aterat | 1 Open Voice & 1 Open Log

Entry tags:

1 Open Voice & 1 Open Log

Who; Móno and you!
What; 1 Open Network & 1 Open Log
Where;He’s hiding out at the Historium
When; March 13th
Warnings; Will edit if anything happens!

Voice - Tell-phone

[He’d never seen anything quite like this before, phones were so much more stationary in his world. All plastic-paperweights with their round dials... He doubted the viewers even used them anymore. It reminded him more of the remote control in a way, but their functions were very different.

Eventually Móno figured out from the instructions that it was, indeed, a phone. Did he want to talk to anyone here? It might help figure a few things out... It’s not like anyone could come through the phone, right?

Actually, that was horrifying and not outside the realm of possibility given what he’d seen happen in his short life. So he’s going to ignore that thought and tuck it away for later.

A small voice comes through the feed. It’s definitely young, but it has a weird static buzz to it. Maybe there’s something wrong with the phone?~~There isn’t.~~ The static does give it a slightly eerie quality, but the questions that come through are innocent enough.]

Hello?

...

What’s it like in the colour buildings? [Yes, he’s hidden away at the nearby Historium.] And why’s it so foggy still...?

[Things are so rarely what they seem from his experience. It seemed kind of shady to him.]

Historium - Shelves are for climbing...?

This place... The Historium? It looked like the library in the school. Books scattered and piled everywhere, the organization so... disorganized. Not that he cared much for that, it wasn’t like he was paying too much attention to the books on the shelves.

Sure, he might glance at them now and again, but he had his priorities. This place seemed like a good place to hide. It was so big, and the shelves seemed stable enough to scale if anyone were after him. Móno was good at climbing, after all. Just like he was good at darting around quickly and quietly.

Although he did find himself looking over his shoulder once in a while, unable to shake the feeling that teacher might be there behind him... But after a good hour of wandering, there didn’t seem to be anyone here outside the other people browsing. No monsters waiting to attack, no one waiting to jump out at him.

He felt safer the longer he was in the building without incident. It was warmer than outside and he certainly wasn’t sure if he trusted the ‘grey building’ he apparently had a key to that was nearby...

But there was one last way to make sure this place was a good spot. Looking up at a particularly tall bookshelf, Móno jumped at it and began scaling it quickly. The kid clearly intent on making it to the top, which would be the perfect vantage point to just double check and make sure there was nothing scary beyond the areas he’d searched.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[Sam answers the message and his voice is soft and calm since this person sounds young.]

Hi...are you new?

Yes...?

[They sounded like another adult... Not the one he’d already met, though.Which he knew wasn’t strange really, there were lots around the city from his exploring the last couple days. It’s just weird to be having conversations with them... But if you want answers, you have to talk…]

Who’re you?

I'm Sam....it must be scary to be in a place you don't know.

[Sam keeps his voice even and calm.]

Are you somewhere safe?

[A hum filtered through the static,]

Do you find it scary?

[It was scary... In some ways it was very scary, but he was also used to things being rather frightening. It was just... a different sort of nightmare than he was used to dealing with. At least it was so far, and he was more than a little worried about the fog, it reminded him of home.]

I think so... Seems safe right now.

[Clearly the child was of the mind that it could change.]

Like any sort of dorm or group housing. Uninteresting. Unremarkable. [ Which she actually appreciated in some weird way. It was familiar. ] The fog is most likely hiding something. Or bringing something in.

[Well, one of those things was definitely a relief. At least... by her words and tone it was. His own experience with such places was rather different.]

So it’s safe there?

[The static interference was all that was left for a moment, he was thinking. Thinking rather nervously about what she might mean by it brining something in.]

What could it bring?

As safe as anywhere else here is. [ It's not precisely an uplifting way to phrase it, but she's not one to focus on sugar coating things. ]

That is something we have not been able to figure out. I was taking bets for a while. Maybe another demon bear.

[Hmm... Well, he’d rather hear it like that, rather than someone play it off to be better than it was. Better to be prepared, just in case. So they probably weren’t bad, but he’d keep his guard up.]

Okay. [He mumbled back a moment later, turning his attention to the more disappointing topic. The fog.] Never seen a demon bear before. [He’s not sure he’d want to either. People were scary enough.] ... Is it normal for things like that to appear?

[Maybe it wasn’t what he was worried about then. That would definitely settle his nerves... at least a little.]

Edited (HTML darn it) 2021-03-18 21:19 (UTC)

They are more comfortable than some shared housings I have been in. [ Finding positive things to say really was not her strong suit. She did try to sound a little more encouraging with that though, tried being the key word. ]

I would trade you. I have seen one too many times. They get boring. [ Maybe she should be more grateful for the more boring enemies she found herself against. ] Does anything about this place seem normal? [ She pauses for a second. Maybe that's too harsh. ] Things happen once a month. Different things usually.

Seems weird to y’know... keep everyone together? [He mumbled back uncertainly. He wasn’t sure what the last ‘shared housing’ situations Illyana had been in were like, but his had been... not great, and he’d been running ever since. So he was very hesitant to just waltz into one here and stay like a good little kid.

Mono knew he’d have to do a thorough search of the ‘Grey building’ that he had a key for. The whole ‘colour’ thing was weird too, and the fact that he was in the ‘grey’ building was nagging at the child.] Do the colours mean something?

I don’t know... I think I’d have to see it to think about trading. [Plus, he’d have to decide what to trade for it... At least he already knew how to deal with what was in his world aside from the man in the hat...] Like what, a different bad thing every month?

Maybe it makes us easier to keep track of. Or maybe it's meant to force us to form bonds. [ That last one she said with a slightly strange chuckle. She was fairly certain that was a reason behind her previous housing situation. At least partially. It was more than likely a mixture of lack of space and wanting to force the kids to bond in some way. Or something like that. ]

Hmm, good question. That I'm not certain of. They seem to mean something, perhaps a way to categorize us by some attribute we all posses? [ There was just a speck of curiosity in her now. For some reason she'd never thought much on the colors and the assignments. Perhaps she was being too complacent. ]

Ah, too bad. Here I thought we could make a deal. [ Now that just made her sound like a demon and she kind of felt very weird about that. Weird and skin prickly, so she quickly moved on. ] The demon bear came with strange creatures that possessed people and made them have a different personality. There was a ball and celebration of some sort that had several tricks inside of it. One was something that made people forced to share and tell the truth. It was unfortunate.

First one makes sense... [Because in his experience people forming bonds just made them stronger. Things had gotten a lot easier once he teamed up with Six, or at least it had been less lonely, which had made the difference... And you went and lost her. His brain reminded him, which he promptly pushed aside with a distressed, annoyed little sound.

Focusing on the colours instead, he wondered if that was the case. It took him a moment or two to respond to that, puzzling over her words a little before he finally had to ask.] Maybe? What colour did you get?

I don’t think anyone would like what I could trade, anyway. [Mono responded with a surprising amount of certainty to the whole ‘deal’ idea.

Illyana’s explanation was both kind of scary and interesting. It was plain to him that as pretty and different as this world seemed compared to his that it was also quite dangerous... Which made it a little worse, seemed easier to let your guard down if things didn’t look dangerous, he’d have to be careful.

But he’s also gotten a little distracted by the second event she mentioned.]

A ball...? Like out of stories? [Did people dress up all fancy and dance? The kid was definitely imagining something out of a fairy tale, he’d seen them in the odd book that was lying around in the school. Mono hadn’t really had time to stop and read them in entirety, but he’d glimpsed them the odd time he stopped to catch his breath.

But perhaps it wasn’t like out of stories, it sounded more like a trap by her description...] Making you say things you don’t want to... I don’t think I’d like that. What other tricks did they play on you there?

[Congrats, Illyana. You’ve got the kid’s curiosity more focused.]

Red. [ She paused for a moment and then chuckled. ] Oh, one never knows what another may like for a trade.

[ But who knows. Who knows about anything in this place. Or at all anymore, really. ]

Are balls only in stories where you're from? [ How strange. Even in her own world they exist. Usually as things only the wealthy took part in, but they happened now and then. ]

Mmm. There was mistletoe that kept people coming into the ball in place until they kissed the other person there. Minor inconveniences like that, it seems.

[Hmm... Red, he’ll keep that in mind. And no, he didn’t volunteer what colour he’d gotten, even if he probably should have out of fairness. He’s still feeling a little uncertain and cautious on that front.

The idea that one might not know what another person might like to trade for is met with a slightly skeptical sound from the kid,] Maybe...

[But the subject of balls is so much more interesting, and so there’s a rustle of paper breaking through the static as he adjusted the phone.] I think they are? At least... I don’t think they’d happen in the part where I was.

[The idea of all the adults (the viewers and... others) gathered together in a monstrous ball was kind of scary. Then again... Who knew what things were like beyond the signal’s reach. Maybe there was a part of the world that was nicer than his. He liked to imagine it sometimes, just before catching a quick nap.]

That’s really weird. [His nose scrunched up a bit, imagining people being forced to kiss to get into the ball. Definitely didn’t sound like fun between that and the other trick she mentioned.] Doesn’t really sound like the kind out of stories after all.

Were you in a bad part? Or just a boring part? [ She'd never expected to go to a dance again. Demons definitely weren't the type to throw fancy parties. Back home there'd been a dance or two with some of the other teens but then things had gone to hell again. Literally. ]

Weird is one way to describe it. It might have been funny if I had been on the outside. [ It definitely would have been funny if she hadn't been affected. Alas, she had been, and so she was just irritated. ]

I think it was a bad part, but I’ve never been far enough away from it to say what the other parts were like. [And he certainly couldn’t remember being bored. Tired of the way things were, maybe, but never bored.] ... It was foggy like this place too.

Would it? [Standing around watching people awkwardly have to kiss one another still sounded more weird than entertaining to him, but then again he hadn’t been there. Maybe it would have been funny. The fact that the woman indicated she’d been on the other end of things caught his attention after the fact.

The static gives way to a curious, almost comical half whispered tone.] Did you get stuck like that?

I see. It must be strange to come to somewhere new then. [ There's a hint of sympathy in her tone now. He sounded...young and she certainly knew what it was like to be young and taken to another dimension. ] Did the fog hold bad things in it?

[ She made a sound like a 'hmph' under her breath at the question. ] Perhaps. [ A pause ] I was also unfortunate enough to eat the truth meringue. I'm not fond of having secrets forced from me.

It is, everyone here is really different from there. [So very different, and he wasn’t entirely sure he could trust it. He was likely going to spend a few days just watching and following the odd person around to see if they were what they said they were.]

No, but I think it came from a bad thing, and never goes away. [He’s not entirely sure, of course. All he knew was that the thick fog here reminded him of there, and the concerns that whatever the signal tower was had reached this place as well was a scary thought. It had called him, and that had ended up in a mess. If it followed him? Not good.

There is silence for a moment, perhaps sounded a lot like yes to him.] I don’t think I’d like that either. Secrets aren’t supposed to be shared unless you trust someone, right? [Having to share them sounded like a recipe for disaster.]

Different in what ways? [ Despite the fact that the question was born of curiosity her tone sounded fairly flat. It was just that she was extremely bad at expressing herself. Maybe that was actually an understatement. ]

I see. It seems most fog like this either comes from bad things or hides it. Or bit of both. [ What a strange thing to think about. Maybe fog was just a universal bad omen. ]

And some secrets are never meant to be shared at all. But this place decided differently. I preferred the copy of the demon bear to that.

[There was a childish little sound, thoughtful in a way that suggested he was trying to compile a little list in his head. This was, perhaps, easier to talk about. Better than asking about him, at least.] Lots of ways...? Everything was a lot bigger there. [Yes, this place was big too, but not in the same way. Everything had towered over him there, almost exaggeratedly so.]

Everyone here still has their faces, too. [... Okay, admittedly that might have come out with too normal a tone from the child. It was a blunt honesty though, only a select few ‘adults’ still had faces where he was from.

He agreed with her about the fog, but was absently worried about the whole this world ‘decided what should and shouldn’t remain secret.’ What if here were more traps like that? Then, the topic of the bear was back again. Or... the copy of it?] It got copied too?

That doesn't seem hard considering we are isolated to this one area. [ Though, supposedly, this one little city was all that was left. Illyana was not certain how much she actually believed that.

Wait. What did he just say? Now that was something strange for someone to say. Strange and disturbingly morbid. Where exactly had this boy come from? ] You seem strangely comfortable with the idea of faceless people. [ Perhaps he meant it in a less literal way. ]

Yes. It was something from my world and yet not that something.

It’s easier to reach things here too. [He was still smallish here, but not having to climb as high to reach some things was nice.

He paused at the next comment, a rustle of paper through static as he tilted his head slightly. He wished he meant it in a less literal way, but unfortunately not.] It’s not strange... [He responded in a slightly defensive tone. Mono got that it wasn’t normal here, but he can’t really help that. He was thinking better of having mentioned it now when he was thinking of things to list off that were different.] It’s what happens there.

[Hang on a moment, now it was his turn to get hung up on what Illyana said. He’d thought he meant there was more than one demon bear here... That was... a problem to him.]

The demon was in your world and something like it showed up here? [Yep, he sounds anxious now.] Do you mean that other things like stuff from our worlds could appear?

Reach things? [ There was a touch of confusion in her voice and just the tiniest bit of curiosity. ]

Why does it happen there? [ Illyana wasn't used to having to ask so many questions from people. Or about caring about asking questions. That was the strangest part. To be curious enough to keep asking questions. ]

Perhaps. I cannot be certain but it would make sense given the appearance of the demon bear. It was an entity from my world I was very familiar with. This one was a strange...copy.

Yeah, like counters and doorknobs and stuff? [Opening doors without dragging furniture or find other creative means was truly an exciting experience for the kid since he’d arrived. On the one hand, Mono was resourceful and had gotten very good at climbing. On the other hand, it was a pain when you were in a rush.

Mono wasn’t sure about continuing this particular line of conversation... But Illyana was asking, and she didn’t seem to not believe him, so his defensiveness relaxed a little.] Um... I’m not sure. But I think it’s the thing that controls the signal in the tower that does it with TVs? First, they watch too much, then it takes their faces while they watch. Then it takes the rest of them.

[Mono shuddered a little bit at her explanation, that was very bad...]

Oh... Hope nothing like the stuff from mine gets copied here.

[Because faceless people were not something he wanted to see repeated, nor did he want to see any of the other things that were in his world show up copied in this place.]

What makes them easier to reach? [ A hint of curiosity peaked through her voice and then that curiosity turned to sympathy from what he said next. ]

That sounds quite...unpleasant. [ It sounded like something that could happen in Limbo, something similar had happened with faces being taken. It hadn't involved tv though. ] They do say TV rots the brain.

[ She made a contemplative sound and couldn't argue with that sentiment. ] From what you have just described it sounds like we should all hope for that.

They aren’t as tall here. I have to climb on chairs or have help from a friend to open doors in my world. [Well, he did still have to stand on the tips of his toes or climb on things sometimes to reach shelves and stuff... But doors and store counters? Those didn’t give him much trouble now.] Everything is really big in my world, or at least I think so compared to this one.

[He was pretty sure TV rotted more than the brain, if what he saw in the tv were anything to go by. Which definitely made his weird tv portal powers a bit of a point of concern, but they were useful and there wasn’t anyone he could ask about it in his world.

At that point, Mono hummed a little in agreement...] Yeah, it’s kinda scary... But at least there are no TVs here. As long as there aren’t any, it would be hard to copy it...

I see. [ Well, not really but she can at least pretend to. ] Are there bigger people in your world as well? [ At least that would make more sense. ]

There is a chance something from your world could arrive. It seems as though that does happen.

[That gets a rapid, quick nod. Which, of course, is silly given they’re on the phone. But he responded a moment later,] Uh-huh, most people are very tall. Some more than others... but everyone else is big enough to get around the city easily. I think that’s something else that the thing in the tower might do.

[Or maybe it was a side-effect, or maybe that was just how everything was. It was hard to say, given how little he knew about it. There wasn’t even anyone left to ask who would talk to a kid.]

That could be really bad. [On the one hand, TVs might give him a way to help his friend without going back (A childish wish), but on the other if the thing in the TVs was just a normal occurrence? Not something that would help a place that was trying to rebuild. Mono definitely didn’t want to see this place become like the Pale City...] They really shouldn’t’ve brought me here if they want this place to get better.

It seems the thing in the tower does quite a lot. I hope you are able to find a way to rid yourselves of it. [ Though it sounded like he did not know much about the tower himself, so the likelihood of him doing something might be low. ]

The same could be said for me. It makes you wonder if they are handpicking people or if they broke something and people are being brought in with no thought.

Thanks, I’m trying to figure it out... [Or he was before he got here. There was so much the child didn’t really know for sure. What he had learned had only presented more questions and lost him the one friend he had.

The idea of things being broken did kind of make sense in a weird way... Maybe they couldn’t control who they brought, maybe they didn’t mean to snatch him at all...? Then again...]

Do you think they picked people that could make things worse?

Are you? What a brave one you are then. [ Her tone doesn't sound patronizing there but rather encouraging and more gentle than she usually was. It took someone with a strong will to stand up to what seemed like a bad situation. ]

No, I do not think they want to make this place worse. I just do not think they really know what they're doing.

I’m trying to be... [But he really wasn’t sure how brave he could say he was, all things considered... Stubborn might be a better word for it?]

That’s not good either, can be just as bad if you don’t know what you’re doing. [That was spoken from experience. Messing around with something he didn’t fully understand hadn’t gone well at all.]

Trying is often all one can do. Many run away at the slightest sign of difficulty. [ Though she couldn't say much on that, she tended to teleport off without warning when things got a bit too emotionally difficult. ]

Precisely. It seems that they messed with some sort of device here in an attempt to send us back and it failed. The end results appears to be that they have made things potentially worse.

That’s what happens when you mess with a thing you don’t understand... [There’s a frown in his voice as he spoke.] Hope they get it fixed before anything like my world happens.

[The kid guessed that was just one more thing to worry about, but at least he had a better idea of what was going on here... Better to know than to be surprised.] Thanks for telling me stuff, miss... [Oh, wait.] I’m Mono, um... What can I call you?

I wouldn't count on that. I don't have much faith in them to fix much of anything. [ When she had spoken to one of them they'd seen very annoyed at her mention that they were messing with things they clearly didn't understand. It left her without much faith that they'd be able to accept that they may have messed up themselves. ]

I realize not much was good news, but preparation is better than surprise. [ At least she thought so. ]You may call me Illyana, Mono.

[Mono had a feeling that she was right, honestly... If they broke it in the first place, how would they know how to fix it?

But there’s another rustle of paper as he shook his head when she continued to speak. She was right, there was very little good news, but at least he could be prepared. Surprises were not fun where he was from.] I know what to expect, and that’s kinda good?

[Meant he might be able to keep from getting into too much trouble... Maybe.] Thanks, Illyana.

[And the fact that she’d told him as much without really sugar coating it? Meant she was definitely going to be one of his favourite people here. He didn’t expect to be coddled, he just wanted to know what to be ready for in a place like this. He’d looked after himself for too long to expect anyone else to. And the very idea just felt... unrealistic.]

[ She pauses for a moment before choosing, in a rare moment of helpfulness, to offer more up ] There are dangerous creatures in the forest, I would suggest avoiding it if you cannot defend yourself. I have heard that there are also undead in the sewers.

[ Just a few extra tidbits. ] You are quite welcome.

[Considering his track record with encounters in the forest... He’d definitely steer clear of there, but the sewers were good to know. He’d snuck around down there in his own world once or twice. ]

Forest and the sewer... Got it.

[Seemed an awful lot like a bunch of places aside from some of the city were dangerous though, made you wonder how safe the other places really were.]

I’m gonna check the grey building then... Bye, Illyana.

[He was at least polite enough to say bye, as abruptly as it was. But the kid had some exploring to do now that he knew his ‘new home’ was at least not considered dangerous.

... But he’d definitely be pestering Illyana again in the future, at some point.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

1 Open Voice & 1 Open Log

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

voice

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject