2021-03-27 - The Hunger for Knowledge

Diana has good taste in hangout locations.

It had taken some asking around to find her. Delicate asking around, because Conner felt weird and creepy doing the asking. And yet really, meeting in a Dream is as good as any place normal people meet, right? Finding out the library was her spot seemed a sign he was doing the right thing, seeking her out. The library is his spot too, one of the few he can be found at on a regular enough basis for some of the people there to at least know him by face.

Not that finding Diana is an exact science even now. Shaking off some of the fog...some of it decided to cling to him today...he walks in and starts wandering through the stacks, beginning his search.

The stacks have their fair share of people, but none of them have Diana's wild sense of fashion, so it's pretty easy to eliminate them, even aside from knowing exactly what she looks like. Over in the microfiche machine area, however, he may notice Diana at one of the machines, reading an old newspaper. She looks ... discontented with whatever she's seeing. She's dressed in a red t-shirt that says, 'HOW TO PICK UP CHICKS'... that then features a stick figure picking up baby chickens and petting them. Paired with this, she's got high-waisted tan pants, with leggings just barely seen near the ankle that are festooned with the Star Wars 'Rebel' symbol, and a pair of black flats beneath all that.

Conner isn't dressed significantly differently from the way he was dressed in the dream. Serviceable jeans. A blue work shirt over a black t-shirt. Sensible waterproof lace-up boots. Slightly rumpled hair. His shirt could have used a dance with an iron, but that looks like it never happens and maybe never will. He frowns a moment...she's busy...and then approaches, clearing his throat when he's kind of close so as not to startle her.

"Research isn't going well, I see," is his stab at a greeting.

The clearing of his throat does lead to her looking over, not startled whatsoever. She smiles at his greeting, shaking her head ruefully. "Not so much," Diana says, and grabs a nearby folding chair, pulling it closer to her own. "Sit, sit! I'm sorry, I'm a little scatterbrained-- you were Conner, right? I didn't misremember the name? That was ... something else."

"No, you have it right," Conner says, taking the offered chair. "It was something else," he agrees.

The older man is silent for a moment, then asks, "What did you make of it? Were you able to make any more sense out of what happened that night than I did? And...this is just idle curiosity, you can tell me to back off...what are you researching?"

The two questions aren't even really related, but those cognac eyes of his flick over to the microfiche with the gaze of someone who wants to know things by nature, no matter how small those things may be.

Diana's smile widens at the question about her research, gently shaking her head. "If anything, you'll have to ask me to pipe down, if I get started." She grins, though it fades as she thinks about something. "I... looked into the objects I had. The fruit is especially ... disturbing. I hope no one ate any. The antler tips, I got far less from. And... honestly, this is in-between research that I'm doing, not related to that Dream-- I'm looking up more information about the Addingtons and the Baxters. But what I should be doing is tracking down that Devlin person, and also some of the others I saw when I examined the fruit-- like Everett."

"It's elk."

After an awkward pause:

"The horn tip. It's elk. A big one. I don't know if that means anything to you, but that's what it is. I didn't eat it, I took it to August. It can't be cut with any normal knife, and you can put it right back together again if you cut it with gifts. It was strange inside. What did you do with yours? Do you want it?"

Another pause and he tilts his head to one side. "Why are you researching the Addingtons and the Baxters?" He doesn't seem to mind it if she doesn't stop once she gets going. Not a bit.

Diana tilts her head curiously at the news about it having been an elk-- and especially about the fruit. That's what she addresses first, in fact: "The fruit was-- I think it was related to a person. Or an entity, anyway. Or... something. I examined the psychometry of it, and I saw-- someone or something was panicked and immobile, in a place with lava and waterfalls and-- and temples, and darkness. No sky to be seen. And then-- people came for her. I definitely got a 'her' kind of sense, anyway. Devlin, Everett, Kailey, and Aidan. She wanted to stop them, but the others immolated her, burned her to nothing. And then... it goes dark, but it isn't over. She's -- she's hibernating or growing or resting. Becoming. And there's intense pain suddenly, and a hunger that's-- that's beyond anything that I can imagine. A scream-- louder than loud. Piercing. And then she comes to, and she's-- there's black rocky ground, covered in a thick, sticky sap the color of blood. And she's-- she's surrounded by the bones of things she devoured while she regrew. She's back, and she's alive, but-- her mind. It's empty. And she's so hungry." When Diana started talking, it was academic, almost, the way she described her theories. But the further she gets into her description, the more disturbed she seems, until she's staring off into the distance. In fact, after those last words, about 'her' being so hungry... she shivers, only then returning her attention to Conner. She blushes. "Um. It was... it was very intense. I passed out." The rest of his questions, it seems, will have to wait.

Conner stares at all of that. It's a lot to process. A lot to try to understand at all. He pulls out a small notebook and begins jotting the different pieces parts down. "Devlin, Everett, Kailey, and Aidan immolated the entity?" It's a request for clarification, an attempt to digest this in bite-sized chunks. "Or something else did, and they tried to stop it? I suppose if it was Devlin that might explain why Tree Man was so angry with him. "

One question at a time now, specifically trying to pin down her vision well enough to make sure he understands it absolutely. When everything around them seems to operate on the hazy logic of a dream about 80% of the time to begin with, getting clarity and concrete details is important. Even when they make zero sense, which seems to be often enough.

"They did. Everett, Kailey, Aidan, and Devlin. But... Devlin certainly didn't seem to mean harm to the Tree Man, so I have to think it must've been a misunderstanding. Maybe shooting first, asking questions later? Or-- I suppose anything could've happened before what I saw. Maybe she'd hurt them before? I don't honestly know." Diana frowns deeply. "She wanted to stop them, but they were too powerful for her." Without seeming to realize it, her arms have lightly wrapped around herself. The microfiche is entirely forgotten. "I saw far less from the-- elk antler bit. It was-- a calmer vision. Less disturbing. I was... seeing through the eyes of something large and powerful. I assume the elk, maybe? It moved like the woods belonged to it. Very regal. And then I heard a young woman call out, and my viewpoint shifted-- the woman was dressed kinda... gothy? Young. Not much more than twenty, if that. She was dancing around a bonfire and singing. And then... whatever thing I was seeing through the eyes of, it reached out to her. And then the images stopped. No idea what happened after that."

"The bones seem to relate back to the tree we saw," Conner says slowly. "There were bones all over the ground there, too. My own research indicates there was a connection between the symbolism of the tree we saw and Axis Mundi, the World Tree. I'm still not sure what to make of Tree Man. Who is definitely not a woman. The bark of the tree was red, so that might explain the sap. But if she's got an empty, hungry mind, that's pretty terrible. Sounds like conditions that could make a being lash out, unless someone tries to help her. Perhaps those four had good reasons for immolating though. And perhaps, like you said. Shoot first. Ask questions later."

He steeples his fingers over his belly and leans back, trying to parse the rest of what she's telling him. "I believed the Tree Man was trying to warn us of something," he admits. "But I can't rightly say what. And what you're telling me doesn't clear it up much, but it's food for thought."

He grabs up his notebook, jots down a note, circles it a few times.

Diana nods, frowning. "Also, I... don't know exactly how or if it's related to all this, but I also did some research, and there were-- or potentially are-- these books. One for each Glimmer Aspect. Two of them were destroyed, and one was... well, 'scoured.' The scoured book is back. People have been seeing it in their Dreams. So it's possible the other two could be back as well. I-- well, this is pure conjecture, but I wonder if 'she' could be the scoured book? But I just don't know enough. It's why I really need to track down those four, see what they know. If you should get to them first, please, let me know." She pauses, then jots down her phone number on a scrap of paper, handing it to him.

"Why were they destroyed? Who destroyed them? And what does scoured mean, exactly?" Conner tilts his head to one side and frowns. This is really the first time he's heard the term 'glimmer', but he can parse well enough what she's talking about without making her walk him through her terms for it. "Which one is still floating around?"

He takes her number, and takes out his phone and programs it right in. "Is this a landline? If not I'll text you my details. Do you know where those folks are usually found? I've lived here all my life but there's plenty of people I don't know. Other than meeting this Devlin guy in that dream, that includes everyone on this list of yours."

But he's jotting down all the names, too.

"Those are good question," Diana says wryly, "...though unfortunately I don't have the answers-- yet, anyway. I don't know who destroyed them, or why. I don't know which of the three was scoured, and why or how it's come back. I just know the one that was scoured, is back. And it having been 'scoured'-- it's sort of why I wonder if it's related to the 'her' I saw from the fruit. Because of her mind seeming gone, I mean. It's definitely nowhere near being a sure thing, but worth thinking about, I suppose." She then looks to him and his phone. "Nah, not a landline. Texts are great. I know Everett runs an ice cream shop-- 'Sweet Retreat.' So he's the easiest one of the bunch. Kailey I know is close to Everett, so even if she's not around him when you go looking, he's likely to know where she is. Devlin... I don't know him well, and in fact I'm not certain I've ever seen him outside of a Dream-- oh, except once, in the park. He was with someone named Hera, who I also know very little about. But he's often got military gear or equipment, so maybe he's National Guard, or lives on a base? Couldn't tell you for sure. Aidan I know even less about. I've met him before, but it was by chance in Memento Mori, the bookstore, and I don't actually know if he's a regular there." She wrinkles up her nose. "Sorry to be so iffy on the details." She pauses, and then reaches for her phone, thumbing down her contact list. "Oh! But apparently we exchanged numbers that day. I don't feel comfortable giving out someone else's number without asking, but I'll text him your number, and my own questions, here in a sec. What is your number?" she asks.

Conner texts it over and shrugs. "You can give my number to anyone you want. It's in the phone book anyway, just under my business name instead of mine. I manage the Broadleaf Apartments. If someone wants to sell me something I'll just tell them no, or hang up on them the way God intended. That's good info, thank you. I'll keep you in the loop of stuff that I find out. If anything. I'm playing a lot of catch-up here, but."

His smile is wry. "That doesn't seem to be stopping me. Thanks for being good natured about me just tracking you up to the library. I was worried I'd come off like a stalker."

Diana nods her head, saying, "Great! I'll definitely pass him on your number. And I know the feeling about catch-up. I kind of feel like that never ends, living here. I wasn't born here, and I always sort of feel like I'm behind the curve. But it's an exciting feeling, honestly. Like there's so much out here to learn and to integrate." She tilts her head. "Oh, you came off like a stalker, all right. But a stalker who's into the library is a-okay in my book." She grins lopsidedly.

That makes him laugh. It's a soft chuff more than anything hearty, but his eyes crinkle at the corners and it's genuine enough. "Yeah, this is one of the few places I spend a lot of time in, here in town. I'm honestly surprised we haven't run into each other before. What brought you into town? How long have you been here?"

These, at least, are the relaxed questions of someone who is just engaging in a brief moment of normal-person conversation. As many questions as he asks, he at least sort of has this sort of...wide-river flowing calm about him. It's not an interrogation, the way he asks, just regular old interest.

"Well, I go here, I go to bookstores, and I often spend a lot of time over here in the microfiche section rather than over in the stacks," Diana says with a smile and a shrug. "I came into town because I'd heard a lot of rumors of, well, weirdnesses here. And then getting here, and learning this is probably the spot with the thinnest Veil in all of North America? You bet your butt I wanted to settle down for awhile." She tilts her head. "Er, forgot to say-- I kind of do this investigate-y stuff for a living. I like to say 'Paranormal Investigator' because it sounds very official and well-tidied, but honestly I just follow weirdness and try to document it. I want to apply scientific principles to the things science can't explain-- yet, anyway. It's plumbing the depths of mysteries and trying to demystify them."

"I want to learn how everything works too," Conner says, a more plain-spoken way of saying that he basically wants to do the same thing. His smile is the barest quirk of lips. Quick. Self-deprecating. "I'm just a guy though, not a paranormal investigator. I hope you're having some luck making heads or tails of anything. As far as I understand it, that's not real easy, even for people who have been at it for years and years."

"Oh, I haven't even found the heads, let alone made them and the tails," Diana says cheerily, "But I plan to keep looking until my eyes fall out, whenever that should happen. Hopefully not soon. Or, you know, at all, but we'll cross that bridge if we come to it." She smiles, and then looks to her phone, tapping out a longish message before hitting send. "He has your number now, so that's set. And for what it's worth-- I don't really believe in 'just a guy.' We all have our parts to play."

"Yeah, don't talk about your eyes falling out around here," Conner says, and he's very deadpan. Is it humor? Or an utter lack of it? It's possible even he doesn't know, because what he says is, "it seems like saying it could make it happen around here."

Maybe definitely not humor.

Her comment about 'just a guy' has him tipping his chin towards her, his mouth twitching with more self-deprecating humor. "We all do," he agrees. "And thanks. For passing on the number. That makes it easy. Or easier, one of the two."

"Fair point," Diana concedes ruefully. "And no problem. I wish I had more of a lead into Devlin, honestly." Her phone buzzes in her hand, and she swipes to see what's new. "Oh, hey, nice. I have him texty-wise. I'm gonna ask him if he knows how to find Devlin. I mean, it's possible they're no closer than Devlin and I are, but it's worth a shot!" And with that, she taps away again.

"Great," Conner says, settling back to let her text in peace. He puts his phone and his notebook both away, and he gazes up at the ceiling, the way people do when they haven't left the conversation yet but are trying to give someone space to do their thing without being awkward about it. Whether or not he pulls off being not-awkward is for her to decide, but he's at least giving it the old college try.

Diana taps out a pretty long message, no doubt, since she's just tap-tap-tapping away for quite some time. No doubt she's running into the character limit! She sends her text, and... waits. Eventually she shrugs, saying, "He must've gone AFK. Or... AFM? Anyway, we'll see. I'll definitely update you when I get more information. So you said you grew up here? Are you just getting into the Shiny side of things, or...?"

"No, it started when I was a child for me," Conner says slowly. "But I learned to keep my head down. I just minded my own business mostly, and tried to understand things with, well..."

He casts a hand about. Indicating books. "This isn't a thing books can do, I guess. Good news my head is stuffed with lots of random knowledge that's sometimes useful, and I know how to track down a fact fast. Bad news, there's a whole lot of stuff I still don't really know. I don't have much practical experience, other than a few dreams, here and there, the same as anyone around here has, right. And no friends, for awhile, but I'm changing that now. Anyway, I guess in one of those dreams I got kind of a wake up call, and decided it was time to come out of my shell. So here I am. Out of my shell."

He shrugs, as if this is an awful lot of story to convey all in one go, and he's embarrassed about it.

Diana listens to him without comment, but her expression is warm as he talks. She nods at points, particularly as he talks about trying to understand things through books. "Glad to see you out of your shell," she says at last. "I wasn't near a thin spot as a child, and I didn't have any Shine to me at all. But I had my books, and that's what's always kept me going. I came to all this fairly late, but when I did, I went whole hog. I want to understand every bit of it. I know that it's literally impossible for me to know everything about even just this one thing-- but that's not going to stop me from trying." She gives a half-smile.

"I think that's the nature of the pursuit of knowledge," Conner muses. "Nobody ever gets the full body of it, but that is what makes it rewarding. There's never going to be a point where you're done, so there's never going to be a point where it gets boring. And if you have it, knowledge-hunger, I guess, at least in my case, it doesn't matter. It has to be filled. It's like needing to eat. You wouldn't want to run out of food, either."

Smiling broadly, Diana says, "Exactly. The hunger never ends, but neither does the feasting." She looks ready to say more when her phone buzzes again. She looks down, looks up, and then starts a-tapping. His own phone notifies him of a new message however it normally does, just a few moments later.