I've only got a handwritten draft at the moment, can I bring it to you? I live in Sophia these days, near the library. Are you still at the Valentia, or is there somewhere else I can meet you?
[ He doesn't want to trust his letter to the syntrofos network. It gets ... a bit critical of Karteria, and he's paranoid about how much of their network communications are monitored. ]
The library would be better. I can meet you there in half an hour, if you've the time. But I can free up my schedule another time if that's easier.
[ She doesn't trust that there aren't some kind of listening measures in the Valentia, and she doesn't want to take the chance of something being overheard if this is not Patho-Gen sanctioned. ]
That sounds perfect. I'm the one with white hair and cat ears.
[ Usually he'd mention his blindfold as an identifying feature, but he'll take it off in the library. Even though he can read using only his extra-sensory Six Eyes ability, it's annoying to do so.
Mel can find him at a table in the library, chin propped in hand as he flips through a book. It's on geology in the Karterian region, though he's bored enough to not be absorbing much of the content. It's not exactly his favorite topic to nerd out about.
He is a young man in his late twenties, shockingly pretty without his blindfold to hide behind, and his celestial blue eyes--now slitted vertically, like a cat's--seem almost radioactive. He grins and lifts his hand to flash a V-sign in greeting. ]
[ White hair, cat ears. Not hard to spot. Mel's just taken aback by how bright his eyes are, even when she's two tables away. They're of such a vibrant hue that they almost look unnatural, even discounting the cat-eyed slit of the pupil. And with both his hair color and eyes, he's about as obvious as she is: all gold lines in her skin, even when she's wearing long sleeves to hide the feathers that insist on poking out.
She offers her own smile and a sideways tilt of the head. ]
[ Gojo appreciates that, and she's exceptionally glam--doesn't even look like makeup. Whatever she is and whether it's part of her Natural Soul, he's impressed.
He pushes the chair next to himself away from the table in order to offer it for her to sit, and then lifts a book and takes a written paper out from the bottom of a stack of pages, pushing the single page over toward her. ]
Gojo Satoru. Charmed.
[ His handwriting is somewhat childishly messy, but it's still clear enough to read:
To the people and leaders of Kelesis,
My name is Gojo Satoru. I am one of many kidnap victims recently brought to this world by the organization called Patho-Gen in Karteria. They have subjected us to experimentation and torture in the interests of developing a resistance to the substance they call Katalyth. With this resistance, they expect us to carry out work for them outside of their city.
For this reason, they have sent us in hopes of re-establishing trade between Karteria and Kelesis.
I can imagine, given the unethical treatment that we have received from Karteria, that perhaps you do not wish to re-establish communication with such people, and I imagine also that the reason your city is so inaccessible to us explorers is that you have defenses in place to keep strangers away.
It is my hope that you might consider establishing a dialogue with us, those called 'Augmented' due to the experimental procedure that Patho-Gen forced upon us, as people unwillingly affiliated with Karteria.
I do not speak for all the Augmented and I am no leader of them, though I have taken up a role to facilitate communications between the Augmented for other projects. I would gladly serve to facilitate communications in this, if any among you are willing to speak to us.
If the inaccessibility of your city is something that has befallen you and not something that you've done intentionally, then we will do our best to provide assistance if possible. We are here outside your city, for now, and we have many abilities. If you need assistance, then send out some communication to us and we will try.
Your hopeful ally, Gojo Satoru
He's drawn a little sketch near the signature of himself with cat ears and a blindfold, giving a V-sign, captioning it: 'I look like this!' ]
Mel, Mel Medarda. And... [ Glam? Oh. Oh! Her gaze lights up for a moment in understanding. ] Oh, those are tattoos from home.
[ Most of them not even by choice! But that's neither here nor there.
She comes to sit across from him, and gratefully accepts the paper. Her eyes scan it, reading several times, reskimming for wording. She rests her chin briefly on the back of her hand, nodding. Aaaand then she sees the drawing. Mel has to press her lips together to not smile, though she's mostly unsuccessful. ]
This is good.
[ She doesn't sound surprised. It's earnest and heartfelt, and it gives a good outline of what's occurred to provide context. She wouldn't even say it needs any changes, although--
Her voice is quiet here, just in case. ]
Do you think this will alarm anyone who may actually be sympathetic to Karteria? I only ask because I wouldn't want someone to read this and believe their allies are in danger because of us, if we're railing against our circumstances.
It's possible. I think that Kelesis is unreachable either because of something that befell them or because they've chosen to make themselves unreachable. It's possible that's due to some threat on their own island, unrelated to Karteria, or it's possible that it's due to Karteria.
I think I'd rather try and appeal to their sympathy or their anger. If there's some risk of them deciding we're too much of a threat and a danger if we oppose Karteria--well, we already have that risk right here, if we don't behave.
[ He speaks very quietly, aware that he's now expressing exactly the sort of sentiments that would be considered not behaving. The amount that his powers have been handicapped on arrival has him pretty timid about any outright rebellion, since he knows how relatively helpless they all are against that technology. ]
I know that I'm paranoid and angry about our circumstances. It's part of the reason I doubted whether my version was suitable.
[ He’s giving voice to everything she already fears. Karteria is so insular as a city - and self-focused, if nothing else - that any and all information she’s seen about the other cities in the library have felt more propaganda than anything else. The likelihood that something has befallen Kelesis is high, or that they truly felt it best to close themselves off, like Karteria.
Regardless, there is almost no scenario where things look positive.
Mel nods, the dip of her head reflecting the gravity of it all. ]
My suggestion, if you’ll have it: lead first with what will tug on sympathy. Appeal to their sense of community. The situation at the bridge…
[ So many left behind. It’s likely some chose to do so, but what of the people who couldn’t go anywhere? Neither city would claim them. ]
If it is possible to draw them out that way, we can make it work. If that doesn’t work, we can appeal to the anger later. We can’t take back first impressions.
[ So the letter itself doesn’t need to be tweaked much, in her mind, if at all. ]
…I also think your drawing will help. [ Wait, what. ] It’s humanizing. It shows heart. It’s…also silly. And that might help others who find it to feel you can be trusted.
[ No one with ill intention is going to take the time to sketch a cute little drawing. They’re going to make threats and be pushy, or sound overly desperate. ]
I agree. The hope is to open a dialogue. Whether with us or with Karteria--I'm not particularly invested either way. We'll need to talk and negotiate.
[ Oh, ugh is he going to have to be doing diplomatic negotiations and talking about trade agreements or some shit?? That sounds horrible. Wait, hang on. He's got a solution right here. ]
And you just got volunteered for that. [ Big grin as he gives her a solid clap on the back. ]
I can do the silly and humanizing thing. I'm weirdly good at getting people organized and inspiring loyalty. [ 'Weirdly' because he knows he's aggressively annoying and tends to just bulldoze over objections. He doesn't really get why this tends to work out so well for him, why people let him get away with so much, but maybe part of it is what Mel said about his drawing--people can usually tell pretty quickly, even through his most obnoxious behavior, that he's got a lot of heart and can be trusted. ]
But I absolutely can't sit in a boring meeting for more than five minutes. So if there's any kind of, I don't know. Negotiation stuff. Politics. Whatever. I'm pulling you in to handle it.
[ Ah, but she's a bit invested now. Ideally, this would be an opportunity for Kelesis and Karteria to join forces and resources, to share what information and capabilities they have. But in the off-chance that they have no wish to collaborate with Karteria...this could be the opening they need to garner more resources for the Augmented and potential allies. It's a long shot, but something to consider.
She's shaken from her thoughts but the sudden bump against her back, startling her. ]
Excuse me?
[ Oh. Boring meetings and politics. They're in her wheelhouse most definitely, but something about hearing such things now, after so many weeks and months away from the council chambers... Something about it feels odd to her, like putting one's hands on the wrong kind of fabric. It's not detestable; it simply no longer feels right.
Still, there's potential for her to be able to actually help with something, and she's been despondent over the thought that she has little and less to contribute. ]
I'm agreeable to that. I'll help however I can. If you're able to get any kind of open offer of dialogue, I'd like to be a part of it with you.
[ If he can be the heart of such an excursion, she can at least relieve the burden of formalities and negotiations with his support. ]
[ Welcome to Gojo's incredible ability to get other people invested in (doing all the work for) his projects. ]
Good. That's a plan, then.
[ He can absolutely be the heart (and the attention-grabbing front) of any such interactions. Gojo needs and works extremely well with someone like Mel when it comes to any kind of diplomacy or negotiation. He can be bold and brash, charming and irritating, which means that any compromise Mel offers will sound so moderate and reasonable in comparison, and everyone will be so glad to not be working out the details of things with Gojo that they'll be all the more eager to work with Mel. ]
I'll keep you posted if and when I get any kind of response. Anything else you want me to keep in mind before I proceed?
[ She doesn't know him. This isn't really her place to be lecturing, either, not when she's certain that he can take care of things. His network post, after all, has painted him as a driven and calculated person who is trying to do good - but also someone who is frustrated, rattling the bars a bit. All of that is understandable.
Still... Her voice is still quiet. ]
I spent some time reading about Kelesis. I can show you what I found, too. Karteria believes them to be...depraved. It's likely propaganda of a kind, some moral superiority, but this was also from over two decades ago. We just don't know what will be found.
[ He may end up stumbling on the equivalent of Patho-Gen in Kelesis, and that could be exceedingly dangerous. ]
That's all I ask. And if there's anything else I can do, let me know.
As much as I am curious as to what 'depraved' would mean in context... [ Do they have odd sexual appetites? Are they more violent? ] ...if the chance were to come up for such a thing, I'd like to pass.
[ She can play the diplomat all well and good, but she'll draw the line at those kinds of activities. But hey, whatever floats his boat; she's not going to kink shame here. ]
But I'm certain that it's likely something much more benign than all of that.
[ Probably something like, "they show their bare shoulders". ]
Yes. I have plenty of things I'm paranoid about around here, but depravity, in any context, isn't anything that worries me.
[ He'll give her a wink, and then he pulls a soft black blindfold up over the upper half of his face, totally blocking out his vision, and strolls off. As she watches him go, she's likely to notice the additional oddities that he's barefoot and walking an inch above the ground. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[ He doesn't want to trust his letter to the syntrofos network. It gets ... a bit critical of Karteria, and he's paranoid about how much of their network communications are monitored. ]
no subject
The library would be better. I can meet you there in half an hour, if you've the time. But I can free up my schedule another time if that's easier.
[ She doesn't trust that there aren't some kind of listening measures in the Valentia, and she doesn't want to take the chance of something being overheard if this is not Patho-Gen sanctioned. ]
no subject
[ Usually he'd mention his blindfold as an identifying feature, but he'll take it off in the library. Even though he can read using only his extra-sensory Six Eyes ability, it's annoying to do so.
Mel can find him at a table in the library, chin propped in hand as he flips through a book. It's on geology in the Karterian region, though he's bored enough to not be absorbing much of the content. It's not exactly his favorite topic to nerd out about.
He is a young man in his late twenties, shockingly pretty without his blindfold to hide behind, and his celestial blue eyes--now slitted vertically, like a cat's--seem almost radioactive. He grins and lifts his hand to flash a V-sign in greeting. ]
no subject
She offers her own smile and a sideways tilt of the head. ]
I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.
no subject
[ Gojo appreciates that, and she's exceptionally glam--doesn't even look like makeup. Whatever she is and whether it's part of her Natural Soul, he's impressed.
He pushes the chair next to himself away from the table in order to offer it for her to sit, and then lifts a book and takes a written paper out from the bottom of a stack of pages, pushing the single page over toward her. ]
Gojo Satoru. Charmed.
[ His handwriting is somewhat childishly messy, but it's still clear enough to read:
To the people and leaders of Kelesis,
My name is Gojo Satoru. I am one of many kidnap victims recently brought to this world by the organization called Patho-Gen in Karteria. They have subjected us to experimentation and torture in the interests of developing a resistance to the substance they call Katalyth. With this resistance, they expect us to carry out work for them outside of their city.
For this reason, they have sent us in hopes of re-establishing trade between Karteria and Kelesis.
I can imagine, given the unethical treatment that we have received from Karteria, that perhaps you do not wish to re-establish communication with such people, and I imagine also that the reason your city is so inaccessible to us explorers is that you have defenses in place to keep strangers away.
It is my hope that you might consider establishing a dialogue with us, those called 'Augmented' due to the experimental procedure that Patho-Gen forced upon us, as people unwillingly affiliated with Karteria.
I do not speak for all the Augmented and I am no leader of them, though I have taken up a role to facilitate communications between the Augmented for other projects. I would gladly serve to facilitate communications in this, if any among you are willing to speak to us.
If the inaccessibility of your city is something that has befallen you and not something that you've done intentionally, then we will do our best to provide assistance if possible. We are here outside your city, for now, and we have many abilities. If you need assistance, then send out some communication to us and we will try.
Your hopeful ally,
Gojo Satoru
He's drawn a little sketch near the signature of himself with cat ears and a blindfold, giving a V-sign, captioning it: 'I look like this!' ]
no subject
[ Most of them not even by choice! But that's neither here nor there.
She comes to sit across from him, and gratefully accepts the paper. Her eyes scan it, reading several times, reskimming for wording. She rests her chin briefly on the back of her hand, nodding. Aaaand then she sees the drawing. Mel has to press her lips together to not smile, though she's mostly unsuccessful. ]
This is good.
[ She doesn't sound surprised. It's earnest and heartfelt, and it gives a good outline of what's occurred to provide context. She wouldn't even say it needs any changes, although--
Her voice is quiet here, just in case. ]
Do you think this will alarm anyone who may actually be sympathetic to Karteria? I only ask because I wouldn't want someone to read this and believe their allies are in danger because of us, if we're railing against our circumstances.
no subject
I think I'd rather try and appeal to their sympathy or their anger. If there's some risk of them deciding we're too much of a threat and a danger if we oppose Karteria--well, we already have that risk right here, if we don't behave.
[ He speaks very quietly, aware that he's now expressing exactly the sort of sentiments that would be considered not behaving. The amount that his powers have been handicapped on arrival has him pretty timid about any outright rebellion, since he knows how relatively helpless they all are against that technology. ]
I know that I'm paranoid and angry about our circumstances. It's part of the reason I doubted whether my version was suitable.
no subject
Regardless, there is almost no scenario where things look positive.
Mel nods, the dip of her head reflecting the gravity of it all. ]
My suggestion, if you’ll have it: lead first with what will tug on sympathy. Appeal to their sense of community. The situation at the bridge…
[ So many left behind. It’s likely some chose to do so, but what of the people who couldn’t go anywhere? Neither city would claim them. ]
If it is possible to draw them out that way, we can make it work. If that doesn’t work, we can appeal to the anger later. We can’t take back first impressions.
[ So the letter itself doesn’t need to be tweaked much, in her mind, if at all. ]
…I also think your drawing will help. [ Wait, what. ] It’s humanizing. It shows heart. It’s…also silly. And that might help others who find it to feel you can be trusted.
[ No one with ill intention is going to take the time to sketch a cute little drawing. They’re going to make threats and be pushy, or sound overly desperate. ]
no subject
[ Oh, ugh is he going to have to be doing diplomatic negotiations and talking about trade agreements or some shit?? That sounds horrible. Wait, hang on. He's got a solution right here. ]
And you just got volunteered for that. [ Big grin as he gives her a solid clap on the back. ]
I can do the silly and humanizing thing. I'm weirdly good at getting people organized and inspiring loyalty. [ 'Weirdly' because he knows he's aggressively annoying and tends to just bulldoze over objections. He doesn't really get why this tends to work out so well for him, why people let him get away with so much, but maybe part of it is what Mel said about his drawing--people can usually tell pretty quickly, even through his most obnoxious behavior, that he's got a lot of heart and can be trusted. ]
But I absolutely can't sit in a boring meeting for more than five minutes. So if there's any kind of, I don't know. Negotiation stuff. Politics. Whatever. I'm pulling you in to handle it.
no subject
She's shaken from her thoughts but the sudden bump against her back, startling her. ]
Excuse me?
[ Oh. Boring meetings and politics. They're in her wheelhouse most definitely, but something about hearing such things now, after so many weeks and months away from the council chambers... Something about it feels odd to her, like putting one's hands on the wrong kind of fabric. It's not detestable; it simply no longer feels right.
Still, there's potential for her to be able to actually help with something, and she's been despondent over the thought that she has little and less to contribute. ]
I'm agreeable to that. I'll help however I can. If you're able to get any kind of open offer of dialogue, I'd like to be a part of it with you.
[ If he can be the heart of such an excursion, she can at least relieve the burden of formalities and negotiations with his support. ]
no subject
Good. That's a plan, then.
[ He can absolutely be the heart (and the attention-grabbing front) of any such interactions. Gojo needs and works extremely well with someone like Mel when it comes to any kind of diplomacy or negotiation. He can be bold and brash, charming and irritating, which means that any compromise Mel offers will sound so moderate and reasonable in comparison, and everyone will be so glad to not be working out the details of things with Gojo that they'll be all the more eager to work with Mel. ]
I'll keep you posted if and when I get any kind of response. Anything else you want me to keep in mind before I proceed?
no subject
[ She doesn't know him. This isn't really her place to be lecturing, either, not when she's certain that he can take care of things. His network post, after all, has painted him as a driven and calculated person who is trying to do good - but also someone who is frustrated, rattling the bars a bit. All of that is understandable.
Still... Her voice is still quiet. ]
I spent some time reading about Kelesis. I can show you what I found, too. Karteria believes them to be...depraved. It's likely propaganda of a kind, some moral superiority, but this was also from over two decades ago. We just don't know what will be found.
[ He may end up stumbling on the equivalent of Patho-Gen in Kelesis, and that could be exceedingly dangerous. ]
That's all I ask. And if there's anything else I can do, let me know.
no subject
I'm the right person to deal with them, then.
[ Don't ask him about his kinks. ]
What is 'depraved' in the eyes of prim Karteria?
[ He rises to his feet, planning to start heading out. Doesn't seem like he's taking the warning all that seriously. ]
If I get any orgy invitations, [ finger gun ] you want in?
no subject
[
As much as I am curious as to what 'depraved' would mean in context... [ Do they have odd sexual appetites? Are they more violent? ] ...if the chance were to come up for such a thing, I'd like to pass.
[ She can play the diplomat all well and good, but she'll draw the line at those kinds of activities. But hey, whatever floats his boat; she's not going to kink shame here. ]
But I'm certain that it's likely something much more benign than all of that.
[ Probably something like, "they show their bare shoulders". ]
no subject
[ He'll give her a wink, and then he pulls a soft black blindfold up over the upper half of his face, totally blocking out his vision, and strolls off. As she watches him go, she's likely to notice the additional oddities that he's barefoot and walking an inch above the ground. ]
no subject
She'll need to mull over this. He certainly seems like someone she wants as an ally rather than otherwise... But what a strange, mysterious guy. ]