercado was more worried about keeping the files secure; she already knew what was in them," said Construct, for what had to have been the twelfth time. But then... she had an idea. She hadn't ever had one of those before. Jenna hadn't been interested in ideas. But being out of the box for so long at a time (a couple nights ago, Mr. Loper hadn't put her away at all. So she had stared at the walls all night) had given her time to think. And to think about thinking. "One moment, Mr. Loper," she said, before floating towards the iron doors. With a thought, she turned incorporeal for a moment, and went through.
There, she saw files. Stacks and stacks of files. There were less now than there once were; Ms. Mercado had kept more than a few of her own secrets buried in amongst the secrets of Aegir. She floated past these, to a a dimly lit corner. There, she found an ornate box. It was almost identical to the one that sat on her desk. In a way, she supposed, this was her older sibling. Jenna had deemed it a failure; while it could hold information, she had not been able to stand it's personality, or even that it HAD a personality. Grabbing the box, she then floated to another area. Here, a plain wooden box lay propped up against a wall. In it, there was a very ill preserved mummy.
Construct remembered the day Jenna had obtained the mummy. It was said to be the most cursed mummy ever discovered. Jenna had wasted no time procuring it, thinking that it might serve as a secondary guardian if one got past the Raksasha. The curse, as it turned out, had been fake. The dealer who had sold it to Jenna....
Well. He was in a better place now.
Ms. Mercado had been desperate to salvage the situation. Delving the body, she learned that it had been a warrior... and had done some not so nice things. She had also learned it's name.... Djasar Sa. It meant Glorious Protector in the Ancient language, which had momentarily appeased Ms. Mercado. But she had been unable to reunite spirit with mummy; the magical bindings placed on the corpse had long since been allowed to decay. She had been in the process of restoring them when she was.... well, Construct honestly didn't know what had happened. Only that she had seen Ms. Mercado smile. It had been the first time Construct had ever felt... unsettled.
Construct shook her head to bring her out of her reverie. She had an idea to pursue. She checked the renewed spells of binding that Ms. Mercado had placed on the mummy. All of them looked to be holding. Construct was no blood mage, but she had been created by one, and had worked for one for years. She knew what to look for. Satisfied that the bindings were adequate, she placed the box near the mummy's mouth. She then breathed a few words of command. The box opened.
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Post by caonedh on Jun 21, 2013 10:20:20 GMT -8
Construct was keeping a clear distance from her new master today. No, no, that wasn't the right word. He was her new boss. He insisted she think of herself as a free being, and so she had to try to do just that. His mind was especially murky today, though. It was always a bit of a jumble; he always was thinking about several things at once, and usually at least one of them was unpleasant. So different from Ms. Mercado's mind. She usually thought about more than one thing, too, but it was always focused. This thing, then this thing, in a clear order. Construct was amazed Mr. Loper ever managed to get anything done.
But he did. She had to give him credit for that. He had finally finished working on Victoria Vega's file, and had moved on to Alina Rose's. When Construct pointed out that Ms. Mercado had already made complete files on all Aegir employees, Ken had looked up at her with bleary eyes. Clearly he had not been sleeping. "You're right, she did," he had said. "But some of the forms she had them fill out are inhumane and, quite frankly, cruel. She focused on the resource part of the job. I have decided to focus on the human part."
Construct had nodded and departed, considering. At first, he thought the special attention he had given Ms. Vega's file had to do with the amorous feelings he had for her, feelings he insisted on pushing down due to his exclusive mating agreement. But he was giving the same attention to Ms. Rose's file. He seemed to actually care about the people he worked with as people. The idea of haphazardly exploiting them made him sick. Construct wasn't sure whether or not this was a strength or a flaw.
Finally, Mr. Loper began to pack up his briefcase. His paramour, Rowan Malory, had been having bad dreams due to some anniversary that was coming up. He had specifically asked her not to delve his mind for more information. "It's not my story to tell," he had said, "and so it's not right that you pull it from my mind." Construct had disagreed, but he had phrased it as an order, and the binding spells would not let her countermand it. She had picked up on the fact that she was having nightmares, though, and was waking him up quite a bit.
"You are going home at a reasonable hour tonight, Mr. Loper? This is good; you are overworking yourself," said Construct.
"Was that concern I hear just there," he asked, giving a crooked grin.
"Merely an observation. You cannot perform efficiently at your level of physical exhaustion," she said primly.
Mr. Loper put up his hands. "I'm sorry, Construct. I keep forgetting that you don't care about people. And yes, it's time to go home. Rowan is making me dinner tonight. Tonight...it's going to be a bad night for her, so we're going to try to make the events leading up to it as pleasant as possible."
It was amazing how brightly his mind lit up when he talked about his paramour. It was another thing that confused Construct about him. Rowan was not as lithe as Mr. Loper had (inadvertently, she realized) made her, and she did not have the red hair that Mr. Loper found so appealing. And she also knew that Rowan could be quite shy, whereas Mr. Loper seemed to be more attracted women like Ms. Vega and Ms. Wicker; very forceful women, not afraid to go after what they wanted. So why was it Ms. Malory that filled his mind and heart with such light? Construct still puzzled over that; the only thing she could determine was that humans were crazy.
"Your neckline has plunged again today, Construct," said Ken suddenly, as he threw on his hat. "Tomorrow, please wear something less revealing."
Construct looked at him incredulously. "But they please you! Every time you've seen them on Ms. Wicker, you've enjoyed them! How can I perform my function to keep you happy if you complain every time I do something to keep you happy?"
Ken looked at her strangely, and Construct realized that she had just had an emotional outburst. Strange. That had never happened before. She blamed Mr. Loper. The man was driving her crazy. Ken sat on the edge of his desk and sighed. "Look, Construct, I know that you don't consider yourself a person. I know you feel like your sole purpose in existence is to keep whoever sits in this chair happy. But I think there is more to you. You think for yourself, you have your own opinions. You are a person. You may not have a name, and your identity may still be forming, but you are a person. And no person should exist only to please another person. As for your appearance... you're right. I do enjoy it. But....." he trailed off, clearly searching for the words. "I'll let you in on a secret. Yes, I enjoy looking at other women. But those women are making a choice for themselves on what they wish to reveal to me. You're not making that choice. You're reading my mind to see what choice I'm making for you. So when I see your neckline plunging, what I feel isn't desire. It's shame. I feel ashamed of myself."
"Why should you feel ashamed? Your urge to look is the result of a biological imperative, and..."
Mr. Loper held out a hand to stop her. "Yes, yes, but I am more than a creature of biology. I know I let that particular biological imperative get too much control of me; it's one of the reasons I flirt so much. It's not my only flaw, I assure you. But people are not objects, no matter how pretty the stuff they're packaged in is. And that goes for you, too. You're not an object. Stop treating yourself as one."
There it was. A direct command. Construct nodded at him. "As you wish, Mr. Loper. I shall endeavor to find my individuality." Ken nodded and started to cast the spell to send Construct back to her box. "Please," she said. "I would like to remain active tonight so that I may assimilate the directive you gave me."
"Are you sure? I remember how much shit you gave me last time I left you active, and I may not be in tomorrow, depending on how bad it gets tonight."
He was worried. Construct could feel it. He thought something terrible was going to happen to his paramour. "Yes, Mr. Loper, and thank you. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Construct," he said, closing the door behind him. He was also a little concerned by her request, she realized. He picked up on a thought of sending Ammie to check on her tomorrow if he didn't come in. She had met Ms. Wicker and her fiancee recently. Ms. Rystaad had immediately pointed at Construct at proclaimed, "I know those boobs!" She had smiled as Mr. Loper explained how Construct had chosen her form, and asked him what part of Construct's form was borrowed from her. When Construct coolly informed her that she had not been part of the image she was portraying, she had flounced out of the office, clearly perturbed. Ms. Wicker had smiled apologetically at both Mr. Loper and Construct before following, making soothing noises. Construct, however, had studied that flounce. It certainly had gotten Mr. Loper's attention. It was definitely something she would have to incorporate into her own projection.
Once Construct heard the elevator close, she floated to the back room, towards the mummy she had found. Her original idea had been to use the mummy's physical form to entice her older sibling out of his box. She had quickly discovered, though, that there wasn't enough left in the box to take control of a physical form. It was clear that Jenna had taken some of the anima that had powered her sibling, and used it instead to power her. She, however, had another idea. She called to the Raksasha; they had no problems obeying her. Jenna had placed Construct over them in the pecking order years ago. She had them carry the body to her desk, while she herself carried the puzzle box. She set it next to her own, while the demons placed the mummy on the floor next to her desk. Dismissing them, she opened the other puzzle box. It was so like hers... she wished she could open and close her own box, but the binding spells Jenna had placed upon her forbid it.
She could feel her sibling inside there. But it couldn't get out. There simply wasn't enough there. She could give some of her own anima to it, but the amount she thought it would need would leave her... well, it would leave her in the state her sibling was in now.
Instead, she bent to the mummy again. Her form faded, turning into an incorporeal mist. Much like she had with Mr. Loper, she exteneded a tendril of mist to the mummy's head. Nothing. There was nothing there. Nothing but a decaying brain and...
Wait. She felt a flicker. Not from it's brain, though. From back in the room she had just come from. Unburdened by physical form, she dashed back through the door, to an unmarked crate. Part of her floated through it, and she saw it was filled with artifacts. They were clearly Egyptian. This must have been some of the mummy's personal effects, she decided. The flicker was coming from...there. A jewel, inside of an old, moldy torque. She tried to grab it.... and then realized she was still incorporeal. Re-materializing outside the box, she threw it open and grabbed the piece of jewelry. Rushing back to the mummy, she again felt something she had never felt before...excitement. She stopped for a moment to analyze it, not realizing what it was. However, the very emotion itself distracted her from analyzing it, and she soon was kneeling down, placing the jewelry on the desiccated corpse. Maybe...maybe there was enough between the two magical artifacts that she could make this work. She grabbed the puzzle box belonging to her sibling and tried to coax it out. The construct there gravitated to the torque...but it wasn't going to be enough. Construct could see that now. Desperate (another emotion she had no words for, and no defense against), she grabbed her own puzzle box and slowly started feeding anima into the one belonging to her sibling. She felt herself...drain. Diminish. She slowed the flow, but didn't stop it. Her sibling seemed to strain....and then she saw a light mist flow into the torque. The gems there glowed for a moment, then faded. Construct replaced her box on the desk and waited. Countless minutes passed, and nothing happened. Construct straightened, and realized that while she had fixed her neckline as Mr. Loper had suggested, the hemline of her dress had crept up again. She concentrated to try to change it...and nothing happened. Again, she tried to change something about her appearance... her skin tone, her clothes, but she stayed static. She was begining to feel panic well up in her when she heard something. A soft moan. Hurrying to the box, she arrived just in time to see the corpse open it's eyes. They were a piercing shade of blue. It's mouth began to open, and it's long stiff tongue softened enough to form the first words it had spoken in millenia.
"Why..." it said, "...why me in box? Not bery comfurble."
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Post by caonedh on Jun 22, 2013 8:51:15 GMT -8
The mummy began to stretch it's ancient muscles. Construct could almost see the spells placed on it's flesh reawaken, softening and strengthening long decayed muscles. It turned it's eyes to her again. "Who you?" it asked, it's voice still raspy as the spells tried to reawaken his decayed lungs.
"I am..." she started, but paused. Usually she answered by stating that she was the secretarial construct for the Human Resources department, but that would mean nothing to him. "I am your sister," she said simply.
"Thith-ta" the mummy said slowly. "Who...who me?"
Again, Construct had to pause. Her sibling was also a construct... but did that apply anymore? He was a mix of what had been hidden in the mummy's torque, and what Jenna had created him to be, and even a little bit of herself. So, who was he? "You are my brother," she said while her mind raced. "The form you are bound into was once called Djasar Sa, but you needn't use that name if you do not wish to."
The mummy seemed to process this. "..jjjjjj..." it said, trying to make the sound with a tongue that didn't quite move the way a humans would. "Jas?"
"Sure. I'll call you Jas," she said. No reason to make him feel self conscious about this speach in his first moments of existance.
"Jas....dat gud name. Me wike BERY much," it said, trying to sit up in the box. Construct held out a hand to help him. "Yous Thith-Ta, me Jas."
"No, no, Sister is not my name. It is my relationship to you," said Construct patiently.
"You not Thith-Ta? Then who you?"
"I don't have a name. Our current master calls me Construct; it suits well enough. And I AM your sister. It's just not my name."
"...Konstwac? Not gud name. You Jas' Thit-ta," it said. It's face began to screw up; facial muscles had not been a priority of the spell. But it looked like it was trying to smile.
Dear god, Construct thought, slowly coming to a realization. This was why Jenna had abandoned her brother. It wasn't a personality clash at all. Her brother had been one of her failures. What good would he have been around the office, if he had the mind of a child?
Djasser was looking at his thin, desiccated skin. "Why Jas no wook wike yous, Thith-Ta?" he asked plaintively.
"Because there was not enough of you to form a body like mine, so I put you into this form," said Construct. "It was a mistake. But do not worry, I will fix it. I need you to lay back down now."
Djasser, still smiling, lay back down. "Okay, Thith-Ta. Jas tink Thith-Ta BERY nithe!"
Very nice. That was what he said; he was so difficult to understand. What was she thinking. With a murmer of command, her brother's puzzle box began to close. She expected a white mist to form and flow into the box, like she knew she herself did when she was put away. But nothing happened. The box simply closed. Confused, she looked at the mummy. It was picking it's nose. Apparently it found something, cuz it held it up to show her. "Thith-Ta, when can Jas get out of box?" it asked.
"One moment, Jas," she said, trying to draw her own energy back into herself. She could sense it trying to rush back to her... but the torque held it fast. Try as she might, she could not draw the energy back through. And if she could not draw her own energy out.... then chances were, her brother's energy was stuck in that form.
Jas suddenly sat up. "I have Thtuffs!" he said excitedly. He slowly got out of the box, but he was more co-ordinated now; the spells were taking a firmer hold on his body. He shambled to the heavy iron door and started pushing on it. When it didn't move, he turned to her and pointed. "Jas want him thtuffs!" he said.
He had to say it a few times before Construct heard him. She was feeling more than a little panicked. She had never made a mistake before; she was sure of it. Jenna would have dispersed her energy if she had. But this...this might have been a mistake of monumental proportions.
What will Mr. Loper say?!?!
"Thiiiiiiiiith-Taaaaaaaaa," Jas was saying. "Thtuuuuuuu-uuuuuuff!"
Construct strode over and opened the door with a word of command. The two Raksasha were there, ready to tear intruders apart. Construct moved to intercept the demons, but one look at Jas and both of them stepped back, as if in fear. Jas, for his part, seemed to still be smiling as he walk/shambled into the main vault. He seemed drawn to the area of the room where he had lay for all those years. At first Construct wondered if he had memory of laying there, month after month, collecting....well, not dust. Jenna had warded this entire floor against that particular pest. But something.
But Jas didn't go to that spot, instead, he stopped in front of a shelf with a large crate on it. He pointed. "Thtuff!" he said. Construct beckoned to a Raksasha. It seemed extremely reluctant, but came over and gently lifted the crate off of it's shelf, setting it on the floor. Then it hurried back to stand by it's partner. Jas and Construct took the lid off together. Inside, there was packing material, but Jas seemed to know what he was looking for. His hand shot down, and when it came back up, it was holding a wicked, half moon blade sword.
"Dis...dis mine!" he said joyfully.
"....how did you know that khopesh was in there, Jas?" asked Construct.
"Cus it my Khopie! It MINE, Thith-Ta!" said Jas. He took a few swings with the sword. It was old, but seemed in amazingly good condition. And it was clear that Jas knew how to use it, even if his muscles were still recovering. So some part of what had been the warrior Djasser Sa WAS within her brother. She had created a being with the skills of swordsman and the mind of a toddler.
Jas came over and wrapped his arms around Construct's form. He squeezed, so hard that she was sure he would have cracked a rib if she had possessed a skeltal structure. "Tank yoo, Thith-Ta! Jas wuv Thith-Ta!" he said joyfully. Mr. Loper was going to disperse her when he found out. She just knew it.
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Post by caonedh on Jun 23, 2013 9:59:34 GMT -8
Ken Loper shouldn't have been so cheerful. He was coming in to work on a Saturday. True, he was dressed casually (he had a a No Suit on a Saturday rule. Since he was the head of the department, he figured, he could set the rule) and was only going to stay a little bit....well, a few hours, lets face it. He wanted to check on Construct, but getting a little work done wouldn't hurt anyone. Especially while Ro was at the library. She had said she would just return the books, but he her better than that. She would keep doing research into what was making her sick. Just like he was sure she knew he would get work done until he got her text. They had had a rough night with her nightmares last night, but the morning had been absolutely fabulous, and they had a date night tonight. He'd have to find a nice place to take her, but not too nice. They were going to do a movie after, and in his experience, movie theaters never managed to be at a decent temperature. They were either too hot or too cold. Best to dress lightly, and bring a coat.
He checked his office p.o. box, as he did every day. Usually it was empty except for the occasional note from a coworker. Today, though, a heavy envelope sat waiting for him. He looked at the return address... Florida? Who did he know in Florida? He opened it up, and found an extensive set of magical command words and an explanation of how to use them. Attached was a small note: "For the filing system. You probably need this. Jenna." Ken knew that this was probably the closest he would ever get to an apology from the woman, and it was enough. These chants would make life SO much easier!
"Seasons don't fear the Reaper," sang Ken softly to himself as he walked to the elevator, a spring in his step. What a great day this has been so far, and it wasn't even noon yet! "Nor do the sun, the wind or the rain..." He rode the elevator up to the fourteenth floor, humming the guitar riff to himself, with the occasional break for a "laaaaaa la laaa la la." Yup, it was official. Nothing could ruin his mood today. He got out of the elevator and walked to his office. When he got there, Construct was there, looking haggard. Her dress had come up again; he wasn't sure Vi had ever shown quite THAT much leg. Thank god I have a great imagination, he said to himself, determined not to let Construct's eccentricities spoil his mood. "I don't think I've ever seen you look so....tired," said Ken instead, setting his briefcase down. "You really should have let me put you away."
Construct looked up. "Mr. Loper, first I just want to say that I take full responsibility for this, and hope you will be merciful."
"Merciful? For one thing, I'm not Jenna. For another, I wasn't even going to mention the dress. It's Saturday, you can dress how you want. I guess. Though I'm glad I didn't bring Ro. The 'I created a sex goddess' talk was rather awkward as it was."
"No, Mr. Loper, you don't understand," she said. "I..." she trailed off as a Raksasha made a bellowing noise that could be heard in the floorboards. Thinking there was an intruder, Ken chanted the words to open the iron door. What he saw there perplexed him. A mummy...a very, VERY old mummy.... was starting down both Raksasha, a Khopesh in his hand. One Raksasha charge, but the mummy moved lithely, slapping it on the ass with the flat of his blade. Construct looked positively crestfallen. "You're going to disperse me, aren't you?" she asked miserably.
"Disperse you? What the hell is going on here?" he asked.
"Thith-Ta! Yoo come play wit us?" the mummy called out. It then seemed to see Ken for the first time, because it squealed in delight. "Is that us Master! Hi, Master!"
"Is he talking to you?" asked Ken, turning to Construct.
Construct wearily nodded. "That is my brother. Or rather, it was Ms. Mercado's first attempt to make me. I figured we needed some help; someone who's only job it was to look through the files. There wasn't enough power in his puzzle box to power him, though, so..." she told him the whole story then, from beginning to end.
Ken wasn't singing to himself anymore. "Do you realize what you've done?" he asked her. "Do you know if Jenna bought that mummy with Aegir funds or her own?" When Construct admitted that she didn't know, he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I don't know how legal is going to feel about this. If the mummy was hers, they may insist on sending it to her at Sentaxx."
"No, you can't!" exclaimed Construct, grabbing Ken's coat. Then, seeming embarrassed by her outburst she straightened. "I mean... he could be of use to us here. It could be argued that Jenna found neither the older construct nor the mummy to be useful, right? And who knows what she would do with Djasser if they sent him to her?"
"Djasser, huh?" Ken sighed. "Alright, then. We can say that I found him in Egypt. It's a plausible story. Unethical of me to bind a mummy into my service, but then, this is HR. The sponsors are used to that sort of thing from Jenna. But let me make one thing clear, Construct.... you are NEVER to do something like this again without consulting me!"
"Yes, Mr. Loper. Thank you, Mr. Loper" she said.
"Don't thank me yet, Construct. You have more work to do." He handed her the charms that Jenna had sent him. "Do you think he could learn these?"
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Post by caonedh on Jun 26, 2013 10:22:40 GMT -8
Construct was tired. It had been three days since she had returned to her puzzle box; by far and away the longest she had ever been out. And they had not been easy days. She had tried to teach Djasser the charms that had allowed Jenna to so efficiently file her records, both secret and mundane. But Djasser simply couldn't hold it in his mind. She had failed.
She wondered again why Mr. Loper had not dispersed her. It was clear he resented her; some of his colleagues had made allegations concerning what Construct was REALLY for. And it was clear that Djasser was not going to be useful to the office, which meant she had given some of her own essence for a a net gain of zero. Less than zero, really; she still couldn't alter her appearance like she once had been able to. She could form into mist, but when she re-appeared, she re-appeared the same way every time. If only the Torque didn't absorb...
Construct stopped in her pacing. That was it. Was it really that simple?
She hurried to the back room. There, the Raksasha were trying to teach Djasser how to play cards. Poker was a bit beyond him, but he played a mean Go Fish. "Herro, Thith-Ta!" he called when he saw her. The Raksasha turned but didn't get up. The one with the shorter snout, who Ken had taken to calling Rocky, nodded a greeting.
"Jas? I've had an idea. Stand over here a moment," she said
"But...but...Jas is WINNING!" said Djasser piteously.
"You can play afterwards," Construct promised, as she began to chant the words of the spell. She did not, however, focus her attention on the shelves of files. She instead concentrated on the Torque.
**************************************************** Ken Loper was out of sorts. First of all, it was a Monday. And Mondays are an out of sorts sort of day. Second, as amazing as Saturday had been, Sunday had been awful enough to cancel it out. He had met with Tess, and been given an assignment that at once saddened and infuriated him. And then, later that night after carrying out a successful mission for the sponsors, Vi had brought up Construct, and Tess had accused him of creating a sex slave. Ken stabbed the up button of the elevator with his finger. Just when he thought he might be friends with that woman, she accuses him of... no. No. Deep breaths, he told himself. At least you don't work under her anymore.
Not to mention Vi was acting shady. And Sera was so good at her job that he had to put up with her. And Ammie was spending the weekend in Vegas, so he couldn't talk to her. He could talk to Rowan, but he didn't want to bring work home with him every day.
The door to the elevator slid open, and Ken strode out into his office. Construct was waiting there. His breath caught as he saw her, but he was getting better at shaking that off. "Hey, Connie," he said, continuing to stride to his own office. "How is Djasser doing?" Construct refused to take a name, insisting that she was not a person and therefore could not be treated as such. Ken had called bullshit on that; no stapler had ever proven as stubborn as his secretary. Connie had a more...human feel. As he had predicted, she absolutely hated it. But if he had to deal with Tess accusing him of holding sex slaves in thrall because she didn't bother to consult with him about the form she chose..
He was getting angry again. Smooth, deep breaths. "Quite well, Mr. Loper. I had another idea, and this time it worked," she said matter of factly.
"Oh? Well, don't keep me in suspense," said Ken, setting his briefcase down. Construct answered by opening the iron door and leading him into the file section. Djasser was there, looking... can a mummy look mopey? "Djasser?" he called. "Are you OK?"
Djasser looked up. "Jas wanna play outside," he said.
"I'm sorry, Jas, I told you. You can't go outside. But you can play with Rocky and Bulwinkle all you like," said Construct. Ken smiled; she may not like his names for the Raksasha, but it took her no time to start using them. "Now, can you get me the file on....Mr. Loper, any files you may need today."
Yes. Damn Tess to hell and gone. "We can start with Beryl Blyde," he said.
"Jas, can you do that?"
Djasser shrugged. "Jas do." He held out one desicated hand. Moments later, a file flew into his hand. "Bewal Bide" he said, handing the flie to Ken.
Ken was impressed. "You taught him how to.."
"No," said Construct, cutting him off. "But the Torque seems to absorb magical energies. So I cast the spell into Djasser. The Torque absorbed the spell, and it became part of whatever makes Djasser.... well, you see the results."
"...That was brilliant. Innovative. You should be proud of yourself, Connie," Ken said, smiling. Connie harumphed at the name, but he could see her eyes light up. It was the first time he had ever seen such a thing. He looked to Jas, who still seemed crestfallen. "Jas? I'll find a way for you to play outside. Nobody should be cooped up in here. OK?"
Djasser's face lit up in a grin. "Weawy? Yoos do dat for Jas? Yoos BERY BESTEST BOSS EBER!" He ran forward and gave him a crushing hug. Ken grunted a "your welcome," and then Jas set him down and ran off to tell the Raksasha."
Construct shook her head. "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, Mr. Loper."
"I said I'd try. I'm trying to figure out a way for you to leave the Solveall as well. Give you some freedom."
"That isn't necessary, Mr. Loper, but thank you."
Ken did his best not to roll his eyes. "When Djasser comes back, I want you to pull two more files," he told Connie. "And try to get me in touch with Franc. We've decided to hire Beryl, but I don't want to do that without his evaluation."
"And if his evaluation is poor?"
"Then I'LL hire her. Or Tess will. She'd probably be happier in Investigations than she would be with me, but if push comes to shove..."
Construct nodded, but asked "And these other two?"
Ken thought about lying, but Construct was still connected to him mentally. So he told her. Construct, for her part, stayed impassive. "And you want me to hand deliver them?"
"Yes."
"It shall be done, Mr. Loper."
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Post by caonedh on Jun 28, 2013 12:44:19 GMT -8
Djasser Sa sat in the back of the file room, feeling very depressed. His master had given him a television to watch; he had been amazed by it at first. But today, not even Honey Boo Boo could lift his spirits. In every show he watched, he could see blue skies, and green plants.... and he knew, from a memory he could not place, that all of those things lay just beyond the walls of the room. But he had never seen anything but the pale white of the walls, the tan of filing folders, and had never seen any light that wasn't emitted by cold, florescent light fixtures.
He had asked Master to let him go outside. But Master had said no. "They don't know you like we do, Jas," he had said. "And some people might be scared of you, and try to hurt you." Djasser had tried to protest, but even his sister had said no. If both Master and his sister said something was true, Djasser had to believe it was true. He looked into his reflection on the television. Was he ugly? Even Rocky and Bullwinkle seemed scared of him at times. Why had he been made scary?
He refocused his eyes on the sassy child on the television. "Jas wonder wat Honey Boo Boo do, she was ugly. But she not ugly. She was beautiful. They said so on the show all the time. Master had told his sister that watching this show would rot his brain. Sister had reminded Master that Djasser's brains was already rotted. Sister was so nice, standing up for Djasser! He didn't know what he would do without Honey Boo Boo child to help him pass the hours.
He heard what distinctly sounded like a woman crying out. This puzzled him at first, but he figured it must be coming from the television. Who would be making that sound in here? He settled into his chair again. He wondered what Honey Boo Boo would say if she ever met him? He didn't think SHE would think him ugly. She would redneckognize! Djasser was sure of it.
He heard the sound again. It really did sound like a woman crying out in pain. Intrigued but cautious, Djasser grabbed his khopesh and started walking to the iron door. It was heavy, but it's seals were mainly magical; sound easily came from the other side. The sound grew louder as Djasser approached. He started to feel a little afraid. What could be making that noise?
Then, a different noise. A man, giving a cry that could only be purest suffering. Djasser knew that voice! That was Master! "Jas comin, Master!" he shouted as he started to run for the door. Run was still a relative term; while the binding spells had done much to shore up his decayed muscles, they still had a lot to do. When he reached the door, he realized that there was no handle; it had to be opened with the correct magical phrase. And Djasser didn't know it! Desperate, he started pounding on the door. "Master, Jas comin!" he shouted
He heard what sounded....like a squeek. Then someone hitting the floor. He heard Master curse softly; had the bad thing knocked him down? But no; he heard Master cast the opening spell, and the door creaked open. Inside, he saw... a pretty lady on the floor, clutching one of her coverings to her chest. She was sort of hiding behind Master's desk, which was strangely clear; Master's Desk was usually pretty cluttered. Master wasn't wearing his coverings, either. Djasser didn't make anything of this; he had a vague memory of not wearing much coverings himself. "Jas hear you! Purty lady hurt Master?" he asked, khopesh at the ready.
"No...no, Jas. Purty lady is my very good friend Rowan. You remember me talking about her?" asked Master. On the floor, the pretty lady was still staring at him, eyes wide.
"Oh, Jas remember!" Djasser said, lowering his sword. "Jas tought he hear yoos make cry!"
The pretty lady on the floor turned very red. That confused Djasser; there was no sun in here. "Oh, no, Jas," Master said. "We were just....laughing. In a very special way. We were playing, is all."
"Oh, like wrestle? Jas like to wrestle! Rown wrestle Jas now?" he asked, eager.
He wasn't sure how it happened, but Rowan got a shade redder. "No, thank you, Jas. I'm pretty tired now."
Djasser's face fell, but he nodded. "Otay," he said, crestfallen. "Yoos do luk BERY tired. Yoos all wet, too. Yoos hot?"
Master chuckled. "No, Jas.... it was just a very...vigorous match. We got a little sweaty is all."
"Oh! Jas understand! But Jas never get wet. Jas BERY dry!" He held out his skin, which was, in fact, very dry indeed.
Rowan cleared her throat. "Jas...would you mind terribly.... going back in there for a bit?"
Djasser was about to protest, but then he remembered what Master said about people being scared. "Oh....yeah, Jas go," he said, shoulders slumping. "Jas sowwy, Rown. He not mean to be alla ugly. Jas go now." He turned and went back to the file room.
"Oh, no, Jas, that wasn't what I meant!" he heard her call out. But Djasser knew she was just trying to be nice. Master said something that sounded concerned, but Jas ignored him. He got back to his chair and turned the television back on. Honey Boo Boo was talking to him again, but not even she could cheer him up. He remembered that, once, his eyes had leaked water when he felt this way. But they didn't now. He was very dry, very dry indeed.
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Post by caonedh on Jul 1, 2013 12:13:16 GMT -8
In the void of mist and magic that was home, Construct heard her masters call. Immediately she began to flow out of the puzzle box, coalescing into a physical form. She still could not alter her appearance as she once had; she had given too much of herself to Djasser. This annoyed her, but only to a point. She had had a long talk with Victoria Vega the evening before, who had finally been able to give her a reason why Mr. Loper insisted that she act like an autonomous being. She had suggested that Mr. Loper viewed her status as slavery, a view that she had quickly been able to validate with a glimpse into his mind. And it was clear he found slavery abhorrent. He had even toyed with the idea of releasing Rocky and Bullwinkle, despite the obvious dangers of doing so.
Armed with this knowledge, Construct had decided last night to give autonomy another try. It was a bit of a logical conundrum, as she had explained to Ms. Vega. She was doing it because he knew he would be pleased, but then he would see her autonomy as something that she did to please him, which would not please him, and thus trying to please him through pleasing him would ultimately not please him. She wished, for the first time, that she had been given a purpose in existence other than pleasing whichever human held the binding spell on her dweomer. Ms. Vega had told her to want something for herself, but she had no frame of reference outside of service to Ms. Mercado and Mr. Loper.
The only thing she wanted was for Djasser to be able to leave. It was clear that some part of the man who had once been Djasser Sa was alive in her brother, and that man was not the sort who could be happy cooped up in an artificially lit room. But Mr. Loper was right.... a mummy on the streets of Brooklyn was simply out of the question. It was another conundrum.
All these thoughts happened in the seconds as she coalesced. As she did, she become aware of Mr. Loper's thoughts. She also sensed that someone was with him. She hoped it was Ms. Vega. Talking to her last night... it was the first time she had ever simply talked with someone. She wondered if that was what it was like to have a friend. She knew Mr. Loper was very fond of her; she was the only one of his coworkers who visited him on a friendly basis besides Ms. Wicker. She did not know if Mr. Loper was a good judge of character, but his was also the only frame of reference she had. Ms. Vega might make a good first friend.
The person beside Mr. Loper was not Ms. Vega. It was someone else, a man she had never seen before. "Mr. Valencia, this is Construct," Mr. Loper said. "Connie, this is Jorge Valencia, an expert in magical constructs. I've asked him to take a look at the spells powering you and Djasser. Would you mind getting him out here?"
Connie nodded and was through the iron door before realizing that she was supposed to be asserting her individuality. An individual did not have the right to have someone else "inspect" them without permission. She was about to turn around to tell him just that. Then she gave a sigh. She could sense no malice in him... in fact, he seemed excited. She would speak to him about it after. "Djasser?" she called.
"Ober here, Thith-Ta!" she heard him call. She glided towards the source of the voice. There, watching television, was Djasser. Rocky and Bullwinkle were there with him. They were laughing hysterically at the antics of the Pink Panther. Djasser beckoned her over. "Yoos watch TV wit Jas and Rocky and Buwingle?"
"Maybe later, Jas," she said. "Mr. Loper would like to see you."
"Awww, but Pink Panter!" Jas complained. Construct raised an eyebrow at him, and he sighed and nodded. "Yoos two keep Jas' seet warm!" he said. The demons nodded; apparently, they had gotten over their fear of him and accepted him as an equal. Given Jas' amiable nature, Construct didn't know what to make of that. Another conundrum. Together, the two of them went back to her office. Mr. Valencia was examining her puzzle box, but put it down when they came in. "Remarkable. Absolutely remarkable. You say a blood mage created this?"
"Ostensibly. No one knows the true extent of Jenna's abilities except, perhaps, Jenna," said Mr. Loper.
"And this must be the other construct. You didn't tell me he was a necromantic!"
"He's not. Or rather, not entirely. Connie, please explain to Mr. Valencia how Jas was created," Mr. Loper said.
Construct felt a flash of guilt; she still hadn't forgiven herself for making a mistake. Reluctantly, she told the man how she had animated her brother. He began nodding as she spoke. "Remarkable. Absolutely remarkable," he said. He then peered at Djasser, who had stayed quiet. "Do you mind if I have a look, Mr. Loper?"
"Jas, this is Mr. Valencia," said Ken. "I've asked him to see if he can help me give you something. He has to examine your torque first though. OK?"
"Present for Jas! Jas like presents! Last time, Jas get TV! And Honey Boo Boo child on TV, and Pink Panter, and Walking Dead!" Jas turned his attention to Mr. Valencia. "Jas, he tink he look like Walking Dead, but Master say dat it not real, and people is scared of Walking Dead. Dat troo?"
Mr. Valencia chuckled while he looked at the torque. "Yes, son, I'm afraid that is true." He turned his attention to Mr. Loper. "I have never seen anything like this artifact. It absorbs anything and everything I put into it. I can't even tell what it's limits might be."
"But you could use it for the spell?"
"Oh, yes. Without a doubt. It might have limits; it may have to recharge if used too often. But without being able to tell how powerful the torque is, I can't tell you what those limits might be."
Ken seemed to consider, then nodded. "Do it," he said. Mr. Valencia nodded back, and reached into his bag.
"Mr. Loper, what spell are you going to place on my brother?" asked Construct. She felt something now....a gnawing in her midsection. It was making it hard for her to think clearly.
"Don't worry, Connie. You have my word, I would never do anything to harm Jas," said Mr. Loper. Construct could tell he was being honest... but that gnawing feeling remained. Mr. Valencia was now casting a spell. Construct bit her bottom lip, as she had seen Ms. Vega and Ms. Malory do when they were nervous. At first, nothing happened. Then, all at once, Djasser was no longer standing there. In his place, a dark skinned man with a thin beard stood, well muscled and imposing.
Mr. Valencia frowned. "That was NOT the form I tried to give him. The torque must have altered the spell. Ask it if it can control the illusion."
"Ask him yourself. Jas is a person, too," said Mr. Loper. However, Djasser had already turned the spell off, and then back on again. "Me...me not alla ugly now?"
Mr. Loper laughed. "No, not right now. But you can't have it on all the time. Mr. Valencia said there are limits."
"It might be good to keep the illusion up for now, learn what it's limits are, actually," said Mr. Valencia. "Find out how long he can stay in that form, and how long it will take to recharge."
Mr. Loper thanked Mr. Valencia, and wrote him a check. Mr. Valencia made noises about coming back whenever Mr. Loper needed such assistance again; he seemed particularly interested in taking a closer look at her. Mr. Loper said he would, and the man left. He then turned to her. "See? I told you I wouldn't hurt Jas."
Connie couldn't explain what happened next. She was standing there one moment, then she had her arms around Mr. Loper, quite unprofessionally. She felt a warmth spread through her, and her lips turned upwards into a smile. "Thank you, Mr. Loper!" she said, and was surprised to hear her voice quiver. It had never done that before.
Mr. Loper chuckled. "You're welcome. You're both welcome. And that's not all. I had Mr. Valencia remove the prohibition on you activating your own puzzle box. You can now come out and put yourself away, whenever you like. It's not freedom; Mr. Valencia is still looking into how to let you go beyond the Solveall. And he has no idea how to replace the part of yourself you gave to Djasser. But it's a start."
Construct broke the embrace, at a loss for words. "W...why?" she finally stammered out.
"Because...I heard you talking to Vi last night. Which you already knew. And I heard you say you would give being a person a try. So, I wanted to help with that. No one is going to serve me at my mercy. I'm going to talk to Ammie about the raksasha, too. Tess and Sera think I should kill them rather than release them, but I am not their judge. Ammie will know better what to do with them."
"This...this is all too much!" Connie exclaimed.
"No," said Mr. Loper. "This is just the start, of a new day here. I want colleagues, not minions."
Construct delved into his mind. He was completely in earnest. Ms. Mercado would never have said that. She had craved power, needed to be able to wield it. Mr. Loper enjoyed power, too... but he was willing to give it up for the chance to make something, and be part of something, bigger than himself. "I believe I would like to be a part of that, Mr. Loper," she said.
"I hoped you might." Mr. Loper said.
Construct delved his mind again, hoping to find out what he planned to do next. Instead, she saw a jumble. He was worried about Ms. Malory, and her strange affliction. He was worried about Ms. Vega, and where her mind was at. He was worried about the bug that had been found in the Aegir mainframe, which he had not been worried about before his meeting with Carl and Tess. "Mr. Loper, are you alright?"
"Hmm? Yes, Connie, I'm fine." Mr. Loper shook his head. "I was just thinking about how I thought taking this job would mean I was done with adventures. Instead I've found Constructs and Mummies and Demons and a host of other things. It's a crazy old life, isn't it?"
"I do not know, Mr. Loper," said Construct. "But I believe it is time for me to find out."
"Yes! Jas help Thith-Ta find out!" Jas said, folding both her and Mr. Loper into a big hug. "Jas luv yoo twos!"
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