vestigenet | 8/10 video; un @facelikeyours

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8/10 video; un @facelikeyours

[It takes him a moment to get the phone to balance well enough so that it shows his face, instead of just the ceiling. He's managed to prop it against a few cans of food, and seems satisfied with the result.]

Uh, hello. I guess if I'm showing my face, I might as well introduce myself, even if this channel isn't secure. Which it probably isn't, but -- anyway.

My name is Doctor Simon Tam. I just arrived here a day or so ago. I'm still... adjusting to this place. It certainly is interesting. I guess... if any of you require medical help -- I don't have my kit with me, but I'll do the best I can. I'll be around, if you need to find me.

Um, thank you? [Not knowing what else to say, he ends the video.]

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[ She'd thought she was just dreaming his voice in her head.

But it's real. He's here, her brother. Her Simon. She might cry. ]

You boob, [ she announces instead. ] You're welcome.

[He switches the video back on, like he might be able to see his sister that way, somehow.]

River? Oh, god, you're here too? Listen, we'll figure this out, okay? We'll figure out how to make it back home.

Just -- tell me where you are. I'll come find you.

There's a lake and a shoreline. A sunset happened but darkness has prevailed, for now.

Easier to come find you.

You're probably right. You're much better at that sort of thing than I am. [He doesn't mention her... intuitiveness. He's fairly certain she knows what he's talking about.]

I'm in a cabin by the lake. It smells -- terrible, in here. Everything is covered in dust and it looks like most of the food in the fridge is rotten.

It reminds me of where we stayed, when those villagers decided to make me their doctor.

Did you get a cake? The hats cry their songs it's not good or suggested.

[ It won't take her very long to make her way from the shoreline to the cabin he's in and knock on the window. ]

I got -- a very rude cake, yes. The hats got thrown in the trash. Touching them was... unpleasant.

[But not long after he sends his last message, there's a knock on the window. It hasn't been long, maybe a day or so for Simon, since they've seen each other. But he still rushes out the door and wraps his arms around her, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her hair.]

Mèimei... Are you okay? How long have you been here? I don't know how time works here, just that I woke up and I wasn't on the ship anymore.

A sunset or two, [ she says, burrowing herself into his arms. She'd had a nightmare, or maybe a memory, of a low tech hospital and Simon's name on a medical chart she didn't read, and that had left her feeling what she'd thought were just echoes of her brother's thoughts and feelings.

Instead, she's discovered that he's actually here, and she's simultaneously very glad and very distressed about this. To wit, she makes a small sobbing noise and curls even further into her brother's arms. ]

Nothing new broken or harmed. [ She pulls away a little to wrinkle her nose at him. ] We might be on Earth-that-was.

[At the distressed noise, he holds her tighter, rubbing her back, petting her hair. Pressing a kiss to her forehead. Anything he can do to help soothe her.] I've got you, River. I'm here now, and nothing is going to happen to you.

[Though her comment makes him blink, confused.] Earth-that-was? But it dried up centuries ago.

Promises you can't keep are dangerous, [ River murmurs, because Simon can't stop anyone from hurting her, not really. She's not sure she can, she's been hurt so much and so often. ]

But that's where the person said we are. The tech is old and weird. [ She takes her phone out of her pocket. ]

The person -- do you mean the pamphlet? [He'd given it a glance, but he'd been more concerned with finding his sister than anything.]

I noticed that, about the tech. But it works, at least. It helped me find you.

[ River frowns and shakes her head. She knows nothing of a pamphlet. ]

It works. But how does it work? How can this still work in the now? [ She opens her phone to the post she made and points out the messages with user: @OA. ] They said it's probably Earth.

[People have the strangest names here. But there are more important issues to deal with. Like the fact that they're on a planet that was abandoned centuries before they were born.]

So... we've what. Gone back in time, somehow? We woke up in the past, and on a different planet?

Unknown and unquantifiable? [ She shrugs. ] A hole in space/time, maybe, to bring so many people from so many verses here.

Oh this is... fantastic. [It's dry as anything, and Simon looks like he might resort to swearing at some point soon.] To what purpose?

It's not shiny. [ River closes her eyes and shakes her head. ] Nothing good for us.

[The use of the word shiny makes him smile a little, and he presses a kiss to River's temple.] Shiny, huh? Someone's been spending some time with Kaylee.

But you're unfortunately probably right. Nothing good for us. [She usually is, and that's what troubles him.]

Kaylee is good. Sunshine and an afternoon breeze through a window, a sweet just cool enough for eating.

[ Kaylee likes her. Well. Mostly. When she's not being disturbed or scared by River, anyway. She misses the mechanic, suddenly, the ship and its certain uncertainties. She felt safe there.

She doesn't feel safe here. Even in Simon's arms. ]

Kaylee... certainly is all that. Though I don't think she'd like being eaten.

[If someone knew Simon well, like River does, they'd notice the blush at the tips of his ears, the heat at the back of his neck when she talks about Kaylee]

Wouldn't like it if she tried. You - different tale for telling.

[ River pinches the edge of his ear with a smirk. She knows that Simon likes Kaylee. She also knows that his way of courting a girl is too...froofy for the kind of girl Kaylee is. One day they'll get it together. ]

I thought we agreed not to resort to cannibalism right away. [His voice cracks, betraying the direction he's trying not to let his mind go in. Pure thoughts. Good thoughts. Kaylee working on the engine.

... no that's not helpful.]

Mmhmm. [ River makes a knowing sound and pats her brother on the cheek. ]

One day you'll tell her, and she'll be happier for it.

[ Not this her. Kaylee her. ]

Hey, Simon. [ Here is the face of a cheeky 15-year-old, and a wave, too. ] Welcome to, uh...wherever this is. Nice to have a doctor around, since there's so much dangerous shit.

[ To say the least. ]

Anyone give you the tour?

Dangerous... stuff. Great. That's fantastic. I'm so excited to be here. [It's all deadpan, dry, though there's a look of mild panic on his face.]

No, I haven't gotten a tour yet. I've mostly just stayed in my cabin. With the party hats.

I know, right? We all are.

[ Also deadpan. Her world isn't great, to say the very least, but at least it's familiar. ]

Party hats? Damn. You're lucky. [ There's an amused scoff. ] Well, I guess let me know if you have any questions. Y'know, whenever you're done partying.

No, I can say for certain you don't want these party hats. They're... fleshy. It's disconcerting. To say the least.

I have a lot of questions, but I don't know if anyone has answers. Why are we here? How are we here?

Oh, what? Gross. [ "Fleshy???" That..........is something. ]

Uh...yeah, not a lot of answers, like you guessed. "Not sure," and "no idea." But there are a lot of people here with magic powers, or whatever, and they might have a better idea. I'm more from a place where this whole thing is only really possible in a dream. Maybe also if there's a crazy serial killer involved.

If it, uh, helps you feel ... better? You didn't tell them something they didn't already know. Welcome, I guess. Nice to have a doctor here, because it looks like we'll need it.

Wonderful. None of that is ominous at all. I did assume from the uh, very helpful pamphlet that anonymity wasn't really going to be possible here. Glad to have that confirmed.

You're welcome. I'm Rhys, by the way. I'd offer to help more, but we've all just been here a month at the most, so everything is kind of new.

That's still a month longer than I've been here, Rhys. Did everyone who's here just... wake up here?

From my understanding, yeah. No one remembers how it happened.

[ honestly, it's pretty debatable that anything in this place is secure ]

It's about time you got here, Doc. [ it's not meant to sound like he's was waiting for simon, specifically. but having an actual doctor around could certainly come in handy in this place ] But I suppose it's better for you to be late than not be here at all.

[ five's expression turns a little pensive, then he just shrugs his shoulders ] Personally, I'd say this place is total bullshit, but interesting is a good word for it too.

[Simon arches an eyebrow -- his version of a surprised expression.] I didn't realize I was being expected?

"Interesting" was the most diplomatic word I could think of at the time. At least we have cake? [Though he sounds doubtful that that is, in fact, a good thing.]

Well actually less 'expected' and more 'hoped for'. Unless you're actually just some dentist or something whose title makes him think he's a real doctor who can practice real medicine.

[ five smirks and rolls his eyes ] I wouldn't worry too much about being diplomatic here.

[ he looks over his shoulder at the cake that showed up for him, sitting off-screen somewhere ] Even when it looks like they're being nice, they're assholes about it.

No, no. I was a surgeon, where I'm from. Though who knows, I might be able to pull a few teeth in a pinch. [Simon's attempt at humour, folks.]

Edited 2020-08-14 03:55 (UTC)

[ five wrinkles his nose and shakes his head ] Maybe it's best that you stick to what you know.

[ as a bit of an afterthought, he decides to add: ] I'm Five, by the way.

[ simon introduced himself, after all ]

Your name is... a number? [Maybe he shouldn't judge. Maybe Five is a perfectly normal name where Five is from] I mean, no. That's fine. It's nice to meet you, Five.

It sure does sound that way, doesn't it? [ well that's a nice thought, simon! sadly, it's as abnormal as one might imagine ]

Nice to meet you too.

I'm sorry, I'm still adjusting to... everything. Do you know where we are? I don't think I've ever been on this planet before, the terrain is completely unfamiliar.

It's a lot to adjust to. [ he actually sounds a little sympathetic when he says that ] Well, if you want to believe the helpful pamphlets they provided us with, this is an apocalyptic version of Earth.

[ his brows furrow a little as he leans in toward the phone ] You're not from Earth?

No, I'm from a planet called Osiris. Where I'm from -- or more appropriately, when I'm from, Earth had been used up for centuries.

Osiris, huh? Never heard of it. [ not that five expected to have, since his own home isn't exactly flush with other inhabitable planets, as far as he knows.

also great. they save the world just to have it go to shit anyway. well, at least simon's version of earth does ] When are you from? How long has it been, exactly?

It was 2518, last I checked. Earth was completely vacated by 2110, though my history knowledge may be a little rusty. But I'm fairly certain it was around that time.

Shit, that's only one hundred years. [ which means they could almost feasibly be from the same place, just a different time ] One hundred years to potentially fuck up the entire planet and leave it.

Well, let's just hope that used up planet you're talking about isn't my Earth.

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8/10 video; un @facelikeyours

voice; @girl.albatross

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& video to action ;

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video; un: brick.master

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[Video, @atlas]

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video ; @five

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