( text )

[mallarkey]

[ He doesn't actually really like text; he's not great with technology and there's bound to be some spelling/grammar errors, but right now he trusts typing more than his ability to keep a professional tone. So be it. ]

Hi.

First things first this isnt going to be a lecture. Tensions are high enough and Ive barely been here long enough to have the whole history down yet. (Working on it) Besides, you've already herd plenty of it. So this isnt about that.

[ Not overtly, anyway. He's trying to do the "subtlety" thing. He's not taking notes or anything. ]

I'm Doug by the way. Mostly I'm trying to figure everything out still, you know. That sort of thing. I'm a curious and openminded sort of person wich is why I have some questions:

1. Whats your favorite thing about being here?
2. And least favorite thing?
3. If you had to make up 1 rule what would it be?
4. Why's the coffee so bad & Are there vending machines (where)?

Thank you thats all.

Comments

[mallarkey]

Way scarier. To bad they dont drink coffee, we would have no problems at all.

[anklets]

clever!

[mallarkey]

You think so? Thank you.

Itd be nice if it was only that simple.

[anklets]

we'll just have to do our best with what we're given!

[mallarkey]

Right. Cant be that hard. We are in a war, we already know to have our wits about us.

[anklets]

that's a good outlook to adopt. keep it.

[ makes it less depressing, kind of ]

[mallarkey]

I can do optimistic. As long as its also realistic.

[anklets]

then certainly hang on to it
i've seen "being realistic" drain too many people of their optimism

[mallarkey]

I seen it too. But I like to win.

text -> voice

[anklets]

[This stirs in her. She knows there's more than one way to take it but there's only one way she wants to, so her fingers hover and then switch, and she voices herself firmly over the line:] Then let's win.

voice

[mallarkey]

[ He's surprised enough that he doesn't bother changing it back to text. With appropriate fervor: ]

And we will win. Grab that victory and don't let it go.

[anklets]

[He sounds- older than she'd expected, having simply come to reluctant terms with the schism which exists here, between the young and the grown, those with faces no older than hers and the rarer few who sometimes look as though they've been to war once before already.]

And then we can go home to rest.

[ some of them ]

[mallarkey]

[ The problem with voice, of course, is his skepticism is harder to hide. He can think about how her own voice sounds and how crap of a situation this is; anyone might be stuck here. ]

If they let us.

[anklets]

[For the time being, everyone is.]

They'll let us. [ oddly cool ]

[mallarkey]

[ He's quiet for a moment. While he doesn't believe she can really know that for sure until it happens, he's not going to say so. ]

Yeah -- could be. It's what we're here for, right?

[anklets]

[ softly: ] Once we've won there shan't be anything left to do but to learn to send ourselves back proper.

[mallarkey]

Learn to do it?

How'd we know if we won?

[anklets]

That's the struggle, isn't it? How do we know when we've accomplished what we've been brought here to do? Until we do, we can't risk drawing attention to our homes. [ she takes a breath here but doesn't do anything with it for a moment ] The Initiative tried to return someone home once, not that long ago. The United Earth followed them. So we can't do anything until that threat is gone.

[mallarkey]

... Oh. [ He pauses. ] Makes sense. Last thing you ever want is your enemy knowing where you live. Never has a happy ending.

[anklets]

Haah. That's right.

[mallarkey]

How many times has that happened? Just once?

[anklets]

[ this is said with an odd twist, not quite wry, nor critical: ] We've only dared try the once, but the United Earth is believed to have snuck into all our worlds before already.

[mallarkey]

So for all we know maybe none of us got anything to go back to. Something like that?

[anklets]

There has always been that risk, but I don't believe it to be the case.

[mallarkey]

How would you know either way?