expiationlogs

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Who: czeslaw and you???
Where: various locations in aldrip
What: czeslaw's adventures in february.
Warnings: implied violence? that's about it.

nerding out

[czeslaw sits at a table in the aldrip library, mostly hidden by several stacks of books. they bear titles such as "history of aldrip", "beasts of aldrip", "natural history", "biology", "physics". should one go looking behind the piles, they will find czeslaw deeply engrossed in a book about chemistry. it seems a little...advanced? for his apparent age? he can't be older than ten or eleven. his feet barely scrape the floor from his seat.]

relaxing on the docks

[despite the cold weather, czeslaw has convinced some local spot to serve him a luridly pink popsicle. he sits on the edge of a dock, just far enough out for his feet to be dangling over the water, and enjoys the bustle of people hurrying around him. he seems to be really enjoying that popsicle, too. savoring every lick.

should you wander to close to him, he looks up with a gentle smile.]

Sorry, am I in the way?

Panik

[near the edge of the forest, a strange, high pitched sound can be heard. it is, of course, czeslaw screaming his lungs out. he's running, too, sprinting in fact. he's surprisingly fast for someone of his size, but that's probably because he's motivated - he was just walking through the woods when he stumbled onto a human-sized plant that starting growling at him. it didn't even have time to try and bite him - czeslaw was long gone by that point. no way in hell he was sticking around to get eaten by a monster!!

are you unfortunate enough to be near the screaming either in the woods or right outside them? czeslaw literally dives behind you as soon as he spots you, screaming ceasing as he gasps for breath.]

M-monster!! Monster!!

[he's pointing wildly behind him.]

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[Octavian has been lurking the library more often lately. He has no particular interest in history or, really, anything that the AI in control of this place could manipulate, but he's come up with a way to test it.

That way is quite literally just reading the books on topics he's an expert in and seeing if there's anything strange or incorrect, but, like. He's got time on his hands.

At present he is carrying two books on engineering, basics manuals, and as he passes behind the young boy at his table, he drops both books with an inappropriately loud thud. Ah. Oops.]

...Apologies. My dexterity takes a while to catch up.

[That's a sentence that makes sense for sure.]

[caught up in his reading, czeslaw jumps like a skittish cat and whirls around, only relaxing when he sees the source of the noise was, apparently, dropped books. what was he expecting? god only knows.]

Oh, you startled me. [OBVIOUSLY. he settles back in his chair a bit, letting his nerves calm down.] What were you doing, juggling them?

[Oh, jumpy. Octavian fixes him with a profoundly mild look, for a beat too long before he stoops to pick the books back up. He has a little bit of trouble with getting purchase between the edge of the covers and the floor, but he'll get them in a second.]

No. I lack dexterity. As I said. My body is only temporary.

[Anyway, more importantly,] What are you studying? You have so many volumes.

Temporary?...

[he stares quite openly at octavian, trying to decide what he could possibly mean by that. but he starts a bit at the question aimed at him, feeling caught out.]

Oh, this and that. I just took down everything that caught my eye, really.

[Octavian moves to tuck his books precadiously under one arm so he can peer at the stack on the table, shifting a few to look at the spines. Hmm!

Oh yes, right,] Quite. I have some hours.

[He makes a sort of quiet scoff then, lifting a book off one of the stacks.]

This one is terrible. Unbearably dry.

I don't mind dry.

[if he did, he'd have a lot harder time getting through certain texts of fields he's interested in.]

Are you terribly familiar with the books here?

[it's not the hugest place, but what are the odds of him picking a random book and recognizing it?]

I have been to the library before.

[And he, too, tends to pick up what are essentially textbooks to read before he even considers wandering over to the novels, so-- happenstance, and nerd recognizes nerd.]

I intended to make a project of it. Verifying the accuracy of certain texts to judge the, [he waves a hand,] knowledge base of the AI.

But some were quite dry.

Some topics can't help being dry.

[some esoteric sciences...it is what it is.]

What conclusions did you draw about the AI? Or was the material too dry to finish?

The information seems accurate so far. When it comes to subjects that originate outside a simulated world. Physics and so on.

[A simulation needs physics in the programming, after all, so he would hope the applicable reading materials are also accurate.]

It is the histories of this world I am yet uncertain of. But I have not studied them for inconsistencies.

You'd have to read everything the library has to offer on the subject and compare it, I suppose. But history books don't match up all the time where I'm from, so why would they here? It'd be impossible to tell what's right.

Fair point. I was thinking along the lines of overt mistakes... Inventing a figure in history. Or falsifying the events in the history of the other cultures here.

[The snake people, specifically, because he's seen the spirit visions about them. But it hasn't been his priority, so now...]

At least one of the peoples here were like us. Chosen. Then they were changed into hybrid creatures. This was a point of great shame for the AI.

[He peers a the book stack again.]

I imagine this would not be in the history books.

You'd have to compare the tomes here against something from those other cultures. Do the other cities around have libraries? Are we even allowed to go there if they did?

[but then his face scrunches up with distaste.]

Ugh...you don't think that could happen again, do you?

I do not know. And to the best of my knowledge we have not traveled to the other cities in recent months.

[Since before he got here, he thinks... Except for some excursions to nearby, during which he vaguely recalls people were attacked? So, well, that plan is up in the air.]

As for the corruption into another thing. Yes. It was a failure in the AI's operation I believe. It could happen again and have nothing to do with what we have done.

[Cheerful thought! But also, like, yeah.]

I don't want to be altered in any way!

[he says, very resolutely.]

But there's no apparent way out, either...what a predicament.

Ah. You missed the "glitches." They were occurring during the month I arrived. We were all at risk of being changed. Though temporarily.

[A shrug! It didn't actually happen to him, but it sure was going around.]

That is the main problem though. Yes.

I've heard stories...and read about it some on the devices they gave us.

[he seems to be uncomfortable with the idea. well, who can blame him?]

I never thought I'd find myself at the whims of a machine. It's so...science fiction.

Is it? I suppose containment of this scale is unexpected.

[He's never actually met an AI, or heard of one mucking around with simulations before here, but it doesn't sound impossible for someone to achieve back home.]

Most of us are content not to think about it most days. It seems. You could search for a book on the concept for your collection.

Think they have books on AI learning or computers here?

[that's one thing he didn't look for when he was gathering books up.]

I would assume so. Unless the AI considers them a threat.

[Which is possible? The previous iteration wanted their collective help, but now... He has no idea.]

Root would be able to tell you more. If the books are unavailable. She is an expert.

Root?...What's her username?

[since presumably that would be the easier way to reach this mysterious person.]

It is... hm.

[Yeah, he doesn't know, he can't keep track of anyone whose username isn't their name or surname. He sighs and takes out his tablet to scroll through his own inbox, hmmmm...]

It is apparently "user010102". The word 'user' included.

That's very...internet-y.

[he doesn't really know a better word for it. talk about a boring username. at any rate he pulls out his tablet and makes a note of it.]

Okay, I'll keep an eye out for them. I'll have to do some research first, wouldn't want to waste the time of an expert.

She has a particularly unique affection for that kind of thing.

[The internet and AIs and so on. It'll become readily obvious very quickly. He says this with the fondness of someone who doesn't understand but is still doing his best to support a friend, anyway.

......oh yes,] My name is Octavian, by the way. It is a pleasure to meet someone so studious.

[oh right. manners.]

I'm Czeslaw. Nice to meet you, too.

[even if he does say weird things about his own body, he has been helpful.]

[Unfortunately the weird things will continue, inevitably--]

Of course. I will be in the library for a while yet should you like to compare findings. Or discuss oddities. Otherwise...

[He gestures at the book pile; he'll quit interrupting.]

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