Log:Differences Aside

2019/12/15 	 Connor Grimm

1

Connor is currently in his office. It's late afternoon on a Monday, so he's working on some grading of the tests that were scheduled for right before hte holidays.

Grimm is barely keeping up with her own classes, but there's danger afoot and a case to work on, so they'll have to wait. And she'll have to hope she can skate through based on her past grades. Grimm took the long way to get to Professor Duran's office while thinking of her approach. Teleport in? No, that could be seen as aggressive. She's not looking forward to this. Before she knows it, she's stuck standing outside his office. She takes a breath, then raises her hand to knock.

Connor looks up and smiles. "Come on in." He seems friendly enough. A far cry from what Grimm was expecting.

That just makes Grimm a little more suspicious. She has some major trust issues, but considering how often people have betrayed her, it's somewhat understandable. She steps inside, hand on the door. "Do you have a moment to talk, Professor Duran? It's about...extracurriculars." She keeps it vague as some college students walk by in the hallway outside.

Connor nods. "Sure, come on in. And you can close the door. I'm assuming you want to talk in private."

"Private would be better," Grimm says as she steps in and closes the door behind her. "Considering I doubt you want people knowing about your 'sidegig'."

Connor smiles. "Quite true. So...what did you want to talk about?" He sets aside the stack of tests he was working on.

"Starguard needs the help of someone with your particular set of skills," Grimm says as she leans back against the door and folds her arms over her chest. She keeps her tone neutral and professional. "You mentioned you could heal people's minds. We have a creature in custody that I suspect may have been a human once. Or maybe just a common pet. These creatures have been popping up around the city recently."

Connor blinks and thinks about it for a moment. He taps the desk slowly. "My spell that I relearned should work, if it's a person that was converted." He pauses, "Umm...it's one I learned while I worked for Order that removes corruption, returning someone or something to its original pattern or state of being. Mind or body...it should workt he same way."

Grimm raises an eyebrow. "You can restore the body, too? Then maybe you can make it normal again. If you're willing to help."

Connor nods and smiles. "Of course I'm willing to help."

That was...too simple. Grimm is caught off-guard by that. "Right. Uh. So...Starguard has it in one of their secured cells. We might be using it to help lead us to the thing that's behind making these things first."

Connor nods slowly, "What's the plan to do that?"

"I made psychic contact with the thing's 'Mother' through it. She thinks we want to join her so-called Children, and that bug-creature will lead us to her if we let it out of the cage. I think she can see through their eyes, so we've had to be careful with how we act in front of it," Grimm explains. "Victory is trying to recruit some of Starguard Gamma to play along. Enough that we hope we can take this Mother down."

Connor nods. "If it's a person that was changed, I might be able to see into its past to see how it happened. But things are kind of vague when you work your way back or forward along the threads.

Grimm blinks and looks surprised. "You can do that." She remembers, but maybe it didn't occur to her. "Can you do that without it suspecting? I tried sifting through its memories, but..." she sighs and shakes her head. "It doesn't remember what it was. It has all these other memories of different people...and animals. It's not quite sentient itself. It's strange. On the surface, the mind of an animal. Deeper down...all these conglomerate memories."

Connor shrugs, "I'd be casting a spell for five minutes. It would see me casting the spell. But not what I was doing, or what I could see."

Grimm rubs her chin in thought. "I don't know if it or its mother would realize what your spell was. I might be able to conceal what you're doing from it. Perhaps you can do that so we can find out more about this. We can have you try returning it to normal of the Commander decides he wants to proceed with using it to lead us to its Mother."

Connor nods. "The spell would work even after the person was healed. It's based on the timeline of the person in question.

Grimm nods in thought. "I'm...more worried that something will happen to the bug. If an accident happens, or something goes terribly wrong...does it work on the dead?"

Connor nods slowly. "It should, as far as I know."

Grimm looks uncertain. "Maybe you should do it before, just in case. I've seen these things turn to sludge before. I'm not sure if they have a limited lifespan or if it was triggered by its creator. We may not have a chance for you to even do you spell if nothing's left of it."

Connor raises a brow, "Wait...are you talking the healing or looking into the past? The latter will work even after death. The healing and returning something to its original state will NOT work after death. It's too late at that point."

"I'm talking about looking into its past, then letting it lead us back to its mother. If we heal it before then, they may not be able to lead us, and more people are going to get changed," Grimm tries to clarify, taking a deep breath. "It's a risk to the creature or person because we don't know who we're dealing with."

Connor thinks about it. "If I can see where this mother is by looking into the past, that makes the most sense. Then do the healing. I'm loathe to leave someone transformed into something...alien."

"It you can get us information to find her, stop her, I'd rather do that. It's...I leave the decision of the risk to the Commander," Grimm sighs, scowling inwardly and looking down at her feet. "I don't want to use this person to get to the Mother, but...there are other people at risk."

Connor nods. "I understand. It's a difficult decision." He then adds, "My healing spell is not quick. It would take me several minutes. Perhaps twenty."

Grimm nods in agreement. She may have helped create the option, but she's glad she isn't the one to make that call. "While we have it in captivity, that's not a problem. Once we let it go and we're lead who knows where? I don't know if or when we'd have that luxury. We'd have to keep you safe throughout."

Connor nods. "Yeah. that's my point. Whatever creatures I try to heal will need to remain in a single location for an extended period. My mystic skill isn't what it once was."

Grimm smiles a bit at that. "Let's start with you trying to see into its past first. Figure out things after?"

Connor nods. "Sounds good. I have similar limitations with that one, but it's more likely to be about...let's say five minutes."

Grimm nods thoughtfully. "That can be done safe and sound in the security area. You'll be safe there."

Connor smiles. "Okay. I also can't see the normal world when I do it. I'm completley vulnerable. My vision is elsewhere."

Grimm raises a brow. "With looking into the past, or with the healing, too?"

Connor says, "Looking into the past."

Connor taps his temple, "My sight is along the timeline...so not in the present."

Grimm nods again. "We'll have some people with Starguard Gamma watching out for you, then."

Connor says, "While I'm healing, I'm aware of what's around me."

Grimm takes a breath as she thinks on that. This went too easy still. Can't she just let something be simple for once? "Got it. But that still takes time and the spell fails if you get attacked during those twenty or so minutes. That has to be somewhere controlled."

Connor shakes his head, "The healing is...what's hte best way to describe this...additive? Healing is a process. If I'm interrupted halfway into the process, I can pick up where I left off."

"Not so bad. Maybe you can cast most of the spell, so we only need a short amount of time once we get into the thick of things?" Grimm ponders aloud. "Damn, ironincally, if the cells weren't guarded against teleporting, I could open a gate into one and shove the bug in for later healing."

Connor grins, "Here's the thing...it may be difficult to know if I'm close to finishing. And if I have to cast it at all, it'll be at least 5 minutes per session."

Connor shrugs, "That's why when I've used the spell in the past, I just worked at restoring a person's pattern until I was done, rahter than try to game it in some way."

Grimm takes in a breath and blows it out. "Well, there's a reason it's not one of the sciences," she smirks.

Connor chuckles. "True. it's related, but a bit more...'squishy'."

"More art than science. Unless your an alchemist," Grimm grins. She's still expecting something bad to happen. "So...what do you want in exchange for helping?"

Connor chuckles. "Umm....nothing? Why would I want something?"

Grimm raises a brow, still suspicious. "You'd do this without conditions?"

Connor raises a brow, "You need me to pick something? Fine...let's see..." He chuckles. "Do your homework."

Grimm grimaces painfully. You'd think she just got suckerpunched. "Ow..."

Connor chuckles. "No, seriously. No conditions. But I still recommend doing your homework."

Grimm shifts against the door. "We'll see. If the earth would maybe stop ending, that'd help with the homework situation."

Connor shakes his head, "That just delays the inevitable."

"Well, what do you expect? I'm a procrastinator like all students," Grimm smirks.