acatalepsy_rpg | [Video]

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[Video]

[Barabas appears on the video -- fully clothed, thank you -- with a sedate expression, cordial enough. Bright red hair is less styled than he'd prefer it (his kingdom for decent hair product, really) but he still looks sharp, put together. He's set his watch somewhere so that he's in fame, seated at a table, from about the chest up, hands folded in front of him.]

Hello. I've already met some of you, but for those of you I haven't had the pleasure of encountering yet, my name is Barabas. Everyone seems fairly alive, which is better than the alternative. There's a new vacation spot in town, complete with an off-brand Loch Ness Monster. What more could anyone ask for?

[He spreads his hands.]

As... charming... as this place is, there is a disturbing lack of information infrastructure. Even Astoria doesn't quite seem to be able to keep track of who is coming and going at all times -- since the last bunch of us were apparently unexpected guests. I don't exactly find that reassuring. It does not make me feel warm and fuzzy.

[At all.]

In that vein, I think we should address this, put in place some way to keep track of who is here, who is no longer here, the abilities we each possess. [He ticks these items off on his fingers.] And a collection of information of the places that Astoria has sent us, and the general outcome of each trip. And really any other useful things to know, for all of us, and those who may be brought here in the future.

[A smile now, no teeth, but still pleasant.] Sadly, I'm only one man, so I suppose what I'm looking for is twofold:

First, would anyone be willing to help gather and compile this data?

Second, those of you who've been here longer than I have, perhaps we can chat about your experiences.

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I suppose I see your point. If there are those who'd rather not share their abilities, no one will force them. In a pinch, it'd be nice to know who are the healers and who are the fighters, but not at the expense of someone's comfort and consent.

[It'd be useful to know, but Barabas can understand that as he considers it. Back home there's usually little secret whether one is a shapeshifter or a druid or a witch. But some do keep their more unique abilities hidden for their own sakes. His thoughts flicker back to Kate, after all, and her own reasons for secrecy.]

In any case having at least a roster of names and a headcount to keep track shouldn't be too much of an invasion of privacy. And it might come in handy if we wind up in a situation where we're scattered or in trouble. Or both. Both tends to be the way that goes in my experience.

[Either way, he ducks his head.] That would be extremely helpful, yes. Can we start with your name?

Lists of people and what they can do has never worked out very well for the people on the lists, in my professional experience.

[ best to avoid such things -- but a simple census, roy can agree with. ]

Brigadier General Roy Mustang, but Roy is sufficient. Only military call me by my title, here. [ and barnabas doesn't sound like that sort of folk, so first name basis is fine by him. ] Several people from my world are here that would be helpful sources of information, too, but they can come forward of their own accord if they want.

[ roy doesn't want to give edward as a source. it likely won't end well. ]

Well, the yellow pages generally never hurt anyone. If you need to find a dentist or a carpenter, hard to do that without some index somewhere. But again, magical ability may be more sensitive, I expect. I understand your concern.

[Barabas' eyebrows lift. Brigadier General. Interesting. A ranking officer of some military or another.]

Roy then. And fair enough. Can I ask how many from your world? There seem to be at least a few people here who've got circles of friends and acquaintances from their homes.

Three, in addition to myself. Our group has felt more like a revolving door as of late.

[ quite a few people showed up, and then abruptly left, most from edward’s circle of friends and family. roy makes a mental note to check on him later. ]
Maes Hughes and Riza Hawkeye are fellow military. [ there’s a slight pause before roy sighs. ] Edward Elric is too. Technically. But you’ll likely have more luck with Maes or Riza.

[ edward is a difficult son. ]

People coming and going? That must be jarring.

[But it's also interesting. But saying that would be tactless, and Barabas at least usually tries for tact. If there's some pattern to who comes and goes, it might help them put some details about this place together. But that probably requires a bigger sample set and someone better at patterns than him.]

I'm already speaking with Maes, so there does seem to be some luck there.

[Quite a few military. Interesting.] So here since the first. Did you all arrive at once? How long were you at the Temple before you were swept off to another world?

Riza and I arrived at the same time. Maes arrived next, followed by Edward.

[ information that can readily be found elsewhere, and information roy doesn’t mind giving. ]

And we were in the Temple a matter of weeks, at most, before being brought to the first world. We were in that world roughly six weeks, if the cycles of the sun are the same as Earth. It may not be.

[ roy did keep track, though, of sunrises and sunsets. ]

So... is this a longer stat than normal? Due to the illness maybe?

[Also interesting. Barabas will write all this down soon, make sure he has it all straight.]

Six weeks in the first world. Was it a similar time in the second?

It's what the witch says; believe her as you will.

[ it's clear roy harbors some level of suspicion about the entire thing, but he also maintains healthy skepticism about people in power in general. it's likely not personal. ]

It was roughly the same amount of time. Maybe a day or two longer -- but again, it's hard to tell, given the difference in lengths of day. There's going to be error.

I haven't quite made up my mind on Astoria yet. But I'm a skeptic by nature.

[Or by nurture. Either way. He doesn't trust Astoria, but he certainly plans on playing nice for the time being, because the last thing they need is to start a battle with a terrifyingly powerful witch that they are not prepared to finish.

God it feels like home.]

But generally the same time. Interesting. Twice could be coincidence, I suppose. We'll have to see what the third time brings.

[ there’s a noise of approval, at being told barabas is a skeptic. there’s health, in skepticism. skepticism keeps you alive. ]

Something tells me that the difficulty of traversing the universe will only continue.

[ resigned, irritated. ]

But it’s difficult to create a pattern out of nothing; we only have what we can guess at, and our captor is hardly the most useful source of information.

That sounds like it will be true. But maybe we can start to pick up some general rules or overall similarities. Or maybe that's overly optimistic. Time will tell either way.

[He nods in agreement.]

That does seem to be the general consensus of her -- regardless of overall opinion.

[A flicker of a smile.] "Our captor" is fairly clear evidence of yours, I think.

People with power always have an agenda, no matter how kind or well-intentioned they seem to be.

[ even him. at least roy surrounds himself with people willing to check said power. astoria, as far as he can tell, is by herself -- a recipe for disaster, given how much strength she seems to wield. ]

No one was brought here voluntarily, and while I sympathize with her mission, I can't bring myself to label her as anything but what she is -- a captor. We're stuck here until she deems it necessary to allow us to leave.

That does tend to be true.

[Though some of the more powerful people he's met, he's seen that used for overall good. But sometimes even the best of intentions don't matter in the end.]

You're right. I don't disagree at all. It may be a large cage, but it's a cage nevertheless. And not one any of us belong in. Whatever the larger reason for bringing us together.

Brigadier General.

[The career military man is suitably impressed.]

Edited 2018-10-02 05:19 (UTC)

Brigadier General.

[ repeated, his eyes bright with amusement. ]

Surprised?

[ you wouldn't be the only one to assume otherwise. roy is hardly offended. ]

Kind of. You're too young to look the part.

[Though given Roy's conduct in the field, Wash wouldn't be surprised if it was a battlefield promotion.]

Still, that's pretty great.

[ it’s a bit of both. roy is well connected politically, and has quite the reputation from his conduct in the war. but he looks faintly amused, at the admission, and roy shrugs his shoulders. ]

I’m the youngest commanding officer in the Amestrian military.

[ it’s not boasting, but it’s a simple fact. ]

So it isn’t the first time I’ve heard that.

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