Journal 📚 Cats & Volunteers 🐈

[angelbirth]

Sender: Satan
To: Everyone
Subject: Cats & Volunteers

[ In a handwriting that balances on a fine line between neat and messy, the following is written: ]

Hello.

I have two distinctly separate requests, and I urge you to remember that these are separate when you read this.

Firstly, I am looking for a cat. One with a particularly charming button nose, splendid toe beans, and a mewl that could pawsitively melt any heart. While I understand that describes virtually all felines, I thought I'd see if anyone had seen such a cat around.

Secondly—and separately—I am looking for volunteers to participate in a research study. An exceptional candidate would be sturdy and healthy, even better if the candidate has experience overcoming various poisons and toxins. There are risks, such as loss of life, but ideally my research and my own magic-slash-dreamotion energy would prevent death. So ultimately, the risk is minimal. Most likely. Please let me know if you'd be willing to volunteer.

Comments

[angelbirth]

It's not really for my benefit since it's unlikely any poisons or toxins I come across here would hurt me. However, humans and other human-like beings are generally fragile and so my work would benefit them.

But yes, ultimately I understand that I'm asking for a lot. The problem is that the person I've been testing it on is too strong so I can't tell if my antidotes are actually working, and trying it out on myself would probably yield the same results.

If I could get valid results using myself or my brother, I would keep doing that.

[likescaves]

So you want someone to risk their lives for your little experiment, then. I've had safer excursions in heavily guarded Amalj'aa territory.

[ That had been a hell of a job. Even though she was only technically alone-

...wait a minute. ]

Are you specifically looking for human subjects, or would you be willing to consider an alternative?

[angelbirth]

[ Satan does his best to not take offense at her calling his experiment "little" considering the work and time he's put into it. He knows that if he takes offense, it won't actually help matters. ]

No, they don't need to specifically be a human, although it would be best. I just don't want to run into another situation where the individual is practically immune to the poison and so I may as well administer tap water instead of an antidote and get the same result.

[likescaves]

Well, that makes this a lot easier.

Would you consider testing on a summoned aetherial construct? It's a lot less risky than testing on something more finite.

[ And far less ethically questionable. ]

[angelbirth]

Ah, I see. A construct that would be summoned through something along the lines of magical properties, then? I'd be more than happy to consider it, but if it isn't organic then I'm not sure if it would really help determine the effectiveness of my antidotes.

Can you tell me more about it?

[likescaves]

Carbuncle isn't organic, but I doubt you'll have many problems. He's been affected by things like poisons and even stomachaches before. If a poison can affect him, then an antidote should as well. If not, then you've hardly lost anything by trying.

[ Plus, he'll probably make an extra effort to steal Merisia's snacks in retaliation. That's a small price to pay for alchemical advances, though, right? ]

Without getting into the particulars, he's a familiar I summon regularly via complex aetherial geometry. Though his primary purposes usually involve self-defense and tracking scents, I'm sure he'd make a viable test subject as well.

[angelbirth]

Carbuncle. I see.

[ His understanding of the word is vastly than different than her description and, truth be told, he likes hers a lot better. ]

So to summarize, your Carbuncle is a familiar you summon through the use of aether. Does this mean he's linked to you in a way that would cause you to feel the effects of the poison as well?

[likescaves]

I've yet to encounter an instance where any harm that comes to my familiar ends up passed on to me, so I doubt that's even possible. [ Which is probably a good thing, given all the punishment he's had to take over the years. ] I possess a large amount of control over him if I need to use it, and he'll dissipate if he ventures too far away from me, but that's where our connection stops.

Unless this poison of yours somehow affects anything in the vicinity with a similar aetheric signature, anything that happens to my familiar will happen to him alone.

[angelbirth]

Then as far as I can tell, only your Carbuncle would be affected. The poisons I've created to test my antidotes have all been created with the local flora with some versions having their effects amplified with my magic. None of my research has indicated the effects of the poison spreading beyond the body of the subject.

So, if you were to offer your familiar up for testing, I would be happy to use it to test my antidotes.

[ He writes that, but only because he has no idea what Carbuncle looks like. The fact that it's so catlike will probably make it impossible to administer a poison to it. It's way too cute for him. He can't. ]

[likescaves]

Very well, then.

Name your time and place. I'll be sure to have my familiar prepared for testing when I arrive.

[ Merisia almost feels bad for doing this to her familiar, but after years of fighting alongside him and seeing him take countless beatings, she has faith that the little furball will be fine upon a re-summoning. She often forgets that others might be a little less complacent about his well-being, though... ]

[angelbirth]

Thank you very much.

I think sometime next week would work best. We'll go at your pace -- well the pace of your Carbuncle -- starting small and working our way up. I think that way would be safest.

I'll most likely need to do multiple tests over multiple days, so if everything goes well after the first test, we can try spacing out the tests to every couple of days, but we can adjust that as needed.

Basically, as you're having your Carbuncle serve as a volunteer, I'd like to go about this in a way that is easiest for you.