eachdraidh | A1. video. [ open to both courts ]

[ it doesn't immediately occur to thomas that he could probably just communicate through a text system--as far as he knows, the locket is a lot easier to use by video, and so he does. the network is presented with a pair of big, brown doe eyes before he leans backwards a little, revealing a face that could be rather familiar to some--dark hair, a button nose, moles like spots littering his face.

this is not the man you are looking for, however: this is thomas "murphy", and he clears his throat before he introduces himself. ]

Hi. I'm Thomas Murphy, and I'm--kind of a new arrival. I guess they'd call me a greenie if this was back home. [ there's no hint of humor on his face, but he did actually just try and make a joke, and his tone is a little lighter, for it. ]

Can anyone tell me about the Seelie and Unseelie--in your own words, if that makes any sense? What you know about it...you don't have to tell me any secrets or anything, but, maybe why you're there, I guess. [ he's not going to say which court he is (though it's obvious eventually, by the background of caer scima), but he just needs to know. ] Or, if you're okay with where you are. Not that I'm not, but...I don't know. Is there any reason why someone wouldn't be? They apparently brought us here for a reason-- [ again. ] --since we have these "shards", or whatever they are, but I don't have a lot of trust for anybody who says that, because it's usually a load of klunk.

I guess that's all I've got to ask. [ a beat. ] Actually, that's not true. Is there another map around here? Besides the one they gave me, I mean, it's not very good. [ ... ] No offense.

[ thomas is just going to shut his trap now. he almost physically winces and shakes his head. ] That's it, honestly. I'm just going to... hang up now. Thanks.

[ thomas does hang up, and the feed ends--for all of five seconds, before he snaps it back on. ] Oh, wait--also, I want to know if anyone here's ever heard the phrase "WICKED is good." It has to look like this. [ after a second, there's a typed out phrase that appears instead, with WICKED fully capitalized. ] That's really all this time. Um, thanks.

[ click! for real this time. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm not even sure what it's all about. Our shards, I guess?

[ She shakes her head, but quickly smiles back at his awkward one. ]

Yeah, same here. They can't really expect us new people to have opinions on the other side.

When I asked the queen [ and what an experience that was, jesus. ] --she said something about "the end of all things." So, not that different from home, I guess. But if I can keep things from developing in this world the same way they did there, then I'll fight for it.

[ a beat. ] Or maybe cooperate for it, who knows. [ not that the queen made it sound like the seelie were that perturbed with the world ending...he's taking it with a grain of salt. ]

Huh.

[ Her face takes on a thoughtful expression for a moment. ]

I wonder if we all have that in common. The whole "end of all things." It was like that at my home too.

[ Or about to be, with Gaea awakening. ]

Cooperation would be my preferred method, yeah.

[ But somehow she gets the feeling that charmspeaking the kings and queens to make them want to cooperate isn't going to work. It doesn't work on gods, and these royals seem more than just a couple of fancy dressed people on a power trip. ]

You didn't happen to have the Flare in your world too, did you? [ just in case--he has to be sure. she looks a lot like brenda, but thomas thinks it could just be a case of weird clones, like that other guy, especially since she hasn't recognized him or anything.

but, it's worth a shot, anyway. it'd be nice to meet someone else here who understood. someone from denver, maybe? someone who knew what they'd been through. ]

Flare? No. At least not that I know of.

[ Her world has enough problems without adding to it. ]

What is it?

It's a disease. [ that's all the definition he's gonna give on that one. ] It's a good thing if you haven't heard of it. What's ending your world?

Umm, it's kind of hard to describe. Basically an old evil rising again to end things.

[ She shrugs awkwardly. Gaea's hard to explain. She's the earth and the earth wants to destroy everything. ]

I wonder if everybody has a story like ours and that's why we're here.

[ that's actually a really, really solid point, and thomas frowns, thinking about it. ] Like everyone who's world was ending came here? Maybe to save this one, if our own are lost.

[ a beat. ] But, I don't want to believe home's gone. We almost made it to Paradise--we were there, and then I woke up here.

Oh, neither do I! I wasn't saying ours were lost causes or anything. We're going to save them.

[ On that point, she's firm. ]

I just figured if we're determined to do that in our own worlds, that might be why we ended up here.

[ piper gets bonus points from thomas almost immediately on that one. he looks a little relieved. ]

Maybe. That's the best theory I've heard so far, to be honest. If we could save our worlds...then maybe we could save theirs? [ he sighs. ] It's not a terrible reason for a kidnapping, but it's still a kidnapping.

Yeah, totally. So let's hope we can get to this world saving business here sooner rather than later, if that's what's going on. Then we can go home.

[ Maybe. Hopefully. ]

Sounds like a plan. [ he smiles, then, a faint thing for the serious glader. ] I didn't catch your name.

Oh, I'm Piper. You?

Thomas. [ it's not a group b girl's name. at least he can stop calling her brenda in his head. ] Nice to meet you, I guess.

Yeah, same.

[ Including the "I guess." Since they're on different sides and all. ]

I still think it's kind of weird that they let us talk to the opposing side.

Me too. [ when thomas met with the "other side" back home it...did not end well. at all. ] Aren't we supposed to hate each other?

Who knows? I don't plan on it.

Me either. [ a little more of a relaxed look, then. ] Apparently the war goes slow around here, anyway.

I guess that's preferable to the alternative.

[ And she knows all about getting out of one deadly situation only to nearly immediately land yourself in an even bigger mess. Down time is good. ]