five; video --> voice

[boughtabookstore]

[ Video for a moment. Roslyn's bent over the netbook, frowning. She doesn't look nearly as put together as normal, her hair shoved back into a messy ponytail as she rubs at her forehead. Her room behind her is a mess, none of the organization people who had visited her before would have seen. She realizes the video is recording almost immediately and sighs, clicking a button to switch it to voice. ]

I've noticed a significant uptick in people asking for the nearest bar. I believe someone out there is working on some sort of welcome booklet, but for now -

Welcome to Exsilium. Here's how you have a drink.

[ just before she disconnects ] You'll need it.

[ And attached to her post is a text list of the bars in the hold, question marks by the ones she hasn't been to and a few words' of description by the ones she has - size, activity levels. Well over half of them have descriptions. ]

Comments

[blondejokes]

Well they're wrong. Just like last time, people will figure out what's happening and this time we might not be so forgiving to them.

[boughtabookstore]

Someone assassinated one of their generals last time. I wouldn't call our response forgiving.

[blondejokes]

How did they take that?

[boughtabookstore]

They backed down for the time being and gave into our demands for the hallucinogens to be removed, claiming that it hadn't been authorized by the top people.

It wasn't a good time.

[blondejokes]

It doesn't sound like it.

If they weren't lying, then maybe some of the lower-ranking officials are trying to get rid of us for some reason.

[boughtabookstore]

Perhaps.

Personally, I think they're just inept at their work and don't know how to win us over.

[blondejokes]

That, too.

[boughtabookstore]

You haven't been here very long, have you.

[blondejokes]

I've been here for two days. Pretty obvious, huh?

[boughtabookstore]

It starts to be easy to tell after a while.

Welcome to Exsilium.

[blondejokes]

Thanks.

How long have you been here?

[boughtabookstore]

Six months and a little.

[blondejokes]

That's ... a really long time.

[boughtabookstore]

I've been here since the very beginning.

I guess it is a long time.

[blondejokes]

The beginning of the Initiative bringing people here, you mean?

[boughtabookstore]

Yes. There were several of us brought in together at first, and since then a steady flow.

[blondejokes]

Really? It doesn't seem like there are that many people for how many you say have arrived since the beginning.

[boughtabookstore]

I believe there are somewhere around a hundred of us currently.

Quite a few have disappeared.

[blondejokes]

Disappeared? [ That sounds ominous. ]

Have there been any attempts to find them?

[boughtabookstore]

We've looked, but they seem to just vanish.

Working theories are either that they cease to exist or that the Initiative sends them home.

[blondejokes]

That's ...horrible.

[boughtabookstore]

Nobody's very happy about it, no.

[blondejokes]

There has to be some record in this city. Of people dying or...being sent back.

[boughtabookstore]

No one's been able to find one yet.