Nerds of a Feather Learn Together

[chefbayardee]

Who: Open to everyone!
When: Consistently in the evenings of May 9th-12th
Where: Curti Center Library, a larger conference room.
What: The howling hordes of airship pilot- and engineer-wannabes gather in one poor, poor place. And other nerds could probably study there, too.
Warnings/Notes: Feel free to write your own top-levels like with Makoto's birthday.

Wholly out of the blue, a message pings into your iMog slate, through the Kali Shashidhwaja Linkshell. When you open the notification, a horrible sound plays, and the text message's contents burst onto the screen in an explosion of confetti.

So I might've raided the Curti Center's library for everything on space, airships, piloting, and magitek. I also might have conquered conference room 3A in the library for the next few evenings. Come keep me company!

Please. It's quiet and lonely and I'm scared to leave by myself.
And I have cookies! ლ(❛ω❛ლ)

For whatever reason, you decide to head on over to the Curti Center, and you're met with a large conference room, with piles of books on the table divided by a few trays of cookies, and a few dry-erase boards because chalk is for bohemians. One, clearly at Hunk's corner of the table, has a sketch of an airship with arrows and chicken-scratched notes pointing to seemingly-random areas, as well as a blue-marker doodle of a bizarre creature circled multiple times and surrounded by question marks.

Another board across the room is partially taken up by a chart titled SKILLS! and broken into three columns: PILOT, MECHANIC, SCHOLAR. Hunk's name is written beneath each, but maybe you should write your own- there's a reason you're here, after all! And resting in the marker tray are about seven pamphlets on the Vaikuntha Pilot License Examination.

Oh, and there's a moogle sitting sternly upon the lectern next to the door, munching on a kupo nut as he gestures towards the bowl next to him, with "Donations" scribbled onto a piece of paper taped to the side.

Go wild, but shhhh! You're in a library!

( Potential baby top-level ideas include "asking your study neighbor what in the world something means," bellowing "HELLO YES I AM PILOT," and "I wandered in because free cookies but I don't want to be here and can't leave without causing a scene, help." )

Comments

[pishirogane]

"... There might be something else you could assist me with. First, finish reading what else I've written on the board."

Because while she is here to learn about the tech and airships in particular, there's something else she will be getting around to next. "Have you heard anything in regards to the incident occurring at the Lake of Ira, or similar ones prior?"

[chefbayardee]

Hunk's eyes don't move towards the board. He's not going to say he already knew where Naoto was going, but his face sure communicated it well enough. Investigating Lake of Ira is different enough that it'd stick in his mind no matter what.

"Four people died because of a Moogle with a machete." A shiver runs up his spine, and a case of the heebie-jeebies makes Hunk's shoulders slump. "I haven't heard anything else. Haven't really gone looking either." He follows up with an awkward little chuckle, and a scratch at the back of his neck. "I... don't really like horror movies, especially not real life ones. Have you heard anything?"

[pishirogane]

That was what she expected. Not too many among them were interested in solving the murder and instead, more time was poured into learning about this world. Not that there was a problem; hopefully, they'd have enough to catch her up since she'd been preoccupied.

"Apparently, it's been occurring every Friday the 13th. Besides that, there are stories about a killer Moogle that circulate as a warning tale, and Bonnie suggested another attempting to summon a King Moggle Mog."

[chefbayardee]

Hunk pokes a few buttons on his Slate, and his eyes scan a calendar for a moment. Then he sighs. Why do there have to be serial killers? He's really not trained to deal with that...

"Next Friday the 13th is in July." He knew he was stating the obvious, since Naoto was investigating. But he looks decidedly stumped. "Who's... King Moggle Mog? Does it live in that lake?"

[pishirogane]

"Yes, it is. There will need to be a stakeout conducted that evening." Something which she needed to continue preparing for.

His question had her shaking her head. "I'm not entirely sure. Given this world's strange state of being though, he could be. Anyway, King Moggle Mog himself was someone highly revered by moogles of old. When a war began between mortals and dragons, he helped his people escape, but was unable to flee himself. It's the descendants of his guard that acted when their new home became threatened. Desperate for their King, they were given the power to summon him - only, it wasn't him. It was a Primal, a monstrous figment of their King that - if left unchecked - was a risk since they consume Aether, the very magic of the world."

[chefbayardee]

"I've heard about Primals." Hunk barely waits a moment into Naoto's pause before cutting in. "Nanamo Ul Namo was the Queen of Ul'dah, a desert country. She mentioned three Primals: Garuda, Leviathan, and Bismark. They can mind control people, and they're pretty bad news." And then he sighs, looking towards the detective.

"If it's Primal King Moggle Mog, maybe he's mind-controlling the killer?" And then he groaned, because that'd be pretty horrible.

[pishirogane]

"I see..." First she's heard of Primals herself, but maybe she could check the network later - see if there had been any public discussions. She scowls slightly at the thought of Primals controlling people, but taps her chin.

"It's... possible. However, that would bring to question why Friday the 13th?"

[chefbayardee]

"Maybe King Moggle Mog isn't very lucky." And then Hunk chuckles, because if the King was unable to escape his home with his people, and then a monstrous doppelganger was summoned, that... would be incredibly unlucky.

"But... that means they'd have the same superstitions as Earth." And then he thinks to all of the similar foods: the fruits and vegetables and grains and some of the meats. "Do you think that could happen?"

[pishirogane]

She doesn't know if they could put it all on luck, but... there have been stranger things - stranger reasons.

"... There's already enough here that could suggest similar superstitions... perhaps different reasoning of course." Instead of food, she was thinking about names they'd come across.

[chefbayardee]

"I might've just missed something," He sighs, looking down for a moment, before directing his eyes back to the detective, "but what've you figured out? Most of the customs just seem weird. Yelling at strangers, biscuits..."

And then he laughs, because Vaikuntha was weirder than some of the alien cultures he'd encountered, in some ways. "...I mean, an unlucky day seems normal compared to all that."

[pishirogane]

"The customs are strange perhaps, but the names they borrow from are familiar..."

She sits back, crossing her arms beneath her chest. "I don't know how much attention you paid while we were touring the Guilds, but do you recall the Summoner's Guild in Arito?"

[chefbayardee]

"Well, I actually ran into someone out there." Hunk smiles and nods, happy he's being helpful to the investigator. "He said that in his world, one of the Eidolons, the purple octopus thingie? It attacked and killed a bunch of people. Same name, too."

Naoto probably had something she wanted to say instead- maybe the question was rhetorical? But he shrugs it off, and just raises an eyebrow at her. "Did you find out anything?"

[pishirogane]

"Hm... that seems to be in his nature. I'm not sure if it's an issue of that instant of the Eidolon being a Primal." Honestly, that purple one was perhaps just questionable, but it's name sounded similar to something.

"... Similar to the discussion of how the network is named after a being in Indian mythos, it's the same with Shiva. However, the others too borrow their names from other mythologies most would find on Earth. I have a feeling if there's more to find out, it will be necessary for a Summoner to speak with one of the more cooperative Eidolons for answers."

[chefbayardee]

Hunk just sighs- he doesn't know anything about mythologies! Or Summoner. Or Eidolons. He knows it's probably important but part of him just doesn't care because, well...

"Maybe the octopus is friendly, or Shiva's really chatty, or- Wait, what if Eidolons can't talk?" And then his eyes go wide. See, that'd make it harder to get answers. And he already had nothing but second-hand knowledge to contribute, as much as he wanted to do more.

"Do we know any Summoners?" Then he frowns, if only because he has no idea.

[pishirogane]

"They made an attempt to hide Ultros as an Eidolon even in the Guild." So... yeah, that'll be an issue. And well, she does have to nod. "Eidolons can't talk... at least, not a language that everyone can understand."

Raising a hand to her chin, she hummed. "Fortunately, I have a roommate presently who is a Summoner. I was also considering eventually picking up the Asterisk as well."

[chefbayardee]

"So, wait, can't we just have the Summoner translate things?" Hunk assumed that Summoners could understand an Eidolon on some level, because otherwise working with them sure would be difficult!

"Just, y'know, whip up our own version of Moogle Translate and go from there." He smiles, confident that with all the languages native to Vaikuntha, it might not be impossible.

"Well, unless the Lake of Ira doesn't have anything to do with King Moggle Mog." He looks to the ground. "Could just be a lone wolf- er, lone moogle."

[pishirogane]

"We could... however, I'm not sure if he's begun studying the language of the Eidolons, or sought any of them out." So, that would be an issue. "And who could say how long until he understands them completely."

So, they could program a partial translator in the beginning and progressively develop it.

"So far, there's nothing to suggest King Moggle Mog is related. Next time they appear, we'll find out."