ᴏᴏ3 ( ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ ) | ʙᴏʏ, ɪɴᴛᴇʀʀᴜᴘᴛᴇᴅ.

[insubordination]

[ roy is seated in a secluded area of the temple that many may recognize as maes and barabas’ office. he has a notebook in front of him that a great deal of stuff seems to be written in, but roy himself doesn’t have a pen in hand. those paying careful attention may recognize that the writing in the notebook is, indeed, roy’s handwriting, but it’s certainly not legible.

anyway. roy looks a bit tired, but in relatively good spirits, despite what he suffered on the horologium. he’s been relatively quiet, since coming back to the temple -- focused on recovering, catching up with his closer circle of friends and family, and preparing himself for what he had to do next, which is, incidentally, address the circle.

And so, roy clears his throat. ]



We have a handful of new arrivals . . . welcome to the Circle. To those who don’t know me, my name is Brigadier General Roy Mustang. Roy is sufficient.

[ some people like using the titles, and some people don’t. It doesn’t really make a difference to him -- but that being said, roy certainly does speak in an authoritative tone, for as tired as he looks. some things don’t change. ]

I wanted to bring your attention to what we’ve experienced as a group in the past. A world jump is likely coming soon, and the more prepared we are, the higher likelihood we have to avoid another Akvos, or another version of the Horologium. To that extent --

[There’s not really a noise to announce Maes’s arrival. Just one minute there is empty space behind Roy and the next it’s being occupied by a man in glasses.]

Roy! There you are, I --

[He notices that Roy is speaking to the watch or The Circle and leans in over his friend’s shoulder. Personal space and Maes apparently aren’t acquainted, at least where Roy is concerned.]

Oh, hey, you’re talking to everyone else. Perfect. Let me borrow this for a second.

[Maes plucks up the watch. Roy is no longer visible, but you can definitely hear a “hey, give me that!” protest from the side. ]

Hi everyone. Technically I’m a Brigadier General, but feel free to just refer to me as Maes Hughes. I’m sure Roy already started in on the welcoming address, but I have some important information too -- concerning everyone really. I managed to get some details out of Astoria about our next world. After the past few times, well, one of the biggest issues we’ve had is not knowing a lot about where we’re going and how to prepare. Now I know there are mixed feelings about her, but the last time I asked her for information about a world it did prove to be accurate...so I think we can at least trust this much.

[As he speaks on trusting Astoria, he does glance in the direction Roy was. It’s pretty clear Maes has his own skepticism about the woman that has grown substantially from his months of being here. Now isn’t the time to dwell on that though. He clears his throat.]]

I didn’t get a name, but she called it a city, with taverns and everything. It’s populated by various types of people...different species and magic will be present. It sounded like we’d be going to a place with a lot of avenues to pursue. Astoria seems to want us to help the people there...though she couldn’t really give me specifics as to how. It sounds like it won’t be just fighting though, not this time.

[Maes pauses. Is he done? He knows that wasn’t very helpful and, especially for the new folks, it might not mean a lot. He looks like he’s about to give the watch back to Roy, but quickly pulls it back. Oh, right, the other things.]

If that doesn’t mean much to you, don’t worry. This room that Roy and I are in happens to be a library of sorts that Barb and I have been working on to keep all of the information from different people and worlds. We made it with the idea that those of you who are new might want to come read up on previous places. We’d appreciate any information you may have to add in the future.

All that I ask if that you please don’t touch the picture I’ve pinned to the wall of my precious daughter Elysia!

[The picture in question seems to magically appear in Maes’s hand, though it’s hard to tell if that was slight of hand or his teleporting again. The picture shows a girl, no older than three with twin pigtails sticking on top of her head. She sits proudly on a small tricycle, beaming at the camera. His voice changes from serious to a more gushing tone. Has he...has he forgotten the point of this?]

I know she’s just too cute~ But you’re free to look all you want I know she cheers ---

All right, enough, give me that --

[ and the watch is soon wrested out of maes’ hands, to show a very exasperated roy, frustrated (but clearly not enough to be actually upset, given he allowed maes to prattle on for that long). ]

The point of this is to offer ourselves as resources to the newer members, and to continue supporting one another to the best of our ability. Sharing with one another puts us on an even-playing field, and I intend to continue asking that of you, regardless of what happens on other worlds. Many of us have survived good worlds, and bad. Successes, and failures. This is our opportunity to attempt to plan for what comes next, because we likely have little time before our next jump.

[ and, after roy says that, he turns to maes, exasperated: ]

Do you always need to be the center of attention, or do you have an actual medical condition that forces you to --

[ and then the feed ends. ]

(OOC: If you are interested in looking at what we have in the office and want to read or, even better, contribute. Check it out here! Also, feel free to threadjack in this post! )

Comments

video

[insubordination]

Maes' particular superpower is to be a general annoyance, but Astoria expanded upon it by allowing him the ability to teleport.

[ just to get that out of the way first . . . but: ]

Knowing what each of us is capable of allows us to know who to rely on, when something inevitably goes wrong. It puts us in contact with one another, and forces us to work as a team. It's an imperfect science, but I want to continue attempting to organize before each world, so each of us knows what we're capable of, and who we can rely on in a crisis.

video

[rougerebelle]

Interesting.

[Wouldn't that make her life interesting. She'll need to talk to this Maes guy then. But she can play with her own ability another time, right now is about making connections and trying to establish herself in this new group. She's out of contacts or allies, though on the plus side she doesn't have her normal enemies here either.

She couldn't ask for a cleaner slate if she tried.]

So you're wanting an idea of our skill sets...what we can do or what previous experience we have to offer besides just the ability Astoria granted us.

[It's more of a statement, confirming that they're on the same page here. Carmen has two options here. She wants to be of help, but at the same time she still hasn't ascertained how much she can trust the people she has been forced to work with. Not that they don't seem like nice people, but more she isn't sure how they are going to react to some of her skill sets. Let's feel this out a bit more.]

Are there any skills in particular this group is lacking? Or are there skills that might be see in a particularly negative light?

video

[insubordination]

[ skills seen in a negative light . . . ]

I don't particularly care what people did, or didn't, do in their own world, prior to arriving here. Your burden and baggage is your own to carry, and explain if needed. I'm not interested in policing people's pasts.

[ to just. get that part out of the way. he has no idea whether that applies to carmen or not, but "skills seen in a negative light" can indicate quite a bit. best to just put that at ease right off the start. ]

The ability to work in a crisis is a skill that is always needed. Basic first aid and combat, and evacuation skills. We have a plethora of people who can heal, but it can never be enough. We've gotten into our fair share of fights, on these journeys. Any skillset that lends itself to adaptability and assisting those who can't defend themselves is always in high demand.

video

[rougerebelle]

[Carmen is silent for a moment. She glances back at the red hat resting on the wall. Well, life isn't without some risk. He sounds genuine and as long as its to help people, well, they'll be on the same page there.]

Okay. As long as we're doing this to help people I can get on board.

[[She sighs and decides to lay out her resume as straight forwardly as possible.]

I'm very adaptable. I traveled the world back home, so I'm used to a number of environments and improvising as I go. I'd say of the three, evacuation is something I would be well suited for.
I was always taught more about how to get away from combat, not run into it. My training was focused more on stealth, reconnaissance and retrieval of objects, and getting away more so than anything. And I haven't been caught yet.

[She smiles, it's hard NOT to be proud of your own skills after all. She's definitely one of those individuals that knows how good they are and it's not so much a brag as a statement of fact.]

But I'm a quick study and I've been in a few combat scenarios as well...though more one on one than what you might have seen as someone in the military.

[She hadn't missed those titles by any means.]

If you need another pair of hands anywhere though Astoria gave me the ability to copy other people's powers, so I can go where I'm needed most.

video

[insubordination]

[ there are a lot of things that could fit the bill, for what Carmen describes. the first thing he thinks of is special forces; the next thing is something far more illicit and illegal. but either way, it is incredibly useful, and Carmen is being forthright, in her skills. it's enough to make roy want to give her the benefit of the doubt. ]

Interesting.

[ especially about that ability. ]

Do you need to know what the power is, beforehand? Or can you simply just absorb whatever is available?

Re: video

[rougerebelle]

[He doesn't press, which reassures her a bit that he doesn't care HOW or WHERE she obtained these skills, only that she has them. Perhaps one day she'll elaborate.]

I don't think so...I haven't had a chance to try anything with it yet though. It certainly wouldn't hurt for me to start asking around about what abilities exist though.

[While she could have easily played a game of tag around the Temple and sampled abilities. That didn't seem like the best approach to gaining other's trust. She didn't want to portray herself as the kind of person who would take without asking. Ironic, she knows.]

I believe I just have to touch someone...beyond that I'll have to figure it out as I go.

video

[insubordination]

We have a voluntary registry, at Maes' and Barabas' office. You can certainly look through what is available there, and add your own, if you're comfortable doing so.

[ roy's own power is listed there, but he'll allow Carmen to do the work, if she's truly that curious. ]

But that is a useful ability, if you use it correctly. Having a flexibility would be of great service in the worlds, depending on what we get ourselves into.

video

[rougerebelle]

I did just broadcast to the entire Circle I assume by responding to this message.

[Which, in hind sight, she maybe should a been a bit more careful with her questioning. But it wasn't like her new ability allowed her to change what was already done. She could just let people work out their assumptions from there. Besides, it wasn't like she'd flat out said she DID do something illegal...just asking if that was a concern. She had a hunch though that while a line of reasoning like that might work for someone like Ruby, General Mustang seemed like he might be on a different level entirely.]

I'll include a general idea of my skills I just told you and take a peak. After all it sounds like you're not going to just tell me yours.

[She smirks, she appreciates the minimal challenge if nothing else. But you might be getting a message later.]

Well, you know how to reach me should you have use for that ability.

video

[insubordination]

You did, but you highly underestimate how lazy people are.

[ with a slight laugh; he includes himself, in that statement. it's far easier to just check the registry if he's in need of some level of assistance. but at her next comment, roy arches his eyebrows, and responds in kind -- not sarcastically, but in the same affable tone as before: ]

I never answer questions I'm not asked.

[ :) ]

Would you like to know my gift, or would you rather look at the registry?

[rougerebelle]

That's not a bad policy to have. So you're the kind of person that plays it close to the chest.

[She rests her chin on her hand, clearly finding this an interesting exchange. He's certainly going to be fun to figure out. She straightens up, looking off in the direction of the Temple. She stands even as she replies.]

If you're in the registry I'll just look it up myself. It'd be no fun now if you just told me.

[insubordination]

I'm the kind of person that only answers questions that I'm asked.

[ he repeats it, amused. and he's pleased, to hear she's just going to go look for herself. he was honest, in writing his power down in the registry. he certainly won't mislead her. ]

But I suppose I've also been accused at playing things close to the chest, too.

(video --> private to roy)

[rougerebelle]

[Some time later there's a new reply that comes some time after Roy would have left the office, giving Carmen the chance to look through the files and even have a chat with Barabas. Carmen is in her room now, sitting near a window as dusk falls. She keeps her expression fairly neutral.]

That's quite an interesting power you have, Roy.

[ She was still trying to decide on how to refer to him. General felt like she would be answering to him and Mustang felt too formal. Besides, he'd said earlier he didn't really have a preference.

And to prove she read it she asks.]

Do you prefer the fire power you had before or this new ability?

[He had said he'd answer questions when asked.]

( private )

[insubordination]

[ well, it saved him from an explanation, so roy supposes he's glad for carmen's nosiness . . . but he arches his eyebrows, slightly, at the question. ]

Alchemy is a part of me; I would choose that, over what the witch gave me, any day of the week.

[ easily. ]

Most of the people in my own world know me through my "fire power." Not having it has been like missing a part of who I am.