Log:The Fall of the Cartesian, Scene 2

The Fall of the Cartesian 2018/03/22 	 Raven|Amelia Radical|Connor Duran

2

The smell of fresh coffee is the first thing that assails you. The next is the very old style. It seems the owner has gone for the Edwardian style from early last century. Lots of imitation wood panelling and prints of old English countryside. There are many partitions between the tables, affording some privacy and the sound seems hushed in the room, this has been achieved mainly through very good design, which muffles sounds. At the counter service is quite quick and cheery, conveying a welcoming and friendly attitude. The menu boasts the fact that for a little extra real coffee is served along with light hot and cold meals and snacks. All in all a pleasant place to pass a bit of time.

Connor Duran is seated at a table, sipping a cup of coffee. He has an old-fashioned notebook in front of him that he's scribbling in intermittently. He also doesn't look like his normal self. He's not quite as 'buttoned up'.

A man standing about five ten, dressed in a purple button down dress shirt and charcoal slacks. His brown hair is styled well, and he looks like he might be one of those people who is...a little overly orderly, based on how he holds himself.

Connor runs a hand through his hair, letting it fall back into place before he makes a few more notes.

Amelia steps into the coffee shop from a portal. Anyone with a view through the portal can see a sandy beach backed by waving palm trees for the few seconds the portal remains open. Amelia is back to her more usual attire and appearance of techopunk-goth. Glancing around she focuses on Connor. "Hi. Glad I bumped into you. How are you doing?" she says as she moves toward the table he is seated at.

Connor looks up, "Ah. Hey there." He even sounds less formal now. "I'm doing okay, all things considered. Had a bit of a brainstorm, but I need to do some research to see if my theories are sound." The notebook in front of him is covered in equations. And there are a couple of small drawings that seem to indicate something like...a black hole? Or a plane? (The dimensional sort, not the vehicle)

Connor motions to a seat, "Feel free to join me, if you like." He takes a sip of his coffee.

There's something else about him that's different today: He's wearing glasses. Wire-framed glasses. Either he didn't need them before, or he was wearing contacts previously.

Amelia nods, "Thank you. I'll take you up on that." She slides into a chair as it moves seemingly on its own back from the table. "Can I help? The cases aren't all that close but when I lost my Chosen One role I was a bit downhearted for a while. Odd considering I hated being chosen in the first place. However I had help sorting my life out. If I can pay that forward please don't hesitate to ask."

Connor glances at the casual use of magic, but doesn't say anything about it. He taps the table a few times. "I...don't know. I don't have the time I need to process things, because that woman is still in danger, as far as I can tell. Not only from my former enemies, but now from my successor, whoever that is going to be." He shakes his head, takes another sip, and he sighs. "I was feeling badly about...screwing up the family legacy. But I made the right decision. My uncle had to make a similar decision a few years ago. So now...I'm mostly angry. I've come to a number of realizations about my former role and my former superiors."

Amelia listens, nodding several times as you speak. "It looks to me," she waves at the equations and sketch in front of you, "that you're looking to replace some of the abilities you were stripped of. Which is an essential step if you intend to continue taking an active role in such affairs. As far as the family legacy goes I believe you did not screw it up. Rather, you upheld it. You did the right thing. The honorable thing."

Connor taps the notebook, "One of the nice things about my former role was that I was able to see things in ways that I can't now. I could see patterns. I could see through dimensional barriers. I could...realize that two locations could be the same location with a bit of a tweak of the plane." He smiles. "I think...that I can simulate some of those things. But that's what I need to do research for. I need to get back to the Great Library. I'm sure that the texts I need on dimensional science are in there. They have to be."

Amelia nods, "You have access to the Great Library as I recall. Or is that one of the abilities you were stripped of? I'm hugely impressed by the Great Library." She reaches out. Her hand vanishes into thin air up to the wrist and after a few moments pulls back holding a old dragonhide bound scroll. "there are other resources. For example, if you know the title of a volume I can acquire it for you provided it's not a unique copy. Also, perhaps second only to the Great Library is the Library of the Inn Between Worlds."

Connor smiles, "I can't just...go there...currently. That's one of the abilities I don't have. I have access if I can get into the place again." He shakes his head, "I don't know titles. Just topics that I need to delve into." He pauses, "One thing you can do for me is to watch out for that woman who was attacked. I'm intending to do what I can to protect her, but...I'm more than a little outgunned at the moment."

Amelia nods, "I'll do that. Dr. Duran, are you aware you can access the Library in the Inn? That's doesn't require any extra dimensional access. Just an invitation." she says.

Connor shakes his head, "No, I wasn't aware of that." He pauses a moment and looks around. "Hmm." His attention returns to Amelia, "Are you the one who would have to invite me? Or someone else?"

Amelia smiles, "To be precise, which I'm sure you will appreciate as a mathematician, I'm one of the people who could invite you. There are others. Harlequin is one. He was the person who first invited me to the Inn. Harlequin is the only other person I know though."

Connor tilts his head, "I...am not sure if I ever met Harlequin. I'm assuming, based on his reputation, that he's a bit of a trickster-sort?"

Amelia chuckles, "Very much so. He has a heart of gold. Locked firmly away behind a wall of cynicism. I'd place him slightly on the chaos side of the grand balance. Don't hold that against him though. He'll invariably do the right thing, all the while telling you why it's foolish to get involved."

Connor smiles and shakes his head, "Most people are somewhere along that spectrum. The only real problem ones, at least on that particular score, are those at either end of the spectrum. In my opinion." He holds up his cup of coffee. "I've changed since the revocation. I'm more relaxed. Less compulsive. I suspect that my personality was being influenced directly. Relatively subtley."

Amelia says, "That's disquieting information. Still, I suppose the Lords of Order don't have much use for free will. At least the White Coven never tried to manipulate my personality. They just put me out in the field of fire as an expendable asset to be used up." She shrugs, "Although thinking about it I'm not sure that's much better."

Connor sips his drink again and sets it down. "I'm not sure if it's a conscious decision to try to influence the Cartesian. It might just be a direct consequence of being a conduit for the magic of Order. Like...getting exposed to radiation or whatever. The Lords of Order may not be fans of free will, but they are definitely fans of having a human agent. They need a human to do their work. Otherwise, they tend to be quite hands' off. Lord Antherion won't directly strike at anyone in this dimension, for example."

Amelia nods, "That seems to hold true for the other side. Anytime Chaos, big 'C', turns up, Lazare is pretty sure to be on hand."

Connor nods. "At least on this plane, that's going to be true. There are other Anarchs and Cartesians. Just...elsewhere. Here, it'll be Lazare. But Chaos is more likely to send other minions. Demons and the like. I think I can count on one finger the number of times that I've seen footage of a being of Order on this plane. A messenger sent from Antherion to find my uncle."

Amelia nods, "Economic use of resources. When Lazare shows up with demons, although I'd rather call then chaos spirits, I've fought demons. Different breed of cat. Anyway, when Lazare shows up the heroes here oppose him. Most of the time they support the agent of Order. You. Or your uncle before you."

Connor nods. "I'm using the term 'demon' loosely. Meaning...'something from another dimension'. It remains to be seen if that pattern will hold true with the next Cartesian. Order may have morphed my personality, but I was still the same person at the core. If they get someone who is a little more...compliant...then the next time something happens like it did outside the mall, it'll turn into a three-way firefight.

Amelia nods, "I certainly hope so. I fought against Lazare and the chaos demons. But if you had decided to comply and try to kill the woman I would have stopped you. I don't think I would have been alone."

Connor nods. "But...would you have been able to stop me if I had tried to do so indirectly? All I'm saying is...watch the next Cartesian closely. They can lie."

Amelia says, "At this time I don't even know who the next Cartesian is, or will be. Do you have any information on that?"

Connor shakes his head, "All I know is that whoever it is, he or she won't be from my family line. And we've been the Cartesian for generations. Since the early 1860s. The younger generation always knew they might have to serve, and so they were taught about the balance even if they weren't chosen. I suppose it could be a relative, but it would be a distant cousin now. I think it's more likely that it'll be someone else entirely. A complete change.

Amelia rubs her chin absently, "That's actually rather worrying You're talking about someone suddenly and unexpectedly being given great power without any preparation or awareness of the issues involved. That's a recipe for potential disaster. Very possibly subject to no restraining factors at all. Especially considering he or she will likely be instructed to seek out and kill that woman."

Connor nods slowly. "You can see my concern, then."

Amelia nods, "Yes. Okay, two things come to mind. First, you need to see if, and by how much, you can regain the ability to compete on a reasonably level playing field with Lazare and the next Cartesian. Second, we need to find out more about the woman. Why is she such a threat/prize to the Lords? Can that be nullified? How can she be kept safe? And, possibly, is she a threat in and of herself?"

Connor sips his coffee again, "Well, I know she's a nexus. Meaning that she's important. I believe she has the potential to harness entropy. It would be like...if Chaos was able to effectively get a new metahuman to join them. Effectively a second agent on the plane. The way to nullify that would be to make sure she can't join them." He shrugs a little, "I suspect she's no more of a threat directly than any other meta."

Connor furrows his brow, "Come to think of it...I wonder why they haven't tried recruiting in the past?"

Amelia says, "There has to be more to it than that, Dr Duran. I can think offhand of several quite powerful metas who are decidedly chaotic in nature. I went to school with one. As you just asked, why her and not others?"

Connor thinks about it a bit more. He mulls it over and then says, "Well...it could be a potential for power level? If they're trying to get her on their side, she's likely a weapon to them. I'm talking something that could be used to create a cataclysm. Something on the level of the Ataxianate. That one item was able to either flood the plane with entropy or reduce the flow of entropy to a trickle. Both options would have meant the destruction of the plane, effectively." He pauses a moment, "But...in this case, Antherion ordered me to kill her. That means that whatever her potential is for being a weapon, it can't be utilized by Order."

Amelia nods, "So, do you concur that we need to investigate? And hasten your effective return to the field of conflict. To the latter end, would you care to meet me here in three hours? I'll take you to the Inn Between Worlds and introduce you to The Sisters and the Library."

Connor smiles and nods. "I agree. It's likely worth investigating. I'd appreciate the introduction, thank you."