001; video; open to all;

[nowthatsfunny]

Okay, I get it. [ Tess' tone is brusque, cool, almost flippant. She feels fucking weird talking into a locket, of all things, but it's been a long damn time since she's had anything like a phone, so hey, might as well try this out, right? ] This place is magic. Fairies, trolls, goblins, whatever. You have 'em. Like some kind of fucking fairy tale. [ She honestly isn't sure what to believe right now, so she's getting right to the point. ] I just have one question for you. Cordyceps. Have you heard of it? And more importantly, is it here?

[ Tess glances aside for a moment, her eyes flashing with - fear, maybe. Not that she would ever admit that. ] Because I can live with magic and shit if there's no infection to worry about.

[ Whatever 'living' might entail here, anyway. ]

Comments

video.

[brainiest]

I've never heard of the Cordyceps before -- and I don't think it's something here? At least, not that I've heard warnings for.

[ She tilts her head, pausing. The language is a little crude, but - ]

Is it something you suffered from?

video.

[nowthatsfunny]

It's something everyone suffers from.

[ If you think you're getting her life story, you've got another thing coming!

But given that she hasn't turned yet, in the few days she's been here, and if it doesn't seem to be a thing that exists, well... ]

video.

[brainiest]

Oh. Well, um, I don't think it's here. No one else has mentioned it, at least, and there's nothing that the faeries have talked about either.

[ And Hermione's been here for -- well, a long time. She knows. ]

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[thebreakingwave]

I've never heard of it and, as far as I know, there's no infection here. I mean, people do get sick and all, but there's not one thing?

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[nowthatsfunny]

This isn't the common cold, no.

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[thebreakingwave]

I don't know if it's the good news you want to hear, but I think this world is free from whatever you're asking about. There's all sorts of other terrible things, so it might balance out.

[ That's not helping. ]

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[willpower]

Cordyceps? I haven't heard about it. Sounds pretty bad... is it a disease?

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[nowthatsfunny]

Something like that. Something you don't want to know about if you don't have to.

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[willpower]

G-Got it. [sounds like something painful, she probably shouldn't pry]

So... this is good news, right? Looks like no one else has heard about it either.

[poeticend]

[ Ah, so she's from Riley's world. ]I haven't heard anyone mention it. It's like they don't even know about the infected. It's some weird shit.

[ Weirder than the magic and fairies, honestly. Riley never thought she would ever end up somewhere there wasn't the risk of turning into a mindless zombie. ]

[nowthatsfunny]

[ Someone who knows what she's talking about? Wow, that is... kind of a massive relief, in a weird way. God knows Tess feels weird having to explain herself to people. ]

Yeah, I... I don't get the impression it's made an appearance here. I don't know what that means. [ What it means for her, anyway. ]

[poeticend]

[ Riley shrugs a little. ]

Who knows. [ Riley half suspects that it's out there, lying in wait. Part of her dosn't know how to believe there's somewhere in the universe safe from the virus. ] We'll just have to enjoy the peace while we can.

video;

[fakers]

I haven't been here long, but I've heard of nothing like that.

[ he pauses, thinking for a moment before adding: ] Though it must be quite something to worry you to such an extent.

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[nowthatsfunny]

Who says I'm worried? I'm just makin' sure my bases are covered. [ Tess is good at sounding flippant, but she's probably still not fooling anyone. ]

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[fakers]

Of course. [ he's not sure what the difference is, but there's no reason to question it. ] So what do these cordyceps of your's do? I imagine you aren't afraid of a simple fungal infection.

[playmakings]

[ Infection? Cordyceps? Kelsi wrinkles her nose. ]

I didn't really pay attention in science class, but--I don't there's any infection. Or if there is, maybe the magic thing works and keeps it at bay?

[nowthatsfunny]

A magical cure, wouldn't that be nice. Wish someone had thought of that twenty years ago.

[playmakings]

You weren't aware of this place twenty years ago, either. Or magic, from the sounds of it. [ Her voice is as gentle as she can make it--she had a feeling the girl she was talking to was a little rough around the edges, just not That snippy. If she can handle Sharpay, she can handle an adult. Right? ]

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[gandere]

Then I suppose you can live with magic and shit while relaxed.

[ Surely by now she's been told there's no such thing. What does that word even mean, it sounds so absurd. Something vaguely about being a fungi rests in her mind, but she doesn't really speak on it. Reading it flippantly in a book in class one day doesn't make her an expert. ]

What sort of fairy tales are you familiar with? I haven't read one that involved a war of this extent in my life.

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[nowthatsfunny]

I'm perfectly relaxed now, yeah.

[ Okay, not really, Tess doesn't really know the meaning of the word relax. But whatever. ]

I really couldn't give two shits about a war, not my problem. Or fairy tales, for that matter. They were never my thing.

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[gandere]

Oh, but you should keep it in mind. After all, there's a whole other side who will be out for your blood if given the order to, miss.

[ Bowing her head at that. ] I forgot to introduce myself out of concern for your well-being, please forgive me. I'm Rin Tohsaka, from Japan. My English is well-spoken considering I was in London for a foreign student program in chemistry.

[ ... but she didn't know about Cordyceps thoroughly. Might not be the brightest science studier here. ]

video.

[mixcds]

[Oh, hello again. Kieren looks vaguely uncomfortable. Maybe it's nothing; maybe people just got sick in her world. But zombie tropes are one big ping to him, like he's got to attach a disclaimer to his chest sorry for the zombieism. ]

What kind of infection?

[Because it was dark, when he met Tess. But his room his fairly light, the blue of his lips is obvious now. He always looks worse the later it is at night and the earlier it is in the morning. ]

video.

[nowthatsfunny]

Why does it matter? If it's not here, it doesn't make a difference.

[ The kid definitely looks sick or something, but he doesn't look like the infected. ]

voice; just before joel finds ellie on the network!

[shittybirthday]

[ There's a silent, tense pause. The sound of something akin to noises of the forest can be heard faintly in the background. The pause goes on for a few seconds. And then, a deep voice, vacant and stunned with a kind of incredulous shock quietly speaks: ]

...Jesus Christ.

video; NEENER SHE'S STUCK ON VIDEO

[nowthatsfunny]

[ Tess's face goes slack with sudden shock at the sound of his voice. She did not expect to hear it ever again, after all. ]

Joel?