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RP: Section 6 Angel's Eve

Jack Pine

Well-Known Member
Seraphina wandered into the archive, a rather well furnished space that acted Section 6's place of storage for data. It however also served as a well stocked library. The floor was carpeted, the walls paneled in wood, and ornate glass tables on iron legs were spaced around the main sitting area at the entrance. A bit further were a couple rows of terminals for the digital side of the archive, and beyond we're very tall book shelves packed with tomes.

This is where Seraphina Cerulius made her way to. The 6'2 Caelisolan with white dove wings, long blonde locks of hair, bright blue eyes, a dress uniform, and an even brighter smile. She quickly walked down the center aisle passing numerous aisle that ran between each set of shelves. The place was very quiet as usual given view ever visited, and usually devoid of the presence of others. So that is why when Seraphina realized a aisle she had just passed had an occupant, she back pedalled to it.

"Oh hello, its unusual to see anyone else here. I'm Seraphina Cerulius, but you can call me Sera.", The bubbly Elysian said with a smile and a offered hand.

@Jabonicus
 
Eve had spent a good deal of her spare time in the Archives as of lately, and within the days she had spent there she had met numerous people who were quite kind, as well as experienced quite a bit she hadn't expected, including a visit to the medical wing in which she had her arm bandaged for an incident that left a gash in her arm. It had been bandaged and was healing quite nicely, and to make up for lost time she took another day to visit the Archives, seeing as how she had to skip the day prior due to the medical issues and the time-exhausting account of having such things dealt with. So today, she found herself among the isles, feeling at the raised bumps on the signs that were commonplace in many places but most often never used to determine which isles were for her.

She had walked these isles before with partners, and had found that practically no braille books had been stocked in the library, between their rarity and the scarcity of the need for them, it was simply found that the few they did keep were kept off the shelves. She had asked to seem them prior and had been told of the incredibly small list, though with her continued presence one of the Archives worker had taken the initiative to place them back on the shelves in a vacant corner of each section of genre. This was very little besides nice on its own, but in his process he had uncovered a few more books that had been misplaced over the years of storage and movement, and a collection of them were printed in the braille she found so difficult to find.

The extra books that had been found were a few she had not read before, and the fantasy-fiction category had peaked her interest, as her fingers lightly danced across the spines of the books. On the spines of the books, rather than the separate material that outlined letters to give the title were the raised bumps that spelled out the information she needed. While she didn't pick one quite yet, she picked each one up, read the title, then traced her fingers over the back to understand the brief summary posted on the back of every book. She was not one to be picky, but she rarely had a selection of any kind, she could certainly afford the unique luxury of having choice here. To debate herself on what she could read next, what might have the better story, what aspects may be done differently than the others.

She had been examining the third book when she heard footsteps moving behind her, and at first she gave little attention to them. They had a direction, a purpose, a place to go with enough vigor to not trail off like a standard wanderer. A certain pause between steps implied either a wide step or simply long legs or general height. They passed her, and she almost continued on past Eve when they paused, a hesitation that likely wasn't due to something the walker had seen on the shelves. She was one of the only people in the Archives, and assuming she wasn't looking for a book in this section, she presumed that it likely had something to do with her. Did the women recognize her? She certainly didn't find any familiarity in their footsteps.

"Oh hello, its unusual to see anyone else here. I'm Seraphina Cerulius, but you can call me Sera."

Eve paused, still holding a book in her hand as she turned to Sera, a small grin on her face. Female, tall, human? Human-like. Immediately odd was how she didn't seem to acknowledge the extended hand, instead she slightly and momentarily bowed her head. "It's nice to meet you Sera, my name is Eve Ahriman, but you may call me Eve." Her eyes were a pale gray, clouded and almost empty. They seemed unfocused, untrained, staring at something in an unusually vague direction of Sera, though her face seemed to point her way fairly well. "I've noticed the lack of traffic, but maybe that's why I prefer it." She admitted with a smile as her other hand lightly held onto some form of a primarily white and thinly red cane, appearing too thin to hold her weight unless it was made of some peculiar design.
 
Sera slowly retracted the hand as it became clear it wouldn't be shaken. She was no doctor, but her modest knowledge in genetics gave her an idea of why. The book with no label, only textured bumps on it solidified the theory.

"It's nice to meet you Eve, you have a very pretty name. I haven't seen you before, but I guess that's to be expected since I'm relatively new here. I like to read here since arriving, given how peaceful it is here.", Sera responded with a kind voice.

She was curious, to meet a person with such a disability when modern technology made it impossible. It was baffling, but decided not to ask, as she felt doing so would be rude.
 
"My parents have traveled for work for quite a few years but I was elsewhere for a time to receive schooling. Of course I wasn't always nearby to them, but it wasn't as if I was unreachable but there weren't many traveling tutors who had the right assets to teach someone like me." She replied, and it was true. He parents were soldiers and scientists, and favored relief efforts, but she only visited them in brief stints during childhood, her time best spent with tutors and various education groups to try and focus on what she could do rather than spend times with her parents, who, in her mind, were much more set on what she couldn't do.

Unfortunately she couldn't tell a whole lot about Sera, but that was commonplace for Eve, people at first were little more than voices and footsteps, of which she could tell two things typically, their gender and their species, though she wasn't always correct in her assumptions about the first, but she tried her best in those cases to take it in stride with an apology. Most typically they accepted her apology and it was not an issue for any length of time.

"They Archives do tend to be quiet." She agreed with the woman, offering a light smile. "I typically have a friend read with me, though there are a few books I have not read that have been printed in braille that they found in the back." Her hand closest to the entrance would wave towards the storage section vaguely. "You said you're new here, if you don't mind me asking, what brought you here?" She left her question a bit vague, as she could both mean both the archives itself, or Section Six as a whole.
 
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Sera thought about the question for a moment, her wings giving an absent flutter. She had never really thought about it before, but if she had to be honest to her self.

"Well I used to work on Yamatai after I was fresh out of school. Finished top of my class too. I could of worked at any lab there, or for the star army, but with all their technology the solutions were always so easily found. I came here out west to find a greater challenge. Where the problems are real and not so easily solved. I wanted a challenge, and in an environment I could use my skills to the fullest. Because I feel I can actually make a change, and help others through my work.", Sera said with a sense of excitement and pride.

She paused as a moment as she realized she kind of ranted, where as the answer could have been shortened considerably. She was nervous she might be talking to much, "Oh sorry if I'm rambling."
 
Eve chuckled briefly at Sera's apology, her hand moving to meet one another in front of her chest. "Don't worry about it, if you're rambling it means you think highly of what you do and why you do it, and that certainly means a lot, especially if you're here to help." She responded. Eve had obviously heard of Yamatai though she had never been to any space they owned, and she had met very few people who had been to, much less worked with, Yamatai and its powers. They were powerful, perhaps the most powerful, having reached a level of post-scarcity that from the outside it seemed like nothing could possibly go wrong if you lived under their rule.

"I'm a translator, and I think that speaks for itself." She smiled at the small play on words. "I've learned several languages over the years, and you'd be surprised how frequently they can be useful." Of course machines and programs could handle translations quite fine, but perhaps there was a certain merit to the human interaction that someone like Eve would provide. Maybe someone who simply couldn't tell the difference between some species and people but spoke both languages helped diffuse situations? A neutral party who was simply incapable of holding much bias.

She was certain she heard the flutter of something, was it wings? It wouldn't be outrageous or unheard of, but it was an odd thing to bring up. Was she one of the bird-humans? "You said you are from Yamatai space, right?" She asked after a pause. "I'd imagine there's not many people like me there." It was a lightly phrased, more curiosity than anything.
 
Sera felt relief she wasn't coming off as annoying, or jabbery. In fact she was quite overjoyed to meet someone who seemed to enjoy learning, even if only in appearance, as much as her.

"Humans only make up about less than 10% of the population. Baseline only about 2%. 60% of Yamatain population are nekovalkryja, with 30% being Minkan. 75% is also female. Granted there are Elysians as well like myself, but most stay on Elysia Novus. Most of humanity lives on Nepleslia and other Nepleslian colonies. Translator sounds like an exciting job, what languages have you studied?", Sera asked happy to give off information.

Her wings fluttered as she felt joy, but quickly smoothed them down gently. She hoped they could have more future conversations together, as she hoped to share her knowledge. Granted the current conversation hadn't ended, but only so much could be shared in one.
 
Eve listened fairly intently as Sera broke down a few statistics of what made up the Yamatai population, and to be quite honest very little of it surprised her. She knew that humans were a rarity there, though their more genetically enhanced counterparts were more common, which Sera's list entailed. With sixty percent of the population being Nekovalkyrja, to which she understood were essentially created to be loyal and extremely powerful, it supported what she knew of the unstoppable Yamatai dominion. It made her curious though, if Yamatai had manufactured a better human, what stopped the normal ones from transferring? Was it the distrust of soul transfers, or the lack of availability? Were they only so readily available to military? That would explain it, but she didn't know enough about Yamatai as a whole to make any assumptions.

As for the languages? She knew several, though they were mainly widespread ones, though she also knew a few lesser used. She felt her skill with them were a bit rusty, but that was a given with a lack of fellow speakers to practice with. "I'm fluent in Yamataigo, Trade language, Seraphim, Freefolk, Abwheran, and a major Separa'Shan language- Though I speak a more human dialect of it as unfortunately I'm unable to replicate some of the... Hissing pronunciations." To her it was a fairly simple list, several languages she knew in depth. For some it may seem like a lot, something spectacular, but words were all she had, she did not have military training or scientific ability, being a translator was not a happy, it was her job, one that she was proud of.

She was Elysian, by her own words, and that explained the repetitive flutter that sounded like an oversized bird shifting its wings. "You said that Yamatai did not challenge your abilities, and that you wished to help people." She repeated before continuing. "If you don't mind me asking, are you a doctor or a scientist of some kind?"
 
Sera was certainly impressed with the number of languages, even knowing her own. Though having met a few separa in her line of, and particularly their local geneticist, she understood at least somewhat of the difficulty of their language. The question that followed this impressive skill set, brought even more of a smile to her face.

"I'm a scientist who works in the advanced research and development department. I don't really handle one specific field either, as I kind of dip into everything. I love working with science, so many nice people to work with and meet. You said your parents worked here, what do they do?", The angel asked as she beamed her words with jovial pride. She really did love her work, the people she worked with, and knowing she was helping.
 
So Sera was a scientist, that much made since given what she had said so far. If she was from Yamatai then Eve could expect that she had quite a decent amount of training, perhaps moreso than other people who were raised and trained in less advanced areas. A thought came to mind, was Sera still loyal to Yamatai and its causes? If so, why? How did she express it? And if not, why did she lack it? Was it something she never really have, or did something drive her off? It felt rude to ask, but it would be something that would longer in Eve's mind for a while.

"My mother is a soldier and my father is a scientist, though he specializes more in gene therapy and similar medical outreaches." She explained quite simply. "Quite honestly I'm not all that close to them so I couldn't tell you all that much about what they do." Did that give the wrong impression? It's not that they treated her poorly, save for their vocal frustrations as she grew and the disappointments they expressed in moments of weakness, but quite simply they did not raise her. She was essentially raised by tutors and caretakers, her parents becoming more distant in her mind as time went on.

"It took a fair bit of convincing from me and my tutors that I was knowledgeable enough about languages to work as a translator here, and I've done work as one for a few different groups, typically trading vessels and smaller things. Having a human touch in the process of translation is more helpful than many people would think." It had been a pleasure working there so far, the people seemed kind and welcoming, and it was somewhere that even she could excel in.
 
The angel listened to Eve intently as she spoke, a sad expression taking hold as she talked about the relationship with her parents, and in a way it reminded her of her own parents. She gave a somewhat weak smile as she talked about her job.

"You must have quite the social skills for that kind of job. It also seems like a good way to meet lots of people....I only knew my parents for a short time. Most of my family were military, with many passing during the last war. Most of my childhood was spent with a couple of my older relatives, and when they passed as I reached adulthood...I came out here.", Sera lost the happy flutter of her wings, her face now sad while trying to keep a smile. A tear ran down her cheek, eventually falling to the wood paneled floor with a 'brip'.

She never usually talked about her parents, but she had loved them. The thought of a relationship gap so wide, in the case of Eve and her parents, was foreign to the Elysian. It was such a sad thought that such things could drive family apart.
 
Eve didn't want to think that they held much in common when it came to family life, and it appalled her that she briefly linked the two in that regard. Her parents were very much alive, unlike the Elysians, and it was unacceptable for her to think such a though. She couldn't bring herself to believe that Sera was lucky for having a loving family or any other reasoning. She had tried her best not to compare people to one another or to criticize or devalue their beliefs, why had, for the briefest moment, she saw them as similar? A lack of parental influence was not enough to make such a connection. She hid the shifting emotions under a soft smile, and though she wasn't quite sure, by the way the Elysian's voice wavered, she thought that maybe there was a hint of tears, or at least the threat of them.

"I've always been fairly social, though I can't say I'm a fan of crowds. Perhaps I'm just easy to talk to once people look past the elephant in the room." A small pun, though it wasn't one she meant to say. "Though a lot of people seem uncomfortable talking to me, and I believe a good few outright avoid it. It's something that always happens though, perhaps they don't want to offend or don't know how to approach." She liked it when people came up to talk to her, even if she was doing something else. Just having someone new to talk to, about anything, was a great thing, especially when she could hear the hesitant whispers of those whose footsteps audibly glanced away from her.

"It's a shame, I may be blind but I love to talk to people as much as anyone else."
 
"And it is good you are finding your way in the world despite this hurdle. You have a strong spirit Eve, and that is its own kind of strength. I can't help but see it as inspiring. You know despite my travels, I still love to go new places as well as meet new people. Is there any places you wish to visit some day?", Sera said happy to hear that she enjoyed interacting with others, but still encountered those who chose avoidance. To think that others would be so rude to such a sweet young woman irked her. She for one saw someone who despite the roadblocks thrown at her, still managed to pass them with a smile.
 
Strength? Was it strength? That's always what she was told by numerous people. How she was strong or willful enough to push onward despite her disability. She knew they meant well but the statement always struck her as odd, as if it implied that there was a choice in the matter. Whether the choice was to get up that day or to be blind altogether. Was she strong or willful for being able to get up in the morning without sight? She had never seen a thing, yet with the way the world worked she knew she was missing something, even if she got along well without it. There were periods of sadness where she lingered on what she'd never have, but even when she was stuck on the ground in those moments, she was aware that one day she would have to stand back up, so each and every time she decided that it might as well be then and there.

What good would it do to linger? None, though that hardly stopped her sometimes. But, perhaps most damning of the statement most given was that it implied that it was difficult, as if she had somehow been cleaved or shackled in a way the standard person would be unable to deal with. Was it supposed to make her feel strong or powerful? Was this strength supposed to come from the knowledge that she was carrying an unnatural load of unbearable weight, and had made it this far? It didn't, it only made her feel fatigued.

Her thoughts did not betray her face, and instead she took it in stride as she always had. She could never afford to react to the sympathy, and she most certainly could not start now. It wasn't that she disliked or loathed the sympathy, it was simply that she never knew quite how to respond to it. What did they expect her to say? "I don't believe it's any particular kind of strength." She admitted after a moment, lingering on the subject a bit more than she initially anticipated. "I was born blind, it's not like I ever had to adjust to it, I've always known that the galaxy wasn't designed for someone without sight, but it's never... Concerned me." Then what did concern her? She knew that it wasn't sight itself that she wanted. "If no one made a big deal of it I don't think I'd ever think about wanting sight." She gave a small smile, but in her flow of emotion the intention was clear. It was a sad one, a tinge of regret, of past thoughts.

She wanted sight because that's what other people had, and since she didn't have it, she was different. Even among those who tried their best to accommodate her, she could notice the small awkward tinges as they thought too much on how to react or to act or to respond. It faded with time as they got to know her, and figured out how to treat her, but she had met so very few people who lacked that uncertainty. Was it selfish to think that?

She was happy that Sera posed a different question, and though she was willing to linger and talk more on the previous subject, she certainly wouldn't abandon the next question for it. "A place to visit?" She had thought of a question like that before, but it had been some time, and regrettably she had not spent a great deal of time thinking about it. A few years ago she would say something like a spice factory or certain restaurants or what have you, but having visited a few of places like that she regrettably found that more official places such as those tended to smell more strongly of purification and cleaning supplies than the product they truly craft. Oddly enough she found a certain form of restaurant where the food was cooked in front of you to be her favorite. The flashes of heat, the wafts of ingredients being freshly cut and cooked, the sounds, and the companionship that such places often required, it was heavenly in its own way.

"It's hard to say, to be quite honest." She admitted before she got lost in thought. "I'd love to visit one of those libraries that a place like Yamatai could make, you know, one of those giant ones, a quiet place that's absolutely massive, row after row of books, floor after floor." Libraries had certain qualities about them that was hard to describe. The way people politely kept quite as well as the general ambiance of the carpet-floor, open spaces that echoed small sounds into the general hum of the library itself. Plus the smell was hard to describe, she would hate to describe it as 'clean paper and carpet' but she simply didn't know a better way to describe it. Did Yamatai even have massive libraries of physical books anymore? She honestly didn't know.

"I've been to restaurants where they cook the food in front of you, and I'd love to go to more of those." She smirked briefly. "It's probably far more achievable than the others." She spoke with a light humor about her. But I've always lived in places with a good population and foundation, so one place I'd like to visit isn't quite a specific place. But, say like a tundra of some habitable planet, far from civilization, in the fall." It took her another moment to really pull together her reasoning for herself. The lack of human ambiance, no noise pollution, no lack of nature, the crisp smell of frost and the hum of the world and the wind. "-That's about all I can think of for the moment."
 
Sera thought about that a bit, "Hmm, I'm still pretty new here, but Section 6 has visited such locations before. There has even been discussion of colonizing the local system oh Rohini. Probes have shown multiple planetary bodies with such qualities. Just recently SABER had an operation on the world of Spora, a tundra world of ice. As i understand, this will be a common thing as opportunities allow. Maybe it would be possible to allow you to accompany us on such trips, i can put in the request with the director if you wish."
 
Even contemplated the options for a moment, she knew that Section Six had explored other planetary bodies with increasing frequency but quite simply she'd put little thought in putting her own services towards places that didn't require her talents. Visiting a tundra planet held little value with her presence when it either had no native population or the native population was not one that used any of the languages she knew. "That would be nice, though I believe my options would be limited given what my role is." Perhaps she simply wasn't thinking outside of the box. "I'd imagine I'd be more of a risk on dangerous planets than an asset, after all."

Combat operations was something she avoided if at all possible. She had been asked before to join a task force that was meant to go into a combat zone, and was even offered a high payment to act as a translator, but she vehemently denied the position. She had not been aorund many guns as they fired but from what she knew, it was loud, and to her especially, she could only predict them being horribly disorienting if not worse. Not to mention the risk of getting shot, she wasn't sure how anyone dealt with it, but it definitely wasn't something she ever intended to purposely allow herself to fall into. "I don't believe I've ever spoken to the director before."
 
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