touchscreens | [video]

[When the feed begins, there is a very unkempt Rhea surrounded by papers and some of the scrolls that were collected the month or so previously. It's obvious that she has overly strained herself as she rubs her left eye with a blackened hand from the ink she used.]

Hello, favored visitors. I apologize for my less... seemly appearance, but due to the events last month that likely left many of you thrown for a loop, it fell to me to find a means of reversing the effects and to translate many of the texts recovered to a language all can understand.

Last month began a cycle of the year in which the Goddess of the Wind and Aether's influence is strongest. According to our ancient texts- [She picks up one of the scrolls of paper she wrote on.] "The Lady of Aether ist much a trickster in nature, and blesses our mortal beings the power of transformation."

[After setting it down, she continues.]

To those who were amongst the Transformed last month, she chose you much like she had chosen me as a child. This form given you is capable of being shifted between with a proper conduit, such as the mask a few of you have seen in my office.

[She bows her head... and promptly dozes off by accident.

Oops.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...

[And Naoto tries tapping on her monitor]

Rhea-san... Rhea-san, do you need to get some proper rest?

[She had a suspicion Kanji's and Yu's transformation was similar to Rhea's, but this definitely confirmed it.]

You mentioned before when Yu-senpai and I went to talk to you that the transformation could have issues if not eased with the mask-- is going... 'feral' part of those difficulties?

[But of course, she couldn't help asking...]

[The proper response to the question is a resounding "yes," but she suddenly wakes up a bit again.]

No, no - I'm fine. Really.

[She so totally is not.]

As for becoming more feral... Yes. Those who begin to lose grip on what makes them human will revert to a more animal-like state.

... I highly suggest you take a rest after you finish checking the network; it's best to work after a full nights sleep, wouldn't you say?

[Pot calling the kettle blaaaaaack... But regardless, that at least confirmed her concerns.]

So that does explain our own experiences. One of my friends became practically wolf like after being away from contact for several days; it took touch to return him to a human thinking mind. Was that mentioned at all in any of your scrolls...?

Edited 2014-05-17 03:32 (UTC)

[Oh... She understands that feeling...

The 'dozing off on work' part. Like, yeah, she's interested in how the whole 'transformation' part of this works, but -- more importantly --]

Uh... Miss, if you sleep there you'll... [...Not loud enough is she--? Crystal's very apologetic about having to raise her voice.] Miss, you'll smear the translations if you sleep on them, and then no one else'll be able to use them.

--huh?

[Oh Goddesses, did she really-?]

I am so sorry! I thought I had rested enough, but...

[Whoa when did it get this late?]

[OH, MISS RHEA...]

I get the feeling. There's just some things that can't wait to be shared and some work that can't be put off, right? [Too many jokes made at her expense back home... Too many jokes made at her expense now...] Just make sure you sleep after you finish answering everyone's questions.

[Speaking of, she sees everyone's got the "conduits" question covered, so there's something else she'd like to ask about.]

I only have a few myself -- do the other goddesses [it feels a little foreign on her tongue, to ask that] have cycles like the Lady of Arther does, do they give blessings too, and would it be possible to... maybe get a calendar of those, so it won't come as such a surprise to us if anything happens?

[She didn't mind being a pony, okay, but it made opening things very, very hard.]

...So if those masks ain't touched somehow, we stay human, right? We won't change again?

There ain't other 'conduits', is there?

[NO REASON JUST ASKING. Also, sheesh, you really need some shut-eye.]

They have to be worn, but you're right. You won't change again unless you wear one.

...Though it is possible to make a talisman that can be hung around your neck, depending on which animal you become.

[That seemed to be enough for him, and he sighed in relief. No more random changing and everything that came with it. So long as the goddess isn't angry somehow, he guessed, and turned him back for whatever reason he'd be just fine.]

There anything about those talismans in those pages?

[BUT, if he's randomly poofed somehow he should be able to have the means of changing back. It could just be some jewelry. Nothing more. A stylish safety net.]

...And how long've you been at this? You look like hell.

[as someone who was changed, he is very interested in this message... he waits patiently for her to wake up again. for about five seconds]

...Ahem. Excuse me, miss. Miss? [he's talking louder than normal in an effort to wake her up]

...hm?

[Oh crap; she was still broadcasting, wasn't she.]

Yes?

[oh, an answer! he sits up straight, eye twitching]

Are you saying that turning us into animals was merely... to amuse a goddess?

[Everyone else seemed to be using the network to talk to the tired priestess. Yu on the other hand decided to take a different approach. Armed with a thermos of tea and Banchou on his shoulder, he knocked on the door to the office.]

Rhea-san?

[If she doesn't answer, he's gonna send Banchou to open the door.]

[For a moment, there is no answer - only the rustling of more papers as she stirs a little.

The door, however, seems to give a little at the knock.]

[Oh good, the kitten key wasn't needed this time around. However, Yu opened the door just enough to get inside while Banchou hopped down and went to look around the office.]

Rhea-san?

That was no blessing, human.

I want to see those scrolls. I want all of the information you have on this 'Goddess'.

The word in our language for 'blessing', as many people foreign to this land understand it, is one that more accurately translates to "blessing and curse". While it may prove useful at times, and others it can be a burden or an annoyance.

I will try to copy down the texts at the first time possible.

[...w-well its not as fun if you're going to be all accommodating and stuff. HE'S TRYING TO BE ANGRY OVER HERE, GOD.]

"Useful". Perhaps to those with substandard bodies, who utilize other creatures' abilities for their own benefits, but not to me!

Have you not assistants who could do such things? I am short on patience!

[... Eyebrow raise.

You shouldn't fall asleep in the middle of a debriefing ok. So she'll talk in the loudest voice she can, without outright yelling.]

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR US?

[If you ever thought in your lifetime that you would never see a priestess nearly jump out of her skin... surprise; she just did. Shaking it off, she is just going to replay that sentence again due to not understanding it while being woken up again.]

-It means that we can give you a means to transform back into that form at will and, for whatever reason, you too have been chosen by our goddesses. The why I have not yet uncovered, but Akasha has yet to play tricks on us without due reason.

Any way to remove that favor? [Because she's already ~chosen~ by a goddess. She has enough deities on her hands.]

[She guesses that gives her a whole new way to be a getaway driver...but she never thought she'd be the shaman type. She wonders if her datajack gets in the way of this world's astral plane too.]

Rhea! Wake up and tell us the rest, would you? What about these "conduits"!?

[video]

[Video]

Re: [Video]

[Video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

Video

Video

Video

[video]

[video]

[video]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[text]

[text - sometime later when the constant beeping awakens her]

[text]

video;

video;

video;

video