oo1 || Video

[freezerburned]

Well, it's not much, but at least there's some direction. And it gets you away from the things going down in your... world for awhile.

[Yeah, the whole 'world' thing is a pretty new concept. Not quite sure how he feels about that one.

And really, not that he's generally one to look on the bright side- but where Isaac comes from, getting away from his world means getting away from the 99% of the population that seemed to want to kill him at any given moment. And with the added bonus of the whole missing-slash-fugitive status gone? It's enough to at least give this place the benefit of a doubt.]

So I got the official story- what's it actually like here?

[Simple, a little bit demanding.]

Anyone?

Comments

[whatsupcroc]

For a long while, even. What's going on back home for you?

Anyway, welcome to -- un, I guess Exsilium. Future London! Where paper's a precious resource and technology's barely made it out of the 90's into the early 2000's in most cases. Totally weird, if you ask me. I'm Collette! As far as what it's actually like here, that depends on what's happening at the time. It can be really exciting. Oh, and dangerous, or ridiculous, like most anywhere else, only we've got a built in mega dictatorship happening off the island and we're brought in to work dangerous plans in time by a group that seriously doesn't seem to know what it's doing.

[freezerburned]

Oh, you know- high school, power struggles, monster attacks.

[He shrugs.]

Future London. Got it. Mega dictatorships. [Holy infodump there. But it was really just what he was looking for, and Isaac takes a deep breath.]

Is everyone else here an idiot, or do I just attract people like that?

[whatsupcroc]

[ His question sets her off laughing. ]

I don't know, could be a little of both! But really, people aren't dumb for the most part. They're just not sure what to focus on, and talking on this network is one of the few we mostly have figured out. Which means everyone shows off their worst and brightest at different times. Lately there's been more of the worse and less of the best, I guess.

You mentioned monsters. What kind of monsters are we talking about?

[freezerburned]

[That gets an easier smile from him, and Isaac nods.]

Well, I guess it seems like a pretty brutal place. Can't blame people for going a little crazy.

[Such is life. At the monster question, he just... sort of sheepishly shrugs.]

Maybe I as exaggerating a little. We've just had a series of animal attacks recently- mountain lions, wolves, things like that.

[whatsupcroc]

Mountain lions? Wolves? Where are you from, the North-West?

[ She's genuinely curious -- because really? Sure, they had a few wolves down in California because whatever Animorphs does what it wants, but most the wolf problems were further north than California. She thinks. Maybe. And they weren't back east, were they? He talks like he's from some part of the States.

Possibly. ]

[freezerburned]

California, actually.

[Where a total natural wild string of completely normal wolves have invaded.]

Beacon Hills. Have you heard of it?

[whatsupcroc]

[ She blinks in surprise, shaking her head. ]

Not off the top of my head. Where's Beacon Hills?

[freezerburned]

It's in the Northern part.

[He shrugs.]

What about you? Earth, I'm hoping?

[whatsupcroc]

[ She grins, nodding. ]

Earth, and California to boot. I'm down south though, right near L.A. What's the year for you?

[freezerburned]

2011. You?

[whatsupcroc]

[ She can't help it -- her jaw drops. ]

Awh man, is everyone from the future? It's 1998 for me!

[freezerburned]

Wait, seriously?

[That's just a little crazy.]

So you don't, like... have a cell phone or anything?

[whatsupcroc]

Why would I? I'm fifteen, not thirty. And not rich, on top of that! I didn't even have a personal computer forever.

[ Actually, this probably counts as her first that's all hers, and not a shared PC. Is this even a PC? Semantics! ]

Why? Do you?

[freezerburned]

Everyone's got one.

[He laughs a little. That's kind of cute.]

Mine doesn't work here though.

[whatsupcroc]

They do? Oh man, why'd I have to come from the stingy years?

[ She doesn't seem to mind -- looking more amused than anything else -- if the idea is one she hadn't touched on yet in talking with people from the future. Franziska pointed out that there were e-readers and the like, but cell phones being super common and in the hands of teenagers and the world at large?

Kind of scary, and kind of fun. ]

It came with? I'm starting to think I was one of the only people who showed up here in next to nothing, with next to nothing. Just my luck! I'd love to see this nonfunctional wonder of yours sometime. They did manage to make cell phones look less like bricks that far into the future, didn't they?

[freezerburned]

[He nods and starts digging through his pockets, pulling out a small device- just a standard, rather cheap smartphone. The screen is black, and when he turns it on, it has no signal, but the screen is bright for now.

He wiggles it a little in front of the camera with a smirk.]

I don't have the charger, though- it'll probably die if I leave it on for too long. I had it in my pocket when I was transported here.

[whatsupcroc]

[ Collette leans forward, staring at the screen over the eye of the camera on her netbook. Woah, that was a phone? None of the ones she's seen look anything like that! ]

You're sure that's not a PDA?

We might be able to find something to work as a charger, or get someone to build one. Like Tony Stark! Though your phone might take up flight and shooting lasers afterward. He has a way with technology.

Ask about his toaster oven sometime.

[ It's great. She promises. ]

What's your name, future boy?

[freezerburned]

Maybe, but there's still not much point. There's no signal at all- I guess the satellites or cell towers or whatever aren't configured for this kind of signal.

[He frowns.]

Not really surprising. I might as well trash it at this point.

[But! At the question, Isaac rubs at the back of his neck, a little awkwardly.]

It's Isaac- Isaac Lahey. But 'future boy' has a nice ring to it, I think. You?

[whatsupcroc]

I'm partial to future boy. Then again, I am the one who said it.

[ She winks, well amused with herself. ]

Collette! I'm Collette. It's nice to meet you Isaac, all things considered. There're probably way less stressful ways to meet people from all different times, but here we are! It's exciting, and a little scary.

Where have they got you living around here?

[freezerburned]

Collette, then. Alright.

[Well, they're getting somewhere, at least.]

Well, I'm staying in room- [Rechecking it really quick] -403? So I guess that's... on the fourth floor. Haven't explored much.

[whatsupcroc]

403? Seriously?

[ She finds herself laughing again. Hey, that was rich! She'd never gotten a chance to meet their third roommate before -- now she and Lym were getting Isaac. ]

All the apartments are three bedrooms, and the view from the fourth floor isn't bad for being here in the general Hold area. You might like it! We've got the elevator just down the hall, and then stairs, too. The main lobby to this place isn't half bad. If you want to get to the training gyms, they're right near-by. They've got a great pool on top of whatever else is stashed away for their army of kidnapped and armed refugees.

Oh, and one other thing.

[ She gives him a two fingered salute, tapping her fingers on her forehead before flicking them toward the netbook. Her lips have curled up into a particularly amused grin. ]

Nice to meet you, roomie.

[freezerburned]

[He nods, sort of taking all of that in and... well, it doesn't sound too terribly bad. He's never really had roommates before, save for the whole... abandoned subway with Derek and Erica and Boyd thing, but actual, nonwerewolf roommates are something that he isn't sure he has much experience in.

Still. Better than where he was before.]

Oh! You live there too? [A nice little surprise- she's probably the least-strange person he's met here so far, at any rate.] I guess I'm in luck, then. Any bad habits I should know about?

[whatsupcroc]

I like talking and I have little to no respect for privacy eighty five percent of the time?

[ She winks, seemingly teasing. How much of that's truthful remains to be seen. ]

Not really, no. We're living with a Queen -- Lym, she's younger than us -- and about the only annoying roommate request I have is you don't leave things lying around on the floor. Any chance you know how to cook?

[freezerburned]

[He offers her a tight-lipped smile, still not quite sure about this whole roommate thing.]

Privacy might be an issue. I'm fond of it.

['Fond' might be putting it lightly. Sorry, Collette, but your new roomie turns into a bloodlusting psychopath once a month and any time his heart gets set racing. So good luck with not frustrating him.]

But I'll keep my stuff to myself. And my cooking is... not the best, but I can survive with it.

[whatsupcroc]

All three of us are so going to need to learn how to cook something half-way decent.

[ She blithely ignores any statements on privacy. Better to not make promises she might not keep -- if she was reasonable. She'd always knock first. ]