acatalepsy_rpg | [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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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.

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