davidkostyk-durast

[davidkostyk-durast]

David we miss you come to Ketterdam

What an unexpected message! Who is "we"?

And I might. I want to see the engineering workshop of the university!

I hope you're well!

[davidkostyk-durast]

David rubbed his eyes tiredly as he left the workshops. The last few days he had been occupied with helping Nikolai coming up with the last important things he might need for his journey, which, he wasn't entirely sure if it was more the prince trying to escape a situation of his own making than trying to handle the urgent crisis; it was a bit of both, probably. Out of the inner circle David probably was the one who took the little revelation the easiest. There was anger lingering under the surface for what was done to Genya, and protectiveness that made sure she was never alone with Nikolai, since the Darkling could only appear with him in tow, yes. But other than that, he tolerated it, much more interested in the specifics of such a thing being possible and what it would mean for the future, what could be done. It was the first ever case he heard of, with not even the formerly powerful Grisha General having many answers, so he was flipping through books over books if he wasn't working on the experimental crisis, wanting to understand.

Passing one of the big windows, he noticed Nikolai heading towards the stables, almost being swallowed by the darkening daylight and wondered if he'd try to talk to Zoya and Genya about the issue at hand before he left in the morning hours. It didn't even pass his attention that the man was more nervous and tense since the revelation, wanting to clear the air and never succeeding; hard to imagine he wanted to leave for perhaps several months without sorting it out. He shook off his thoughts; it didn't seem like the Darkling did appear since the dramatics of the meeting, at least not with anyone around, so maybe the problem had solved itself?

Fumbling with his notebook he ducked into the shared space with Genya, for some reason surprised to see her here at this time of the day; as far as he knew she was very bound with Little Palace matters over the last time too. His surprise changed to delight, the notebook disappeared into the inner pocket of his kefta as he stepped to the table. "I didn't ex-expect you to be here already", he greeted her, ink stained fingers softl squeezing her shoulder, "are you alright?" His dark eyes wandered over her face, noting the tiredness that lingered beneath her eyes. She probably didn't get much sleep lately.

Genya slumped down in her chair after a long day of running around the palace, trying to get things done. Saints, her job was much harder when she was avoiding her friends. Maybe that was a sign she should stop, and actually have a conversation about what was troubling her.

She wanted what was best for Ravka, and for Grisha. Of course she did. But from what she had heard, the man who had started a civil war, throwing Ravka into years of turmoil, and who had turned his back on any Grisha who crossed him, was here in the palace, being treated as an honoured guest.

Surely Nikolai had his reasons. But she couldn't deny that it stung. He didn't get it. He hadn't been there for the years that the Darkling had ruled over the Little Palace, and he hadn't seen the wreckage that the Darkling had left amongst the Grisha who'd trusted him, once upon a time.

Maybe her grievance was more personal than she would admit. The man who'd facilitated her assault was back in the palace. That was enough to cut right to the core of the strength she'd built up over the years, revealing the scared little girl, trying to be brave so she could be the Darkling's favourite soldier.

Or maybe she just needed some sleep. But - damn. She still had a mountain of paperwork to get through. With a sigh, she sat upright and started leafing through the pile that was stacked on her desk.

[davidkostyk-durast]

Where do bad rainbows go?

To prism.

It's a light sentence, but it gives them time to reflect.

[davidkostyk-durast]

What would you do if you knew you wouldn't fail?

Oh, hm...that's a good question. There are a few things I-I'd want to try to see what happens as a result, in a scientific way. Knowing people won't like this specific answer, but since it can't fail: I'd experiment with merzost. To understand it better. Theo-theoritising about something is fine, but practicing it is such a big factor to understanding things.

[davidkostyk-durast]

Caesium facts!

Caesium comes from the word "caesius" which means sky blue and derived from its flame colour. It's melting point is at 28.5°C/83.3°F and its boiling point is at 671°C/1240°F.

Caesium is a soft, gold-coloured metal that is quickly attacked by air and reacts explosively in water. The most common use for caesium compounds is as a drilling fluid. They are also used to make special optical glass.

Caesium compounds, such as caesium chloride, are low hazard. It is is found in the minerals pollucite and lepidolite

[davidkostyk-durast]

David didn't know what to say about it first. He shot a help-seeking glance towards Nikolai, who didn't seem to pay attention to their exchange at the moment, but if someone knew, it must be him and Zoya. "I- it's the only information I have. That it had been destroyed", he finally said slowly, "that's what Nikolai and Zoya said." What they assumed must be true in what happened back there.

A bit of anger welled up again at the statment that he would've preferred if Nikolai kept silent about his presence. "We deserve to know what's going on here, having someone eavesdrop on conversations whenever they please without our knowledge - you, of all people too - on a personal level, but this is also a security concern for Ravka and as the throne's advisers that's something we need to know", he pointed out matter-of-factly, that it took so long to reach this point was bad enough already. He wasn't even sure if Nikolai would have told them, if he wasn't acting so noticable off that even someone like the Durast had noticed that something was wrong. With how often Nikolai had disappeared for hours, seemed to be in his head more often than before. Nadia believed it had something to do with what happened at the island, that he was working through whatever he experienced there, and she was as right as she was wrong about it.

"So there are no plans yet", he mused about the answer, at least none the Darkling seemed to know of; as it sounded like a guess. He wasn't sure what he should hope for, the contradicting thoughts about this situation not quieting down. It didn't sound like Nikolai to have no plan, so he was almost sure that he just didn't tell the Darkling about it yet. Which meant, although they seemed to be bound to each other, he couldn't read the prince's mind at least.

The long rides through the forest did only as much for his nerves and not only was he still quite restless, the demon was harder to control again too, as if the events on the island influenced it too. He didn't trust his own ability to keep it under control and returned to be locked in for the night until he felt more secure again. Some risks not even he thought were worth taking. Now, he was pacing in front of the door to the war room. He made the decision that the Triumvirate and Zoya needed to know the full truth about what happened back there. Not only for the safety of the country, but because he owed them that much as his most trusted people. But Saints, it was a topic he dreaded talking about. How did you tell the people that mattered to you, that the man they all suffered under and that should be quite literally be unreachably locked away holding the world together, reached out to him in a way he still wasn't sure even he understood? Because in all the years of the demon's existence within him, this had never happened before in such a way. Let alone the sympathy and understanding this little conversation stirred in him. At least, so he thought, he didn't have to share that with his people.

There was no way around it. With a last deep breath Nikolai straightened his shoulders and pushed the doors to the war room open, maybe the first person to arrive.

[davidkostyk-durast]

David was unsure whether to believe him or not. Because the Darkling just answered his not even spoken out question partially. If what he said was true, the path down to think the two of them had been working together for a longer time - even the war - was one to be closed off. For now. He didn't like how this occurrence made him doubt Nikolai now, but he kept such an important thing a secret, who knew how many times their enemy (or whatever he was in Nikolais eyes) was in the room with all of them and they had no idea. It felt wrong.

He decided to not follow that thread for now: "And what's the plan now? Since Nikolai decided to speak to us after all, surely there is one?" Trying to find a way to cut the link? To bring the Darkling's...soul? back to the body in the tear of the world? He glanced at Nikolai again, who still was busy with Zoya, a third, more unpleasant guess coming up. Keeping it the way it was now. Nikolai had accepted the demon, so why wouldn't he go as far as accepting another uninvited interruption, even if it's the very man who cursed him with the demon?

The Durast looked back at him: "It must be. We watched it burn." That was the information he had.

The long rides through the forest did only as much for his nerves and not only was he still quite restless, the demon was harder to control again too, as if the events on the island influenced it too. He didn't trust his own ability to keep it under control and returned to be locked in for the night until he felt more secure again. Some risks not even he thought were worth taking. Now, he was pacing in front of the door to the war room. He made the decision that the Triumvirate and Zoya needed to know the full truth about what happened back there. Not only for the safety of the country, but because he owed them that much as his most trusted people. But Saints, it was a topic he dreaded talking about. How did you tell the people that mattered to you, that the man they all suffered under and that should be quite literally be unreachably locked away holding the world together, reached out to him in a way he still wasn't sure even he understood? Because in all the years of the demon's existence within him, this had never happened before in such a way. Let alone the sympathy and understanding this little conversation stirred in him. At least, so he thought, he didn't have to share that with his people.

There was no way around it. With a last deep breath Nikolai straightened his shoulders and pushed the doors to the war room open, maybe the first person to arrive.

[davidkostyk-durast]

Nikolai, every time I'm wasn't looking for a second, a new figure on your side has appeared. Do you want me to believe they spawned into existence? This is a serious game.

Game night with @davidkostyk-durast

& he accuses me of cheating!

[davidkostyk-durast]

Scientific funfact!

There's a certain metal that's the lightest material on earth! It's called Graphene Aerogel and it's 7 times lighter than air. Lighter than air. When I learned that, it broke my brain for some time to be honest, now you needed to learn it too!

[davidkostyk-durast]

A few nights of relentless work had passed again, hours and days melting into each other, while David was occupied with all sorts of tests and research. Not only was he still on the Grisha experiments case, but also taking every chance to disappear between the pages of books that would help make sense to what was going on with Nikolai and the Darkling. Since both of them didn't really have answers on how the Darkling's presence happened, he was eager to find out more. The Durast was still worried about the whole thing. Worried what it meant for their prince, for the Grisha, for Ravka herself. It did seem like the Darkling only had a fragment of his power in this way of existence, but that didn't safe them from his manipulative ways. David was really sitting between two chairs - on the one of them, concern, anger, a little bit of fear and the need to protect his wife sitting. On the other, curiousity, the same old hunger for knowledge and yes, also some delight he felt guilty to experience about his old mentor's appearance. It was complicated and he'd prefer not to think about it all too much. Now, he had reached a state of exhaustion that forced him to retreat into the bedchambers he occupied with Genya. On his way there he stopped shortly, due to Nikolai rushing past him into the direction of the medical wing that was stationed in the Little Palace. For a moment he stood there in confusion, pressing his hands to his ears in the next, as a horrifying scream echoed through the hallway when the door to the room opened. It shut and there was silence again. His heart raced in his chest, curiousity leading him closer to the medical room. Hushed voices, more screaming, then crying like the world was about to end. David was frozen to the ground, a million questions rushing through his mind. Then, Nikolai's voice cutting through the noise inside the room, his tone an order, only experienced ears noticing the edge in it: "Let her have her will. Let her go, but in a peaceful way. She has suffered enough." Silence, that stretched into minutes. So, their comatose patient had been awake. Just to wish for eternal sleep. A cold shiver wandered down his spine and he quickly returned to the main corridor, to get to his initial destination. The bedroom was empty, when he entered it. His heart was still racing from what he had just witnesed. Their possibility to get another puzzle piece gone, but would it have been fair to keep her in a life she couldn't live? He shrugged out of his kefta, somewhat glad it hadn't been his decision to make. Nikolai might not be the king anymore, but many still came to him for decisions, mainly because they seemed to deem him more reasonable when it came down to the emotional things than Zoya. David liked Zoya for who she was, but sometimes he silently wondered, if it was the right decision to put her on the throne already; she seemed to have gotten this responsibility before she was mature enough for it. She could just have married Nikolai and still ended up in a nearly similar position in time. But then again, he didn't know much about things like that, because they didn't necessarily interest him. He shook his head as to dismiss this train of thoughts, washing up and changing into night wear. His exhaustion was almost fully gone from the uncomfortable scare, so he picked up the book on his nightstand, maybe staying awake for long enough to catch Genya's return.

[davidkostyk-durast]

Vein Opal in Pyrite! A really beautiful sight, isn't it?

[davidkostyk-durast]

Emerald facts!

 They are valued for their intense green color, which is caused by trace amounts of chromium, vanadium, and iron. They are known for their beautiful green color, which ranges from a deep forest green to a light, almost translucent green.

Historically, emeralds have been highly prized and were worn by royalty and the wealthy elite (as it was also the Lantsov gemstone). They were believed to have healing powers and were often used in medicinal treatments.

Emeralds are considered to be a relatively hard gemstone, with a hardness of 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale, making them suitable for everyday wear. However, they can be brittle and may be more prone to cracking or chipping than other gemstones.

[davidkostyk-durast]

Ethereal Genya.

[davidkostyk-durast]

Zoya's arrival was...spectacular, that one could say. Confused by this outburst that seemed a bit out of proportion, he also felt a bit like he should've known sooner what was going on, if she suddenly figured it out on her own without even needing to be here. But he wiped off the thought and turned to be a bit annoyed by this interruption, as he was eager to hear the response to Nikolai's question. Glad for the fact that nobody would expect him, of all people, to take a comforting position, he exchanged a confused look with Nikolai, who then walked over to Zoya to speak to her. Much to his delight, the Darkling still answered the question, unbothered by the interruption. Unconsciously David moved closer again, driven by curiousity and not wanting to miss any important information. "Being in two places at once must take enough effort already and summoning additionally to that shouldn't be possible at all. But then again, I've never heard of such a case before. There are a lot of ghost stories around, but that's hardly fitting if you're technically alive", he spoke his thoughts out loud, "you said it was nobody's doing, but...how did it happen? There must have been a process, you won't just have plopped into existence?" The last question sounded very unsure. This case alone questioned everything he thought to know about the boundaries of the world, so who knew, maybe he really just plopped into this existence. "It also makes me wonder, why now? The link between the two of you must exist since the demon does, but this didn't happen before, did it?" He shot a look at the former king, an unasked question forming in his mind. Did the Darkling previously manipulate Nikolai through the link, without their collective knowledge? Did they scheme in silence without anyone's notice? They had a lot of similarities and there were only fine lines that kept Nikolai from becoming what the Darkling became. How much closer than expected was he actually to that? "I don't think we need a demonstration", David added for good measure.

The long rides through the forest did only as much for his nerves and not only was he still quite restless, the demon was harder to control again too, as if the events on the island influenced it too. He didn't trust his own ability to keep it under control and returned to be locked in for the night until he felt more secure again. Some risks not even he thought were worth taking. Now, he was pacing in front of the door to the war room. He made the decision that the Triumvirate and Zoya needed to know the full truth about what happened back there. Not only for the safety of the country, but because he owed them that much as his most trusted people. But Saints, it was a topic he dreaded talking about. How did you tell the people that mattered to you, that the man they all suffered under and that should be quite literally be unreachably locked away holding the world together, reached out to him in a way he still wasn't sure even he understood? Because in all the years of the demon's existence within him, this had never happened before in such a way. Let alone the sympathy and understanding this little conversation stirred in him. At least, so he thought, he didn't have to share that with his people.

There was no way around it. With a last deep breath Nikolai straightened his shoulders and pushed the doors to the war room open, maybe the first person to arrive.

[davidkostyk-durast]

There's not enough boards to write on..

[davidkostyk-durast]

[davidkostyk-durast]

The Chemistry of Blood

As I'm currently running a lot of blood tests for research reasons, I think using it for picking up my facts series again isn't the worst idea. Haemoglobin is a protein found in blood, built up of smaller sub-units containing haemes. These contain iron and their structure gives our blood its red colour when oxygenated. Blood lost due to bleeding gradually turns brown, as haemoglobin is oxidised to methaemoglobin. The compund that gives human blood its characteristic metallic smell is trans-4,5 -eposy-(E)-2-decenal. The metallic smell of metals and blood coming into contact with skin is largely due to oct-1-en-3-one, produced due to the reaction between oxidised skin lipids and the iron in haemoglobin. Blood type is determined by the presence of antigens. Antigens are found on red blood cell surfaces. They can bind to antibodies and stimulate an immune response. antibodies are proteins in blood plasma that help fight infection. The antiboides a blood type contains determines what blood can be received in transfusions. (thanks to the Corporalnik helping me with this!)