I’ve got this funny feeling that I just can’t shake

[art_of_war]

WHO: Thrawn and you?
WHERE: Temba and then Sh'ka
WHAT: Exploring Temba first, then checking out as much of Sh'ka as he can in one day
WHEN: Late October
WARNINGS: None anticipated


Temba

Diner; Granted he had not been here long, but he was making headway in cleaning out the structure close by it, but not attached to the Diner that once he and Eli had shared. At the moment he had offered to help out however he could so it would most likely be a very tall (as in 7'6") blue-skinned man with red-on-red eyes and wearing noticeably dusty pants that you would find in the kitchen rather than Tommy. He is cold and stoic in demeanor, hands clasped behind his back.

"Greetings."

Greenhouse Thrawn was exploring here as well. He was taking his time examining each plant on each floor and was delighted to find the subterranean "night" floors were still being maintained. Since his vision allowed him to also see in the infrared spectrum as well as the light spectrum, his eyes had the unsettling effect of glowing in the dark. It meant that as Agra-10's sun set, Thrawn stayed in the greenhouse. It wasn't helping matters that he moved silently as well, so anyone he came across would see those glowing eyes and hear nothing until Thrawn was right next to them.

"Excuse me, but would you happen to know where the plant called "Crunchy Persimmon" is?"

Sh'ka

Museum Anyone that knew Thrawn even a little bit would not be surprised to find him here. He first examined the murals from afar but the part that he truly found fascinating was examining them up close. Very carefully, almost reverently, he had touched one of the ridges that made up the mural with a single finger. The paint was fading on it but the sculpted stone still shone through.

After some time he did move on to find that beyond the beautifully decorated walls much of the rest of the buildings were collapsed in on themselves. But despite that, Thrawn could see where different areas, though collapsed, had originally been "niches" so he got down on his hands and knees to very carefully but very persistently clear away some more rubble.

The University/Library He had picked his way carefully past the broken stone and then paused to look through the shelves. Obviously, this had once been some form of library but it looked to be derelict now. Thrawn picked his way through it carefully noting the sundial in the garden. Past it, there were lecture halls and what was most important to him; boards meant for writing on and displaying to classes.

"So this place did have written language, and they were teaching with it."

Comments

[quark_assassin]

Dustin squints, mentally assessing the actual distance of Thrawn's fingertips from the mural's surface, frowns and continues circling around when he's satisfied that he's telling the truth. Eventually Dustin stops at the further end of the mural wall so he can get his own look at the tool marks - or rather, the lack thereof.

"I'm not sure any were," he says curtly. Analysis of the stonework vies for, and eventually wins out over his paranoid attention to Thrawn's movements nearby. "Too smooth--could be weathering, but the paint isn't worn in the right places for that to make sense, and the corners don't match a standard weathering pattern. Maybe a stone mold." Dustin tilts his head slightly. "Or stone molding."

[art_of_war]

"Even a mold would leave evidence, small imperfections at the edges of the resulting artwork."

Thrawn only has eyes for the mural and hasn't once looked away from his careful analysis of it. He does drop the hand that was hovering so close though.

"Extraordinary. I've never seen artwork made without any tools at all."

He sounds almost in reverent awe of the dusty, old mural. There was very little use of line or color to be found here, and the subjects of the mural seemed to be nothing more than peaceful scenes of natural beauty. But were they aspirational or just what was already on display?

"Are there other murals to be found in this city?"

This last question was directed toward Dustin, though Thrawn has yet to look away from the mural he's studying.

[quark_assassin]

Dustin divides his attention between the mural and Thrawn, casting cautious glances over to him periodically while he mentally compares notes. Thrawn's assessment matches his own, but his motivations do not; the moment any sort of affection for the mural colors the man's voice, Dustin is looking over at him with an expression of blatant skepticism. This stuff is interesting, but it's not...that interesting, in Dustin's opinion. Does he think it looks nice or something? It's quite old, and simple, and could definitely be worked into something more impressive.

"Yes," Dustin says, shrugging and shaking his head as he walks back from the stone face. He's seen enough to draw his conclusions and memorize the picture of the thing for later. "At the Memorial, in Temba. Northwestern corner."

[art_of_war]

Probably because Thrawn saw much more than just the finished artwork. He would see the minds that made the artwork; what they felt, what they valued in their own culture and how they interacted with others. People were often shocked at how his brilliant battle tactics were assembled from such small scraps of information in artwork

"No, I meant in this city. Since two different civilizations created this mural versus the one in Temba, they wouldn't be comparable."

Thrawn sounded vaguely amused in his response to Dustin.

[quark_assassin]

Dustin pauses to shoot Thrawn a wilting glare over his shoulder. The last storm's effects on his abilities have left him feeling distinctly self-conscious about his memory and comprehension in general, so anything that sounds even remotely like teasing makes him bristle in defense.

"That would be short-sighted," he answers, voice tight with irritation and ears growing hot under his hair. "Cultural bleed from two societies connected by a short train ride would be inevitable. Besides, neither one built the mural in Temba."

[art_of_war]

However Dustin takes it, Thrawn only meant it in vague amusement at the context of the statement. Now Thrawn finally turned enough to look at Dustin, as blank-faced as ever. He had no intention of trying to tease Dustin and now only his tone of voice betrayed his level of curiosity.

"Oh? How do you know it was not created by either this civilization or the Agrii?"

[quark_assassin]

Dustin's hackles lower, ever so slightly, as the topic of their conversation moves on to something less speculative.

"I asked," he says simply. "The Funfronds are featured prominently in the Temba mural, so I talked to one about it. They confirmed that it was painted by their ancestors."

[art_of_war]

Thrawn didn't comment on others when they showed emotion. But since his vision also included the infrared spectrum he could plainly see the extra blood heating Dustin's face, it was still there even when he did finally turn around. He rarely commented on it but he always remembered it. Right now he still stayed entirely neutral and clasped his hands behind his back.

"I am afraid I do not know what 'funfronds' refers to. Could you please explain it?"

[quark_assassin]

Dustin almost rolls his eyes at Thrawn's formal and polite decorum, but settles for being a snarky little shit instead.

"Check the 'Dictionary,'" he says, flatly refusing to pronounce it the way it's spelled on the network. "Entry under Fauna. They're sentient mushrooms."

[art_of_war]

Regardless of who he's talking with, Thrawn is unfailingly polite. Even if the other person is being a snarky little shit.

"I have not yet had a reason to look at the 'Dictionary.'"

Thrawn knows what Dustin is referring to and does not try to pronounce it the way it's written.

"However I will now. Could you please explain how they made the mural?"

[quark_assassin]

"Your guess is as good as mine," Dustin shrugs, settling onto a pile of stone rubble for a seat. It feels like they might be here for a while. "They didn't go into detail and most of them don't have hands. I suspect they utilize their spores as a pigment, possibly colorful foodstuffs as well. I'll know more once I get a better sense of their culture."

[art_of_war]

"I have encountered many forms of sapient life, and most have appendages they can hold tools with. I must say that a species of sapient mushrooms without appendages but who nevertheless make art is new."

Thrawn remained standing, still with hands clasped behind his back.

"Is it splatters of pigment or is it more controlled?"

Thrawn seems to be more interested in the mural than in the funfronds themselves.

[quark_assassin]

"Controlled, but inelegant," Dustin explains. "Like a finger painting? Maybe it would be easier to describe if I just--"

The boy reaches into a side pocket of his satchel and comes back with a stick of charcoal, stabilized with wood and twine to turn it into a more comfortable writing utensil, which he then turns on a particularly large bit of rock rubble. It takes several minutes of printer-like drawing for Dustin to precisely recreate, in monochrome, what is visible on the Temba mural: A pictographic history of the Agrii from a Funfrond's perspective, starting with a peaceful, nature-based coexistence, followed by the appearance of advanced civilization and storms at the outer edges, with tiny Funfronds and other plant-like creatures interspersed between. Dustin includes the odd dots and lines found throughout the mural as charcoal exclusions, and completely blacks out the top rim that is still missing.

[art_of_war]

Thrawn does come around the side to see Dustin's work. He has not seen the mural in question, but since Dustin had an almost machine-like way of drawing it stood to reason the recreation was very good. Thrawn made a mental note to go see the mural itself.

"I see the sapient mushrooms you were speaking of but what are these."

Thrawn pointed out the other creatures next to the funfronds.

[quark_assassin]

"Barrys," he answers, slipping the makeshift charcoal pencil back in his satchel and dusting off his blackened hands. "That's what I believe to be the case, anyway. The Funfrond I spoke with mentioned that the Barrys have potentially been around longer than they have. Part of the reason why I'm here."

[art_of_war]

"I see."

Thrawn turned his head to regard the mural beside them.

"Is it possible these 'Barrys' you speak of created this mural?"

Sh'ka was markedly different to Temba after all, and if these 'Barrys' predated the funfrond mushrooms then it stood to reason their art would also predate the mural in Temba too.

[quark_assassin]

"Possible? Sure," Dustin says, rising back to his feet with an exaggerated stretch of his back and legs. Recreating that mural had taken a lot of focus and, aside from his arms, he had barely moved at all in the process. "Probable? Don't think so. I haven't seen what the Barrys are capable of in terms of stonework, but this mural seems more in-line with the stone-shaping throughout Sh'Ka. A product of the Graq, more likely."

[art_of_war]

That is another species that Thrawn hasn't heard of. Thrawn curiously tilts his head back in Dustin's direction.

"Has there been further evidence of these 'Graq'? Especially here in Sh'ka?"

Sorry Dustin, you're getting even more questions since you've proved an invaluable resource for information.

[quark_assassin]

Dustin's face settles into a deadpan stare.

"...Yeah." He makes a wide, sweeping gesture at the crumbling architecture around them. "Look around - this whole city was made for the Graq, presumably by the Graq. I'm sure you've noticed the difference in building scaling and materials."

[art_of_war]

Thrawn is unaffected by Dustin's antics and looks around with interest.

"I have, but I did not realize the second architect species was already identified. Are their any samples of their written language here? A tablet or stone would suffice."

[quark_assassin]

Dustin considers for a moment, eyes flickering in that odd way that they often do when he's remembering something. He hasn't explored nearly as much of Sh'Ka as he has Temba, for various reasons, but he's definitely looked through network records about its locations and studied descriptions on the two cities' respective maps to competently answer this question.

"The University," Dustin replies a second later. "There's a library attached to it, but it doesn't have any books in usable condition. Check the sundial in the courtyard."

[art_of_war]

"I see."

Thrawn tilted his head curiously.

"As you know more about this subject than I do, would you please show me what it is you are referring to?"

[quark_assassin]

Dustin eyes Thrawn critically for a couple of seconds.

"...No," he says curtly, waving a dismissive hand as he turns back to the mural. "I'm busy and you have a map. Find it yourself."