[Video]

[ailand]

[He's been keeping to himself this entire time, working his way around the ship and learning where the lifts go and what times of day make it easiest to travel without running into anyone. Ailanne's intention had been to avoid everyone, find a way out of this place, and continue on his merry way.

Obviously, that hasn't happened yet.

Then comes the multitude of problems: he's stuck there. With no way home. No idea what's going on. And not a damned clue how to work any of the technology he's continuously faced with. (He'd stared down a microwave the other night and come no closer to discovering its purpose. He'd assumed it was an extra storage place and left the remains of his cold dinner there.)

So he tries to work his communicator again -- he'd gotten it to work once! Surely he can do it again. He's not a complete fool. He's actually very intelligent, thank you. Just... in other areas.]

Hello?

[It's not on yet. He's staring at a blank screen. More button mashing is required. There is no method to that madness -- he just hits everything that pops up on the screen. First, he manages some text:]

8y3typ7PQ7TR FY

[Okay. Cool. Cool. He's got this. That was text. He's not sure what he just did, but he's managed to post one of his button mashing attempts.

Now how does he project his image? The button mashing saga continues. Anyone watching this train wreck will see flashes of his face, eyes narrowed in intense concentration. But the video continues to cut in and out.]

Why won't-- --Fate's damned-- --work!

[And that's all you see and hear before the feed finally cuts on long enough to show the communicator's trip sailing through the air. The feed dies again as it smashes into a hallway wall.

Moral of the story: Ailanne still has no idea how to work the comm. But he's almost got it. So he might be able to reply.]

Comments

[voice]

[ryuuzaki]

[It's a young man's voice, and it's low, articulate, and calm.]

It's working fine.

If you're having trouble with your network device, there's a department full of people here who can teach you to use it.

[text]

[ailand]

n

ot having trouble

i know exacly what im doing

wha departmenteven is that

I LOST THE NOTIF. So sorry! <3

[ryuuzaki]

Communications.

How would you describe your current situation, if it's not "having trouble"?

it's cool!

[ailand]

my only trouble ihacving

is being

forced to use this fates damned box

[ryuuzaki]

Oh, I don't know. It's very convenient.

[His tone is a combination of airy and deadpan.]

If we didn't have it, we might have to talk to each other in person, and it would probably be harder to learn what's going on.

"Fates damned" -- where are you from?

[ailand]

we could write letters

force someone else to run around quoting us

list gos on anything s better than this box

[There's a pause between that text and the next. How exact should he be? Where is this fool from? Why does he want to know? Questions upon questions and he's too impatient to find these things out in a more subtle manner. This place is throwing him way off his game.]

sena

what about you anterni or some shit like that or raist with that accent

[ryuuzaki]

No. None of those words is familiar to me. I'm English.

[-Ish. His tone drops, becomes dry:]

There are probably better uses of everyone's time than to run around quoting each other. When you get used to the device, keep in mind that it isn't tremendously secure.

Still, I'm interested to hear about Sena.

[ailand]

thats a language not a place

[Very ancient history wasn't a big thing where he was from. He didn't know some of the older names of the countries before the shift happened.]

what anyone can see what i say how sure are you that face to face conversations arent better fool

most people arent its mostly desert at this point fates damned land hasnt seen rain in fifty years poor poor little mages have to go around using their magic to keep everything growing

boo hoo

[Some of them died in the desert while traveling between towns. That was his favorite part of Sena's predicament.]

[ryuuzaki]

It's a place and a language. Sena is interesting to me because I've never heard of it.

[But go ahead and call him a fool; he doesn't care at the moment.]

Face to face conversations are better in terms of security, but the communicator is more convenient in terms of speed. It isn't a good idea to eschew either of them. Also, if there's anything important you need to know, it will probably be coming to you through a public broadcast.

You sound very fond of your homeland, by the way.

[That's dry, ironic, but not quite sarcastic.]

[ailand]

not a place ive heard of

[But again, that's just ignorance on his part.]

fiiiiiine i suppose ill continue to use it until i can find out how to leave what security threats are there in this metal box

oh im fond of it everywhere else is worse magic everywhere

the only better place to live is over where they feed the mages to giant lizards

[ryuuzaki]

If you develop an interest, there's a man here on the ship who will probably be more than happy to tell you anything about England that you could possibly want to know.

[His continuing wryness suggests that he doesn't really expect that any such interest will ever exist.]

Why do they feed the mages to giant lizards? Wait -- don't tell me. [A note of sing-song resignation creeps in.] Giant lizards have to eat, too. But why mages?

[ailand]

[Yeah, he won't be doing that. Not until he reaches yet another level of boredom that he hopes sincerely to avoid. He almost wants to join one of those inane departments at this point -- just for something to do.]

theyre tastier than everyone else

[He hears you mocking him. He's making annoyed scowls for a second before deciding to just roll with it and sending another text.]

fine so they dont actually feed the mages to the dragons on purpose
but they should

they just use them to put up barriers or some shit to protect their fool cities so whenever a giant lizard breaks through its smart enough to eat the mages first

and then eat everyone else

[muscovy]

You should have asked someone for help. There are a lot of people on the ship, yes?

[Text]

[ailand]

i got it

look its working i dont need any help

[Baby's first texts. Look at him. Doing so well. No idea where the punctuation is and no intention of ever finding out lest it risk that fragile hold of usability he's clinging to.]

who are you

[Text]

[muscovy]

Only if you don't have dots and big and little letters in your language. If you have them, you are lying, and you shouldn't do that.

I'm Muscovy. Who are you?

[ailand]

i am not lying i am doing exactly what i want to be doing so shut up

im ai

ailanne rei

heard of me

{ooc: so sorry for the delay!!!}

np!

[muscovy]

What you want to do seems to be lying, and that is bad, yes?

No. Are there many here who know you?

[ailand]

did someone tell you lying is bad you realize they were lying right

everyone should know me

unless i decide to buy into this whole oooooh were trapped in spaaaaaace

whatever that is

[muscovy]

Lying is bad, because most lies will be exposed and then even worse things will happen. Also most afterlives punish you for having lied.

Space is like the sky at night, just that you cannot breathe and it is very cold. You can see it from the shuttle bay.

You can go out and test if it is real, but you will die.

[ailand]

i dont believe in afterlives but if thats true im already screwed so i might as well keep doing what i want

im actually the best at breathing if there was a breathing champion it woud beme

mm maybe i wont test it in case your picky afterlife gods are real

what is the point of this place anyway

[muscovy]

You cannot breathe without air, or water if you are a fish, and there is neither air nor water in space. Whatever there is is cold and dark and you cannot breathe it. [The concept of "there is nothing" isn't really something that he can believe.]

I don't know. But there is shelter and it is warm and there is food and water. Maybe there is no point.

[ailand]

cold and dark but its not water are you sure some fool hasnt been telling you lies about that

theres always a point when you keep someone a prisoner even if that point is your own amusement

whos in charge

[muscovy]

I asked people who would not lie to me, so saying that they might have is very silly.

The boss of the people that we imprisoned a while ago. Or the being in the white room.

[ailand]

i dont know who either of those people are so how about you tell me about both of them

what do you mean by being is that the god of this place

[muscovy]

The white room is at the heart of the ship and most people that enter it die and get eaten.

I don't know about the boss of the people that were imprisoned, but I think he or she is very strong.

[ailand]

that sounds like what a god would do ok so we know where the god is and where to throw sacrifices

is there a way to talk to the boss

[muscovy]

But not all gods want sacrifices.

I said that I don't know anything about that boss, yes?

[ailand]

all the good oens do

mm you might have i also might not have paid attention i just assume if i keep askign youll give me the answer i want

i suppose i can give up for now i dont feel very enlightened but ill thank you for this help anyway

muscovy right

ill put you on the list of people i wont kill

[muscovy]

If you tried to kill me, my aunt would kill you, so that is very good for both of us.

[ailand]

depends who your aunt is but sure ill agree with youf or now

[muscovy]

The lady Galadriel.

She is very scary when she wants to be. I don't think that many people on the ship can be scarier.

[ailand]

[Fates be damned, now he's tempted to go harass this "Galadriel".]

are there many fools on her bad side then

[muscovy]

Most people have a functioning head and don't get on her bad side.

[What is daring people to do the thing by telling them that they shouldn't, surely people wouldn't do something they're told not to do.]

[ailand]

[Never underestimate Ailanne's commitment to being contrary, Muscovy. He would likely shoot himself in the foot if it meant spiting someone else. One of his many personality flaws.]

is there a list of things that put someone on her bad side

surely theres one person around whos already pissed her off

[wiped]

Is your comm malfunctioning?

[ailand]

yes

its useless why am i expected to use this

[wiped]

It's how people talk to each other here

[ailand]

is every fool here so ugly they dont want to meet in person

[wiped]

Some shanks are ugly, but it's just a big ship. This is easier than walking everywhere to try to find someone.

[ailand]

if youre not walking everywhere then what are you even doing

whats the point of saving time when theres nothing to do with that time

[wiped]

There's things to do with your time. There's enough jobs here for everyone.

[ailand]

so what im supposed to just walk up to someone and say give me a job

what do i even get out of it other than not drowning in my own boredom food seems to be free and i have my own room