[PRP] Forequarter Reparations (Temperance & Liam)

[The Semblance of Unity]

Temperance knew Professor Noor's address like she knew the back of her own hand. ...which is to say that she looked it up online before showing up willy-nilly (she also sent him an email saying she had questions of a magical nature and would he be willing to lean her a hand - hah). Rider-Waite's stance on magic could have changed since the world-switch, who knew? Not Temperance Clark, for sure. She was too busy pretending not to be magical at all. Nope, not little old her.

While she didn't relish the idea of talking to Liam I-Murder-Young-Girls-If-They-Ask-Nicely Noor, it was common sense that the members of that particular family would know the most of creating magical creatures.... bits.... something. She paced in a circle in front of the porch, then another, then a third. Fine.

Heading up the small set of stairs, she stood in front of the door and knocked.

silverah

 

[Silverah]

It took Liam a moment to come to the door - if Temperance listened closely, she could likely hear him clomping down the stairs two at a time, or his nails scraping the wood as he undid the deadbolt and chain. He hauled the door open - it was heavy, solid old wood - and stood blinking at Temperance as if trying to place her.

"Good morning, miss..." he began, and trailed off, squinting at her.

"You must be Temperance," he pronounced after a moment. "Of the, ah, scientific inquiry. I got your email. Please come in."

He stood aside, gesturing her through the door. If Temperance recalled her visit to Liam's condominium in a past timeline, the house was decorated to similar tastes.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Yes, Professor Noor. We've, uh, met before." She had thought she'd made more of an impression. But... maybe,,, when someone was old and magical and exceedingly extra, Temperance Clark calling him a murderer was only a drop in the bucket. He'd been kind of nice in the 80s, which was also weird, but a different flavor of weird.

She entered, looking around. She'd been to his condo once... in October, right before the switch, and she wondered if those weird hanging polaroids had persisted. "If it's alright, Professor, I had some sort of questions regarding magical constructs."

silverah

 

[Silverah]

Liam nodded like he definitely believed that. "You'll have to forgive me if I don't recall," he said. "My personal timeline's gotten a bit squirrelly lately."

He didn't seem to be faking - he actually didn't seem to remember any of their prior interactions. Which was probably for the better, all things considered.

"I'd be happy to help however I can," he answered. "Is this for academic research or...? Please, have a seat. Can I offer you a drink?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Temperance frowned a bit. "So, ah... which side, uh, are you from, originally? Here?" She'd thought Renard and Liam had migrated over with the rest of them. And, even if he was from this version of Ashdown, he'd have to know about things - he was Liam Noor, after all.

"And it's for practical application, rather than research." Temperance did take a seat, sitting very straight. "Uh, a glass of water would be nice, thank you."

silverah

 

[Silverah]

Liam narrowed his eyes at her, as though he found the question slightly distasteful. "This one," he said a moment later. "I anticipated the universes might collide and had certain failsafes to preserve my existence should the worst happen. Excuse me a moment."

He ducked out of the room into what was presumably the kitchen, and returned a moment later with a glass of ice water and a small bowl of lemon wedges.

"Now - practical application?" he asked, eyebrows rising at Temperance. "What are you trying to do, exactly? I think I'd like to know your goals before I assist in mucking about with an already fragile world state."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Thank you," she murmured as he placed the water nearby. The bowl of lemon wedges reminded her of being young - in a diner, her whole family, mom and dad too busy trying to chase down Fortitude so no one could stop her from trying to make lemonade using a glass of water, as many sugar packets as she could fit in her little fist, and every single lemon wedge from each glass. She did not touch the lemons now.

She glanced over at him, folding her hands on the table, elbows off, like she'd been taught. "Anticipated? I don't think your counterpart from the other side had anticipated this." Temperance took a drink, the ice clinking against the rim. "As far as practical application... it's not that I want to create an entire magical construct, but part of one. A part that could be conjoined with a living creature and provide and receive stimulus from the host. Like a... prosthetic."

silverah

 

[Silverah]

Liam listened carefully, and then he nodded. "It's not easy magic," he said, "but it's certainly well within the bounds of what's possible. I've personally constructed and tethered a womb with magic... in my younger, more renegade days - so compared to that, an arm is quite simple."

"You would need to craft the prosthetic first," he said, "Out of whatever you prefer to use. Bone was popular in Victorian times, though I'm not sure it's in vogue now."

"Then, afterward, you would need to animate the prosthetic and tether it to the recipient's magical core. That's a delicate bit of sigil work, but I can give you the books and assist you in drafting once you're ready."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Was the womb successful?" she asked, thinking it might have been how Sonny came to be. It was, she knew, none of her business, but the concept of constructing a womb was fascinating from a medical standpoint.

She chewed her lip for a moment. "Can a pre-crafted prosthetic be used? And I would love to see the books, Professor Noor."

silverah

 

[Silverah]

Liam smiled, catlike. "Well," he replied, "have you met my daughter?"

So, yes, then.

"You could use a pre-made prosthetic, yes," he continued. "With the right anchoring spells."

He rose from his seat. "Would you accompany me into my study?" he asked, holding a hand out to her.

With a nod of his chin, he indicated a pair of heavy double doors leading out of the far end of the parlor.

The Semblance of Unity

Quote:

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Yes," she said, smiling herself. "Good work." This Sonny was a deliberate version, a want rather than something thrust upon them. It was a nice change. She made another mental note about anchors, then scooted her chair out.

Temperance tentatively placed her hand in his to steady herself as she rose. "Of course. Anything you'd like to show me would be welcome."

silverah

 

[Silverah]

Liam led the way, opening the doors before them with the wave of his hand and a soft aura of green magic. Inside Liam's study, the decor seemed somewhat out-of-date with the rest of the house, reflecting turn-of-the-century preferences in museum back rooms more than contemporary design.

It was all meticulously cared for, the antique furniture polished until it sparkled in the light. The far wall was broken up by a bank of windows framed by bookshelves. There was a work table in the middle of the room and a desk pushed up against the wall nearest the door, with shelves of keepsakes and magical trinkets above it.

And a shelf of what looked to be various-sized fetuses preserved in specimen jars.

Um.

Liam did not make to explain anything, but bounded ahead of Temperance to the bookshelves, pulling a library ladder along on its track. "So you'll want Pond's Guide to Medical Enchantments," he said, almost to himself as he scanned the shelves. "I think I have the section on anchors marked if I can find it... And then Contemporary Golemcraft would probably be helpful..."

He paused, staring up at the shelves, a thoughtful finger to his lips.

"Would you say you're a beginner spellcaster?" he asked. "Or can I skip the theory texts?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Temperance looked around curiously, only pausing slightly at the jars. "No need for the theory texts, Professor Noor. Pond's Guide should be immensely useful, though." She wanted to get into the meat of things.

"What an, ah, interesting specimen collection," she ventured tentatively. "From your research on creating your daughter?"

silverah

 

[Silverah]

Liam nodded to himself, and a moment later joined Temperance at the work table with a stack of books. He laid them out. "Pond's Guide to Medical Enchantments is a good starting point for any magical healing," he explained, laying a finger on the one furthest to his left. "This is an early edition, but the theory is still sound." (The book appeared to possibly be from the eighteen hundreds.)

"Contemporary Golemcraft covers the magical rigging and animation of inanimate objects," he continued, pointing to the second book. This one had a glossy cover but older typography - like a college textbook from the eighties. "There's an entire section on prostheses."

He slid his finger over to the last book. "Magical Anatomy offers a good overview of the body's magical core and how it operates - and what could potentially go wrong if your spellwork goes badly. Which it probably won't, but... if anything goes wrong, you'd do best to contact me or my husband."

He then directed his attention up to the jars. "Sunny calls them the Sisters," he said softly. "They are... iterations. Not specimens, but failures. I learned a great deal from each of them."

the semblance of unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I had planned on contacting you if anything were to go off. You both seem very... different from the two of you I knew." She peered at each book. "Is it alright to borrow these or should I copy down from here?" Temperance did most of her best studying in the park, but the older book should likely be kept inside. Well, it wasn't like she'd had time for Overwatch lately, anyway.

Her gaze drifted back to the Sisters. It took an interesting kind of man to keep around failures and not feel the pangs of sadness over them, but instead recognize what they'd taught. "I'd love to know more about them and your ventures in creating your daughter, but I won't ask if it's too charged a subject."

silverah