ataraxion | [005: Video]

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[005: Video]

[No Octopus suit for you this time, Tranquility. Instead, LB is in her typical silver plug suit looking down at the communicator, set on her bed. Hell yes, she was bored, but at this point, she was smart enough to not explore very far without supervision -- and supervision would make it all pointless anyway.

But hey, it's been a while since she's said anything on the network anyway -- odd, considering she felt more at ease on the network than dealing directly with people -- might as well have a little fun with it.]

Heheheh... so I've been here probably about a year? [Because with everyone apparently missing a jump, who knows how much time had really passed.] But I still never really get used to how peaceful this place is, compared to where I came from.

[Yes, really.]

That got me thinking, though. In my world, nearly every soldier was named after an animal their superiors felt represented them. Like -- eheheh -- someone who was swift and efficient might be called "Eagle" or someone who eats a lot would be called "Pig". Or if you were a really useful, sometimes they'd add something you're famous for before your title. Like, uh, Sniper Wolf and Vulcan Raven were legendary soldiers, were I was from. And me? I somehow got two with Laughing Octopus and Laughing Beauty.

[Her shoulders raise up in a shrug.] Don't ask me why they thought the second name was necessary -- eeheehee -- I'm not really sure myself.

But, anyway! If you had to choose your own name, what do you think they'd choose for you?

[LB sometimes liked to think of names for other people she knew, but she might as well open the floor to everyone else; get to know more people in the process.]

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[Her head recoils back from the bright light, but she still manages to catch a sight of the tall bird.]

A heron, right? Eheheh? Not sure if I've even seen someone take that codename, in my time.

[The bird cocks its head to one side and looks from Harry to the comm unit before stretching out its wings.]

I think I've had enough codenames and nicknames for a while. Bird or not, I'll just stay Harry.

Kind of plain, isn't it? [She smiles, not being entirely serious.]

Heeheehee -- "Mystic Heron" does have a bit of a ring to it, don't you think?

I think it's the best nickname of the lot.

[Harry smiles and looks to the bird, dismissing it with a gesture.]

But magic, huh? [It was still something a little beyond her comprehension, even if nanomachines could sometimes simulate similar effects.]

Can everyone do something similar, from your world?

There's enough of us that we can live apart from the rest of society, but not so many that we can really join the rest of the world.

...so are you guys like some sort of cult or what?

[Harry rears back from the comm screen, looking shocked before he instinctively denies her accusation.]

No! We're just not very public. It's...

[He's never really thought about why they're separate from muggles, just that it's what needs doing. It wouldn't be safe to train wizards in a regular school.]

Well, some people say that we need to be kept secret for our own safety, that mu-, that mundane people would harm us. Others seem to think that if we integrated, we'd loose our culture.

[LB sighs in relief, because wow she really didn't have any good experiences from cults. Listening to his explanation, she rubs by the collar of her suit, calming herself.]

You know, it never did make sense as to why people wanted to hurt people with more power than them. But regardless, I suppose with that kind of difference, it would be a little hard to integrate.

I guess. Maybe a third? A quarter? We're born to non-magical parents and then we're taken to school for it.

[He's not used to explaining this to non-wizards and he winces at the way it does sound vaguely cult-like.]

There's some kind of magical school?

[Give her a minute to process that in her head, and then she laughs in reaction. Not because she finds it particularly funny, but because her psychological condition pretty much made her laugh as an emotional response for almost everything.]

It really almost sounds like some kind of pretend game one would make up, as a child.

They needed to teach us somewhere safe, so yes, there's a magical school. And, it does, a little. I think that it could be a lot of fun for a child.

[His expression flickers for a moment. When he was very young, he remembers wishing for someone, anyone to come take him away for all sorts of half-mad reasons, but he'd never gone with 'wizard' as an option. Long lost son of a famous dinosaur hunter, maybe.]

I guess if it was a safe place for you to go, it's a good thing you were brought there, yes? Not everyone is so lucky in finding a place of sanctuary.

[Because it really would have been nice to have something like that, years and years ago.]

[There's that expression again. In many ways, Hogwarts was a good place and he loves it dearly, but it's not the sanctuary he'd once thought it was.]

It was a good place. They were talking about rebuilding it when I was brought here.

[She notices how he uses "was" and recoils with a bit of a frown.]

Ah, well at least they were restoring it to its former glory, yes?

I hope so. It wasn't perfect, but it was a really good place. It tried to be a really good place.

[His smile is a bit lopsided for a moment.]

Sorry, I keep being told that I should be more cheerful, less 'dour', and the world I came from is, on the whole, a good place of good people, but it's...we had a rough patch, I suppose and no one wants to hear about that.

It's not like you can make your life more cheerful on a whim -- eheheh -- sorry for making you talk about it in the first place; it wasn't my intention to bring up memories like that.

It's not your fault. I've been thinking about it a lot lately and whether or not I'm just too sensitive.

Do you think you're too sensitive? Because that's all that probably really matters.

Not really? I think I went through a strange time and I...well, I should be allowed to be unhappy about it. I've tried, but I can't just ignore it or turn it off.

No one can tell you how to fell -- heheh -- but sometimes you just have to smile through it to convince people that you're happier than you actually are. Heheheh...

[She shrugs, demonstrating one of these particular kinds of smiles. Of course, this kind of thing was naturally easier for her.]

I've more than enough practice grinning and bearing, but it's really good to, I don't know, hear that it's a common thing to do.

[He's smiling, but it's a bit lopsided and weaker than it could be.]

I can't say what's common or not, to be honest. Heeheehee -- before coming to this place, I was traveling from battlefield to battlefield.

I, ah, wouldn't take my word on these kinds of things.

Before I came here, I'd've said that's common as well, but I'm starting to realize that the battlefield isn't normal for everyone.

It took me a long time to realize that about other people here as well. Heeheehee -- they're kind of at a disadvantage, aren't they?

[A sigh passes, followed by another forced smile.] But I'm still a little envious, in a way.

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