[The beautiful sound of silence, an open feed clicking on with nothing to follow.

But then there is a low chuckle. The clearing of a throat.] My, my! Quite the predicament.

I can’t say I’m too thrilled with any aspect of this… arrangement, but it’s been intriguing so far. Explanations have been exceptionally succinct as well, I must admit. All that’s left is to take a moment to dwell on what I’ve learned, soak it all in. Quite a lot for an ordinary man to take in, you must already know.

[…]

Hm... There is one dear, troubling problem.

I just don’t room with anyone like some common vagrant. So these two other ‘Transports’ assigned to share unit 1409 best vacate the premises and find other lodgings for the time being. Certainly you understand, no?

It’s not negotiable, I’m afraid.

[ Look who managed to figure her tablet. The setting is just outside the city. ]

Okay then, let me see if I got it right.

[ The camera focuses on the girl with the long, wavy dark hair and the calm expression. A little too calm for a newcomer, maybe, but Ella has seen some shit, really. ]

Different world, the future. We’re on a mission to save something or other from someone or others, right? And we travel through time? Am I tripping? I’ve never done drugs, so I can’t really tell if I’m stoned. Seriously, I just saw a guy twice my size with a sword as big as myself.

[ Better play it cool, better not say out right she has seen far weirder. You can never be too sure.

Ella looks back, as if she could still see the guy she was talking about, and keeps talking. ] So, they let me walk out of that building with a bag of marbles and I just walked myself into the city…town. Slums? This place looks like crap, no offense. Are we going now? I could really use a distraction.

[ A beat. ]

Can I go to the bathroom first? My bowels aren’t all that interested on time travel just yet.

[ Don't forget to check her permissions post! ]

[ backdated to earlier in the day before the ship crash ]

( locked ⇢ text )


[ video; ]

[ The video feed comes on, and if her surroundings look familiar to a few Transports, it is because she is currently sitting in NORA cafe, treating herself to a milkshake as she munches on a piece of candy. ]

Hi! I was wondering if anyone who knows Barnaby Brooks Jr. has seen him lately, or if they know he is for sure gone? I haven't heard from him lately, nor seen him...

[Bette is on the network right away, as soon as she’s understood how to use the tablet. Never one to sit around bored or alone, she’s immediately setting out to make connections, to try to prove herself, to show that there’s a reason as to why she was chosen to be here. After all, it couldn’t just be pure chance, right? This was it. This was her moment.

The screen crackles to life and there’s Bette, her mask on, her eyes shining bright from behind her sunny yellow lenses. Any confusion, any worry has been pushed aside to be dealt with later. Right now, she’s just happy to have been chosen to help save the world.]

You know, I’m gonna say it. This place? Not so different from Gotham City. Okay, sure, there’s no creepy architecture, but the stink, the darkness, the gloom, the doom, I’m already getting a sense that it’s all here.

Not gonna lie, that’s kind of why I miss SoCal. Which may or may not even exist anymore, as I understand it?

But that’s besides the point for now.

[There’s a brief pause as Bette contemplates something.]

So, who wants to hang out? Explore? Show me all the stuff that needs to be shown? And, you know, if there’s like anyone here who considers themselves a Titan, Teen or otherwise, drop me a line or something. So we can do, like, a Titans get-Together thing.

I was just about ready to introduce myself like everyone seems to like doing on this thing. And then the housing building went and got hit by a... spaceship. What the hell is going on!? And... it may not have been mine for very long, but my room's gone with the explosion! Where... where am I supposed to live!?

[There's a long pause; the girl looks about ready to tear her hair out, before looking back at her tablet again, a faintly panicky look on her face.]

Is this normal?

A space-ship crash? I would think there would be plenty of better ways to greet new Transports. Even things like unsightly roommates or dingy floors rank secondary in overall effect now.

[ And he'd just started getting acquainted with the place, too. He could have never imagined the biggest source of disruption would be a radical destruction of his entire complex.

A hazing experience to rival all others, he supposed. ]

Well, I'm impressed by the hospitality here. Do events of this magnitude happen regularly?

( ( encrypted to shinji ikari, asuka langley soryu, rei ayanami; 70% ) )

[Jaime chooses to use the video function for a couple of reasons: the first is that he’s really, really hoping that someone he can trust will be able to recognize his face if not his voice and the second is that he hopes others will use it too. He doesn’t look happy in the slightest, but he also doesn’t look quite as terrified as he probably should be.] Hi. I guess I’m supposed to introduce myself here. I’m Jaime.

Uh, I already got the run-down from that spooky-weapons-lady a little earlier, but I’m guessing I didn’t get everything about this place because all this? Still makes no sense. So if there’s anything I should know... [He trails off, gaze diverted up into the sky. He tears his eyes away from whatever he's looking at to address the network again.] Aaaanyway, I'm starting to get used enough to this place that I know I'm not gonna make it home in time for dinner anytime soon, but I still want to hear how legit all this is from people who don't actually benefit from spoon feeding me this in--

[He's staring up again. There is a definite boom, and Jaime's eyes widen as he ducks his head as if that will somehow protect him from any debris] Did that spaceship just explode--

[Fade to black as Jaime unceremoniously shoves the device into his pocket, though he does announce his apparent survival a little after the hubbub is wrapped up with the voice-only addition of:] Next time I say I'm even starting to think about getting used to this place, someone should probably hit me. Are exploding spaceships just a thing here?

Well, isn't this just peachy. As if we didn't have enough fucking work to do without an actual disaster situation coming down on our heads.

[Adrasteius glares into the feed, his pale, thin face looking a bit haggard.]

Folks, my name's Adrasteius, and I'm the guy in charge of our clinic. Emphasis on ours, mind you. If you were injured in the crash and you need medical attention, please let me know immediately. I can come to you, or I can send you someone else.

[He huffs, runs a hand through his hair. He's already been running around ever since the spaceship crashed, tending mostly to the natives caught in the blast. Sweat beads his throat and forehead.

His voice is a little hesitant when he goes on.]

On another note, for the safe and waiting and bored... Due to my work here, and bullshit like this, I haven't really gotten a chance to explore the surrounding areas. I'm not asking for the weather report out there or something, I just need to know--have any of you with the skill sensed any natural magic in this land?

[It might be a long shot. It probably is a long shot. But he's at least got to ask.]