No life; no consequences

by **Raeyn** on October 30th, 2018, 2:52 pm

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Oh she was so very vague in her descriptions. Understanding her tutelage was a little like putting together some exquisite puzzle that made less sense the more pieces he slammed together in hope of a perfect fit, in his mind. Yet Raeyn refused to give up and call it quits.

Savis hadn't quite explained the role of the runes so Raeyn simply assumed that they were what activated the circles or were somehow else completely necessary to the process. Obediently he stepped into the circle and watched as the runes surrounded him, still a little uneasy but damned would he be to show any inkling of it.

To put it bluntly, a happy corpse was a frightening sight in itself. dead muscle contorted into something vaguely resembling a smile. Sparkling eyes looming from behind deep purple shadows on sunken in flesh. The clear passion she held in hear heart for the art of animation perhaps matched Raeyn's own for Alchemy but he was almost certain he looked far less ghastly when obsessing over his magical research.

Soon enough Savis verbally marked the beginning of the process. And in all truth Raeyn didn't quite know what that meant. Not in his wildest dreams did his imagination stretch far enough to predict how this process would look like nor what was to be done. And finding himself with little instruction as to what his part entailed he sat where he was, a little dumbfounded and very much out of his depth. With a nod of affirmation he was completely reliant on her leadership.

*Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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by **Savis Maren** on October 30th, 2018, 5:52 pm

A hum vibrated past Savis Maren's lips as she considered the situation that she and Raeyn had delved into. The young Alchemist agreed to act as the Nuit's conduit, the Source of knowledge for the project she was working on. Savis was alight with satisfaction within the entire ordeal, and looked to Raeyn with a measure of fondness before she breached into her mouth. Fingers slid partway down her own throat, with droplets of ichor staining her fingertips. Savis shifted to allow the droplets to fall into each circle before she addressed Raeyn to educate the boy who was assisting her so thoroughly.

"Once the Source and Destination circles are both filled, the Animator produces their life essence. For a mortal, that would, of course, be blood. For my kind, the Nuit, it is ichor. The addition of life essence connects the circles to the Animator's mind and allows the practitioner control over a flow of information within. First, the Aniimator will breach into the Source. Information at this point--"

As if on queue, the connection of the Twin Circles brushed into Savis Maren's thoughts. She felt the flow of ideas, concepts. The twang of the bow echoed throughout her mind. The laying of d-wire, countless experiences of conflict and pain poured into the Nuit's mind. Memories filled her, and the Nuit's eyes rolled back for a moment before she collected herself. She sought to mute herself to the experiences, slowing the flow of ideas as she sought to move her thoughts back to the teaching moment.

"Will flow freely between the Source and practitioner... The first step after making the connection is to form the Soulcore..." she continued on. Savis Maren's thoughts moved towards that construction. She studied the soul within the Source and pulled from it the very basic etchings of life. Ideas wove into an entity, empty of knowledge but filled with the vibrancy of life as she spoke next, filling the silence with information to give to Raeyn.

"An Animator uses the soul within the Source as inspiration. We tap into each layer of the soul. First, the Soulcore, the basis of identity and the part of the soul where personal magic is fuelled by. Though this Animation won't be capable of personal magic, it posseses its own Soulcore, rich with djed that acts as the fuel to sustain the functions of the automaton." Savis Maren did her utmost to explain the process as she continued to siphon the last vestiges of life from Raeyn into the Gadget Arm, sealing the Soulcore within a long fibre of wire that set into the arm.

Savis Maren pulled into the djed within her own soul as the Glyphs that surrounded the Twin Circles hummed to life. The flow of djed through both circles was visible as the Glyphs sought to control the flow while Savis Maren felt the Sight flicker to life within her piercing silver eyes.

Savis Maren synchronized with the budding aura of the Gadget Arm. What was once tiny and nearly indiscernable began to rise and fall with the billowing smoke of a primitive life form. There was no consciousness to speak of, no emotions to be had, but yet... there was the basis of life, an aura that rose as smoke several inches above the Gadget Arm, flowing in each direction about it.

"Once the Soulcore is completed... We move next to the more intensive portion of Animation. For the most part, one can divide Animation into a number of steps. Drawing the circles and acquiring the Source. Forging the Soulcore and implanting it within the Destination. Then... the Animator creates the Persona. In normal souls, the Persona is what makes someone who they are. Information, skills, feelings, the metaphorical flesh and blood of the soul is found within the Persona," she explained. Savis Maren moved on, eager to begin the process of pilfering knowledge from the depths of Raeyn's mind.

by **Raeyn** on October 31st, 2018, 6:30 pm

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Having very little knowledge of Animation to speak of, as he did, Raeyn had rather uncomfortably however without much fuss settled into the role of the pupil. One might think that being a student of the Towers, he may have been quite used to it by now. But that was far from true. For one had to keep in mind that Raeyn's teach was none other than Professor Orath whom, for many years, the Inarta had seen as something of an idea to strive for. For however refined and flamboyant Raeyn himself was, Rather had still been ten times that. With the exception of his professor however, Raeyn did in fact see himself as the intellectual superior to many thus sitting down and shutting up like a good boy came with a price; a sharp sting to his pride. Irksome but bearable.

There were many things about Savis he had yet to learn. One of tsuch mysteries was his new found knowledge of what the hell ichor was. How silly of him to have assumed such a ghastly creature as her would have had veins filled with blood.

He found himself wishing he had parchment and ink to note all this new information down on. Having found himself quite lacking such things, he simply paid such very close attention, noting down everything in his memory instead. He remarked on how close the two magics were; Alchemy and Animation, for both needed blood in order to activate their respective circles. He learned what the word source really meant. It became apparent to Raeyn the the source, himself, was a template of a sort for the creation.

A feeling of discomfort overwhelmed him, as if something reached between the lawyers of his skin out of sheer curiosity, although far less physically so. It was an ethereal kind of discomfort, an immaterial one, a truly hard to describer one yet just as anything it made the little red hairs stand on end as the back of his neck and his freckly skin broke out into goose bumps.

Any normal man would have rose to his feet in that instant and demanded for her to stop. And perhaps Raeyn would have acted much in the way of a normal man if he wasn't anything but that.

For if he had fled then how would he have learned what it was she had taught him next? How would he have found out what a soul core was or how to make one, the details on which still eluded him. The way she drew parallels between the creation of animation and true life did make it a little easier to understand however.

He could sense the flow of died around him. He was part of it. The first link in a long chain and like the skilled craftsman that she was, Savis was slowly linking it all together. And soon enough, sure that her efforts had paid off, she announced that once the soul core was completed, the next stage would prove hardly as easy.

At the thought of this Raeyn shuddered. If the feeling of her digging around in his djed wasn't bad enough, whatever horrors could the next stage entail? "You're intending to give that thing feelings?" he mumbled a little horrified, unsure if to pity the creation itself or the madwoman working her magic. "I assume theres a way you can choose what feelings to give it and which ones to keep to yourself."

*Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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by **Savis Maren** on October 31st, 2018, 7:50 pm

1. Be loyal to Savis Maren.

2. Follow the commands of Savis Maren.

3. Protect Savis Maren.

Savis invoked the three prime directives she sought for the Gadget Arm, the laws she wrote woven first and foremost into its essence before she continued on.

It was very clear to Savis Maren that the young man before her was very much new to what he was experiencing. Silver eyes looked over the Inarta boy as he seemed to have some sort of inner conflict. Was the idea of serving as a student to a Nuit so appalling to him? The Inarta did not interrupt her as she pilfered the basis of the Soulcore from him, nor as she shaped it into the fibres of the wire that adorned the Gadget Arm. No, the young man sat obediently within the circles and seemed to pay careful attention to the process even as the obvious discomfort welled upon his features.

Raeyn was a being that, even with the connection of the Twin Circles, Savis found very difficult to understand. The Nuit possessed no desire to delve deeper than necessary, as she didn't have days to do so to no end. Rather, she moved straight to the part of Raeyn's mind that governed his movements. The twang of the bow she felt through their connection grew louder in her ears, and she utilized that as her guiding point. Savis Maren began to siphon the idea of movement, the finer actions of the human arm that Raeyn possessed. The young man was fitter than most, a life of physical endeavors so very opposite to what Savis' unlife consisted of. The Nuit knew her decision to involve him, right then and there in the moment, was the correct one. The Nuit breached within their connection, guiding djed into the depths of Raeyn's mind, and feeding the information towards the Destination.

The Nuit was in no rush and allowed her thoughts to move next to Raeyn's question and the horror that flowed through his tones as he voiced it. Amusement cast upon the Nuit's features as she straightened her posture. She allowed djed to well within her gaze, little by little bringing the Sight back into her efforts. As the djed caught upon the Destination, she allowed her awareness to follow the stream of information-rich djed to the Source. She did not jump to Raeyn's aura, but rather, where the information began. She felt the jump of minute movements and finer information, her own limbs twitching in response. Savis Maren paused for a moment, maintaining the stream of information. The djed waxed within the Destination, the Gadget Arm's aura emboldening as the second layer of the soul, the Persona began to swell and wrap itself about the Soulcore.

"I've not gotten to that bit of knowledge just yet, but yes. When an Animator connects themselves to the Twin Circles with their life essence, they charge themselves with the direction their project will take. There is a need to control the information and not simply provide an automaton with every bit of knowledge that one can provide. No, the introduction of emotions is a dangerous thing. Love, anger, fear... the emotions that make sentient souls what they are... they are dangerous. While some may argue that implementing emotions into creations is an asset, I've personally known it to form instability within the creation. Rudimentary feelings are easier to control. Bestowing loyalty and the ideas associated create bonds between creation and master that are difficult to... release."

Savis Maren thought back to that foolish creation, 'Sil', and the rage Savis felt when she'd failed in making him perfect. She blamed it, then herself, then settled in a poor mixture of faulting her abilities and the design of the mannequinn itself. To this day, she still couldn't be sure of what she hated so much about the thing.

"I've found it simpler to use another as the Source, which is why I asked this of you. Releasing one's own emotions into the Destination creates a sort of empathy between creation and creator that conflicts with the idea that they are merely tools to be used," she cautioned the Alchemist in her charge. The Nuit's voice was laden with a complicated emotion. Was it regret? Pain? Savis Maren did not reveal the nature of it in her speaking, but perhaps Raeyn might find the tone insightful.

The Nuit, once satisfied that the automaton had a proper knowledge of the movements it was capable of, was then fed with the knowledge of Common. The Gadget Arm was already prepared with flaps in its design that would encourage reception of sound. Edward Lucis was a brilliant designer, clearly not new to the creation of automatons. Elena, it seemed, asked even more of the Gadgeteer than Savis Maren did.

by **Savis Maren** on October 31st, 2018, 7:51 pm

Savis took her time implementing the knowledge of the Common tongue, and was encouraged, in her pilfering of knowledge from Raeyn, to continue speaking so as to focus herself on the nuance of word and speech that the Alchemist was capable of. Sentences, commands, knowledge of structure poured into the creation, taken from Raeyn and put to task within the Persona.

"This creation is meant to be close to me, to protect and aid me. The ideas within you, Raeyn, would make it simpler. I see within you..."

As Savis Maren pilfered through Raeyn's thoughts she moved into the deeper aspects of Raeyn's psyche. She did not want to delve too far, for to do so might upset the Alchemist and stray him from the idea of further involvement. Rather, she kept her intrusion gentle, catching on the knowledge of a bond. Savis Maren did not know much about Kelvics, her encounters with a few of the Kelvic slaves kept within the citadel of Sahova short and to the point at best. She, of course, had other matters to delve into on the citadel.

"The bonds of loyalty born from being saved by another. I'll use those sentiments to my own purposes, of course, but the parallel is made when one finds the proper tools at hand is tantamount to the success of the project. An animator, in their first introduction to the craft might not delve too deeply into the minds of sentient beings. More and more, you find such minds, their complexity... their depth," she emphasized, her eyes narrowed as she struggled with carrying over the concepts she desired. Savis battled with the idea of loyalty, stripping it from Raeyn and embedding it within the Persona. The ideas meant for the first directive were, more than likely, the most complicated, but would bear the ripest fruits once the process was completed.

"This discipline, more than most, requires immense patience, an understanding that the ideas pilfered from the Source must be changed about and altered. It's a trying ordeal, but the rewards for doing so can be magnificent," she assured the Inarta. Savis Maren sought to strip the memory of its specifics. Rather, she delved into Raeyn's loyalty, cutting it at the ends and replacing people and places with further elaboration of the idea. The Nuit's features might not show the strain, but she allowed a momentary lapse of concentration in order to preserve herself for what was to come.

"In the end, memories and ideas within the Source are used to create a basis. Identity, knowledge and skills are then put to task with the implementation of Directives. Often, directives are simple in nature, but can be made increasingly complex so as to suit the functions of the automaton. First, for example, I intend for this arm to show loyalty, attachment. I wish for it to act as a branch for my ends, a third arm stronger than my own that can support the tasks I have in mind for it," she told the Alchemist. Savis Maren stayed her hand from delving back into Raeyn, and instead breached into the Destination.

With the last two directives set in place, she'd then breach into Raeyn. He'd utilize the memory implanted within him, so recently made. The sight of Savis Maren was rather unimportant, but the voice. Savis' voice was encoded within the automaton, to be listened to and heeded. The Gadget Arm took some time to encode with this knowledge, and more than once Savis Maren warred within the Circles, guiding the knowledge to its proper placement before she cemented it within the mind of the construct. Movements, ideas, language were all woven into their proper place before Savis introduced a concept to the automaton she wished to avoid.

Violence.

Savis tread carefully with this idea, introducing the idea as an abomination, to be avoided, but used in order to heed the third directive.

And only for that purpose, she mused as she implemented the final piece of information within the automaton. Savis shifted somewhat, and had no idea of how much time had passed as she considered the circles and the man within the Source once again.

"Once the knowledge and directives are in place, the third layer of the artificial soul needs to be created," she informed Raeyn, continuing on with their lesson as she allowed herself a moment to recover from the ordeal.

"The Astral Body. This is the layer that connects thoughts to action. The false soul within the Gadget Arm can be filled with immeasurable knowledge, but without the connection to the structure, the astral body, it could not move. It'd be inert and useless, with no way to interact with the world," she taught. The Nuit gestured to the Gadget Arm, offering a wry smile towards Raeyn before she asked,

"Shall we continue?"

by **Raeyn** on October 31st, 2018, 8:43 pm

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Date 518 AV
"Speech"

Empathy was an emotion Raeyn needed a certain effort to employ. Unlike other, to Raeyn it did not come naturally. For he did indeed notice a taint over her tone, like some bloomy cloud that had rolled over Savis Mared, but much in the way he did notice it he found he didn't much care. Far too occupied with his own thoughts, as he often was, Raeyn far more entertained by his growing certainty that the woman was indeed mad.

Still he did heed her warnings over imbuing automatons with complex emotions such as love with little quarrel over the ethics of such. In fact to Raeyn most people in Mizahar were in this way very much automatons to him. Tools to be used, as she so eloquently said herself.

"I see." he hummed thoughtfully. "In this case how do you differentiate between the feelings? How do you ensure that the right ones are imbued into the creation and the undesirables are... well... not."

At that point Raeyn gave no mind to Savis ever being able to see his thought and feelings and the memories within him or the emotions linked to those memories. He hadn't for a moment imagined that by becoming her source he gave her a free pass to secrets he kept under lock and key even from Sasha and Mara. He wasn't really quite sure what he was imagining but it was far from the reality of things, for if he had known it, he'd never have given consent.

And thus when she spoke of servitude, his bond with Sasha was the last thing that his mind would link it to for he did not see that as servitude. It was love of the purest form. The most selfless of love. His devotion to the Kelvic wasn't that of a slave nor master but an otherworldly, idealised thing in his mind that no words could describe.

He almost chuckled at the thought of Savis being able to gain any semblance of servitude from his died, finding the whole thing laughable indeed. That was before of course she made mention of diving into minds. For the moment those words fell from her black stained lips, Raeyn's own expression turned gravelly cold.

"What do you mean by by the memories and ideas in the source? Can... can you see my memories?" his voice was low, hesitant. However uncomfortable he may have seemed til this point, now he was ten times that. His fingers clenched into fists, suggesting that any answer other than a decisive "NO" would not do.

it made a lot of sense in theory, as Savis explained what directives were. And in practice it looked to make sense too. Although Raeyn wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to repeat the process with any measure of success without the Nuit's guidance. He did find himself wishing she'd go a little more into detail, break down what directives were useful and what were not. Something did tell him that things as love were just one on a whole list of things to avoid. But that was another lesson for another day perhaps.

Soon enough talk of the third layer, the astral body, began. Something without which, she assured him, the gadget would be entirely useless. A soul sure had many layers, he thought to himself. She wasn't joking when she said the process was time consuming.

"Go ahead." he replies to the question, anticipating the next part of the lesson. He seemed to feel about Animation much in the same way he felt about Alchemy first time he read about the magical art; that was to say it was all so very complex. So very enchantingly and fascinatingly complex.

*Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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by **Savis Maren** on October 31st, 2018, 10:07 pm

Here, Savis Maren needed to tread carefully. The Nuit, of course, relied heavily on the Inarta's desire for knowledge to fuel his consent in becoming the Source for her ambitions. She could've used herself, but had no way of knowing whether or not the lag traditional to the Nuit condition might follow to the Destination. Savis Maren had no desire for her prized Gadget Arm, born from the brilliant mind of Edward Lucis, to bear such imperfections. No, she required a tool that would heed her indications, and the small omission that Savis would, indeed, breach into Raeyn's mind in her eyes was worth the possible end result. The Nuit listened to Raeyn's questions with a pensive expression. She'd spent several bells conversing with the Inarta, forging the connections within the Gadget Arm as the two conversed about the principles that the Nuit was putting into place. Now, when asked a truly deep question fuelled with what might have been anger, the Nuit shrugged her shoulders.

"The Source is connected to an Animator as they engage. Memories, useful knowledge, all are available to the Animator's scrutiny... but it isn't so simple to answer as 'Yes' or 'No'. I can ascertain powerful emotions, basic understanding, knowledge... but the details aren't for me to know so much as the creation. I don't know the name of the being whose bond you showed me. I don't know where or when that bond was created. Think of the Circles as a magnet. One wills the qualities they wish to see and the ideas, memories and notions that correspond are pulled to the surface to be replicated, then edited to the purposes of the magic," she informed the Inarta. The answer wasn't quite a 'no', but she hoped for her sake that the Inarta would understand what she meant to say.

Savis Maren continued onward to the final step of the creation. The Nuit, having gathered all that she needed for the Animation's knowledge, ignored the Source circle entirely. She focused entirely on the Destination. She pulled djed towards the Gadget Arm, enriching the tool. It seemed to twitch as Savis Maren wove the Astral Body into its form, weaving it into each of the fingers, into every fibre of wire made available to her. Each bit of the Gadget Arm had its role to play, with the memories derived from Raeyn serving as 'muscle' memory to fuel precise movements. To complete the Animation, she wove two Triggers into her directives, speaking them aloud for Raeyn to hear.

"Breathe," was set as the trigger for the automaton's activation, woven into its prime directives and placed in order for the Nuit to utilize later. Next, she followed with the word,

"Cease," weaving the word as its 'kill switch'. She took her time carrying the thought into the Destination before she looked towards Raeyn with a measure of curiosity. The Gadget Arm twitched one final time before Savis Maren spoke the word that'd bring it to life.

"Breathe," she commanded it. Immediately, the Animation stirred, convulsing in place before it flipped onto its underside. It stretched beyond the bounds of the circle before Savis commanded it, "Stretch out your fingertips," which it obeyed immediately. The Nuit was satisfied to find her tasking to standard, but was quite curious to indulge herself in the capabilities of the automaton rather soon.

"Crawl towards me," she'd utter next. The Gadget Arm dragged its fingers along the surface of the table. Inch by inch it crawled towards the Nuit, a chuckle parting her lips. The movements of the Arm were nimble and the Nuit found herself growing more and more satisfied with it by the moment. With her gaze returning to Raeyn, she spoke, "Cease," letting the Arm fall limp before she cradled it against her breast. She'd sling the thin arm over her shoulders, as if seeing how best to adapt it before she addressed his questions in full,

"As for your earlier question... The flow of djed about an to-be Animation is controlled by the Animator. Knowledge is imbued into the djed around the source and through the Animator's will, imposed into the Circles by the connection of blood, they are able to control the flow. It's a battle of wills, setting a balance between knowledge and function, between too much and too little. Of course, the task of deciding what is right and what is left behind is up to the Animator. One needs to have the proper mindset and know what they want to create. It takes careful planning, due diligence, study and practice. For me... it took a great deal of studying, the use of Auristics aided greatly while I studied my old master in his craft. However, it's not necessary for the craft itself," she mused aloud. The Nuit wasn't sure how much of her tutelage would stick with Raeyn, but she did her utmost to keep her end of this little bargain, for Raeyn kept his end and stayed with her until the tool was completed.

"Feel free to ask more questions, Raeyn. I'm sure my explanations weren't fully satisfactory," she mused, stroking the surface of the completed Gadget Arm with a fondness she'd known only sparingly in her long life.

by **Raeyn** on November 1st, 2018, 11:26 am

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This brought Raeyn some peace of mind. Though she spoke of his bond, the existence of which he had not mentioned so her knowledge of it amazed him, the assurance that Sasha's identity was kept safe beneath a veil of obscurity was enough to sate his worry. Learning that there were things he could show her and things he could keep hidden, the Inarta instantly thought of the Tear and the related memory which he instantly pushed as far down in his mind as one possibly could. If he had the ability he'd forget the whole thing.

A brief thought crossed his mind. Would a being, whose entire existence hinges on the reality of death, have any moral qualms with speaking to a murderer? It was another thought for another time, however.

Growing visibly a little more relaxed, as much as one could be with another's bony cold finders digging around in his brain, Raeyn nodded. "I see... How exactly do you edit the memories?"

He felt a little embarrassed by asking so many questions. Perhaps had the alchemist been a decade younger he'd have an easier time pushing his ego aside long enough to realise he was hardly an all knowing library of information. it was all so humbling.

What words fell from her lips next would leave Raeyn very confused indeed for it took him a moment or two to realise that she wasn't quite speaking to him. After all, wouldn't it be a little hypocritical of a walking corpse, with no breath of her own, to tell a mortal man to breathe? Soon enough he realised however that those words contained some level of importance to the whole process, thus silently and obediently he watched with awe as the mechanical gadget twitched with life and began to obey commands.

So awed, was the Inarta in fact, that he almost fell backwards, startled by the abruptness of it all. But soon enough awe turned to a fiendish grin that only a man who had witnessed something truly inspirational could muster. "That's incredible." he muttered, more to himself than to Savis. "What a talent."

Once the initial shock of it all settled in the dust of the library around the two mages, Savis went on with her explanations. And convoluted and long winded as those explanations were, at least she was thorough enough and for that Raeyn was thankful. She then prompted him for more questions. Little would she know just how many he had. But then again she did this to herself.

A single, white as paper finger rose to his lip. Whiter still teeth gently sunk into it's pale flesh as the other wrapped itself around his waste in a manner of utmost thoughtfulness. Glistening eyes, like puddles after a storm, rested comfortably now on the gadget arm. He took a moment to sort out his thoughts in order of most importance to least importance before at last shifting his complete attention to the Nuit.

"Is it only you that the arm will obey from now on or would others too be able to command it, providing they knew the right commands?" he asked, slowly at first though once one question was asked, three more would take it's place and he found himself giving Savis hardly enough time to answer it all. "Is it just gadgets that you can animate? What about limbs, or even bodies? What about people? Theoretically speaking, is it possible to animate flesh and blood? What about free will? Is that something an animated creation could ever possess?"

He was only vaguely aware that the questions that pressed him most were ones most people would find at least in some part troubling. For Raeyn's curiosity often took the path of morbidity. But as far as he was concerned, Savis wasn't exactly in the position of judge him for that, being a walking talking corpse and all.

"Much in the same way you created something resembling life with animation, can you then take that away from that creation?" he continued his stream of consciousness before realising just quite how long for he spoke almost exclusively in questions. And with that realisation he cast his eyes to the gadget once more, a little embarrassed. "Do forgive me. All his must seem so obvious to you."

Word Count: 720

*Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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by **Savis Maren** on November 1st, 2018, 6:32 pm

Savis watched as Raeyn showed the visible signs of relief. The Nuit found the change from guarded, to fearful, and back to a somewhat neutral expression to be quite fascinating. The full breadth of Raeyn's emotional capacity turned visible to Savis, one by one as he relaxed in her presence. The idea that Savis edited the memories, however, caused her to shake her head. Perhaps the Nuit misspoke, or there were misunderstandings between teacher and student born from the Nuit's lack of deep instruction in her past. Savis Maren wouldn't pretend to be perfect, but this was the exercise she underwent. Ever since the Summer ended and she returned to the world after a period of total isolation... she found a need to be social.

Speaking with others, but more importantly, shaping minds and ingratiating them through the imparting of knowledge was tantamount to her cementing herself as a part of the city. Simply acting as a visitor within this city that she'd come to call 'home' was insufficient for her. She needed to become necessary, perhaps even coveted. It was for this reason that she tested herself, expanded upon her knowledge and understanding of Animation even as she instructed Raeyn in the basic principles of what she was doing.

Multi-tasking had always been a habit of Savis', with the indulgence of having so much time to enact her ambitions working both to her favor and inspiring greed, further desires and ambitions to dwell within her. She'd address such notions given time, knowing that the need to establish concrete goals for herself was tantamount to establishing herself within Lhavit. However, in the moment of teaching, it wasn't the time for Savis to indulge in such musings. Rather, she ignored her thoughts and thought on how to properly phrase the answer to Raeyn's first question.

Of course, there were further questions, and watching as Raeyn nearly fell backwards at the sudden, finessed movements of the Gadget Arm brought her a measure of pride. Savis programmed the arm with both tactile and intellectual properties, combining them to form a tool that was perhaps the most complicated she'd created as of yet. The Nuit paced herself, of course, using but a single aspect of the fully-formed automata she'd seen and been party ot creating on Sahova. With the resources at her disposal, asking for more and more was simply impossible. She disguised her utter glee at both the Inarta's reaction and the efficiency of the Gadget Arm and instead listened closely to both Raeyn's praise and his further, probing questions into the principles of Animation.

"Your questions... allow me a moment to process and answer them one by one. I didn't expect so many, given how quiet you've been throughout, in relative terms, anyway," she added. The Nuit's voice, so precise in its demonstration of tone, articulated both her surprise and her, to be frank, eagerness to indulge the student. It was her ambition calling to her, after all.

"First, we begin with the notion of editing memories. The connection between Animator and the Source is a connection fundamental to all world magicks. The Circles of Power are not alone in Animation, but the distinction here is that Animators connect with living beings within the Source and transmit knowledge and understanding into the Destination. The ideas transmitted aren't memories, but instead, functions and information that are harvested from the Source. Of course, the mind isn't so simple as to break down information into easily catalogged reservoirs of data... Memories are what the Source provides, and it is the task of an Animator to utilize the ambient djed within the Circle to process and then replicate the information needed to transmit to the Destination."

Raeyn asked questions that were complex, but it was the nature of the arcane to be foreign. Not only did Animation reverse the natural order, but it breached into the concepts of the soul and breaking the supernatural into pieces that could be understood by mortal minds. Savis took a moment to allow the ideas she threw at Raeyn to stick, a moment to catch her thoughts and move from one question to the next. Savis whirled from the excitement of creating the animated Gadget Arm and seeing it work to her specifications.

"Moving on to the notion of loyalty. I mentioned earlier the need for Directives. Directives are reinforced by the intelligence bestowed by an Animator, and are, as mentioned, fundamental and irrefutable laws in the programming of the Animation. The idea of loyalty and the heeding of instruction is left to the Animator, but for this particular creation, it should only heed my indications. The words will turn the tool on and off, but it is familiar with my voice. If someone could properly impersonate my voice, then they could possibly outsmart the automaton. Animations, like the mortals they draw their inspiration from, are not perfect. They are capable of being fooled, of feeling if the information given bestows such gifts on them," she emphasized. Savis pursed her lips, debating to herself how to proceed before she offered Raeyn a vibrant smile, quite pleased that the Inarta was giving her such a challenge in the last stretch of their lesson. The Nuit considered her previous words, but the last few questions the Inarta asked were much simpler to address.

"Transmitting intensely complicated concepts, such as free will, takes a great deal of time and dedication that could be done, but without the proper intelligence given to enforce that free will, leaving directives open-ended and Animations to their devices will often lead to malfunction and disarray. Quite a while ago, perhaps before you were born, Raeyn, I settled on an island in the region of Sylira. A place filled with Nuit like myself, far older, colder and unyielding in their pursuit of the arcane. There were Animators there capable of feats I could scarcely imagine, but also of feats that I'm very well aware of. Flesh and blood, the proof that mortals and even souls can be used in this discipline stands before you. The Nuit are born from ritualistic Animation proceedings known universally as the Daek-nuit. Someday, perhaps, I'll find myself capable of such marvels as utilizing souls in this craft... But currently, that is beyond me," she admitted to the Inarta. It wasn't shameful for her to do so, and she hoped that the answers she gave could express to Raeyn just how incredible such feats truly were in the eyes of an Animator.

"Someday, I will know those secrets..." she said, the first vocalization of the ambitions she held as a world mage.

WC: 1122