acatalepsy_rpg | [Video]

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[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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[ collection of information and the general outcome of each trip, roy can get on board with. keeping a list of people and their powers . . . it puts a bad taste in his mouth, but he supposes he can understand the point of it. in times of crisis, it would be important to know.

still: ]

Asking people to offer up their private information to a stranger, especially their power, is a lot to ask. [ roy doesn't sound opposed to the idea, but his own power could easily be abused for something terrible, and roy likes keeping it to himself unless he actually needs to use it. ] But as for the worlds and outcomes, I think that could be universally used, particularly for new individuals who need to be caught up quickly on what we may be expected to do.

[ he pauses. ]

I've been here since the first mission, so I can share what I know, and offer suggestions on who else may be useful to talk to.

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?

Glad to see you're alive, Barabas. I can tell you about the previous worlds we've been to.

[Compared to the last time they talked Shiro looks about the same as their first talk. He sits with a mug cradled in his hands and a small smile on his face.]

Ask the questions, I'll recount it.

It's good to see you alive too. And hear you alive for that matter. Good as new now?

[This is good. Barabas had been worried about quite a few people, Shiro in particular. Given how helpful the other man had been on his arrival, to see him struggling with his missing hearing had been concerning.]

You've been here from the beginning, haven't you?

[Hughes likes people who like gathering information. He knows he and a few others have various notes and observations being made, records being kept. He has to admit though, that they haven't really compared notes or consolidated much. Hughes is eager to help as always.]

Hello Barabas, I'm Maes Hughes. I like the way you think as I'm pretty sure a few of us have definitely been making note of things that have gone on. Of course, the difficult part, as you said, is that we don't really have a way to compile and track those things. I worked Investigations back home and spent a lot of time working with records and in libraries -- so I'd like to offer my assistance with this project if you're still looking for someone to help compile data.

[And while paperwork might not be his favorite thing, he is pretty good at it. Otherwise he wouldn't have a desk job the way he does or be as good at what he does for that matter.]

Making a list of who is here would be easy enough -- given the listing already on our devices. What will be more difficult is back tracking and interviewing everyone to see if we can compile a list of those how have gone before us.

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. ]

Good to meet you, Maes. I would be very grateful for your help -- and your expertise. I'm a lawyer, by trade, so that's where most of my info gathering has come up. The scope here is... a little wider.

[Barabas is quite good at paperwork. So that part at least he has some confidence in.]

The listing in the devices is a good start, definitely. And I'd say t's more important to pay attention going forward to who comes and goes -- as a priority. It would be good to know those who've come and gone too, but that is definitely going to be trickier, especially for those who arrived without any others from their own worlds.

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.

I have been. There was quite a few of us from a previous witch's hand but...most of them are gone now. I'm not sure how relevant that information would be to our current situation.

[His smile grows a little wider as he shows visible relief. He's glad everyone he knows is turning out fine.]

And never better. All my senses are restored and...I can't always shift but being able to do it at all again...it's a sign of being alive.

[Zari's not really a researcher or a team player but ...]

I have a tablet, if you need something to compile information on.

Brigadier General.

[The career military man is suitably impressed.]

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

A magic index can be used against the people who are on it. If they want to volunteer, fine, but I wouldn't go digging.

[Not that Wash has a vested interest in that or anything.]

Other than that, I can help. I was on the Struxta mission... [He pauses, briefly weighing the pros and cons of continuing, and makes his decision.] ...and I have an eidetic memory, so that's helpful.

( he agrees with barabas, of course. organization and allocation of resources is something very near and dear to this city detective's heart, but.

well, he also agrees with roy. and barabas didn't exactly provide enough information about himself that mako would just jump at the opportunity to trust him immediately. also, they didn't speak, but barabas might recognize mako's username... )

Why don't you tell us what your abilities are, to start? I don't think I'm alone in saying I'd prefer not to disclose what I can do to a relative stranger who isn't offering anything in return.

Brigadier General.

[ repeated, his eyes bright with amusement. ]

Surprised?

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

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?

Of course. I'm fine with quid pro quo, if that makes you more comfortable.

[From the username and the clearly flawless impression that Bolin performed. But Barabas won't say anything about that. For now.]

Honestly, it's weird for me for people not to know what I am. I'm a shapeshifter, in my own world as well as here. Back home, my beast form is a mongoose. Here, however, something has screwed with my beast shape, and now it's a hyena. ...except at the moment it's anyone's guess what I'll actually shift into between those two. So that's a fun and fucked up grab bag at the moment.

[A smile and a shrug.] It's Mako, isn't it?

I have no intentions of forcing information from anyone. [This, however sounds personal. And paranoid, if that's the immediate assumption. But Barabas continues, cordial enough.] But there may be those whose abilities are the type they'd want to share and would be helpful for others to know who to seek out -- healers, for example.

Struxta was the most recent one? And there was a world before that as well, I think. Did you arrive after that first world?

[Getting his timeline settled here. This is the lawyer in him in action.]

That does sound like it would be helpful, yes. Is your tablet still charged and powered?

[He wouldn't want to drain any lingering battery she might have. He's used to working pen and paper anyway, given how unreliable tech is in his world.]

This previous witch. I wonder. It could have its relevance, but maybe that's a second or third stage, after we put together the basics for this witch and the adventures she's sent us on.

[For his part, Barabas got little more than an annoying cold -- he just has never had to deal with a cold before.]

A sign of being alive, is it? [A small grin tugs at his lips.] Alive is definitely good. It sounds like you've taken to this shapeshifter thing. I have questions about that, as well, actually. More personal curiosities, I'll admit. If you don't mind my asking about it.

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.

[Paranoia is one of the reasons Wash is still alive. Also, he's pretty sure the Circle at large knowing he could mess with their memories at will would wreck whatever reputation he has, so he'll be staying off that list, thanks.]

Then they can volunteer. I'm sure a lot of people will.

[Most people in the Circle tend to be decent like that, from what he's seen.]

Struxta was the most recent one, yeah. I arrived not long before we went there - I missed out on the first world.

I imagine they might. We'll see.

[He's hoping anyway, for at least those with specialized and helpful abilities. But that aside.]

The way I understand it, there have been three groups of people to arrive. Almost in waves. Does that sound right?

( okay, and all of that's totally fine and well and good but he has one very important question that absolutely cannot be denied even at the expense of good manners — )

What's a 'mongoose'?

Why does no one know what a mongoose is?

[He's starting to take personal offense.]

But hang on. I'm going to regret this but...

[But he's got a 50/50 chance of mongoose right now, depending on whether his canon powers or his temple powers are in play. The change is quick, but startling. Reddish fur appears and more or less flows over his skin. Features turn sharper, his eyes turning a bright near demonic red with horizontal slit pupils, and his mass shrinks -- though he's still too large for a normal mongoose. But anyway, larger than usual or not, where Barabas had just sat, in his place is a mongoose that's still sort of wearing his t-shirt.

Now. This is his full beast form so he can't talk. But he can text with clever little paws.]

Mongoose.

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