Crystal.

[youwonscience]

FORM: Sending crystal
SENDER: Cosima Niehaus
RECIPIENT: members of the Research Division
NOTES: Feel free to go either crystal or action here, or if you'd rather slide into Cosima's inbox, also fine.

OK everyone, here's the deal. I read a lot of reports as Tony's assistant and I've read a lot more in the last few weeks, and I've had time to make my own first pass. But if you're in Research, I want to check in with you. What are you working on, what's promising, what's stalled. You give me a private call by sending crystal or drop by the office, either's fine with me. I guess you could write a note, but I'll be honest, I'll probably just track you down to ask follow-up questions anyway, so you can save us both a step and take the meeting in the first place.

Next couple days, if you can. Or tell me you need more time, if you do. Thanks.

Comments

[pathlit]

[ In the midst of scribbling notes, attention likewise volleying between the two women, Jayce holds his attention on Wysteria for a moment longer. Testing the waters, he says, left hand curling over the anchor in his palm, ] What about barrier magic? For the pilot.

[ They'll need someone in a prototype sooner or later. ]

[grindset]

[It needn't be entirely dull—they can fashion a dummy passenger out of sandbags, and—

Viktor responds to Jayce's suggestion with a facial shrug, a tip of the head, a brief raising of eyebrows. Not a bad idea, it says. It also says he doesn't doubt his own work enough to think it necessary, but they're trying to present a united front, here.]

[youwonscience]

Progressive testing states with both mundane and magical safety protocols.

[Her tone sounds like she's agreeing with what they just said; obviously everyone wants this to be safe.]

We can coordinate with some mages on protective options. If nothing else, it'll save us all a lecture from Strange later. And hey, you always hope things like that are totally unnecessary. But better that than having someone laid up with a broken bone or worse. Maybe someone on griffon back spotting would do, for a single-person piloting test.

[heirring]

Assuming, of course, that the prototype turns out to be operational at all.

[Lest they start putting carts before horses here.]

[grindset]

Ehh... yes. Assuming it works.

[It's likely Wysteria has said this, he thinks, both to manage supervisor expectations and inject a little drama into the affair—not that their success needs to be made any more impressive. The work will speak for itself. Besides, it's a perfectly reasonable thing to say; experimental results shouldn't be taken for granted. So why should he be bothered that she said it? He shouldn't be. He isn't. It's fine—]

[pathlit]

[ To Cosima, he smiles calmly. ] Provost Niehaus, you've got two highly intelligent, skilled and resourceful individuals heading this project. You already know the plethora of feats and knowledge that Madame de Fonce, [ he nods in Wysteria's direction, ] has accomplished in all her years with this organization -- and that she and the former Provost pioneered these plans.

[ Then, nodding in Viktor's direction, his hands enter the conversation (as he is wont to speak with them), ] Viktor and I -- we're from the same world. A world with airships, so this endeavor isn't entirely foreign to us, and Viktor, he's-- he's brilliant. He stabilized and configured an incredible source of life-changing technology that had me stumped for years.

[ Glancing between the two of them, his smile widens a titch, then looks to Cosima again. ]

If the data didn't favor taking the risk to get this project off the ground, then we wouldn't be here.

[youwonscience]

[She smiles back, just a little; Jayce's protectiveness of Viktor's intelligence may or may not be necessary, but it's very charming.]

I'm not trying to rain on your parade. It's wildly cool, and I think it's going to be a game changer when it's fully ready. I'm just the one the other division heads are going to come to when it's organizational knowledge, and I want to make sure I understand it. My area's genetics, and weirdly a little bit lyrium at this point, but it's not that I don't respect what you're up to. My dad's an engineer, I know it's impressive even when you're not building airships.

So. If I'm pressing for safety stuff and asking questions, it's just because I may be in a room that you three aren't, sometimes, and if I'm going to keep the ball rolling on this, it'll help to say honestly that we've talked about precautions and next steps and expenses. That's all.