Dr. Veritas Ratio (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
curingidiocy) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
synflux2024-05-10 08:18 pm
curingidiocy) wrote in synflux2024-05-10 08:18 pm
Entry tags:
[CLOSED] The Golden Ratio
WHO: Dr. Ratio + Aventurine
WHAT: Permanent catch all for Ratio and Aventurine's shenanigans
WHERE: Anywhere and everywhere
WHEN: Various
WARNINGS: Patch 2.2 spoilers abound. Suicidal ideation. Now with NSFW. Other content warnings will be listed in starters
WHAT: Permanent catch all for Ratio and Aventurine's shenanigans
WHERE: Anywhere and everywhere
WHEN: Various
WARNINGS: Patch 2.2 spoilers abound. Suicidal ideation. Now with NSFW. Other content warnings will be listed in starters
no subject
His musings are met with a welcome interruption, and Aventurine grins up at the other man. )
Doctor. ( He says nothing for a brief moment before, in a sign of trust -- or perhaps how grateful Aventurine has been for the comfort Ratio has offered him over the past few days -- he continues once the doctor has settled down in the ground next to him. ) It was never this dark unless it rained. There was always something happening in the sky -- I didn't realize night could be so black until I was in my teens.
( Ratio is a smart man who knows enough about the history of Sigonia-IV and its position in the universe to understand what Aventurine is talking about. And what happened to so drastically change his understanding of what a night sky should look like. )
no subject
Like this, he can hear the quiet longing in the man's voice. He can hear the wistfulness, the melancholy, the wonder as he beholds the inky skies, dotted with the glimmer of distant stars. Sigonia-IV was not an easy place to live in. The environment was far too harsh for any semblance of structured civilization to grow, and even the IPC's technology could not change that.
Grasping at the sands beneath him, he wonders what it must have been like to live in such harsh conditions—when the best they could do was just to survive the day. He is fortunate, he thinks, to have been born in a more hospitable place. And, perhaps, he is even luckier to have met Aventurine, the sole survivor of his people, when it was statistically improbable for the two of them to meet.
He is silent after Aventurine finishes his sentence, but then he raises his hand, tracing the bright path in the night sky with his fingers. ]
The sky here is bright to me. This planet—Earth—is part of a galaxy locally known as the Milky Way, named after the river of light that can be seen on clear nights like this. It is a barred spiral galaxy, so what we are seeing is the thickness of the galaxy's disk-like structure.
[ He pauses for a moment, hesitant. ]
...Sigonia-IV had the misfortune of being located in the Jemwil Asteroid Stream, influenced by the stars from the three clusters in its proximity. The Pruthian cluster in particular is host to a volatile triple star system, with its largest star, Utos, being prone to coronal mass ejections. It would be the cause of the auroras observed on your home world.
no subject
Though-- )
They named their planet after dirt?
( And then Ratio talks about his planet. Aventurine knows the... general source of the misfortune that plagued it, but not the details about it -- that he's taken the time to research it means something to Aventurine that he can't quite name. A kindness and attention to detail he's used to going without when it comes to himself. So Aventurine simply rolls onto his side. It's easier to watch the other man like this, which is suddenly one of the things he wants to do very much.
Not that it's a surprise, given everything that's happened between the two of them in the past month and a half. Both here and in Penacony. )
They were beautiful, when I thought to give them more than a passing glance. I always thought we were lucky to see them. Turns out it was just a visual reminder of how unlucky we really were.
( And all the beauty had been sucked out of it then; they'd been as dull as the rainclouds he's come to associate with his birthday in the aftermath. )
no subject
You would be surprised to know how many civilizations name their planet similarly before achieving interstellar travel. It is only when they encounter the greater intergalactic community that a different name becomes a necessity. This planet, were the IPC to make contact with it, would likely be called Helios-III, named after one of the sun gods of the various mythologies present in their culture.
[ He glances down at his companion when the man shifts, his sunset eyes glowing slightly in the darkness, and ignores the urge to reach out and settle his hand over Aventurine's. ]
The coronal mass ejections would not have produced more than lights in the sky, though the frequency and intensity would have caused difficulty in using electromagnetic devices on your planet.
[ He closes his eyes for a moment, then turns his head back up to the sky. He knows Aventurine does not appreciate his scrutiny for too long. ]
Sigonia-IV's main predicament is its lack of water, and the frequency with which it receives small-scale celestial objects. The impact of these objects can cause significant disruption to the ecology of its contact point, which no doubt contributed to the sparseness of the planet's flora.
[ Ratio knows too much, has done too much research—he's not wholly certain Aventurine wants to hear this; wants to hear his misfortune laid out in such a detached, scientific manner. But he's not sure what Aventurine would want to hear at all. The only thing he's certain of right now is that he shouldn't be alone. ]
no subject
Hah.
He wonders, idly, if Qlipoth would have extended his blessing so readily to Aventurine if he knew. )
It sounds much better when you talk about it, Ratio. ( That much is true, and Aventurine lets his eyes travel up to the stars once again. ) C'mon, give me some other facts. If you've run out of them for my little pile of dirt, what about yours?
( He knows he should be paying attention, but Ratio's voice is soothing, especially when he really gets going. Aventurine doesn't want him to stop talking -- and there really isn't much to say about Sigonia. It likely still exists, maybe thriving under the guidance of the IPC. But it isn't his home anymore.
He... isn't sure what is, these days. )
no subject
He can't help himself; he reaches out and brushes a strand of hair out of the Sigonian's eyes, noting, not for the first time since their acquaintance, how beautiful and vibrant those unique two-toned eyes are.
In a quiet, gentle, and fond voice: ]
Are you perhaps thinking of visiting soon? We would certainly welcome you.
[ And then he presses two fingers against Aventurine's forehead, firm but teasing, and turns away, pulling his hand back to rest in the sand again, and looks back to the skies. ]
Veritas Prime is located in the Mytikas Star System, which is part of the Ovid Cluster, located adjacent to the Laurel Wreath galaxy. You may be familiar with that name if you have read up on the Second Machine Crisis. Individuals fleeing from the galaxy during that period of time sought refuge in the Ovid Cluster, with Veritas Prime eventually becoming the prime destination for these displaced people.
At the time, Veritas Prime was a desolate planet, unworthy of bearing a name in the greater intergalactic community. But through the efforts of the refugees, some of whom had been part of the Philosopher Union, the planet was terraformed and transformed into a planet of abundance. The individual who led these efforts went on to establish an institute of knowledge, to further research techniques to keep the planet thriving and plentiful. To enshrine and honour his contributions to the star system, the planet and the institution were given his name.
[ Anyone who read up on his planet's history would know all of this, but it is a touch embarrassing to recite that history—the origin of his name and the weight that it bore. ]
no subject
Right. He's still talking. )
I gotta say, doc, it doesn't really sound like a place that'd want someone like me visiting. ( He has so little to offer -- not as Aventurine, but as Kakavasha, and certainly not to a man who's named for the hero of his planet. Still, the idea of there being two Vertias' who have brought a sense of pride to their home planet feels right. A smile steals over Aventurine's face as he once again watches Ratio's face in the firelight. ) Just wait a few more years and there'll be tiny Veritases running around named not for him but for you. Given the sheer amount of books and documentaries on you, they're damn proud of what you've accomplished.
( It's one of the great mysteries of the universe as to why Nous has overlooked Ratio -- even Aventurine finds himself wondering from time to time why Doctor Veritas Ratio is excluded from their number. A small, selfish part of him is grateful: Nous' loss is Aventurine's gain. There's no way in hell that a member of the Genius Society would give even a Stoneheart the time of day, let alone agree to work with one.
That's something he'd never let Ratio know, for he's unsure how the other man would take it. )
That's the history, though. What's it like, Doctor?
no subject
Nonsense. We welcome anyone with a desire to learn, or those who simply wish to behold the efforts of our predecessors. And I--
[ He stops abruptly, looking if he'd just caught himself saying something he shouldn't, and turns away. The lack of eye contact is a clear sign that he's embarrassed. He only looks back when he's teased about children being named after him, and the look on his face could be described as displeased to anyone less familiar with him. But to Aventurine? It's downright bashful. ]
Well, that is to be expected. It is natural for people to name their children after exemplary individuals in history.
[ If it were any other person saying that, he would have brushed it off easily, as it was simply fact and one he easily acknowledges. But with Aventurine, he can't help but feel a little self-conscious. He's never felt this way before, and he knows it's because he's realized his own feelings. This was bad. He was losing control of his calm far too easily. So he tries to move on nonchalantly, onto Aventurine's next question.
What is Veritas Prime like, Aventurine asks. He has never really stopped to think about it, now that he's being asked. Always too busy with some equation or research, or his work as a teacher, he's never stopped to truly soak in the wonder that was his home planet. He closes his eyes again, recalling memories of the university. ]
It is... a beautiful planet, awash with verdure, and full of life and potential. There are bountiful oceans, and its cities gleam with white exteriors. It is peaceful but full of activity.
[ He has never been the most eloquent when it comes to describing something non-clinically. He purses his lips and frowns, finding his own words to be inadequate. ]
You will understand when you visit.
no subject
Aventurine doesn't want to ruin this moment, the expression on Ratio's face and the warmth that he feels twisting through him. Instead he's going to take it and tuck it away in his mind, something as small and fragile as those other dear memories. Something to cherish when this, too, is taken away from him.
He doesn't want to think about that. He doesn't want to think about Ratio... not being there. Not being on his side, in his corner. So he tears his thoughts away from it, from the warmth. )
And you want to unleash me on it! Come on, Doc, does your planet really deserve that? ( Ratio doesn't have to paint any real picture for Aventurine to want to visit. He wants to go because it's Ratio inviting him, because he does want the other man to show him someplace that shaped him as much as anything else. A trip that doesn't have a secondary agenda or any other things to overshadow just... enjoying themselves. ) I'd like to see it. With you, of course. If--
( Should he survive. Should he awake from the dormancy he found himself in back in their world. But he's finding the idea even more appealing now than it had been with just the doctor's prescription in his hands. The proof that there were some things worth living for; why he should bother taking one step after the other.
It's hard still, to think like that. To believe it. But with Ratio here, bashful and inviting him to his world...
It's easier. )
no subject
Ratio has no doubt that he will come back alive.
(He ignores the fierce desire to lean over the other man, to cup his face with his hand, to see those eyes widen and those cheeks flush—ignores the question gnawing in the back of his mind, 'how do those lips taste?'—ignores it all, shoves it down, far, far away from the surface, where it'll never be found.)
Ratio continues to stare down at Aventurine, his eyes never once wavering. ]
We can arrange a trip after our business in Penacony has concluded.
[ If he's in good health, he doesn't say, because he knows this whole ordeal will have strained Aventurine in some way. Physically, perhaps not, but mentally... if the nightmares were any indication, then he will need time to recover. ]
no subject
Does Ratio know how much those things mean to him? He hopes he does. )
Something to look forward to. Not that I haven't been enjoying this vacation from our universe, but it's not like we can be here forever.
no subject
But what little he has kept to himself, he will share with Aventurine. That's what makes their bond all the more precious, all the more fragile. To Aventurine, he is willing to give the heart of Veritas Ratio, the individual, not the genius everyone knows him as.
If things haven't moved by the time their trip to his home world has arrived upon them... perhaps he will make his move then. Until then, he will hold onto his heart and safekeep it for Aventurine. ]
Indeed. But it will be difficult to find a way home, especially if LILITH is not speaking the truth about their summoning technology.
[ He's more than certain that they are not within the IPC's sphere of influence, which is most of Akivili's star rail network. That meant it would be difficult to return to that space, what with Qlipoth's various walls obstructing them, along with other unknown perils.
The easiest method would be to get their hands on LILITH's technology and use it to send them back. That is really the only viable method that would get them back in any reasonable time. ]