Chapter Text
VR-LA carefully wove between the labyrinthine shelves of the Great Library of Sigil, periodically peering around his stack of books and papers to make sure he wasn’t about to crash into anything. By now he was well practised at the balancing act, but you could never know when you’d round a corner and walk straight into another scholar or, gods forbid, a Dabu. It wasn’t hard to get lost in here, but VR-LA had spent what was likely an unhealthy amount of time navigating the shelves. He’d found himself a quiet reading desk far from the hubbub of regular visitors. The solitude was nice, as he much preferred keeping to his books, far from anyone who may ask him questions or, he grimaced at the thought, try to engage in small talk.
Balancing his teetering stack in one arm, VR-LA reached out to slide another scroll off a shelf above his head, too focused on not dropping his things to notice the sound of approaching footsteps. Metal on smooth marble.
Just as he was adding it to his pile, he was shoved off balance, stumbling backwards and books slipping from his grasp. VR-LA didn’t bother trying to mute his string of Infernal curses as a thick tome on the parallelisms between planes of opposite alignment caught him across the side of the head. He teetered backwards before hitting the ground with a loud clank.
“Oh! Oh I’m so sorry, I haven’t seen someone in ages. I had no idea anyone was even back here,” said a mystery voice.
VR-LA couldn’t see the other person due to the pile of documents he was buried under, but he heard them kneel down beside him and what felt like a metal gauntlet helping him up. The stranger continued to spout apologies, while VR-LA batted away their hand and pushed himself into sitting. To his surprise, before him was another mechanite. He had silver plating, a more muted steel compared to VR-LA’s bright chrome, embossed with jagged gold swirls. Over one shoulder was a deep green half cape, clasped across the chest with a star shaped brooch. His hands were held in the air, unsure of whether to keep trying to help or just let VR-LA figure himself out.
VR-LA began gathering the papers scattered across the floor, diagrams of the great wheel and planar layers alongside spell circles and pages packed full of esoteric text. The stranger seemed to come to a decision and followed suit. Clearing his vocal unit with a staticky cough, VR-LA spoke, “It's fine. There usually isn’t anyone else back here save me and the odd visitor who got lost.”
“Well, uh, I’d fall into the second category there. I’ve been stuck in here for the better part of the day,” the stranger paused to look over the titles of the books and scrolls he was gathering, “I was actually looking into topics not dissimilar to this.”
VR-LA glanced up, reconsidering the mechanite. Perhaps he was also a scholar? He didn’t have the utilitarian build of most other mechanites, but was still a little larger and far less lanky than VR-LA. But that wasn’t exactly a high bar to clear. He carried no visible spellbook, nor weapons, but the wizard had spent enough time practising magic to sense the faint buzz surrounding the stranger. It felt off however, subtler, less tangible and more like it was brushing at the edges of his mind rather than something to be melded with runes and words.
Interesting…
The silence stretched for a moment longer, the other mechanite shifting slightly under VR-LA’s wordless judgement. They collected the last of his documents, the stranger still holding one half of the stack and offering a tentative hand to help the wizard to his feet.
“If it's not any trouble to you, could you perhaps show me the way out of here?” He asked as he pulled both of them up, pausing before sheepishly continuing, “And if you don’t mind me interrupting further, could I get your assistance with some research I’m doing regarding the Astral Sea? I’m part of a spelljammer crew, I’m looking into any accounts that may relate to creatures and phenomena of unknown planar origin. Going off your books, you seem like someone who might know a thing or two.”
VR-LA tilted his head at the word spelljammer, and then further at the stranger’s request. Even more interesting. Working with people was stressful, but a planar traveller? That could be an excellent source of information. He considered for a moment before asking, “How long are you in port?”
“About a week.”
“Okay. If you can make it, I’m free tomorrow before Peak. I’ll be here.” He knew his words were clipped, maybe a little brusque. But the last time he properly spoke with someone was about two weeks ago, and it was only to purchase new spell scribing inks, so he felt he could hardly be blamed.
The stranger blinked in surprise, eyes turning to semicircles, as though he was smiling.
“Yes! Yes I can,” giving a bow and overly dramatic swish of his cape, he continued, voice warmer and steadier, “I’m MR-SN, by the way, Captain of the Per Aspera.”
VR-LA failed to keep the slight bit of amusement out of his tone, “I am VR-LA, wizard of the Order of Scribes. Nice to meet you.”
☆☆☆
MR-SN hovered awkwardly in the library foyer. Faint whispers of chatter and the intangible brush of other’s thoughts against his mind filled the relative silence. After VR-LA had given him directions on how to escape the library, he’d returned to his ship. Immediately he had consulted DX-TR on how to go about convincing a rather reserved and slightly standoffish wizard to consider trading his perfectly safe life for one of unpredictable danger. In truth, their meeting hadn’t been entirely accidental. MR-SN had been looking for someone with VR-LA’s skill set, a scholar of the planes who may be curious and/or insane enough to consider his offer, and was given his name by one of the research centres in Sigil. He’d gotten slightly lost in the shelves while trying to track him down. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately given the manner, he’d managed to find the wizard… and make quite possibly one of the worst first impressions he had in a long while.
MR-SN winched slightly. VR-LA had seemed cold certainly, he could hardly blame him, but also intrigued. He’d agreed to meet with MR-SN, which had to count for something. If anything, he got the sense the wizard’s blunt nature was more an aversion to people in general than any dislike to him in particular. Both a point in and out of his favour. DX-TR had told him to play on the scholar’s apparent sense of curiosity, lure him in with promises of ancient knowledge and secrets to be uncovered. The negotiator's phrasing of the idea had been a bit unsettling, a touch manipulative perhaps, even if objectively reasonable. But he made a point to take his crew’s advice, even when DX-TR was a tad too devious or E-DN a little too harsh. They were experts in their fields, and even if they needed MR-SN to help mellow them out, they knew the best call to make.
So MR-SN waited for the telltale sight of shining chrome, and began mentally running through the advice DX-TR gave him.
☆☆☆
VR-LA had found MR-SN waiting for him in the foyer, his jagged gold filigree catching the morning light that streamed in through stained glass windows. Upon spotting the scholar, MR-SN’s eyes flashed bright, and he gave a bow as he approached.
“VR-LA! Pleasure to see you again, I was worried I may have to try find my way through that labyrinth on my own,” he said with an upbeat tone.
He returned the bow, a bit more stiff and with far less flourishing. With a hum in acknowledgement, VR-LA turned, gesturing for MR-SN to follow.
“You arrived earlier than I thought you would. My apologies, I should have set a clearer time.”
“Oh, no please, it's fine. That wasn’t a complaint, uh,” MR-SN appeared a little stumped, floundering briefly before straightening his posture and giving VR-LA a bright look that passed for a smile on his metal face. “I was just jesting, after all, whatever would I do without your assistance. I only dabble in academia, but I will admit, I’ve heard your name crop up a few times in those circles. I get the sense that, beyond preventing me from becoming utterly lost, without your help I likely won’t stand a chance at finding what I’m looking for.”
VR-LA found himself frowning slightly at how the flattery made his gears stutter and faceplate heat. Instead, he chose to focus on the fact that MR-SN had apparently heard of him. Which wasn’t strange per se, VR-LA knew he had a reputation in some of the scholarly circles of Sigil. But it was weird that what this traveller had heard was apparently so positive. As far as he was concerned, most of the more respectable academics here viewed him as dangerously inquisitive, cripplingly antisocial, and a rather disappointing conversational partner. Not out of a lack of skill or knowledge, they at least had the decency to recognise his aptitude when it came to research, but rather because he simply didn’t speak much. VR-LA would like to, but it never ended well. Either he wouldn’t shut up for several hours and bore the life out of whoever he was talking to, or an important social cue would fly right over his head and someone would get offended. And now he’d somehow landed himself in a one on one social interaction…
But despite the way it made his powercore pulse with a staccato rhythm, VR-LA knew that his insatiable curiosity would always win. And it wasn’t everyday a friendly stranger appeared from nowhere, asking for a research partner.
At the very least, MR-SN seemed to have enough charm for the both of them. The entire walk to VR-LA’s usual spot was filled with his chatter, random stories of his planar travels and trivia about all kinds of wonders. The lack of grating gears surprised VR-LA, usually he’d find this stressful within mere moments. But MR-SN carried the conversation easily, and he found himself relaxing at the notion he likely wouldn’t end up ruining this meeting within the first few minutes.
Soon enough they arrived at VR-LA’s remote corner of the library, and he watched with some curiosity as MR-SN removed a small stack of notebooks from a satchel, setting them down on the desk. He took a seat, head tilted as he watched MR-SN shuffle through some papers, muttering quietly to himself. Eventually, he must have found what he was looking for, and launch into an explanation of his research.
The hours passed swiftly, and VR-LA soon found himself enraptured by MR-SN’s tales of adventure and his apparent curiosity regarding multiverse theories. He was certainly an interesting acquaintance. Friendly, charming, and an endless fount of stories. What really piqued his curiosity was what MR-SN wanted help with. Not just basic information regarding strange planar phenomena as he’d initially mentioned, but rather trying to prove the existence of other planescapes. He even hinted at the concept of trying to achieve multiversal travel. While some would have pushed the subject aside as interesting but far too esoteric and unprovable, VR-LA found himself enraptured with the idea. He’d done a bit of reading on such theories in the past, but it had never been a major focus. But now, he found his circuits buzzing at the notion of looking into the subject further.
Over the next few days, they continued in this manner. Each morning MR-SN would either meet him in the foyer or, through trial and error, navigate his way to VR-LA’s usual haunt. He’d pepper him with questions, anything from his own personal studies to his thoughts on some of the most esoteric of arcane theories. More than once, VR-LA found himself delighted as he was presented with fragments of interconnected lore, threads of a grander story beginning to form in his mind with each piece of research or evidence MR-SN showed him. Occasionally, the other mechanite’s eyes would light up when he was suggested a particularly promising solution to the puzzle he presented. Whenever it happened, an unfamiliar warm feeling would spark through VR-LA’s circuits. It was… nice, to feel validated.
MR-SN seemed happy to sit and listen to him as he found himself spiralling into tangents of all manner of philosophy and the arcane. Watching him intently and only interjecting to ask more questions. On the last day before MR-SN would be leaving Sigil, he approached VR-LA without his usual bright eyed look and pleasant greeting, but rather a short nod and nervous edge to his voice as he said hello.
VR-LA had already been trying to push away the oncoming feelings of disappointment at MR-SN’s leaving, and the unusually awkward tension only made his cogs wrench harsher. Still, MR-SN simply acted as normal. He asked for information on the city of Zelatar, the capital of the Abyssal realm Azzagrat. Apparently it was the next stop on his journey. The sound of rattling metal interrupted their conversation as VR-LA shuddered at the thought. For those seeking arcane secrets and exotic wares, which he assumed was MR-SN’s intent, it wasn’t a bad place to go looking, and was probably the safest place for mortals in the Abyss. However, that wasn’t exactly a high bar.
MR-SN’s eyes dimmed with concern, and he reached a hand across the desk to squeeze VR-LA’s shoulder in what he guessed was meant to be a comforting manner.
“No need to worry, my friend. My crew and I are well equipped, and we’ve seen our fair share of danger. With a little heads up of what to expect, I doubt we’ll face too much trouble. Just a quick trip in and out,” he said with a surety that, if it weren’t for the air of humility about him, VR-LA might have called hubris. However, he was far too busy trying to process the words ‘my friend’ to dwell on it.
“Apologies, I don’t mean to doubt you. It's simply, well, it's the Abyss. I’m sure you can understand why I may have some trepidation.”
MR-SN gave a nod, eye contact slipping away as he began to awkwardly gesture. His voice was perhaps a little scratchier than normal as he spoke, “That’s, very fair. Which is going to make my next request a bit, uh, sound a bit insane. I mean, not like it wasn’t before, but that probably doesn’t help my case.”
VR-LA cocked his head, squinting slightly as his… friend, paused, seeming to search for the right words.
“I was going to ask you— and yes it's a bit last minute I know, I kept waiting for the right time to ask, which definitely isn’t now but I’m sort of running out of it so uh— gods I’m rambling. Sorry, I’m usually better at this,” MR-SN sheepishly grabbed the back of his neck, finally looking at VR-LA again, “What I wanted to ask was, do you want to come with me?”
“I— what?” His eyes widened as he spluttered out a response, voice higher than usual.
MR-SN hurried to continue, “Not to Zelatar. Well, you would still be coming with us there, but I don’t mean just that trip. What I meant to say was, do you want to join my crew?”
VR-LA stared blankly at him, the silence stretching as his gears stuttered.
"We might know how to deal with the dangers of the planscape and navigate our way through it, but I confess, none of us are particularly great when it comes to research. We need someone who can make sense of what we find, to keep track of it all. We need someone like you.”
“MR-SN, I— I’m a scholar, yes, but I’m no adventurer. I can’t, well, I know some defensive and damaging magic but certainly not enough to do anything more than the bare minimum of survival.”
“That’s not what I’m asking for, we have E-DN and C-RA who can take care of anything that may threaten us, DX-TR to talk us out of trouble, K-LB to keep everything running, and AS-TR to look after us if anything does ever go wrong. But no one who can do what you can. Even just in the past few days we’ve been talking, I’ve seen how curious you get, how you’ve already started connecting pieces that I’ve been staring at for months and not found anything. If we’re ever going to solve this mystery, I’ll need someone a whole lot smarter than me to figure it out,” he leaned forward again, taking VR-LA’s hands, “And look, yes it would involve going to some less than great places, but there are infinite wonders to be found in the stars. If you let me, I’d like to show them to you.”
“I— uh,” his vocal unit stalled as the arcane energy powering his body erratically jolted through his circuitry. It felt like someone had thrown a stray bolt into his mechanics. All his gears whirring and cranking as though they weren’t sure whether to spin out of control or stop completely.
MR-SN squeezed his hands before letting go, “I’m hardly going to make you decide right now, we’re not due to leave until Peak tomorrow, so I can come by in the morning and ask you. Or you could wait until we get back from Azzagrat, which is probably a lot more reasonable now I think of it. That's hardly the first impression I’d want you to have of our adventures. But even then, you could always leave if you decide it isn’t for you. I’d have an actual contract of employment for you as well, just so everythings nice and clear, nothing too serious.”
VR-LA stared at him for a long moment, temperamental systems calming a little, the idea of everything being laid out before him in clear cut legalese being somewhat comforting. Voice still a little shaky, he said, “Okay. Okay, I’ll think about it. Can I ask more about your crew then? Just so I know what I’d be getting myself into.”
Eyes flashing once more, MR-SN nodded eagerly, before launching into a recount of the Per Aspera’s crew. At times VR-LA found it hard to tell whether he was exaggerating something or if it was just an effect of his dramatic style of speech. But he was told about kindhearted AS-TR, the gentle giant C-RA, fierce but loyal E-DN, ingenuitive K-LB, and sly DX-TR. The pair spoke for a while longer, until the sky outside began to turn a purplish pink, and MR-SN determined it was time for him to return to his crew. VR-LA farewelled him, preparing to begin what seemed to be turning into a night of spelljammer related research.
MR-SN’s gaze grew heavier as the scholar made no move to leave, “Staying late are we?”
“Hm? Oh, yes. I do it quite often. As long as you're not causing trouble, the Dabus leave the library open all hours, I prefer it here anyway.”
“Ah, do you… Sorry if this seems rude to ask, but do you actually spend any time outside of here? I’ve never seen you enter, or leave, so…”
VR-LA shifted awkwardly in his seat, “Well of course I leave, I don't live here. Technically. I just get here very early and leave very late, and I confess, often I’ll fall into stasis while researching. It doesn’t cause any problems, so if the Dabus have even noticed, it doesn’t seem to be an issue.”
He wasn’t sure what the look on MR-SN’s face was meant to mean. Maybe concern? Or confusion? VR-LA just hoped whatever it was, he wasn’t reevaluating calling him a friend. That… that hadn’t happened in quite a long while, and even though they'd only met some seven days ago, he could already feel himself getting attached. Maybe he saw something nervous flicker over VR-LA’s expression, because his look softened.
“Okay then. Well, don’t stay up too late or overwork yourself. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good evening, MR-SN. I’ll consider your request.”
☆☆☆
VR-LA was awoken from his stasis by the early morning light streaming through the window onto his desk.
Despite MR-SN’s advice, he’d spent most of the night stuffing his mind full of everything and anything he could glean about spelljammers. Even once he’d finish, he’d found himself unable to rest as he considered the offer. The library had become nearly pitch black at that point, only the street lanterns below cast any light into the room. It painted the shelves and scattered tomes with stripes of dim warm light and impenetrable shadow. He had dispelled his light spell in an attempt to rest. But still, he sat awake, staring at the dark and empty rows of shelves that had more or less become his life.
If he did take MR-SN’s offer, it wouldn’t be like he was losing much. Maybe his safety. Maybe the stability and comforting routine he’d fallen into. But what was the point of all that security if he didn’t even like the situation he was secure in. It hurt to know that the life he would leave behind was one he cared so little about, and it made his gears wrench at the thought he’d likely mess up the new one he tried to make anyway. MR-SN may like him well enough, but it would only be so long before VR-LA’s slipped up and that changed. And who's to say the rest of the crew would like him, or even be particularly welcoming?
His thoughts spiralled even after he’d slipped into stasis, his resting mind so overactive it ended up feeling as though he hadn’t rested at all. MR-SN would be displeased by that. VR-LA tried not to linger on why MR-SN’s opinion had suddenly become so important to him. He let out a humourless chuckle at his situation. The first person to show a passing interest in him and he was already getting far too attached.
The light grew brighter outside, and VR-LA sat near motionless as he steeled himself for the coming conversation. He had to make a decision. The rational part of him wanted to stay in his little corner of the library, where the dangers of the world and the difficulties of people were confined to words on a page. But no matter how hard he tried to push it aside, the curious part of him always won.
That morning, when MR-SN arrived at VR-LA’s hiding place, the folded parchment of a contract in hand, he found the scholar waiting. The desk, mahogany wood previously obscured by piles and piles of research material, was now spotless. A worn satchel was slung across VR-LA’s shoulders. Inside were the only items he deemed of any significant worth to himself; his spellbook, journals, scribing inks, a deep sea blue travelling clock, and a few odd trinkets. Gripping the strap tightly to hide his shaking hands, VR-LA gave his answer.