[audio/action]

[allagain]

[audio]

--this button, and then it should start broadcasting? [ The next sentences fade in and out as G'raha flips his tell phone back and forth to look it over. ] Did it work? I can't tell, but I did follow the instructions to the letter, so I must presume it's working and proceed accordingly.

Ahem!

Hello! I am G'raha Tia, and I am but recently arrived to this world. I am given to understand that this device will put me in contact with others in the same situation. I understand that not much is asked of us, but given that we are all in this together, I would very much like to get to know you all. If you would rather meet face-to-face, you can currently find me near the apartments we have been so kindly provided. It should prove quite easy to spot me, as my feline features seem to be vanishingly rare among the populace here.

And now, let's see, it should be this button that--

[action]

[ Sure enough, G'raha can be found near the apartments, sitting under a tree and dutifully reading the user manual for the tell phone. ]

Comments

[Audio]

[monochromatically]

[Mono got a little frustrated with the tell-phones sometimes. They were staticky when he used them, though that probably had more to do with him than it did with the phones themselves...

But it was nice to be able to talk to people and learn more about them before he went strolling up to say hello. So, G’raha would be met with a very young voice that was a little garbled by static at times. That might come off as a little spooky, sorry.]

Um... I think you hit the end button on your call?

[As an afterthought, he remembered that G’raha had mentioned wanting to know about the other people in this situation.]

... I’m Mono.

[allagain]

[ Static? Is something interfering with his signal? Back at his tree, G'raha gets up and starts walking around in search of better reception. ]

Yes, so people could respond to it.

[ Gotta hit post before he can get comments, as it were. ]

Have you lived here long, Mono?

[monochromatically]

[Sorry, G’raha. If anything, the closer you get to the grey building where the kid lives, the worse it’s going to get.

Mono’s ability to track time isn’t really good, he’d never really bothered to count days before given the way his world worked. So he hummed a little, the static crackling a bit as he responded.]

More than a month... I think?

[That seemed like the best guess.]

[allagain]

[ Weird, but G'raha doesn't know enough about how the tell phones work to guess why that might be or how to address it. ]

I see. And do you like it here so far?

[monochromatically]

[Mono doesn’t need to think about that question for quite as long, it’s not a hard one. Still a bit complicated, but he didn’t need to get into that.]

It’s nicer than home, and people seem like they’re good here? [He paused for a moment, considering what else might be helpful to add.] But it’s still sounds kind of scary sometimes... So don’t go to the docks.

[That seemed like an important warning, right? New people might not know about that yet.]

Action

[kree_soldieress]

[Lauri-Ell had not heard the message over the Tellphone. In fact, she had not remembered to collect her Tellphone from her room when she had left for work that morning. So it was that the woman, a heavily muscled, blue skinned woman who stood nearly six and a half feet tall, came up to the stranger. She knew that manual, and from her experience someone reading the manual to something was new.]

Good day. Do you require assistance?

[allagain]

[ G'raha gets to his feet when he notices that someone's approached and addressed him. At a mere 5'3" in a world where some people easily break 7 feet (and, coincidentally, can also be blue and ripped as hell), he's used to looking up at people. ]

Not as such, no. I am but recently arrived, but thankfully, it seems most of the necessities have been covered. However, I would be glad for any advice you might be able to offer.

[kree_soldieress]

[At least she would be glad to know there are other massive, strong, blue people out there. It would please Lauri-Ell.]

Advice? Have you looked into work yet? It's a good thing to have, for food. Oh, and hot chocolate is very tasty.

[allagain]

[ The aside about hot chocolate takes him by surprise, and he can't help but let out a chuckle. ]

Yes, I'm fond of it, too. But it's the matter of work that concerns me more at the moment. Is there an Adventurer's Guild or something of the sort here?

[kree_soldieress]

Ah! You know hot chocolate then. It is a very wonderful drink.

[She was delighted someone else enjoyed the drink. Lovely.]

Adventurer's Guild.... Perhaps you mean Hunters' Lodge? They gather to talk and eat and discuss hunts.

audio

[soulsword]

What do you want to know about us?

[allagain]

Whatever you might feel comfortable sharing. Your name and how long you've lived here might be a good place to start.

[soulsword]

I have answered to many names. I have been stuck in this place for...[ she hums thoughtfully as she tries to recall specifics. ] a little more than half a year.

[allagain]

Do you have a name you would prefer that I call you? Or a title, perhaps?

[ He spent an entire century going exclusively by a title he didn't even pick, he's not gonna judge. ]

[soulsword]

The Darkchilde, Sorceress Supreme of Limbo. [ A pause ] Illyana will do though.

[audio]

[hellofishies]

Hello, G'raha! That's a pretty name. I'm Arkady. Did you say you have kitty features?

[allagain]

[ Over on his end of the phone, G'raha's kitty ears droop. "Kitty" is so undignified.... ]

Ah, yes, my ears and tail are very cat-like.

[hellofishies]

Cute! [ She might feel bad if she knew it was undignified to be called a kitty. For now though she just seems innocently curious. ] Do all your people have ears and a tail? Or just you?

[allagain]

[ His people are mighty hunters and they're not cute--oh who is he kidding they're adorable. But you can't just say that!!! ]

All miqo'te have these features. They are what make us such great hunters compared to the other races.

[action]

[chaosvessel]

[G'raha Tia was not wrong, his features were strange, and they'd caught the attention of the resident scout. No one really knew he scouted for everyone else around here, but he did, and he informed them when something was amiss that needed to be called to his attention.

He could sympathize with the confusion about the functions of the Tell Phone. He'd slept for 30 years in his own world, and technology had advanced without him. He'd also been told he was too withdrawn here, and so here he was, seeking the shade himself, crossing his arms and...not speaking, at least not at first.]

You're a newcomer.

[Yes. That's not withdrawn at all, Vincent.]

[allagain]

That's correct.

[ G'raha doesn't mind some brusqueness. He can be friendly enough for both of them! To wit, he stands up and bows as he introduces himself. ]

G'raha Tia, at your service.

[chaosvessel]

[While once Vincent would find the other man's appearance strange, he's since become accustomed to strange peoples.]

Vincent.

[He pauses for a moment before looking down at G'raha's phone.]

You've never had a phone before.

[It's a statement, but also a question.]

[allagain]

[ G'raha hesitates before he answers--not because the question is in any way difficult, but because he's just noticed that Vincent has bright red eyes that match his own. It's-- It's mere coincidence, surely. The Allagans existed only on the Source. There's no reason to think this man is connected to them without further evidence. His ears flutter while he tries to rid himself of the thought and get back on track with the conversation. ]

...Yes. Yes, that's correct. We have ways of communicating at a distance where I'm from, but they can hardly be compared to this.

[action]

[tessellatedflood]

[Not much time at all passes between G'raha's message and Noah emerging from the apartments with spring in their step. They quickly spot him, and skips on over before extending a hand in greeting.]

Hello! My name is Noah!

[allagain]

[ Such enthusiasm! Such a fine name! G'raha's ears and tail automatically perk up a little as he gets to his feet and accepts the handshake. ]

A pleasure to meet you, Noah! I am G'raha Tia.