Transian Public Library - Log 3
Aug. 17th, 2023 11:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsKane askes Jean for help and in return, comes clean to her about his condition.
“…so, Doc, by this incredibly random happenstance, I somehow have two slices of that chocolate cake that you love from the chocolatier in town. 'Do you want the other piece,' he said, entirely not in the sense that he’s working to butter you up before asking for yet another favour.” Kane’s slightly bizarre delivery was somewhat balanced by the fact that he was holding up a container that did indeed contain one of her favourite desserts.
Jean slowly turned her head, taking off her reading glasses with suspicion. "Who do I need to stitch up?"
"OK, fair. But I need some help." Kane said, passing over the container. "I need a pilot and the Blackbird."
Suspicion levels still high, Jean eyed the container without quite taking it yet. "What's going on that requires bribery, and why aren't you asking Scott?"
"So Amanda wants to hijack a library owned by a guy whose name is almost literally Doctor Evil and we can do it without killing anyone." Kane said. "Scott doesn't have the right skill set. But also, Scott hasn't been screwed over helping me over the last couple of years..."
"What does being repeatedly screwed over have to do with this?"
"I assumed your helping me getting you being sent to Hell might inform your decision," Kane said honestly.
"It does," Jean replied, meeting his eyes for a moment. "All those things came up similarly enough last time too...trying to stop someone evil. We all know how that turned out."
She looked away, setting the box down on the table. "What makes this different? What do you want to steal?"
"Books. Important books. About chaos." Kane shrugged. "I have to be honest, I don't know the stakes. But Amanda says it's important and I know you might listen to me."
Jean stood up, crossing the room before leaning against her dresser. She picked up a small porcelain bird. "Amanda says stealing chaos books from almost literally Doctor Evil are important but doesn't tell you why..." she repeated quietly. Her eyes flickered upward.
"I'll do it. But only if I'm kept in the loop on everything this time." She was really tired of being kept in the dark.
Kane paused for a long moment. Finally, he uncrossed his arms. "I'm dying. It's complicated magic crap, but at the end of the day, I'm dying and there's no cure. Except Amanda thinks she can find one. These books might do something to help. I don't know."
The bird dropped from Jean's hand, shattering into pieces against the floor. She didn't say anything, because she didn't know what to say.
"It's magic. Something to do with Olivier. It's not anyone's fault. Or responsibility." Kane followed up. "I just... I don't exist... or something. I don't know."
Time caught up with her and Jean finally let out a breath. "You don't exist? What does that mean?" she said.
"How...how do you know you're dying?" She was trying to be calm and not pepper him with questions.
Her scientific mind was ready to attack with ideas, but then he mentioned magic, the one word that always made things complicated.
"Olivier didn't just destroy my omni-skin. He-" Kane stopped, washing his hands. "He broke my connection to the natural order. Like, the Force or something. But they told me... I'm going to get weaker. I'm going to lose my powers. And when enough is gone... so am I."
"They? Who's they?" Jean said. Amanda was one person, who he had to have been speaking to other people about this. She was still trying to process the information.
"That time you came to me about Laurie's powers not working on you, did you already know?"
"No. That was different. I didn't know it was about her at the time."
Jean folded her arms. The air felt heavy all of a sudden. "Who told you you would get weaker?"
"That magic guy. Like Strange."
"A strange magic guy?" Jean blinked. She threw up her hands, pacing back and forth before angrily pulling her hair into a ponytail, save for a haphazard lock of red hair that hung down over one eye.
"That describes like 60% of the people Amanda knows. How does he know you'd get weaker? Or lose your powers? There should be a method. A diagnosis. Surely someone else has gone through this, otherwise how does he know?"
She let out a huff.
"Because she's an expert in her field, like you are in medicine. And they have access to thousands of years of records." Kane said. "Also, she trusts them and I trust her."
"I didn't say her. I said--" Jean said. "Sorry, you've had a bit more time to adjust. I'm...just worried."
She sighed, grabbing the box of cake to take a bite.
"I hate magic."
"You think? I hate this crap." Kane said, with a grin. "Look, I... I don't have a good response. I trust you more than any other person physically."
Jean squinted with confusion
"Really? Why," she mumbled, mouth full of cake.
"Because we've been through things together. Maybe that isn't the most scientific approach, but I know who you are and what you can do under fire. That's why I'm asking you."
The confused look melted after Garrison's continued explanation and Jean looked somewhat relieved. She nodded.
"Well, no pressure," she said with a light smirk. "I'll try my best to help us not get killed if Doctor Evil catches up to us."
"I have a plan. OK, I don't have a specific plan, but I think I know how we all fit in." Kane said, flashing her his ridiculous grin. "And we will take a bunch of books and... wait, none of that sounds badass."
Jean squinted. "It's a little badass. I do love the Mummy, and it involves a book," she said, stabbing at a bite of cake with her fork and shoving it into her mouth.
"And an evil priest. So, close enough."
She rolled her eyes closed. "Man, this cake is amazing. Good bribe."
"I hoped so. And... look, I'd appreciate it if you kept my condition to yourself. I just-" He gave her a pained look. "I... it's private, eh?"
Jean raised an eyebrow. "I'm a little offended that you think I'd blab."
"I don't think you'd blab. I think you'd talk to people about my best way forward. I think you'd try to do everything you think you can to help me, regardless of the cost or challenge. I think you'd have the science lab spun up to 200% for me constantly if you could." Kane said with a sideways smile. "I think you'd try and do anything you can... and you can't. That's why I asked."
Folding her arms, Jean made a face. "Touche. But also...I can't? Well that's stupid. Why not?"
"Because it's weird magic. And all the things I know you know, that isn't in your wheelhouse." Kane shrugged. "It's not shit I understand or you can. We have to trust other people this time."
"So you've been seeing other doctors to confirm this, or are you relying entirely on weird magic to be your cure all?" Jean said curiously.
"You tell me the doctor who can explain being disconnected from the normal energy flow of the universe."
"There might be a brilliant scientist experienced in different kinds of energy that can," Jean said, shrugging. "How does it go? 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' Not that magic isn't real. But science and technology are too. I'm just saying if magic doesn't work...that the door for a cure shouldn't be closed, y'know? There are more possibilities."
"So what are you thinking? I mean, there's big brains at the mansion. Should I tell all of them in case jumping through a portal fixes things?"
"Maybe. If it comes to it. Let's see if Doctor Evil's book fixes it first. But otherwise...I don't think it should be ruled out. You have a mansion full of people with connections. Desperation only comes when there's nothing else to try."
"OK. We'll talk later. I don't think there's a medical solve for this, but if you do.. maybe."
Jean smiled. "I believe in science. Never know until you try, right?"
"I believe in my friends." Kane said and gave her his best smile. "So.. yeah."
Jean nodded. "Good enough for me," she said, smile widening. "Now eat your cake or I'll do it for you."
“…so, Doc, by this incredibly random happenstance, I somehow have two slices of that chocolate cake that you love from the chocolatier in town. 'Do you want the other piece,' he said, entirely not in the sense that he’s working to butter you up before asking for yet another favour.” Kane’s slightly bizarre delivery was somewhat balanced by the fact that he was holding up a container that did indeed contain one of her favourite desserts.
Jean slowly turned her head, taking off her reading glasses with suspicion. "Who do I need to stitch up?"
"OK, fair. But I need some help." Kane said, passing over the container. "I need a pilot and the Blackbird."
Suspicion levels still high, Jean eyed the container without quite taking it yet. "What's going on that requires bribery, and why aren't you asking Scott?"
"So Amanda wants to hijack a library owned by a guy whose name is almost literally Doctor Evil and we can do it without killing anyone." Kane said. "Scott doesn't have the right skill set. But also, Scott hasn't been screwed over helping me over the last couple of years..."
"What does being repeatedly screwed over have to do with this?"
"I assumed your helping me getting you being sent to Hell might inform your decision," Kane said honestly.
"It does," Jean replied, meeting his eyes for a moment. "All those things came up similarly enough last time too...trying to stop someone evil. We all know how that turned out."
She looked away, setting the box down on the table. "What makes this different? What do you want to steal?"
"Books. Important books. About chaos." Kane shrugged. "I have to be honest, I don't know the stakes. But Amanda says it's important and I know you might listen to me."
Jean stood up, crossing the room before leaning against her dresser. She picked up a small porcelain bird. "Amanda says stealing chaos books from almost literally Doctor Evil are important but doesn't tell you why..." she repeated quietly. Her eyes flickered upward.
"I'll do it. But only if I'm kept in the loop on everything this time." She was really tired of being kept in the dark.
Kane paused for a long moment. Finally, he uncrossed his arms. "I'm dying. It's complicated magic crap, but at the end of the day, I'm dying and there's no cure. Except Amanda thinks she can find one. These books might do something to help. I don't know."
The bird dropped from Jean's hand, shattering into pieces against the floor. She didn't say anything, because she didn't know what to say.
"It's magic. Something to do with Olivier. It's not anyone's fault. Or responsibility." Kane followed up. "I just... I don't exist... or something. I don't know."
Time caught up with her and Jean finally let out a breath. "You don't exist? What does that mean?" she said.
"How...how do you know you're dying?" She was trying to be calm and not pepper him with questions.
Her scientific mind was ready to attack with ideas, but then he mentioned magic, the one word that always made things complicated.
"Olivier didn't just destroy my omni-skin. He-" Kane stopped, washing his hands. "He broke my connection to the natural order. Like, the Force or something. But they told me... I'm going to get weaker. I'm going to lose my powers. And when enough is gone... so am I."
"They? Who's they?" Jean said. Amanda was one person, who he had to have been speaking to other people about this. She was still trying to process the information.
"That time you came to me about Laurie's powers not working on you, did you already know?"
"No. That was different. I didn't know it was about her at the time."
Jean folded her arms. The air felt heavy all of a sudden. "Who told you you would get weaker?"
"That magic guy. Like Strange."
"A strange magic guy?" Jean blinked. She threw up her hands, pacing back and forth before angrily pulling her hair into a ponytail, save for a haphazard lock of red hair that hung down over one eye.
"That describes like 60% of the people Amanda knows. How does he know you'd get weaker? Or lose your powers? There should be a method. A diagnosis. Surely someone else has gone through this, otherwise how does he know?"
She let out a huff.
"Because she's an expert in her field, like you are in medicine. And they have access to thousands of years of records." Kane said. "Also, she trusts them and I trust her."
"I didn't say her. I said--" Jean said. "Sorry, you've had a bit more time to adjust. I'm...just worried."
She sighed, grabbing the box of cake to take a bite.
"I hate magic."
"You think? I hate this crap." Kane said, with a grin. "Look, I... I don't have a good response. I trust you more than any other person physically."
Jean squinted with confusion
"Really? Why," she mumbled, mouth full of cake.
"Because we've been through things together. Maybe that isn't the most scientific approach, but I know who you are and what you can do under fire. That's why I'm asking you."
The confused look melted after Garrison's continued explanation and Jean looked somewhat relieved. She nodded.
"Well, no pressure," she said with a light smirk. "I'll try my best to help us not get killed if Doctor Evil catches up to us."
"I have a plan. OK, I don't have a specific plan, but I think I know how we all fit in." Kane said, flashing her his ridiculous grin. "And we will take a bunch of books and... wait, none of that sounds badass."
Jean squinted. "It's a little badass. I do love the Mummy, and it involves a book," she said, stabbing at a bite of cake with her fork and shoving it into her mouth.
"And an evil priest. So, close enough."
She rolled her eyes closed. "Man, this cake is amazing. Good bribe."
"I hoped so. And... look, I'd appreciate it if you kept my condition to yourself. I just-" He gave her a pained look. "I... it's private, eh?"
Jean raised an eyebrow. "I'm a little offended that you think I'd blab."
"I don't think you'd blab. I think you'd talk to people about my best way forward. I think you'd try to do everything you think you can to help me, regardless of the cost or challenge. I think you'd have the science lab spun up to 200% for me constantly if you could." Kane said with a sideways smile. "I think you'd try and do anything you can... and you can't. That's why I asked."
Folding her arms, Jean made a face. "Touche. But also...I can't? Well that's stupid. Why not?"
"Because it's weird magic. And all the things I know you know, that isn't in your wheelhouse." Kane shrugged. "It's not shit I understand or you can. We have to trust other people this time."
"So you've been seeing other doctors to confirm this, or are you relying entirely on weird magic to be your cure all?" Jean said curiously.
"You tell me the doctor who can explain being disconnected from the normal energy flow of the universe."
"There might be a brilliant scientist experienced in different kinds of energy that can," Jean said, shrugging. "How does it go? 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' Not that magic isn't real. But science and technology are too. I'm just saying if magic doesn't work...that the door for a cure shouldn't be closed, y'know? There are more possibilities."
"So what are you thinking? I mean, there's big brains at the mansion. Should I tell all of them in case jumping through a portal fixes things?"
"Maybe. If it comes to it. Let's see if Doctor Evil's book fixes it first. But otherwise...I don't think it should be ruled out. You have a mansion full of people with connections. Desperation only comes when there's nothing else to try."
"OK. We'll talk later. I don't think there's a medical solve for this, but if you do.. maybe."
Jean smiled. "I believe in science. Never know until you try, right?"
"I believe in my friends." Kane said and gave her his best smile. "So.. yeah."
Jean nodded. "Good enough for me," she said, smile widening. "Now eat your cake or I'll do it for you."
