Crystals or Action, choose your own adventure | Open

[youwonscience]

FORM: Sending crystal plus (see notes).
SENDER: Cosima
RECIPIENT: Rifters (others opt-in)
NOTES: Catch-all for threads about amputation (so content warning for that being discussed, though I don't expect anything too bloody). Happy to match prose or brackets, as ever. See further notes under the cut.

Cosima wouldn't flatter herself she knows everyone in Riftwatch well, but she's been here a long time and she's been leading a division for a respectable bit of that now. She has names and faces for everyone, and at least a vibe on most of the people she doesn't know well. That makes this slightly easier, but only slightly.

The entire point of seeking people out one-on-one is that making an official announcement will give the discussion she wants to have too much official weight. But that does mean tracking everyone down individually (though at least Research members who aren't in the field will come to her for their normal check-ins, if nothing else). Still. She's put this off too long, and it's not going to get any simpler if she continues to procrastinate.

If she hasn't gotten to you yet, you may notice her walking through the Gallows with a bit of extra purpose. Nothing seems to be immediately on fire, at least.


[OOC: Choose your own adventure with this very un-formatted flow chart:

1.) RIFTERS who want a thread: Good news, Cosima is tracking down every one of you to talk about amputation and anchor shards! She'd lean in person, but OOCly if you'd rather a network thread, we can just handwave that your character is out on an assignment and do it by sending crystal instead.

2.) RIFTERS who don't want a thread right now: You can assume Cosima tracked you down (unless you took truly extraordinary measures to avoid her). We can either handwave or talk OOCly about it, as you like.

3.) NATIVES with anchor shards: If you want to chat too, Cosima's not hunting you down but wouldn't avoid a conversation if you clocked what she's up to and want one.

4.) NATIVES without anchor shards: Look, if you want to talk about anchor shards for some reason, hmu. (Otherwise her inbox is open.)

For all of the above, just jump in if you'd like. If you'd like me to write a more customized starter, reach out on plurk or discord and I'll take care of you.]

Comments

in person.

[ipseite]

An interview arranged via crystal, Petrana is anticipating Cosima’s arrival when the door to her — and Bastien’s — office opens,

“Provost,” she says, pleasantly, offering the nearest chair to her desk with a gesture. “You have rather pre-empted me.”

Given the topic,

well, she’s spoken with Strange already. It can’t be that much of a shock.

[youwonscience]

"Madame de Cedoux," Cosima says pleasantly in turn as she comes to sit. "I appreciate you giving me the time. I suspect our conversation will be a bit less theoretical than a lot of the ones I'm having. Dr. Strange mentioned he's spoken to you already on the topic I had in mind."

[ipseite]

Despite his very best efforts, Petrana thinks but chooses not to say; perhaps an observation better suited to a missive intended for Wysteria de Fonce’s eyes, in fact. Instead, she inclines her head, acknowledging—

“I have been making preparations,” she says, “so that my position need not be neglected during whatever absence is required for recovery— arrangements for my work and projects, prioritisation, etcetera.” What can wait; what shouldn’t. What information would be necessary to make someone else picking up said projects a smoother, less disruptive process.

In the event that something does go— worse, a blueprint that can be used moving forward, until the position can be more permanently filled.

“I intend to have that provided to relevant parties, including the division heads, prior to proceeding.”

[youwonscience]

"Appreciated, though if I can say — your work habits to date meant I was pretty sure you'd be thorough ahead of time. And I assume Strange has given you the exhaustive rundown of the risks." Given that Petrana's preparations go as far as not surviving, it seems fair to expect; Cosima imagines, too, that Stephen was a bit raw from Ness's scare going into the conversation and therefore less inclined to surgarcoat anything.

"The reason I'm talking to most people is to make sure they're not assuming that I think something I don't about the choice. Since you've already made your mind up, I doubt my position is as relevant to you but..." A little shrug, not quite a sigh. "I guess I do want to make clear that bodily autonomy is my priority. You've got all the information we have, and I just want to make sure you know that me making a different choice on myself isn't any kind of judgment on yours, now or in the future."

She's not sure whether that's something she needs to clear the air about, but she'd rather say it unnecessarily than leave things murky. She knows she doesn't have Petrana's own finesse, so the best she can do is honesty. Cosima's not in charge of the rifters as a group, but she is the only division head who is a rifter herself. It feels like a bit of a weight in this area particularly.

[ipseite]

Briefly — at least, in the middle of what Cosima’s saying — Petrana looks, if anything, puzzled by the fact this is being said to her. By the end of it, though, even if it isn’t something that she would have thought on her own, she looks more thoughtful, understanding,

“A reasonable concern,” she allows, meaning broadly, in Cosima’s position. If she held the ambassador’s role, still, perhaps she would be handling her own choice with especial care. That it is a rifter in charge of research, specifically, has a heft to it that she can acknowledge.

“For my own part, I don’t consider my choice, yours, or anyone else’s to necessarily reflect on one another. As you know, the de Fonce theory remains that— a promising likelihood, but not a true guarantee. To know more, we must see more, and though I will not claim a selfless dedication to science,”

with a small, self-deprecating smile,

“it is worth acknowledging that my position is uniquely suited to further that end. The anchor-shard in my hand has no use bar its control over my movements; I have never utilized it in the field and do not intend, ever, to do so in the future. It is a lesser loss to the greater cause in that way, a means to add to the little that we know of our circumstances and our options that does not risk a loss to the work that cannot be done by others.”

1

[laruetheday]

It's easier to arrange a meeting when their offices are nearby, although Clarisse isn't using hers as much as she figures most of the others do. Still, she has to pop in at least every couple days to handle paperwork stuff, so it's a simple affair for her to stop by Cosima's office once she's done with work.

There is definitely still hay sticking to the legs of her pants, though. She picks a straw off one knee and flicks it to the ground as she enters Cosima's office.

"Hey," and there she falters, not sure whether to say Cosima or to get more formal about it, finally settling on neither. "You wanted to see me?"

[youwonscience]

"Hey," she says with a smile. "Yeah, take a seat."

The office is, finally, more or less back to the organized if mildly chaotic state it had been in before the Venatori attack on the Gallows. Since this meeting was scheduled, Clarisse doesn't even have to move anything off of the chair across from the one where Cosima is perched with a mug of tea. She gestures to the pot, decorated with a humble but effective-enough tea cosy, an extra mug nearby. "Help yourself if you want any tea. It should still be decently warm."

As Clarisse settles in, Cosima says, "OK, to be direct. I wanted to talk about our anchor shards. I know I've been canny ever since Wysteria came out with her findings, and it's occurred to me that ... I was trying not to put my thumb on the scale, but I accidentally may have made things uncomfortable or made people wary to want to talk about it." So. Talking about it, presumably.

[laruetheday]

Clarisse slides into the chair across and reaches for the teapot, but pauses, squinting, before she pours anything.

"Wary to talk about it?" Well, yeah, to be fair, she hasn't really heard anything about the anchor shards since Wysteria and Abby had that big blowup over the crystals, and that feels like it was forever ago. Shrugging, and finally pouring herself some tea, she adds, "Because... the arm thing?"

It's not hard to connect the dots here. She sees where this is going, but she is going to make Cosima lay it out there.

[youwonscience]

"Yeah." It's a pretty easy pair of dots to connect so no sense denying it. "And look, maybe you never needed my opinion on the subject, in which case, you know, fine. For what it's worth, I'm not planning on amputation for myself, and I think I've got some good reasons. But it's also my arm. I'm not going to stop anyone else with full information from making an informed choice in either direction."

It's not a hardship to lay out the thing she started the conversation to discuss. Still, she wants to make room for a conversation, not a lecture, so she's not just going to launch in to all the details. Not without an invitation, at least. Maybe that's not where they're going with this anyway.

one also

[armd]

Abby is one of the ones walked toward with purpose — on this afternoon, out in the courtyard, she's got a good paperback cracked open, held between the thumb and forefinger of one hand. The other hand is dedicated to running idly over the flank of her dozy mabari who is turning inward and over onto his back by careful degrees to ensure he'll end up with a belly rub until Cosima's smell alerts him.

Abby, feeling his leg go suddenly taught underneath her hand, looks up.

Of course she knows Cosima, has spoken to her many times, but wouldn't consider herself a point of call for the Provost and Cosima, striding toward her across the courtyard, has a faint sense of urgency about her. It makes Abby sit up out of her slouch against the bench seat, thumb marking her spot in the book.

"Hey."

Hilariously, Wags is mimicking her, alert and ears pricked. "You good?"

[youwonscience]

"Grading on the standard Riftwatch bell curve, doing great." Cosima spares a semi-involuntary smile for Wags before looking back to Abby. "I hate to interrupt your downtime, but I wanted a word if you have a minute?"

Abby's right that they're friendly, but hardly close, and their work tends to have very little overlap. There's a finite number of topics that they might have to discuss.

[armd]

Abby nods.

Wags has to lose his spot on the bench to make room for Cosima to sit; with no offence taken he's off across the courtyard the moment Abby tells him down, stretching into the sun.

Abby dog-ears the corner of her page tinily, sets the whole book aside. "What's up?"

[youwonscience]

She sits, stretching her legs out in front of her and crossing them casually at the ankle. "Yeah. So. Since the Gallows is the smallest town possible, I assume you heard about Ness's arm." It's not quite a question, but she leaves a moment for the unlikely possibility Abby hasn't heard about it.

crystal.

[elegiaque]

( gwenaëlle’s voice is particularly distinct, even for someone who hasn’t been hearing it for so many years as cosima— )


If I were to venture a guess about the specificity of who you’ve been seeking out this week, Provost, how close to the mark do you think I’d land?

[youwonscience]

Given what I know about your observational skills, probably dead on.

[She'd also told Stephen she planned to do this, but she's not going to assume that's a thing he felt compelled to pass along.]

[elegiaque]

I think Tavane’s decision to lie and her reasoning for doing so was an insult to you and every other rifter here, including the one irresponsible enough to let her handle it that way.

( and she loves that idiot dearly, to be clear, but cosima can probably do the math herself on how likely it is from her tone of voice that stephen had wanted to bring up amputation and anchor-shards with her again. )

For the record, I have a higher opinion of our colleagues and how they make decisions. I think they deserve it.

( and she just wants that on record, thank you. )

[youwonscience]

OK, noted.

[She might have left it there, but since they're talking privately:]

For the record, if I could do it over, I would have pulled rank on the lie. I should have pushed harder, instead of effectively punting it over to Stephen. But I'm trying to do better in advance of whatever the next time is. [To make sure the same logic wouldn't hold for anyone else.]

in person!!

[magike]

They'd arranged the meeting and then Rowena had promptly forgotten about it. Since arriving, and having to spend the better part of her quarantine in the infirmary, she'd had a lot of questions build and little chance to get them answered. Most answers she wanted to find for herself rather than ask about, particularly when it came to magic.

It's why the library is where Rowena opts to meet her, and whilst her notes and some books that she'd been looking at are there, Rowena isn't. Though a crashing sound from one of the nearby stacks will pinpoint the witch's location: there's one book levitating in the air with what seems to be half of the shelf on the floor by her feet. She lets out a frustrated sigh, and a bollocks quickly follows it. Her magic hadn't been the issue, she'd gotten the book she'd needed, she just hadn't realised how tightly wedged it had been when the shelf had been too high for her to reach.

[youwonscience]

Cosima never minds meeting in the library; given the division she runs, Cosima routinely works with people who feel comfortable there. Nor is Rowena the only one to get involved in a project and lose track of a planned meeting. Cosima's running a few minutes late herself (she didn't forget, the time just got away from her), so she arrives just in time to hear the crash.

She pokes her head into the aisle in question, clearly more ready to help than inclined to scold. It takes a moment to absorb the scene fully. "Man, got you good, huh? You want me to grab a ladder, or...?" The floating book suggests magic them back is an option, if not one Cosima can help with in any way.

[magike]

There's a heavier sigh when Rowena realises that she's not alone, turning her head to see the other woman. Then, before answering, she uses her magic to guide the book over to the table, a quick push of it through the air, controlled, before landing safely on the table.

"Someone doesn't seem to know how to stack shelves very well."

Rowena absolutely will jab at whoever the librarian is, hoping that it isn't this woman.

"A ladder may be useful." She can magic them back, telekinetically lifting them as she had, but she'd rather put them back on the top shelf accurately. Hard to do when she can't see that high.

[youwonscience]

"Yeah, no worries. Well, it's more of a step-stool, but it should do the trick." She disappears briefly and comes back with the aforementioned, polished wood with three steps. "In whatever mage lived here back when it was a Circle's defense, we did get bombed by the Venatori about a year ago. The main tower made it, as you see, but lots of things got knocked off the shelves at the time. We don't really have enough personnel that perfect re-cataloging was a priority so much as getting things off the floors."

Setting the stool down, she steps back to give Rowena room. "I think a lot of us try to do a shelf here and there as we're able, but it's just not enough hands and, you know. There's a war on."

in person!

[explosion]

Wanda appears much like a ghost.

With her hands tucked behind her back, she approaches Cosima from a distance without a sound. Perhaps the ghost connection would work best if she appeared behind her, but she doesn't wish to announce her presence with silent footsteps and a tap on a shoulder. Instead, she lifts her hand in a small wave.

She's agreed to a meeting outside in the Gallows. Wanda's been locked up in small spaces for too long—and although an office is nothing like the Raft, she's… trying. She's trying to stop isolating herself from those around her.

When she's closer to Cosima, she smiles small, a suggestion of feeling shy. With her American accent, she asks, "Do we get to ask each other questions?" Aren't those the most fun interviews?

[youwonscience]

The sunshine and the walks have probably been good for her, she's realizing as the project goes on. Now that she has quarters next to her office, it's easy to get caught up in her work, but fresh air really does make a difference, and Wanda's preference for an outdoor meeting isn't unwelcome.

When she gets close enough, she returns the smile, clearly not shy but willing to meet Wanda where she is. "If you've got questions for me, I'm happy to answer what I can. I've got a topic in mind to touch on, but I'm not pressed for time if you aren't. Well, not any more than the constant too much to do and not enough people to do it baseline, at least." She gestures toward one of the benches near the training yard; benches and yard are currently empty. "Want to grab a seat?"

[explosion]

"Let's," she says with a smile.

And Wanda takes a seat on the nearest bench, resting her hands on her lap as she sits up straight. Is this how normal people sit? She needs to stop thinking and just be. It's what Vision would encourage.

"Have you had many people willing to meet with you?"

[youwonscience]

"Yeah, I haven't had to go hunting too many people down," she says with a brief smile. She sits too, close enough that they can talk easily but with enough space that neither of them is crowded. If Wanda's affect seems strange to her, Cosima doesn't react to it.

"Did you have any questions on your mind to start with? Or would you rather I go first?" Not everyone has had questions for Cosima, or not right upfront, but she's willing to field them all the same. They haven't had a chance to talk very much, and making this conversation a bit broader isn't a hardship.