More Meteor Showers Bring Even Stranger Powers. (O/A)

[Nova Blancke]

"Got it." Theo said as he typed in primary targets." It wouldn't happen to be underneath the throne itself?"

"We also don't know if it's exactly the same as our time. It diverged from one event as far as we know but that doesn't mean it's all the same." Focusing on adding information about the estimated location.

"While they are down there, is there anything else you'd want them to look for should we have the time and resources?"

"I could...teleport something around her tail maybe. Glad it won't be as lethal as you say. Despite being able to heal from having my head blown off....I'd rather not find out the full extend of my healing."

She couldn't contain a snicker.

"Sorry that...uh..kinda implies something else as well. I mean you look quite good but that would make it quite awkward." Liv joked also forgetting she was speaking to former royalty.  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

"Being that the codex was constantly being updated by the throne room's computers, it tended to run hot. There's a royal seal at the foot of the stairs leading up to the throne. Well, at least there was. As well built as the citadel was, I highly doubt it could survive a drop like that without breaking apart."

Rydia became solemn and said, "I'd like to recover as many bodies as possible. Not just from where the island fell, but from where the transports were destroyed as well. I'm not religious, but many on the island were, including young Heron. I'd like to properly put them to rest."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lokelonni tilted her head in lieu of blinking. "I do not understand. What does my appearance have to...do. Oh! Oh my."

She she blushed, smiled shyly, and put her hands to her cheeks, "Oh dear! I have not blushed like this since before my late husband's passing."

She took a moment to compose herself, cleared her throat and sighed. "Thank you for that. 'Tis nice to feel young again, if even for a moment. If you would allow me, I would like to know what you look like. Rydia says you are radiance incarnate, and Fenris said you look like Princess Elianna."

Lokelonni held her hands out so they may be guided to Liv's face.  

[Nova Blancke]

Theo stopped and thought about the last part. It's impossible to get them all. But the Daedelus. He wasn't sure if they made a claim yet or how all of that worked. Something he'd needed to look into.

"I will....see what I can do."

Liv couldn't help but smile a bit at this teasing. She always did love it when reactions were very easily spotted.

"Well he was a lucky man."

Liv guided her hands to her face."Didn't know they both said those things about me. I assume the princess was the most beautiful of all the lands?"  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Rydia nodded and sighed, "Thank you. I understand it's a daunting task, and that it will take time to accomplish. Perhaps that could be done while I'm in my cycle. In the meantime, I think I'll see about making accommodations for myself."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lokelonni softly moved the tips of her fingers around Liv's face and hair as she spoke. "Well, Rydia has taken quite the shine to you. She did not have many friends outside of the citadel. What friends she did have were also in her parents' employ. It also does not hurt that you share similar tastes in partners."

"As for the Princess, Fenris told me you are the spitting image of the illustration in the story book I read to he-...well, Freya...when she was a little girl. Elianna's story is actually less about her looks, and more about her personal growth and courage. She had me read it so many times I have it memorized. I could recite it to you, if you'd like."

She took her hands away and nodded. "Thank you. 'Tis a shame I cannot look upon you properly. Even with your healing, I doubt you wish to experience what it is like to have your consciousness, and your head, spread to the ends of the cosmos."  

[Nova Blancke]

"Heh...yeah she definitely does."

"Perhaps another time."

Liv had an idea.

"I could....see if I can Nullify it or perhaps Drain most of it. I can put up this field to cancel all kinds of abilities. Maybe that too has gotten stronger. If I Drain it, then it will be severely weakened but not gone so it will....recharge itself and go back to full strength after a while. It won't like...drain your life or anything." Liv explained.

"Don't take too long thinking about what counter measures you'd prefer."

"Weren't you initially in Liv's care? If I understood that right."  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Lokelonni took a moment to carefully parse what Liv offered. "I see. So that is how Kaelonni gave you her eyes with no side effects."

Her grip tightened around the sheet that lay over her lap. "I...appreciate your offer. The idea of being able to see with my own eyes again is very tempting, especially given the circumstances. I may take you up on your offer in a few month's time. "

"As for your cancelation field, it's limit will need to be tested in due time. For now, perhaps, it would be beneficial to see what it is capable of now."

The Queen slowly raised her arms behind her head and began to untie her eye wrap. "I am not sure if you have spoken to Kerana, but I will be teaching her the ways of life. When I was told that Kaelonni had given you her eyes, I knew I would need to teach you as well."

She dropped her arms and held the wrap in her hands. Her eyes were still closed. "The eleilya, or infinite eye, is meant to show you what was, what is, and what may be. My eyes see all that was, all that is, and all that will be; so much so that reality itself warps around what I gaze upon. When you are ready, I will blink."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rydia smiled sadly and said, "Yes, but I don't wish to impose on the new relationship she's established with Heather. I must admit, I'm envious of their passion for each other. I don't know if it's healthy, but to be lost in the gaze of another would keep my mind off of how different my life has become in the last three days."  

[Nova Blancke]

This woman lived a lot longer than her. Knew more about the eyes than she could find out before the previous owner died. She moved to the side of Lokelonni just to be on the safe side if she can actually distort reality.

"I'll start it up at half strength around you. I-" Liv stopped as she got an idea. Could she use her own Eyes of Infinity to see how to disable hers?

"Sorry, idea popped up if this doesn't work." She threw up her field around the Former Queen at half strength.

"Alright, go ahead."

Theo thought back on when he did that to Trinity. She does have beautiful emerald eyes. He smiled softly and looked down a bit.

"No, that's....perfectly normal to want the happiness others have. I suppose it's easy to say but....plenty of singles around these parts. People that won't treat you like a princess. I think we actually have a sort of dating app for Valhalla. Pretty sure there's one for one night stands too now that I think about it."  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Lokelonni took a deep breath and opened her eyes for exactly one second. Her pupils were two interconnected lemniscates that began to rotate. They were not black, but a kaleidoscope of cosmological color. In front of her, an amorphous pool of images the size of a beach ball faded in and overlapped one another like photo negatives that had been stacked. When her eyes closed, the pool faded out as quickly as it had appeared. The area where the pool was shimmered like vapor on hot asphalt for a few seconds until it calmed.

"I saw you out of my peripherals. I could have sworn the girl's told me you were blonde. But I digress, what happened just now was par for the course. The longer I keep my eyes open, the more intense the spatial phenomena. How did feel to you? Do you think you can handle it if I kept them open longer?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Princess actually felt a little forlorn at the idea of no longer being treated like royalty. True, she considered it more of a hassle than not, but she now found herself with more free time than she has had in decades.

Then Rydia's eared lifted along with her mood. "Oh? I suppose I should procure a computer so that I may download this 'dating app' onto it. Who do I contact to retrieve one for me, and how much does it cost? They can't be much more than two hundred American dollars.  

[Nova Blancke]

"That's.....weird." That was her only reaction to see the circle of images.

"Ah yeah sorry, I dyed my hair. Me and Heather had a day out." She responded. What was also weird was the sensation of her Cancellation field. It was active but it felt like this...slipped through. She activated her own eyes at low strength and upped the power of her field to 80% Maybe now something would be different. She looked at Lokelonni with her eyes as she increased the output.

"Go for it."

"Oh those are generally issued to all new residents. So they should be on the house.Go through the proper route to get settled and they can set you up with one if you want one. Not everyone wants one. Though you CAN get your own but the newer models tend to be a bit more expensive than that. And something tells me you don't actually have any dollars to your name.  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Lokelonni opened her eyes again. The longer she held them open, the faster her pupils rotated. In just a few seconds, light began to emit from her eyes like a projector. She pointed her vision a few feet further ahead, and focused to as small an area as possible.

There was no pool. Lokelonni began to smile. Then the chimes started, and her smile quickly faded.

"Liv, I have the utmost faith in you, but I have started to hear chimes in my head. What comes next is potentially catastrophic. Are you close?"

A warbling, pulsating drop of water appeared from seemingly nothing, but it had actually started from the sub atomic level. As it grew to the size of a ping pong ball, it started to take a more stable yet still pulsating shape. The thing was comprised of the images in the pool, but they were twisted into fractals that slid and shifted within the infinite surface of the thing. Those who were familiar with quantum mechanics would recognize the shape as something akin to a Mandelbulb. Yet the thing in front of them held to no singular formula.

Liv's eyes slowly began to parse the images from the thing. They were moments from the past, present, and future of that room. Yet it was not just theirs. It was the past, present, and future of every conceivable universe.

Lokelonni herself took on a more ethereal glow to Liv. Overlapped with the Queen were all of her past lives. Beyond them was something that resembled keyholes behind her eyes, but it was as nondescript and amorphous as the thing being produced by the Queen. Like a square peg in a round hole, Liv's cancelation field could not bypass it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rydia blinked. "Eh?"

The image of a burning pile of money that turned to ash played through her head. The mental hamster wheel turned until she realized he was right. She was-

"I'm broke?" she muttered in disbelief. She then put her hands to her head and shrieked, "By the Ancients, I'm broke!"

Her eyes darted around the room as she paced and displayed her propensity for what her mother referred to as Thesaurus panic. "I'm penniless! Bankrupt! Insolvent! Poor! Poverty-stricken! Impoverished! Impecunious! Penurious! Indigent! Needy! Destitute!"

Widget looked up at Theonis and asked, "Is she going to be okay? What happens when she runs out of synonyms?"  

[Nova Blancke]

It this what she always sees? No wonder she keeps herself blindfolded. It really was strange to see. She had seen it briefly when she used her own eyes in her own room. But this...this was beyond that. Is this what she would be capable of if she used them at full power?

"Chimes?"

She sighed and shook her head.

"I am not sure if I can. It's currently at 80% and it couldn't fully stop it as it got stronger. So if it get's stronger still and even if I do get it up to max.....don't think it would help." She reluctantly said.

"But....something your daughter told me kind of stuck with me. About our powers basically coming out of the source...a door as she said and about the nature of my ability to drain. I....."

"I'm not very good at explaining these things. I think with using that description...your 'door' is broken and can't be closed. So will you let me try something? Since we both have the same or similar 'door' maybe I can...fix it or like...share the burden or something like that by making a connection with my Drain. I won't actually drain just ..like that you know?"

"Total collapse of her ego I suppose." Theo responded at this quite humorous display."

"Welcome to the rest of the world. Now you have to work like the rest of us to get by." He joked. Theo was definitely enjoying himself.  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Lokelonni slammed her eyes shut. The thing shrank back down until it was gone. The chimes in her head went away.

"Did you say door?" she asked. "If those doors had keyholes, then you have found the way to stop an Ancient's power. No doubt you saw that I am the last in a long series of lives that share the same soul. My first life was that of the Ancient, Soul. He knew about the keyholes, but there was little that could be done because the eleiyla had never been possessed by someone who could drain or negate powers."

She turned her blind gaze toward Liv. "I want you to try and use your eyes at full strength. Do not worry, your will not produce the thing we saw just a moment ago. Your eyes can only see into the past, present, and future of this timeline. I will keep my eyes closed to help you focus. Look past the layers of my past lives as though you were moving through a hallway. When you arrive at the keyholes, make them the focal point, then try to shape your cancelation powers so that they fit within the keyhole."

"A word of warning. If you feel your vision begin to blur, cease immediately. The more power you put into your eyes, the faster they will degrade. I'd say, at your level, you can maintain maximum strength for no more than thirty seconds before your vision will start to suffer. Do not fret, though, because with rest your eyes will restore themselves. With the healing ability you mentioned, it may even take less time to heal."

Lokelonni also considered the possibility that if Liv could control her healing, she could maintain the maximum strength of the infinite eyes for much longer. Potentially indefinitely. However, she did not want the young woman to strain herself too much.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rydia halted her pacing and glared at Theonis. "It's not the idea of working that terrifies me. It's that I've been raised to do three things: governing, subterfuge, and killing. I know nothing about how the world outside my home works! On top of that, I cannot so much as purchase a meal for myself! I have to rely on the charity of you and your organization! It's beyond shameful! I can speak and read over a dozen languages, kill a man with my thumb, and have studied ancient myths and legends so that I can connect their stories to the ancients! But I don't know how to do my own laundry, cook, and I had to be taught how to draw a bath the night before yesterday!"

She began to hyperventilate at the overwhelming amount of things she was completely unprepared for. The room felt like it spun around her, and her chest began to ache. She led herself over to the chair opposite of Theonis' desk and fell back into it.

"My heart hurts, and I can't see straight! Is this a panic attack?! Is this what a panic attack is?! I hate it! Make it stop!"  

[Nova Blancke]

"I don't know. Haven't really explored it yet."

"Alright, I'll....try." She responded. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes. Looking at Lokelonni, she turned the intensity up to 100%.

A flurry of images seemed to overlap each other with incredible speed. So many places and faces she did not know. This was so different than what she managed to see before. There wasn't a lot of time to focus on that. She moved on, dove deeper like Lokelonni said. Like going through a hallway.

Visualizing different lives on the side, like different corridors, she continued.

Where was it?

Theo listened to her rant, spiraling into a panic attack. Okay, not so fun anymore.

"Focus on breathing. Just that. Nothing else. You know those breathing techniques right? Just...breathe."  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

"That is good, but you are still distracted by the all but your target. The eyes will respond to your desire. That response will grow more acute and react with less effort over time. For now, try to remember what you saw. Even if it is only a fragment of a memory, the eyes will build off of that."

As Liv focused, the two keyholes steadily faded in. A second later, they began to converge on each other. It was not two keyholes, but a singular one that had been split by double vision. It's shape was a blur at first, but it came into focus with some effort. It was a star with sixteen points; 8 long points, and 8 short points between each of those.

"Once the picture has become clear, envision your power cancelation ability as the key and lock the door."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rydia heeded Theonis' advice and strained to control her breathing into a steady rhythm that slowed with some effort. She put her hands over her heart and felt it's pace slow in response to her breathing. Once she had it all under control she sat up straight and let out a large sigh.

"Thank you, Theonis. I've been anxious before, but that was horrible." she admitted.

She stood up and adjusted her modest attire so that it looked at least somewhat put together. "Well, I think I've embarrassed myself enough. Unless there's something else I can help you with, I think I'll go see what I can do about temporary lodging. As kind as your charity has been, I don't plan on taking advantage of it for longer than necessary."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fenris trudged down the hallway toward her/Freya's room. A room she planned on breaking into because she was not in the mood to mess with the housing department.

"Embarrass me in front of a new student." she grumbled under her breath. "I'm a grown a** woman, wolf, thing. I can handle my own s**t. Yeah, that's what I'll say next time. I'll be like, 'No Mother. I've got my own methods. Let me do me.'"

She then halted mid step and huffed quietly, "Yeah, right. That's never happening."

Then something caught her nose. A familiar scent. A highly unwelcome scent. A smug, self important, shitty scent. It came from the direction of her room.

"Oh, Hell no!"

She followed the scent to the room next to hers. "Oh Hell to the ******** no!"

She hammered the door three times and shouted, "Legio, get your a** out here!"

A few other residents peeked their heads out at the ruckus. Some of them even took a step outside of their rooms to say something, but once they all saw who was making the noise they all quickly ducked back into their own rooms.  

[Nova Blancke]

"Spoken like someone who-" Liv responded before it showed itself to her. "Well s**t...a....16 pointed star?" She said in more of a question to herself.

She did as she was told. Observe that star and fill it with her cancellation field. Normally she'd create a field over a person to stop them from using it but now she was using it to....plug the source of their power? Eyes wide open, they felt a bit dry but she ignored it.

"Aaaaand....lock" she said but mostly to herself as she 'turned' keyhole to lock it. Right after she stopped her eyes, rapidly blinking a few times. It was a bit blurry for a few seconds before coming into focus again.

"Okay that was...something else. Try....try opening your eyes."

"No, you're good to go if you'd like. if anything else crossed my mind, I'll let you know." Theo replied. In his mind he was already going over the things he had just learned.

Legio had been drifting in and out of consciousness on his bed in his new room. Whenever he caught himself falling asleep, he'd get....excited which in turn woke him up. But his peace was short lived as he heard pounding on the door followed by a familiar sound. His new neighbor.

Getting out of bed he moved over to the door. Yawning as he did. Such an interesting response to fatigue. He had a slight case of bed hair but was not aware of it.

Opening the door he saw the angry she-wolf.

"Hello Fenris, I believe I was just taking a...nap? It certainly was an interesting experience."