callada | [ITN] IC Inbox

( Several days after the effects wear off, when Javert is finally able to set his life back in order, he messages Rosinante. He isn't sure who else to tell. No one else is as preoccupied with defending the town as he is, nor quite as dedicated to fighting the World Eaters.

So, without any preamble or greeting, he says, )

There is something I wish to discuss with you.

Here or in person? I can meet you if it's sensitive.

In person. I will wait for you in the town hall.

( It's not a sensitive topic per se, but Javert would still rather that they talk about it directly. He doesn't trust the network, and he likes using it far less. He waits for Rosinante just inside the town hall, near the door, his arms folded casually across his chest. It is empty and quiet. )

10 minutes, then.

[Enough time to put on an extra layer and then walk on over. He has a lot of distrust in the network also - for although inboxes are more private than public posts, he's had explanations from both Jason Todd and Dr. Ingram that convinced him the security is minimal at best if someone really knows what they're doing.

He makes his way to the Town Hall and pushes the door open, and nods to Javert as he then closes it behind him. As an extra precaution, in case lurking spirits might try to listen in, he snaps his fingers and shields the area around them in a sphere of shimmering silence - invisible in the low light here, but the slight creak of the old building in the wind suddenly ceases.]

What is it?

Do wish to prepare for the World Eaters?

( He's going to get straight to the point, much as he wants to ask about the ability he used just now. It's handy, and Javert appreciates the discretion. It only makes him all the more confident that he picked the right man to discuss this with. He continues on without explanation, )

There is a way to kill them. I want us to find out how.

[Well that certainly has his immediate attention. He rests his hands on his hips and leans down a little, listening.]

Good, so do I. Better kill them than imprison them and risk a breakout. How did you hear about this?

You know of the machine at the Night Market?

( He's well aware of how foolish he sounds. He wouldn't begrudge Rosinante for being skeptical. Javert was too before curiosity got the better of him. )

It knew my name. When I asked it about the World Eaters, it told me. After the vendors left, I received a message in my inbox about payment. For a short while, everything I touched burned to ash, and for a month, I felt inexplicably violent. Others have experienced the same, from what I hear.

Sorry to hear that. Yeah, I know of a few others who paid similar prices.

[And several who hadn't admitted to it, but given the round of strange afflictions that all popped up after the market, he can certainly guess that might also have been their cause. Shame, but it's maybe no real surprise by now that something masquerading as helpful comes with a cost.

Still, maybe this one was worth it.]

So what exactly did you ask, and what exactly did it say? In case there's some wordplay trickery involved.

( He shrugs off the other man's sympathy. It isn't so terrible punishment, so long as the information is good. Javert has no reason to believe that it isn't, and so when he answers, he speaks calmly, )

The question I asked was this, "Can the World Eaters be killed?" "Yes" was my answer. I dared not ask any more.

( How? would have been his next question, although he doesn't know how helpful it would be. It almost seemed too easy. )

I see. Simple, then. Very literal.

[Which is good, if not extremely helpful. If the machine does indeed reliably tell the truth, then it's something.]

I've spoken with a few others on how you might kill a thing that feeds on life and light specifically. Starvation, or poison, are two ideas I've heard. Starvation sounds difficult since you'd have to contain them and keep them from their food. But poison - any ideas on how you might poison something like that?

I don't see how that would be any less difficult.

( But that's to be expected, isn't it? If it was a simple solution, one of the other groups would have already tried it, and succeeded. That piece of information Javert got may not mean much in the long term, but it gives them a goal. It proves that it can be done. )

It's impossible to say without knowing more about them. What about the spirits? They've been here longer than any of us have. Do you think they may know something?

[Now, that's a very good angle. Hm.]

I remember Daylight mentioning that he asked them about the World Eaters once. I don't remember that they knew anything helpful, though. I do know Robin has said that the spirits can understand the World Eaters' language, because that's what the reset command is.

[But that's really goddamn frustrating, isn't it? Robin hasn't made any progress on cracking that particular code and she's had decades to do it. Then again, it seems like much of the last 20 years she didn't do a number of things he thought were obvious.]

We need that reset command so some of our people can have a look at it. See if they can make sense of it. But I also understand why she probably doesn't want to give that out.

And what good would that do us? I thought you said you wanted to destroy the creatures, not reason with them.

( It sounds like more of a risk than anything. Even if the reset command was only given to a select few, those could be trusted not to misuse it, it would only breed contempt among everyone else in Beacon. Look at how quickly they turned on Robin, demonizing her even though she had done nothing wrong. Javert frowns a bit, not giving up on his one idea. )

Perhaps the spirits do know something, and they are simply not telling us. We do not know for sure.

I would absolutely rather destroy them, but we don't know where to start. At least language is something we have samples of, or could get samples of. We should learn everything about them that we can.

[There are just too many unknowns. Work with what they have, he figures - until they can get something more to go off of. Destroying a thing the size of a mountain, a thing that resisted all previous attempts to attack it, isn't something they can just go after with guns and swords. Maybe they'll find some method of luring it to its doom and language will be key to that lure. Who knows.]

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