week 5, post trial.

[robitussin]

[Another week draws to a close, but as more culprits are led away, something is different all the same. After this particular trial, perhaps it's not a surprise that there's no note or offer to meet in a specific place tonight. Can any of them say they have any energy or desire to do something like that at a time like this? The place they regrouped last Saturday evening stands there, burned nearly beyond recognition, and the townspeople look at them with the distrust that's been steadily building. Not to mention... Those are the least of the losses they've faced in the last few days.

Of course, even as so much changes day by day, the town remains, with plenty of places for people to go if they don't want to stay inside the motel. Where can you be found tonight?]

Comments

[marmoron]

[Never be impressed with Keith, Kino. That would be a mistake.]

Tell me about it. The only other thing he really said about his boss is that they're apparently a genius.

[quickpersuader]

...Like a genius genius, or a genius to him?

[This. This is an important distinction.]

[marmoron]

Can't say for sure.

His boss is the one that came up with a plan this convoluted, but his boss is also the one who apparently designed the technology that brought us here.

[A beat.]

I'm not sure how impressive the latter is. In my world you could theoretically accomplish the same feat by gaining access to a transreality comet and access to the rift. That'd take patience as well alchemic knowledge, but not genius necessarily.

[quickpersuader]

Alchemic?

[More mysteries...]

...Needless to say this is all way beyond what my world is capable of.

[marmoron]

[Right.]

Altean alchemy. It's probably easiest to think of it as magic, but it involves manipulating quintessence. Life energy, life force -- whatever you want to call it. Altean alchemists can open up the rift between realities at will. With the help of a transreality comet, you can enter than space and travel between universes. I've been to one before this.

[A beat.]

I don't think that's what's happening here, that said. I'm just saying that I don't know if the guy really is a genius or not.

[quickpersuader]

...So he might just be taking advantage of a natural phenomenon?

[marmoron]

Possibly.

[A beat.]

We don[t have enough information to be able to tell.