exsilium | [video]

[Shelke is sitting cross-legged on the ground outside of the apartment complex, dressed in a purple sweater and a pair of baggy blue jeans, her left arm wrapped in a sling pressed into her stomach. Behind her an umbrella is propped up, shielding her from the drizzle. She'd gone outside to get away from the blackout for a while, and this seemed like as good a time as any to make this announcement.. She's frowning faintly at the camera, as if she isn't certain she wants to be on video but decided she didn't really have a choice.]

...For anyone who knew Cloud Strife, he is gone.

[Her voice isn't quite as empty as usual, there's an edge of frustration, maybe a bit of anger, at a situation she can't control. But she gathers herself up after a moment and reaches out to turn the camera slightly, and behind her is a half-rebuilt motorcycle, which she had been working on for Cloud before he disappeared. Shelke looks even smaller than usual, sitting next to the large machine.]

He left this behind. If anyone wishes to find the remaining parts I need to rebuild it, they may use it as they wish when I am finished.

[And then she turns the camera back to herself, and it looks like she's going to turn it off when she hesitates.]

Has anyone kept a tally on how frequently people who leave here are brought back?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Not yet. We can get to know each other in time.

[And her voice settles back into it's usual dull, almost-emotionless tone.]

If you insist.

I would like to learn more about your world, too, if you don't mind...

[Oh good, something to talk about that isn't her.]

I am the right person to ask.

Really? Do you travel a lot, then?

No. [How to explain.] I have a large portion of the Shinra database within my neural net.

I have only physically been to a few places.

Neural net...? Sorry, but what is that?

[She draws in a slow, slightly tired breath.]

I have the ability to mentally interface with networked computer systems. The Shinra experimented on me to enhance that ability, and I was able to retain large portions of the information I interacted with.

Oh, that's... that's horrible! They experimented on you?

Yes. When I was nine.

[She still looks nine.]

And how long ago was that?

Ten years or so.

Give or take however long I've been here.

Goodness... I'm so sorry.

It does not matter.

[Another slow, tired breath.]

You wished to know about Gaia?

Yes, Gaia... So, I know about ShinRa and SOLDIER, and chocobos. But that's about it.

[She actually smiles. Faintly.]

...You will need to be more specific, I cannot simply start rambling about whatever parts of Gaia seem interesting.

[Well, she could. But she wouldn't.]

So tell me about the magic there.

[She looks distant as she considers where to start.]

Magic here and magic on Gaia follow different principles. Here it seems to be some sort of aberration of the laws of science. There, magic is as much a part of science as anything else.

People are granted magic by exposure to a substance called materia, which is the solidified crystal form of the lifestream that grants life to everything on the planet.

[She slips a hand into her pocket and draws out a fist-sized orange mostly-spheroid crystal.]

This is the only one I have with me.

Magic is genetic where I come from. You're either born with it or you're not.

Do you have any books on Materia I can read?

Anyone can learn it on Gaia. The more powerful types were horded by the Shinra, SOLDIER and Deepground, though.

No, I was about to die when I was brought here. [Or so she had assumed, Cloud claimed different.] All I had on me were my weapons and this materia.

Someone I knew from school is here... He died back home, too. I can't imagine how hard that is to deal with.

I have heard about other people returning from the dead.

[Shelke hesitates.]

Cloud claims I am going to escape. Claimed. But I don't see how it is possible.

Cloud didn't strike me as the sort of person to lie.

None of the information I have on him indicates that either.

But I was trapped by anoth...by one of the Tsviets, Nero the Sable. No one survives that, it's...supposed to be impossible.

There's a spell in my world that no one is supposed to survive either, but my best friend Harry did. Impossible things happen.

[video]

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