oo3 » voice. forward dated to sunday morning.

[notbeth]

[ Oh look, another person is fumbling with the tablet today. There's a short capture of the grey sky and a glimpse of bright red hair before a "clunk!" sound can be heard and a panicky-- ] Oh no! Did I brea-- [ The video stops there.

Several minutes later, the audio comes on. Whether it's by mistake or choice, who knows. You can still hear the rain coming down heavily and then a young girl's voice speaks up. The same one who was panicking not too long ago. ]

Hello? Is there anyone who can hear this? Hello? I'm-- [ her voice is almost hard to make out in the rain, so she talks louder: ] I don't know how I got up here and I'm stuck! Somebody on the street told me they were gonna come, but it's been forever and it's cold and raining and-- [ She sounds cold, tired and scared. ]

Can somebody come and get me down from the roof? [ A beat. ] Please?


[ ooc: max will be retrieving her! otherwise all network replies will be icly delayed by an hour or so. ]

Comments

[notbeth]

[ Ew, no kid should be eating like that. She folds her arms, looking unimpressed. ]

Why're you all dirty?

[ Beth was always kinder to the younger kids. Kate doesn't know if she can channel that. ]

[brattyantivan]

I hate baths. [Zevran wrinkles his nose. He has multiple issues with baths. Sharing the bath with the other kids was no fun, the water was usually tepid or already dirty. But he'd prefer that to the alternative. A nice bath with scented bubbles and scrubbing meant he was being made to be presentable, and that was never a good thing.]

What do you care?

[notbeth]

[ She wrinkles her nostrils. ] Ew.

I don't! I just think it's gross.

[brattyantivan]

So?

[Zevran crosses his arms.]

Scared to hit me or something?

[notbeth]

I'm not scared! [ Does he want to get hit? ] You just look terrible!

[brattyantivan]

Right, right. I'm smelly and ugly and a lazy, useless elf. [Zevran has heard it all before.]

If I win the fight, I want your overcoat.

This place is very cold compared to Antiva.

[notbeth]

That's not what I-- [ She scowls. ] Fine. [ Not like it's hers anyway, so no harm, right? ]

So that's where you're from?

[ Is she prolonging this because she may feel bad for him? Maybe... ]

[brattyantivan]

That is so. Antiva City.

It's much warmer than this. I never thought about it, but I guess it's warm all the time there.

[Zevran is suddenly distracted. He's never been far from home before. He's dreamed of leaving, sometimes, but not like this. Not like this, where it's cold and it's filled with nasty shem girls.

Except she hasn't hit him yet, and she looks like she could. She looks like she could grind him into the cobblestone.]

[notbeth]

[ She can feel her anger slipping away. He's a jerk, but not an entire jerk it seems. She really does feel bad and it seems like he's in the same position as her: lost in this strange new world. ]

It doesn't snow?

[brattyantivan]

...Sn...ow?

[Zevran may have heard the word before, but it's unfamiliar.]

[notbeth]

[ Well, he must be from tropical place or something if he's never seen it. ]

Yeah... white stuff? It's cold and wet and stays on the ground.

[brattyantivan]

[Nope, Zevran is still totally confused.]

Wet and cold? Like rain?

You're pulling my leg. [He snorts, and crosses his arms.]

[notbeth]

No, I am not! It sticks to the ground for months when it's cold. Sometimes it freezes and becomes hard. That's what winter is.

[brattyantivan]

...Is that like the monsoon season? [Zevran looks at her like she's growing another head. But good job, he's forgotten about fighting for the moment.

He pokes at the ground with his toe. Bare feet. He figures it's going to be a problem if it gets cold.]

So there's ice on the ground? That sounds crazy. Are you from the Anderfels?

[notbeth]

No, not really. [ Then again, what does she know about the monsoon seasons in other countries? She's only heard about floods and other problems on the radio or TV when they're happening.

She's long forgotten about wanting to push and hit him, too. This other world stuff is... curious. ] Yeah! And no-- I mean, I don't even know where that is. I'm from America.

[brattyantivan]

All I know is that they're big mountains, a whole country of them.

I've never heard of America.

I guess it is true what they say about us being from different worlds.

[And he peers.] Or you are making it up for some reason.

[notbeth]

It just sounds like a story. [ The different worlds bit. It makes her feel so much smaller when she thinks about it. ] And I'm not! Ask anyone else and they'd tell you about snow.

[brattyantivan]

Why would I ask them such a thing?

You are a strange girl.

...I think I like it.

[Even as a kid, he flirts.]

pinches his cheeks

[notbeth]

[ That goes right over her head. ]

Because then you'd know it's true.

[brattyantivan]

And if it is? There is no snow here.

[Zevran toes the ground. Snow would be terribly cold on his bare feet. He's glad there's no snow, it sounds wretched.]

[notbeth]

Maybe their winter here is different.

[ She looks at his feet-- maybe for too long. Ugh, she feels too bad to even fight with Zevran... yet. He looks like he came off the streets himself. ]

You're going to get sick.

[brattyantivan]

I am not sick! [Zevran's voice raises in panic. If illness can be staved off with volume, he's well on his way.

But in spite of his insistence, the boy doesn't look well. He's skinny, bruised and scraped from being manhandled, dirty, clad in little more than rags. All things he thinks very little of until he realizes how shabby he must be compared to Kate.

Zevran fidgets.]

Well, if we are not going to fight, then I am out of here. I am tired of your ugly face!

[notbeth]

[ Kate jumps. ] What's your problem?! I'm trying to be nice you-- weird eared kid!

[brattyantivan]

Then why would you say I will get sick? I don't wish to die! [That's what even the slightest illness means, after all. Zevran is cagey, seriously just considering the old shove-and-run. But something in her voice, the sincerity, keeps him rooted. She doesn't seem like she's being genuinely nasty, but he's not sure he can tell the difference.]

How is that nice, your horrid girl?

[notbeth]

I'm not saying you're gonna die! [ Who even jumps to that sort of conclusion? She eyes him strangely, still fuming at his last comment. ]

You'll catch a cold, stupid!