text; un: graham.casner

[casner]

Hello. My name is Graham Casner, and as we all seem to be stuck here for the moment, I'd like to get a headcount and collect a few other potentially useful details. A record of who's here will let us know if anyone goes missing, and the benefit of cataloging what skills we have amidst the group should speak for itself.

In my day to day non-bullshit life I work as an adventure/survival guide; while I can't say for sure how much call we'll have for those services consider me on call for any questions about how to use what we have on hand. I also possess some experience in basic home maintenance, though for anything beyond simple electric/plumbing issues you're out of luck.

To sum up: please reply with your name and any skills, abilities, or otherwise you see as beneficial to our survival. Don't discount what might seem frivolous at first; creature comforts can go a long way.

Thank you for your time.

Comments

[legbreakings]

Unfortunately, no. She is a cultivator, she has a spiritual sword, but she has never been much of a fighter. Wei Wuxian and I were supposed to protect her and then she would marry well and be safe.

[ Nobody had been expecting that a war would tear apart the cultivation world and force her on the run, or that their family to end up meeting on the battlefield, with Yanli, who loved them both, caught in the crossfire. And certainly, nobody could have expected for them to end up in a place built only to torture and kill them. ]

It didn't go as planned.

[casner]

[ A pause while Graham falls into a pit of cold terror at the thought of like, any woman he has ever known reacting to that sentiment, merciful Christ.

But moving on:

He types and erases and retypes several variants on I'm sorry, mostly for how that's such a fucking inadequate response. Sounds like your world is as shitty as mine, my condolences. Got any tips on how to sleep at night or live with yourself while you're awake?--then, you know, disregards all that. ]

There's some saying about how men make plans and God laughs, which is all well and good if you're talking about a fucking souffle falling. In my experience no one ever applies it to anything so trivial.

What's her name? I can teach her some things, if you'd like. Not enough to qualify as seasoned combatant, exactly, but enough to have a fighting chance.

[legbreakings]

She shouldn't need to fight.

[ She shouldn't - but he remembers Nightless City and how her body had gone still in his arms while her blood soaked his robes. ]

But I haven't been able to protect her even in our world.

Her name is Jiang Yanli. It will have to be her choice. I don't know if she wants to. She doesn’t remember what happened. Or for her, what will happen.

[casner]

None of us should, but as things stand now it's dangerously naive to depend on should.

[ which begs certain questions his brain answers without so much as a by your leave--rosa would fight. before anyone so much asked, she'd be ready. it was one of the things he counted on to keep himself level in those never ending pitch black tunnels; if she wasn't going to give up, he had to be at his best to match that. ]

Still--no one learns well when they're conscripted into it. Either way I can still share what I know with you.

There is one condition.

[ go on, ask. do iiiiiit ]

[legbreakings]

[ Squint.

SQUINT. ]

Speak! What do you want from me!

[casner]

You're not the only one who'd appreciate a few more weapons in his arsenal. Show me how to use a sword and we'll call it even.

[legbreakings]

[ Oh. That. That is actually quite reasonable.

He deflates sheepishly. ]

I can do that. Just make sure you don't cut your own foot off. That's never happened to any of my students and I don't want you ruining my track record.

[casner]

[ Oh, this he has to hear. ]

Has it happened to other people's students. That sounds like a feat of coordination in and of itself.

[legbreakings]

No sect would ever admit to embarrassing training accidents but what do you think is going to happen when you give a bunch of bored teenagers sharp weapons to play with and no better entertainment?

[casner]

Remind me never to piss off any of your bored teenagers.

[legbreakings]

They are mostly harmless.