exsilium | Entry II

[The sight that appears on your device's screens is that of a wall of smoke, and hopefully you had the speakers turned down because the fire alarms they use here aren't exactly pleasant on the ears. For a minute that's all there is, smoke obscuring vague shapes and the sound of the alarm screeching its head off, but if you stick with it you soon see a shape start moving in through the black clouds, the sound of coughing audible under the alarm. Finally, Reya emerges from the smoke, her hand over her mouth.]

Enough!

[She gestures and shoots two little red orbs off in different directions. There's a loud crack and the sound of glass breaking, and suddenly the alarm disintegrates into static, and the smoke starts to lessen, just slightly. A gust of magically conjured wind speeds it along.]

May Ithilids starve themselves on the brains of whatever sadist designed these infernal machines!

[She turns back to the camera, wiping soot from her cheek.]

I'm certain the one who wrote the instructions on the back of our food is either long dead or not very concerned with my plight, but I would like to inform those providing it that not every world uses whatever absurd system you people have for measuring the passage of time.

[Coughing as she tries to take a calming breath]

Since I find myself with the choice of continually risking burning down my residence, starvation, or throwing myself upon the kindness of others, I am hoping some among you might be willing to explain 'minutes' and 'seconds' to me, as well as the proper use of this 'mi-crow-wave' device?

Also, to those living with me, I apologize for the mess, [She glances over her shoulder] and the window. I'll clean it up as soon as I'm able.

[OOC: Basically, Reya tried to use the microwave, and coming from a world where time measurement is based on people's best guess she made a botch job of it. Roommates feel free to action tag]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There are different kinds? Oh that was a stupid question, of course there are.

One of the dinners. Clearly it wasn't supposed to be warmed for 42 minutes, I must have misunderstood this absurd time recording system they have here. Why does one even need units of time this specific?

How could a highly civilized society survive without specific measurements of time? [He tries to think of an example that would be relevant to this apparently highly archaic society from which this woman apparently hails.]

Did people not hold meetings, where you're from? That's just one such example.

By not worrying so much about when things get done, and devoting our energies to making sure they are simply done properly. [Also magic. Magic helps a bit]

Of course we do. We meet at half noon, or first light, or midday, going by the position of the sun. In the larger cities we would schedule our meetings based on the toll of the bells or the announcements of the temples.

And just how large were your largest cities?

100 to 200,000 souls of various races for a truly large city.

The city I am from contains almost four million people. [ And that's not counting the metropolitan area in its entirety! ] Thus, accurate and precise time-keeping is a necessity of my society.

Tymora's grace, how do you not suffocate under all those people?

... By building upwards.

Ioth ithquenti, another city of towers. I hope yours don't fall down as often as ours do.

As a matter of course, there are regulations in place to ensure that they do not.

And somehow you manage not to slaughter each other? You must come from a truly wondrous land.

There are regulations in place to prevent the likelihood of that happening it as well. I am a prosecuting attorney; it is my job to ensure those who commit crimes are brought to justice.

Ah, a member of the city guard then.

[She nods, she's worked occasionally with them before, though they never seem to be very good at their jobs unless it involves making her life difficult.]

[ This terminology is baffling. ]

A guard and a prosecutor are two entirely different professions.

[She's fairly sure her system is a lot simpler]

Either you have a fair deal more scholars and nobles than we do, or your courts must be very busy.

After the introduction of the Initial Trial System, all trials are limited to three days in length. That ensures timely turnaround.

Three days to judge a man's innocence or guilt, hm?

That's correct. Frequently, it is guilt and not innocence.

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