Lectures

"And so I conclude that sonic technology need not only contribute to human well-being by means of music, but can also be harnessed for other purposes; recreative and destructive alike. Of course, it should always be directed towards the betterment of mankind, as it should be for all sciences. Thank you all for your attention. I wish you a very pleasant evening." So concluded Thomas Talcott's lecture on the various applications of sound in modern science, and the future applications it could have, given enough donations for proper research into the matter.

Though handsome and in excellent shape, the young Doctor Talcott, one of the leading scientific pioneers in the area of sound-technology, was a bit of an enigma. He seemed to have mind only for his research and his science in general, being somewhat of a recluse beyond the few public appearances he made.
His appearance at Empire University had been much anticipated by many of the professors there. Most students however did not share their enthusiasm. The only application they could find for sound was to plug their ears with it. An appreciation for music is a good thing to have, but to use it to drown out an entire world of wonderful symphonies and to miss out on that grand spectacle of life; now that was simply tragic.

Of course, it was of no interest to Mr. Talcott what all of these mindless little drones did with their lives, these background actors. Talcott was only here because his employer had urged him to have a public life. To blend in with society a bit more. She had even suggested it could be fun. I admit, she was right though. As she was about many things. An interesting character, really. Truly I am fortunate to have been cast in a role that is so closely entwined with hers. Ah, but I digress. Indeed, playing Talcott had proven enjoyable at times. Though restraining my full knowledge on the true nature of the world of sound, together with my...abilities could be tiresome, it was a breath of fresh air to perform in front of an audience again. Of course this audience paled in comparison to what would await during the grand event my Mistress had been planning. Oh, I can barely hide my excitement!

Oh yes, where was I? Speech finished, right-o.

Talcott descended the wooden stage that had been erected on the campus grounds for this occasion. He had insisted his lecture would be held in the outdoors. The weather was simply too lovely to stay shut inside that boring old fortress of knowledge. True inspiration can only be found outside the walls, out in the open where anything can happen. And it was just nice weather, yes, that was as good a reason as any.

After having handled several admirers from the scientific community, those who had read the essays he had submitted in one of the most highly esteemed scientific magazines, Talcott made his way to the university's gardens. It surprised him that the school had put such effort in maintaining the plantlife, even though it had very little to add to its revenue. A pleasant surprise of course, as I had grown weary of those bores. A nice stroll in the fresh air would do me well, I thought.

(Join?)

(Can I join?)

(Sure, both of ya can join)

New York, why am I still here? Was the question that ran through Andree's mind as she woke up in the hotel room that morning. Because there is still a week until the flight home leaves. Dragging herself out of the covers she continued to think to herself Well, what am I going to do then? I wasted the last two days sleeping already and I don't feel like going for a third. There's a University nearby, isn't there? I'll go learn something new today. As she pulled herself out of bed, she stretched her arms in the air. Lying on the floor of the hotel room, near the door, were the clothes that she was going to wear today. A dark blue T Shirt with a picture of the different types of chess pieces on it and a pair of jeans. After slipping into them and grabbing her laptop, she proceeded to leave the hotel building. As she walked down the stairwell, she tucked her hair into a ponytail. Her black and white checkered sneakers thudded against the sidewalk as she took off at a run down the street. Seeing the campus, she slowed down at the front gates. There were a couple of guys standing by the gate that obviously worked there. She wasn't sure if they were supposed to stop people from walking in but if they were, they were doing a bad job at it. She walked behind the three men's backs and into the courtyard for the campus. As she whistled, she walked into one of the buildings and joined up in the back of a group of people. I'll just follow them to their next class. She thought to herself as the group walked down a couple of hallways to a classroom. She took a seat towards the front. Her original idea had been to take a seat at the back to avoid being seen by the blonde haired teacher but being last doesn't leave you with much of a choice. Hopefully the teacher wouldn't notice though. The class went on and Andree took notes on the subject that she was teaching, novel writing. Next time I am going to have to pick another group to follow to classes. She thought to herself, gladly the class was almost over. After it was finished, she picked up her laptop and left for the gardens. She'd wander around for a bit before going to another class. "Hi." She said to the blonde haired woman there that had been the teacher from the last class who was sitting on the edge of the fountain.

Adam Greyrose sat in the third row of the array of chairs set up in the outdoor pavilion on his campus having just finished listening to Dr Thomas Talcott speak about the evolution and potentials of sound technologies. To the genius, most of the gathered people it seemed like they faded out or only thought so little of the vibratory wavelengths of sound that they didn't pick up on the true intent or enthusiasm the man showed for the subject.

It was pathetic. The way that people took the world around them for granted and were truly like livestock despite proclaiming evolutionary dominance over the planet. This man had a gift and a dream for physics and it was wasted talking to the pleebs in this crowd even though half of them pretentiously claimed to be physics majors. Adam Wanted to stomp his feet on the ground and watch them run away in terror at his inhuman might simply so he could be alone with this guy to discuss his theories and trade notes and ideas on the subject that filled his mind with infinite possibilities and lofty goals some might have said were impossible.

Fortunately he didn't have to resort to such lay tactics to get his wish as he watched the man shake a few hands before wandering, unnoticed off away from the crowd. Packing up his notebook, he slung his satchel-like bag over his shoulder and waved off the advances of one of the science departments heads attempting to beckon him over to meet what looked like a Nobel prize runner up whose research was something Adam had discovered over 3 years prior and left behind when its outcomes became stunted and pointless to pursue.

Sure it was rude but he had status as one of the most promising minds in the country and the world. It was a perk of being a temperamental genius, something he had taken great pains to cultivate over the last 2 years at the university, precisely for moments like this when he blew off people who would have referred to themselves as his betters. It made him want to scoff simply thinking about it but he choked down the urge as he followed Dr. Talcott into the school's gardens.

"Baffling isn't it? How the beauty of a single flower can captivate the heart of a mortal man who can explain the intricacies of how it functions biologically but seeing the vibrancy of its colors and feeling the delicacy of its petals disarms him? It, in and of itself, is nigh inexplicable but the wish to marvel and protect the beauty of such a thing in a world that would squash it into paste and think literally nothing of the action is practically ingrained in even our elevated minds, eh Dr. Talcott." asked the straw haired teenager as he made his way to stand beside the other man, reaching out to cup the bulb of his own hot pink flower whose petals were only just beginning to wilt.

The gardens, though nothing out of the ordinary, were quite lovely. Upon entering the gardens, Talcott took note of a rather pretty woman sitting on the fountain's edge. If I'm not mistaken, she was a regular lecturer here, as opposed to Talcott, who tried to keep his public appearances to the minimum. After all, being Talcott meant I could not be myself; no, I could not be Taiz Treffalman.

Then another lady strolled into the gardens with a laptop, who casually greeted the first. Talcott had entertained the thought of perhaps engaging in conversation with them to pass the time. This plan was shattered however when a young man snuck up on him and spoke to him.

I had expected inane questions or meritless professions of admiration, but was pleasantly surprised. He seemed normal in appearance, a student like any other, but his rather mundane appearance belied the subtle signs of intelligence and sophistication that only the trained eye and ear could hope to pick up on.

Dr. Thomas Talcott seemed slightly startled for a moment, but quickly regained his composure, and replied to the teenager in a friendly demeanor.
"Oh, ah, yes. Yes indeed. Even the most learned and knowledgeable of men still have an appreciation of aesthetics."

Not many people share my dramaturgic views on aesthetics, and it was likely neither did this boy. Physical beauty has little value in itself; it needs to be given meaning first for it to be of any significance. Still, the boy did have a point; even I find the sight of flowers pleasant.

"You attended my lecture, did you not? Third row if I'm not mistaken."
Of course I wasn't mistaken. The artist must know his audience's composition; it is key to his performance.

Andree's brown eyes wandered over to the notebook that the blonde haired teacher had with her as she listened to her speak. "No, I just decided to take a walk and thought I would say hi." She informed her as the teacher moved her stuff so she could sit down. Taking the seat, she said "Thank you."
Listening to what she had to say next, she chuckled slightly. "You could say that, or you could say that you need to hire new security." Andree replied to the woman with blonde curls question about her being new or lost. Her ears had detected some guy in the gardens speaking. Long words, most likely just to make himself sound smarter, now whether he is or not is another story though I highly doubt he is as intelligent as he seems to believe. Her eyes wandered up to the dove as it shot through the trees. "I just had nothing better to do today so I decided to sit in on something." She answered, truthfully. "I'm Andree." She said, sticking out her hand to shake the teacher's. Using her heightened sense of hearing to make it easier, Andree was listening to the boy and a teacher talking. There was no particular reason to it, just because she could. Gah! Bland, boring. Why can't people be interesting? They could not fathom the amount of fuck I do not give about flowers or where the boy sat in the lecture. Why can't people make themselves interesting for the people listening in on their conversation uninvited? She thought the last part of it with a hint of sarcasm.

"Indeed. But that can't be helped. Aesthetics are instinctually psychological to us. Probably more tied to the concept of sentience than anything. We like pretty colors, sultry sounds, inticing smells and the like. It can't be helped I suppose. Simply part of the dance of life," was Adam's reply as he looked side long at the other scientist beside him.

The view also afforded him a glimpse of the two women who had chosen the garden for what appeared to be a polite conversation themselves. Adam made a simple mental note concerning them and then ignored them. They were of little significance in the scheme of this endeavor. Or quite possibly at all to be honest.

"Oh of course I attended the ah...lecture if you want to call it that. I'd term it as a performance given the understated amount of passion and enthusiasm for the subject you portrayed, though i also doubt anyone else noticed it. I also find it unfortunate to state that I think the potentials of vibratory research also flew right over the heads of the individuals present today. Most of them don't have the imaginations to think of anything outside of the simplistic mediums for which to play music. Though I agree the ability to form sonic weapons with which to deal concussive damage that could possibly prevent the loss of human lives on battlefields is perhaps more important than using it to make sound systems. though what intrigued me the most is perhaps using a specific wavelength to vibrate separate parts of an atom or a molecule in specific. As in the concept of using resonance to isolate the bvibratory frequency of matter. I was actually contemplating making a thesis on the subject and making a project not unlike the human genome project but to catalog the frequencies of the periodic table. My eventual intent is to perhaps make a simulating device someday that could produce a stream of sound that would feel like a substance and perhaps formulate some sort of pseudo physical object formed of energy. Do you have any thoughts on the matter? I figured there wasn;'t anyone better to ask around here and Since i've decided to finish my education here by the end of the week I should monopolize on any opportunity."

The underaged teen spoke in a conversational manner as if he were talking with a peer or colleague. To most it probably seemeed odd as the boy was obviously 16 or so and should've been deferring to the older man perhaps. Most adults found his attitude diconcerting or down right rude in some cases but Adam found it to be the suitable method of treating another person he considered equal to him. In fact he really found almost everyone to be an equal until they messed it up and revealed their inadequacies and various insecurities. He thoroughly hoped Dr talcott proved himself to be worthy of his time because he had been disappointed more times than he was willing to count, even if one of his duplicates was doing the counting for him.


((OOC: Sorry it took so long to respond and even more sorry that it's kind of a shitty post))

When the young man described the lecture as a passionate performance, Talcott's face lit up. He had spoken about the subject of sonic technology with some amount of enthusiasm, as it was his area of expertise. It had disappointed him when it seemed his passion was not as contagious as he had hoped.
I myself was indifferent. The realm of sound is my domain; I have unlocked nearly all of its doors, seen all of its splendor. Perhaps there were more things to discover, I'm sure there are, but these things lie so closely within my reach that I cannot muster the enthusiasm to care for it any more.
No, the grand theater of life held far more interest to me. A vast stage upon which billions of actors played their parts; and I walked among them as a free man, unbound by the strings that led them around. Though sound is my method, my weapon , my muse, and I hold a great degree of affection for it is not that which drives me.

The young man spoke of the science behind my art; he was mostly spot on, and showed remarkable scientific acumen on the subject. Admirable, but not of any concern to me. Talcott however, was to be intrigued. He nodded wildly as the boy went through some of the theories. This, together with the nearly comically stereotypical clothes he wore; a tweed jacket with leather elbow patches, a rather inexpensive shirt with a red bowtie and regular trousers, gave him the appearance one of those quirky but brilliant professors so often used in television shows, albeit a handsome and eloquent one at that.
It was an amusing role to play, but I feared the act would grow stale quickly. The time would soon be at hand that I had to discard Thomas Talcott, and once again become Taiz Treffalman, to fulfill my duties.

But back to the conversation, yes.

"Very impressive, you seem to have a good grasp of the subject. And I'd love to answer your questions directly, but I'm going to have to disappoint you by saying I'm not at liberty to answer those specific questions. I do encourage you to continue to study the subject of course; perhaps one day we shall be working side by side on those very same projects you mentioned!" Talcott said. He had subtly claimed that he was already working on what the boy mentioned, but unable to comment due to a pact of silence with his employers.

Of course, I did no such research. Pah! Why index the frequencies of objects and elements if one can feel and see them. Oh, if only others saw the world as I did!
No, never mind that. That would be dreadfully boring.

I wondered to myself what kind of role this young man would fill in the world. He seemed bright. Perhaps a leading scientist, businessman, entrepreneur? Or would there be more to him. It was all too likely I would never find out.

Oh dear god, these people are so fucking boring talking about such simple stuff. At least try to not sound so fucking boring when you're talking. Mind you, I suppose this conversation is not complicated either so whatever. Andree thought to herself as the blonde haired woman shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Scarletta." After Scarletta let go of Andree's hand, she ran a hand through the dark brown part of her hair. Her ears were tuned into both conversations going on. "No, not really. I wasn't sure what classroom I was walking into to be honest, I just followed a group. It was informative, just not my thing. I don't actually live nearby anyway so it wouldn't even matter if I was interested in the subject or not. I'm on vacation from Chicago right now." She informed Scar as she straightened her T Shirt. Listening in on the two men's conversation, she turned her attention back to Scarletta as she heard her talk again. "I'm fast enough that they don't see me." She informed her, dropping a slight hint about her powers without explicitly saying it. The thought crossed her mind that this woman may have them as well. It's New York, the hub of super powered people. Everyone has powers in New York. She thought to herself sarcastically as she dipped her hand into the fountain. Maybe I should go and show off to those guys just to be annoying. Nah, I'll do that later when I'm done talking to Scarletta.

Adam managed to refrain from frowning with confusion, a foreign expression to his face really, as he heard Dr Talcott's response. Somethign about it was very clearly off but pinning down the reason was proving difficult.

There's no way a project of that sort of scope could remain off the radar. It would have been announced months ago while they gathered the team for it. but the way he said it was as ifhe was already in the process of doing something liek that and bound by contract to keep the project secret but what corporation would benefit from that...he has to be lying, but for what reason? Jealousy would be too unbecoming for someone like him. A deflection tactic simply to avoid speaking with me? Definitely plausible but also unlikely unless he has other things on his mind at the moment and doesn't want to be bothered but if that's the case...then why lie...something is up here but not of concern for me...

The teenager forced his face to respond politely as if interested and mildly flattered, smiling like some kind of yuppy fan girl.

'Well ok then doctor. I hope we do get to work together on something one day. I'm sure whatever it is will change the face of science. Um..so are you just in New York for this lecture or were you going to be staying for a while?" he asked as he casually looked over the other man's shoulder watching a few students mill about heading for various locations.

His eyes focused back in on the two closer women and then back to the scientist, his mind still plagued by the fib that had escaped the other man's lips so non chalantly. He was a good actor. his face hadn't betrayed the words in the least. Adam found it interesting that the otehr man played the game of lying so well wondering what was going on behind the mask the other wore.