011 - Video

[samantha_grey]

[The image is a somewhat rare sight. Samantha is seated behind a worktable. There are a series of beakers in front of her and she seems to have something or another bubbling in a larger one of them. She takes a whiff of it and nodded in satisfaction before shifting to the side and looking at the camera.

Did she have a sort of smirk on her face?]

So, here I am working on magical defenses against the rigors of making certain fish-brained, fin-rotted, purple-obsessed morons look like chumps, and I was almost curious if they were making any progress with their "White Sciences" [Yes, she actually made the quote signs with her fingers as she said that, snickering.] in preparing my ultimate downfall. I mean, it isn't as if they don't prattle about all the ways they're going to have me at their mercy, and I was honest to god wondering if all of that was just a bunch of hot air.

...this is Eridan Ampora. What the hell am I talking about? Of course anything Captain Ahab's said's all hot air.

[Another snicker. Anyone who knew Samantha very well might recognize that some of it was effected bravado. She was still struggling with what her feelings were about him, but these little games were much easier to play on the network, and part of her had a feeling he'd get a kick out of shouting back at her.]

But, since I was thinking about it, I got to thinking some more. What really are the differences between magic and science? It's not like I haven't talked with a few of you about this, and I know what a certain moron thinks on the subject, but all the same with the power turned back on through the runes so to speak and with us able to affix just a little bit of the power of this world into a potion, I was wondering what some of you might have thought was the difference.

Oh, and Ahab, I am expecting great things out of you. Just so you know. Don't think I'm sitting idle over at the shop all the time.

Comments

[samantha_grey]

Yeah, there's some similarities between worlds, but you could almost say that part of the point of asking was me getting curious about others' methods. Not too sure how well evolution explains the whole demonic thing, but it probably does if you just add in a few other variables and environments...

[ahem, babbling. She blushed a little and laughed.]

Two reasons. One, I'm pissing someone off I want to rattle, and two I'm just sort of curious and bored really.

[wallcrawls]

Probably. Demons don't really [ he gestures loosely — "I don't know" — with a hand. ] —exist outside of stories where I'm from, but mutants? Genetic anomalies? They do. I'm sure — I mean, I'm pretty sure that if you sat a giant lizard that also happens to be a man down in front of most people, they'd struggle to comprehend it. Some might even call that a demon.

[ a pause. quick questioning look. ] Someone you know gets pissed off by questions?

[samantha_grey]

huh... wait, mutants. That reminds me of Pyro a little. I wonder if you two are from the same world, though I'd bet that sort of thing's probably in a few worlds. But, I'm not too sure I'd go so far as to just say it's something we don't understand. I've been to hell where I'm from, and it was pretty real to me.

Oh, Captain Fin-Rot? No, he gets up in arms about magic not being real. It's a good way to tease him and get him riled up and cocky.

[wallcrawls]

We're not. [ uttered a touch too quickly, and it's followed by a quick smile somewhere between sheepish and awkward. ] As far as I can tell, anyway. All we've got is some, um— maybe you've seen him, I don't know, but a guy that goes around in a red and blue spandex suit calling himself Spider-Man. [ beat. ] And a giant lizard. Pyro's got, what [ a laugh. ], Homo Superiors? There's nothing like that doing the rounds in the med journals back in Queens, I can tell you that.

Hell? Wow. Yeah, alright, I'll — have to take your word on that. I mean, parts of NYC have been described as Hell but [ lip quirk. ] I'm pretty sure they're just being facetious.

[samantha_grey]

I've been to the big apple in my world. I think they're probably just kidding around, and yeah he used a word like that once. Kind of an ego on him too, I might add, but I've only got time for deflating one idiot's ego in my life regularly. I guess there's just plenty of worlds out there with similar issues.

But as for the 'real' hell, take my word for it. You're not missing much. Only went there once on purpose, and I'd prefer not to make a return trip.

[wallcrawls]

I wasn't planning on taking a trip any time soon, but I'll keep the rec in mind.

[samantha_grey]

Good plan in general, but somehow I figure that's pretty obvious if you really think about it.

[wallcrawls]

I guess you'd be pretty surprised by how many people don't really think.

[samantha_grey]

Yeah, see... that's probably how I ended up going down to visit. I wasn't thinking too carefully at the time.

[wallcrawls]

I'm told that's what kids do, but it's weird, no-one ever really accepts it as an excuse. [ uttered dryly but with evident humour. ]

[samantha_grey]

Could be a lot worse. Could be trying the age-old one about just following orders. That's just as bad in most people's books.

[wallcrawls]

That's probably because there comes a point where you need to decide what's more important to you: your beliefs or your orders. I don't know if I could ever respect someone for who the second is more important, you know? The line's going to be different for everyone, yeah, I know that, but that line's gotta be there, you know?

[samantha_grey]

There's always a line. It's part of what sets the way we treat things. We all have breaking points, and it's different for each of us. Like you, I have a bit of trouble with the "orders fist" types.