Tales of a Synsuous Nature #3 - An Encounter with an Asura
Part 4 is currently Under Development
The song about Part 1 of this story
The Random Encounter
Part 1
Synsuous walks into the Busted Flagon, in hopes of literally singing for her supper. She -knows- that she has a pretty voice, many people have told her so. But for some reason she cannot understand, very few people seem to like her songs. Perhaps they are simply too busy to listen, not capable of being amused by songs created from the imagination of a naive child or ((you tell me! IMO, my songs are creative, well written, and generally scan to match the chosen melody)). She tries for 10 minutes or so to get anyone's attention, but fails.
Dejectedly, she leaves the bar. Then, starving, she sneaks in from the back entrance and finds the pantry. She starts wolfing down everything she can get her hands on. As she is gorging herself on purloined food, the drunken Charr in the next room start shooting up the joint! Bullets fly through the wall and hit her! She collapses to the floor! She lies there in an ever widening pool of blood, her condition worsening with every passing second. No one even knows she is there. At the last possible minute, someone notices the rivulet of blood trickling into the main room. People gather around her, but just stand there gawking as she bleeds out. Then a short little creature (Asuran) forces his way to the front. He sets up a strange device and starts talking about Science! and 'fixing her'.
'This Necro Ray will fix you', the strange little creature says. 'Or turn you into a zombie or perhaps melt you into goo'. The Asuran, Torvv the Mad, begins shooting my barely living body with the device, which repeatedly malfunctions. At long last, a healer arrives. He manages to stabilize me and directs a Charr to carry my body outside, where he finishes healing me. His job done, he leaves.
Torvv, however, remained behind. I burst into tears! I start blubbering that I was only trying to get a job so I could eat and that I hadn't eaten in days. Torvv immediately stated that he could fix me with Science! and produced another device which he commenced to shoot me with. He belatedly informs me that the device will either make me feel as if I had just eaten a three-course meal, give me tumors, or possibly have an unknown effect.
Miraculously enough, the device works, but since I had already gorged myself on food, I immediately begin retching violently! Torrv says that he has broken me and must find my reset button. Having nothing left to purge, I look at him in confusion and then at my clothes, 'Buttons? I don't have any buttons'. Torvv says that he really did break me and I probably have tumors. I have no idea what a tumor is, so I ask Torvv if they are valuable and if so, who I could sell them to. Torvv responds, 'You could probably sell them to another Asuran, but you will undoubtedly be dead soon, so it is moot'.
Then, for whatever reason, Torvv decides that I am still hungry, and then deduces that I must eat human flesh to become 'fixed'. He commands to a passerby, 'Donate your body to Science! to feed this one!'. The passerby refuses, so Torvv produces a gun and commences firing upon the stranger. Having killed the stranger, Torvv then sets the body on fire and coaxes me to eat it.
At this, point a warrior and a healer intervene and I flee the scene.
Part 2
I run to a safe, dark place and collapse, severely traumatized. When I come to, I have no idea where I am or how I got there ((I have regressed to the age of 12)). The next evening, I wander into the same bar, not knowing that I have ever been there. This time the place is not so crowded and I am able to sing a song ((the above song, in fact)). I get a few tips, so I stay around, hoping for a repeat performance. People are having serious conversations about serious business, but due to my state, I am neither capable of nor inclined to listen to them. I wander around the bar, my focus on whatever captures my attention for the moment. I ask random people a barrage of questions, some of which there simply is no good answer for.
Finally, I bombard an Asuran (ironically enough), Pixelnator, with a slew of mostly nonsensical questions. And lo! He proceeds to answer every one, even the ones that make no sense! So I settle there and try to assuage my boundless curiosity in exchange for revelations about my naive experiences. Nearby is a Sylvari Mesmer who also treats me kindly. Sitting between the two of them, I am able to amuse my self for a very long time.
Eventually, I become restless again and my attention is drawn to the slowly wagging tale of the Charr closest to me. The Mesmer, Poppy Deadnettle, notices this several times, and prevents me from fulfilling my desire to grab the tail.
At some point, bored, I walk up to the Charr and prepare to delve into my unlimited supply of questions. Poppy casts some spell on me that prevents me from being able to speak. The harder I try to talk, the less able I am to do so. Frustrated, I start flailing about and accidentally kick the Charr in the foot. He begins cursing and hopping on the other foot (He must be a sensitive Charr). Oddly enough, I stop struggling. I don't try to laugh, which would be my normal behavior, but instead study the reaction intently.
Poppy, seeing that I am calm now, releases the spell. People around me could swear that the first word to come out of my mouth was 'science!'. I then begin to focus intently on the Charr. Poppy notices several times and intervenes. However, she soon becomes focused on the serious conversation that has been going on the entire time (at least an hour).
When I see that she is distracted, I creep over to the Charr and hit him as hard as I possibly can (not very) on both his feet at once! The Charr levitates and curses at the top of his lungs. I study the results of my 'experiment' very keenly. Miraculously enough, I survive this encounter ((A tolerant Charr? Say it ain't so!)). Poppy puts me on a figurative leash and pays close attention to me for a while. I sneak furtive glances at the Charr whenever I can, waiting for Poppy to become distracted again.
When my chance finally arrives, I spring at the Charr and latch onto his tail tightly with both hands. The Charr roars and spins around, flinging me across the room like a kitten caught in a canary cage.
I hit my head on the wall and mutter something about an experiment. Pixelnator starts explaining proper scientific procedure to me and I suddenly begin to speak in a voice that is not my own. I start spouting sentences about Science! and Technology! Tumors! Necro Ray! Incoherent bits of dialog from my previous encounter with Torvv emerge from my mouth for several minutes and then I lapse into unconsciousness.
Pixelnator and another Asuran spend several minutes trying to diagnose my behavior and then revive me. They ask me several questions that I cannot answer and then leave, mentioning a previous engagement they are late for.
Part 3
Synsuous enters the Busted Flagon, planning on singing for her supper. She spies her new friend, Poppy, and runs over to hug her. Pleasantries are exchanged and she is introduced to Laanea Cyrilin. She sings a song which, containing a few words she made up, confuse her audience. She shrugs off their confusion, happy with her performance. She stays with them for some time, occasionally darting off to barrage a stranger with questions.
As she wanders around the bar, a passing Charr brushes her with his tail, and her behavior changes! This seems to have triggered something. She starts studying the crowd intently, muttering to herself about Science! She approaches a Norn, Kolrath (sp?), and begins to study him. When he notices her, she decides he is a suitable subject for an experiment. She begins to jump up and down in front of him. 'I can jump as high as your head', she proclaims. When Kolrath offers to help her jump higher, she eagerly accepts! A new experiment! 'Do it', she shouts. The Norn is tempted to throw her through the ceiling and she thinks this is a marvelous idea! 'More data! Do it! You said you would help me jump higher!', she yells. Kolrath decides to restrain his impulse and sits her on his shoulder instead.
Disappointed with the failed attempt at an experiment, Synsuous stalks off in search of another subject. She spies another Charr, Balzar (sp?) and without any warning springs at him and grabs his tail firmly with both hands! Startled, the Charr spins around and then disappears in a flash of purple light! Synsuous is delighted! An unexpected result! She must collect the data and repeat the experiment to see if this behavior is consistent. She runs around the bar, looking for the Charr. 'Come here, data! You must be compiled!' She spies Balzar, who, seeing her, begins to flee! She gives pursuit, calling after the Charr all the while. 'Daaaaataaaa! I must colleeeeect you! Science! Data must be compiled!' Eventually, the Charr disappears with another flash of purple light and Synsuous goes off in search of Balzar once more.
She decides to try a different tact and hides behind the stairs inside the Busted Flagon. Balzar soon appears, looking around nervously. Not seeing her, he relaxes his guard and Synsuous springs for the tail once again! Again, the Charr disappears! She repeats this experiment several more times and happy with the consistent results, moves on to another subject.
At this point, she is very tired and unable to concoct any new experiments. She approaches Kolrath and demands, 'Donate your body to Science!'. Kolrath is startled and doesn't know how to respond. 'Donate your body to Science! Data must be compiled'. Several times she urges people to donate their bodies to Science!, to no avail. She is beginning to decide that this approach will not work, when she spies a bear cub enter the bar. Once again, she undergoes a miraculous transformation. 'Bear!', she screams delightedly! 'I see a bear! Can I pet the BEAR?' Gaining permission, she kneels in front of the bear and holds her hand in front of it's face. The bear raises a paw and slaps it onto her hand. 'I touched a bear! On it's PAW!' She giggles and hugs the bear. The bear responds by playfully chewing on her hair. She giggles and falls over. 'Thank you!' she says as she runs into the back and collapses onto a sack of flour, exhausted by her ordeal.