Who: Cid and Merri Where: Cid's Lab What: Merri wants to experiment with Cid. This results in disgusting tea. When: 10/30/2013 Rating: Low Status: Still ongoing.
Merri bounded towards Cid’s with unbridled excitement. Given Cid’s unpredictable nature, which Merri loved and envied, and the amount of work Merri had had to do for the Council the past few months, they hardly had any time to spend together at all, which Merri regretted. Sometimes Merri understood exactly why Cid had turned down the Council position when it had been offered to him, but Merri didn’t dare imagine himself resigning. Not that Merri didn’t think other mages couldn’t do the job better, of course; he was certain that many of them could keep up with Peony easily and with a flair that Merri lacked. But though sometimes Merri wished that he had more time to pursue learning new spells or even to take off with Wil whenever he left town for a grand adventure, or even just a delivery job, he had a responsibility to uphold, and it was with the Council where he felt he could do the most good, even if he meant that, with everything that had happened in Emillion recently, he was finding less and less time to spend with friends. So Merri had spent the entire day yesterday making sure that he got far enough ahead in his work that he could spare the afternoon to visit Cid. With a smile, he knocked on the door, hoping that Cid wasn’t so enthralled with his experiments that he couldn’t hear it. Cid was, of course, completely enthralled in his work. Staring intently at a fish tank full of flan, and for once, actual fish. He’d managed to find some algae and some other sorts of wildlife from the sea, so he could truly understand how the Flan acted within their usual world. He wasn’t entirely sure if they could even see him through the glass, or if they did, if they understood they were captive or not, and because of this he wasn’t entirely sure he was getting a true representation. He’d need to install some sort of recording device to understand. It wasn’t the knock he heard, but instead the Flan who quickly hid. He blinked a few times, before looking up and spotting the light that had come on to indicate someone was knocking. Blinking a few more times, excitement suddenly filled him and he began to hop up and down as he clapped his hands, before quickly spinning away and looking around quickly. He continued to scan the room a moment before finally moving towards the door and pulling it open, happy to see Merri there. In fact, he was ecstatic. He reached out and wrapped his arms around Merri hugging him quickly, before kissing either cheek and then spinning back into the room. “Merri! You’re brilliant! Come come, you just proved a theory for me!”
The greeting was swift and startled Merri enough not to fret for the possibility of catching something. Instead, a smile creeped onto his face as he stepped into Cid’s home, thrilled that Cid was seemingly happy that he was here. He closed the door behind him and took out a handkerchief to briefly wipe his hands. Not that he thought that Cid’s doorknob was dirty, of course; for a man who did as many experiments as he did, Merri could only assume that he kept an immaculate lab, but old habits died hard. Though come to think of it, what if Merri was the one who brought in the unwanted bacteria and viruses? With that, he quickly took the handkerchief over the doorknob, just in case. “I did?” he asked excitedly as he followed Cid, his eyes wandering around to all the fascinating trinkets and experiments around. For as many times as Merri visited, he was always enthralled by what Cid kept in his home. “Which theory? And how?” Merri hadn’t meant to help, at least not before being invited inside, but he was happy to have done so in whatever little way he could though he didn’t know how he might have done so. “The theory! The theory… oh the theory--well it’s not so much a theory I had titled, or named, or anything sort of like that. More or less it was a running hypothesis; one, in fact, that I wasn’t entirely sure was running until you just knocked on the door, but still! The Flan reacted to your knock! Isn’t that brilliant Merri? The soundwave was picked up in the water, and of course amplified. But that’s not what’s amazing; what’s amazing is that they simply just know that the sound is different and know when to run.” He then tapped his chin, “Not entirely sure, though I suppose it could have also been just a sound that it runs from. But no, I’ve entered and it doesn’t run. Perhaps it can actually distinguish sounds and because of that, it’s grown used to mine and not yours. Oh that’s another theory I wasn’t aware of Merri! This is just a brilliant day!” He then began to spin around and frowned as he looked at Merri, “Oh, right, you were likely here for a reason weren’t you Merri? What was it?” Merri couldn’t help but to grin as Cid explained his theory as it formed. One of the most fascinating things about him was that he allowed people to hear his train of thought, even if there were many times when his string of thoughts were difficult to follow; still, the man was a genius, and Merri had always enjoyed the glimpses he received into his brain. Though it was peculiar -- Flan ran away? Immediately his thoughts flew to Drake and Merri wondered if there was a way to figure out exactly what manners of sound from which Flan fled as to help the monk should he encounter them, but Merri had faith that Cid would find out in due time and as quickly as he could. At the very least, Drake could find some comfort that Flan feared something. “I’m just visiting,” he admitted with an embarrassed blush. “I hope it’s not an inconvenience! I just… it’s just been a while so I thought to come and see you. But if it’s too much of a bother, I can leave you alone!” “Never a bother, Merri my boy! Glad to see you here. Not too busy or anything, just experimenting. I’m always experimenting really, but never enough it’s really quite a bothersome thing isn’t it? Anyway, yes, a visit. It has been awhile, too long what have you been up to? Oh, Council things I suppose,” Cid managed with a roll of his eyes as he waved that off a bit and moved here and there. Looking through his pages of notes which seemed to make no sense. Then, turning around quickly, he faced Merri, “So how goes it? The Council that is. I’m sure you’re doing a fantastic job, even if the council is filled with nothing but the dull and nearsighted.” He waved a hand again and Cid immediately began to slide through other experiments, dropping this or that, causing electricity to bundle through the water. It didn’t hurt the flan, but it did cause it to react as Cid moved to stare at it closely, focusing a moment, before then moving back and turning off the electricity. Cid eventually turned back for Merri, and wiped his hands down, “Did you want a drink or something? Penelope always suggests that’s proper for these sorts of things.” “It’s not--” Merri began in protest to Cid’s criticism of the council. “I mean, Peony does a great job!” If Merri had to be honest, perhaps it was of himself that Cid meant the comments dull and nearsighted, which stung a little, but compared to Peony, he knew where he stood. But Cid did say that he was doing a good job, and Cid did not give out compliments lightly or haphazardly, either. It was enough to ease Merri’s apprehensions about his own quality of work with the Council. “It’s been… calm, lately.” Almost back to normal, before all the attacks, which both relieved and worried Merri. They did not call it ’the calm before the storm’ without reason. “I’m finally caught up, at least! And then some!” As to the offer of drink, Merri smiled. “I…well, I mean, there’s no need to trouble yourself! I’d hate to inconvenience you!” “Merri, you show up at my door unannounced and interrupt my work, of course you mean to inconvenience me! You already have,” It might have come across as scolding, but really Cid was smiling as he said it and patted Merri on the shoulder, not really getting the social constructs of society at times it seemed, “Come, you’ll have some tea. It’s a tea I created and invented. It’s rather brilliant I think, it’s made from Flan juice. Penelope has yet to try it herself, and I highly doubt she’d like it if she knew, so keep it on the silent side. I’ll do my best to get her to drink it eventually.”
He then tapped his chin, “I’m also pretty sure it’s non-toxic. At least I tried it and have not wound up dead yet, and feel extremely rejuvenated!” He grabbed the tea from the kettle and poured it all into some mugs before handing one over to Merri and sipping at his own, “And Peony is fine yes, in fact all of the council members are fine outside of the council, but once in that room it is a bunch of nearsighted trivial nonsense. What is the point of the council, now really?” Sighing, Cid sipped, “The Council’s job is to regulate and set rules on magic, on the discovery of magic, on education. Doing that stifles the ability to learn, to expand knowledge. Yes you get some bad eggs, but those bad eggs still serve many purposes and we can learn from them! The Council suffocates learning.” He then shrugged, “But you’re doing a fantastic job in my stead Merri, and keep at it. I really wish you’d just leave the dreadful thing though; there are far more progressive and productive things to be doing than telling other people what to do and how to be.” “Flan… juice?” Merri balked. “Can… people really drink it? It’s not poisonous at all?” If Cid said it was safe to drink, surely it must be, but something about a liquid coming from Flan sounded not very appetizing at all. Still, it would be rude not to drink it if Cid made it himself, and besides, didn’t many medicinal potions come from the most unlikely sources? And if Cid said it made him feel rejuvenated, well, surely there must be something healthy to it! So Merri accepted the mug and sniffed it first. It didn’t have any sort of distinctive scent, which was promising. Tentatively, he took a sip, and it was… different. Merri couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was a taste to it that was unlike anything he ever had before, and he wasn’t sure if he liked it or not. “It’s good,” he offered with a smile. At least, it wasn’t awful. He could stand to drink this. As Cid talked about the Council, Merri shifted uncomfortably. “We do our best,” he said lamely. “And considering all that has happened in the city lately, well… I just don’t know if it would be… a good idea to leave the Council now. And it’s where I feel like I’m doing the most good. I don’t know where or how I’d be useful anywhere else.” “Oh bother, what has happened in the city recently is nothing more than circumstance. The council isn’t going to prevent such things, or get things going, or even react properly to these things, so leaving now won’t exactly make this more difficult for the council. They’ll continue to bicker endlessly with words and do little in action.” Cid waved his hands at that, not realizing he might be insulting to his friend. Cid was sometimes a bit rude, and frankly was absolutely terrible when it came to understanding social manners. He just spoke what was on his mind, not thinking on a level of ‘polite’ or ‘impolite’. He adored Merri and wanted him to do something far more pressing than council work though, so there was that. “And good! I am glad you like the flan juice. Tell me, what does it taste like? I haven’t been able to get a taste out of it, ever since I numbed my tongue on that electric rod…” he tapped his chin before then turning back towards him. “So, Merri, experiments. I have one going on right now and we’ll be sitting around for about another 12 hours watching the Flan’s mannerisms and jotting down the notable ones. Does that not sound fantastic?”