001. [Voice]

[pacmanbelt]

[The voice that comes across the feed is almost irritatingly calm, as if Jade hadn't just been rudely pulled from wherever he was just moments previously to... here.]

I can only assume this is some sort of communication device. Seeing as I've just arrived, I'm afraid I have a few questions for whoever this message might be reaching.

I'm not

Comments

audio; 1/4

[chosenfake]

[CLANG CLANG CLANG. As a matter of fact, Luke is in the kitchen, trying to clean up after Florian's latest muffin adventure. But then he hears something familiar. A voice so cold and logical and sharp, he's never heard anything like it.]

audio; 2/4

[chosenfake]

[He forgets to turn the video on, stammering a name in response as he scrambles to shove everything in the sink and find the communicator on the counter.]

Jade?!

video; 3/4

[chosenfake]

[Suddenly, a graceful shot of a hand.]

Ugh, hold on--

video; 4/4

[chosenfake]

[HOW DOES I FONTECH? After a few seconds of panicked juggling, he beams into the camera at a reasonable distance.]

This is Jade, right? Can you hear me?

[aettir]

It's a city in a different dimension and there's no escape!

[pacmanbelt]

[Well... that was rather to-the-point, if a tad bit on the dramatic side... "no escape," indeed. Not that it was outside the realm of possibility, given his current observations...]

I'm afraid I'll have to ask for a bit more information. What exactly to you mean by a "different dimension"?

1/2

[aettir]

You know, an alternate reality! Outside of your universe.

[aettir]

Haven't you heard of them before?

[notflynn]

Forget everything about this place again? This is becoming a habit of yours.

[He remembers youuu.]

[pacmanbelt]

[And Jade... doesn't remember you. Hm.]

One of the dangers of old age, I'm afraid.

[notflynn]

First your hearing- now this? I don't even want to think what'll go next.

[pacmanbelt]

If you're referring to my back, it's far too late for that, I'm afraid.

[Video]

[servidude]

[That voice can only be one person. Guy's on break and flipping through the network, the first thing he does is click to reply, a little surprised himself at how happy he is.]

Time travel Jade, really? Not that this place is any more likely.

[voice -> video]

[pacmanbelt]

Ah, there you are Guy. [Two fellow party members down, three (plus one cheagle) to go. So far as he knows, at least.

Having already spoken with Luke to some extent, Jade experiments with the device and succeeds in activating the video feature.]

If you have a better explanation, then by all means.

[In other words: Guy, explain.]

[video]

[servidude]

[Does he have to? He feels like he just did this... Though if he's honest he doesn't actually mind. He can probably cover the basic points easily and Jade can ask for elaborations. He won't even complain

[video]

[pacmanbelt]

Hm. [There's a few moment's silence as Jade analyzes that infodump and extrapolates what information he can from it. All in all, it... didn't really make sense, though it was no surprise if these "deities" - the ones who probably had a great deal of necessary information - were not being forthcoming with it.

While the idea that time didn't pass in their own worlds while here might have been reassuring, Jade wasn't exactly ready to take it at face value. If so, what was the point of being here in the first place?] Am I correct in assuming these "deities" are responsible for our being here? Also, I gather that Tear, Anise and Natalia are not in the City? [Since you didn't mention them before now.

He'll ask about the other things soon enough. Priorities go on trying to eliminate possibilities that might help in getting back to Auldrant, though he doubts it's going to be that simple - otherwise there would be no one here.]

audio;

[blastiafreak]

You're sure calm for someone who suspects he just went through time.

Anyway, one of your guesses was right. This is a world separate from your own. Most of the people here have come from different worlds, too.

audio;

[pacmanbelt]

I saw no reason to get worked up over the matter.

[Different worlds... Luke had mentioned that they were not on Auldrant anymore, and with the amount of fairly well-mantained technology around them it would have been foolish to consider this world uninhabited... so was this a world inhabited entirely by those from these "other worlds" or did it have a indigenous population? And in either case, what brought them here, why, and how could they return home? All questions worth looking into.]

Am I correct in presuming that you are not from Auldrant, then?

audio;

[blastiafreak]

You've basically been kidnapped, and you don't think that's a reason to get worked up?

[Her tone carries her skepticism very, very clearly, but she it quickly switches to surprise at the name of Auldrant. That's something she certainly recognizes.]

I'm not from Auldrant, but I do know people who are. Who are you?

audio;

[pacmanbelt]

It's precisely in situations like these that the ability to think calmly and rationally is most important.

[A.k.a. this is just how he rolls]

Colonel Jade Curtiss, 3rd Division, Malkuth Imperial Forces, though I suppose that title means little here. With whom am I speaking?