[ More names. He almost writes them down, feels a bit weird at the prospect of making lists of people with special abilities — shards, whatever — and doesn't. He'll remember them. Maybe.
Her pleased comment earns a brief smile, polite and restrained and very obviously out of practice. ] You said you want to test the lyrium. Because of its connection to the Fade, or— [ a quick glance at his notes ] The shards' capabilities. Have you worked out any methods for that?
The use of lyrium is all still very theoretical, [which she says promptly enough that it definitely doesn't sound exactly like 'Really, I swear; I know nothing about any secret tech in Tony Stark's chest cavity and have certainly not sworn an oath to not blab outright about it,' but it does sound slightly fishy.] But conceptually, we have some ideas of how processed lyrium might be reactivated, so to speak. As I said, it is still very much in the development process. But should it work, I have every intention of incorporating the theory into my project's design. The stability of processed lyrium rather than being reliant on someone who could do proper enchantment would—
[Well. In any case.]
If the rift shards are drawing on the same energy as the rifts themselves, I would expect Mr. Stark's thaumoscope might be adapted to measure that power on a finer scale. Given what happens when a person with a shard is removed from others like them for long periods of time, I don't believe they're fully latent when not actively closing a rift or blasting out energy fields. I suspect they're simply emitting... Fade stuff at a level so low that we don't realize it. From there it's just a matter of taking measurements from the afflicted population.
—Oh. [She writes down two additional notes: rifter vs thedosian? mage vs. ...not mage?]
That makes sense. [ Back to science and away from Hell is clearly more comfortable; he leans back in his chair, frowning down at his notes. ] It'd be helpful to know what sort of energy it is. Fade stuff, obviously, but— if they're conduits, or if they're generating energy of their own. And if they respond to rifts and other shards because they're... batteries? Circuits?
[ He trails off, visibly ticking off a few silent thoughts before switching back to out-loud thoughts, a little abrupt. ] Or they're just magnets. Has Stark said anything about magnetic fields?
[If that is a little overly prim, who can really say? Anyway, that's hardly the point.]
But a magnetic-like response doesn't seem so far removed from some of the reactions the shards have - not just to the rifts, but to one another as well. You likely haven't experienced this yet, but if you go on any long missions where you're the only one with a rift shard, you'll find that it eventually begins to be uncomfortable to be on your own. They must share a kind of resonance, or provide direction somehow. Like how a bit of metal can draw a compass point around, while the rifts themselves act as poles.
[ A pause as he chews on that information, giving his hand and the shard embedded there a dubious look. It's hidden when he's outdoors, usually, but wearing gloves inside? Weird. Finally, a very scientific observation: ]
That's creepy. [ The shards being connected tracks, of course, because they're very literally parts of a whole — it's more the impact on the host that's creepy. Forced connections and reliance. ] Have you run any tests on the range? Do they behave any differently when in direct contact with other shards?
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no subject
Her pleased comment earns a brief smile, polite and restrained and very obviously out of practice. ] You said you want to test the lyrium. Because of its connection to the Fade, or— [ a quick glance at his notes ] The shards' capabilities. Have you worked out any methods for that?
[ She'd said "still in research", so maybe not. ]
no subject
[Well. In any case.]
If the rift shards are drawing on the same energy as the rifts themselves, I would expect Mr. Stark's thaumoscope might be adapted to measure that power on a finer scale. Given what happens when a person with a shard is removed from others like them for long periods of time, I don't believe they're fully latent when not actively closing a rift or blasting out energy fields. I suspect they're simply emitting... Fade stuff at a level so low that we don't realize it. From there it's just a matter of taking measurements from the afflicted population.
—Oh. [She writes down two additional notes: rifter vs thedosian? mage vs. ...not mage?]
no subject
[ He trails off, visibly ticking off a few silent thoughts before switching back to out-loud thoughts, a little abrupt. ] Or they're just magnets. Has Stark said anything about magnetic fields?
no subject
[If that is a little overly prim, who can really say? Anyway, that's hardly the point.]
But a magnetic-like response doesn't seem so far removed from some of the reactions the shards have - not just to the rifts, but to one another as well. You likely haven't experienced this yet, but if you go on any long missions where you're the only one with a rift shard, you'll find that it eventually begins to be uncomfortable to be on your own. They must share a kind of resonance, or provide direction somehow. Like how a bit of metal can draw a compass point around, while the rifts themselves act as poles.
no subject
That's creepy. [ The shards being connected tracks, of course, because they're very literally parts of a whole — it's more the impact on the host that's creepy. Forced connections and reliance. ] Have you run any tests on the range? Do they behave any differently when in direct contact with other shards?