001 | Voice

[ivanyouidiot]

[As far as interesting occurrences go, waking up with no memory of how he got there has never, in Ivan's experience, been a good thing. He's a bit past that point -- and past spending lots of energy freaking out over the fact that there's something growing out of his back as well -- by the time he figures out to look inside the notebook he sees. Reading what he finds gives him some notion of just how deep of a hole he seems to have fallen in, but at least everyone seems to be in the same position. And this Malnasso isn't a group he's heard of before. If keeping his head down is what he needs to do, then that's what he'll do.

Of course, keeping his head down doesn't always mean literally keeping his head down. Ivan knows that there can be just as much advantage to going, "Hey, look at me, I'm not a threat at all," as there can be to going entirely unnoticed. And he happens to think he's made the former into an art. And as far as these things go, he might as well meet the other abductees.]

Well, this is...

Hello everyone. I'm Ivan. [Cue a smile, it might not be be able to seen but he's pretty sure that it'll come through in his voice.]

I'm going to think that won't mean much to you yet, since none of you seem particularly familiar to me, but from what it sounds like we might have time to get to know each other. A few facts about me: I like parties, not getting shot at, and sleeping in late. And not having my body modified without my permission, [it's a little harder to make himself sound cheerful there, but he does his best,] but given the circumstances I'll settle for three out of four.

Your turn.

Comments

[herotypical]

California, if you wanna get real specific. Originally, at least.

[ivanyouidiot]

Originally? Then you moved around? Still on Earth, I presume.

I'm from Vorbarr Sultana, the, ah, capital of Barrayar.

[herotypical]

I was living in a spot called Scotland, just before being dragged here. I...

Vorbarr Sultana. [ vorbarr. vorbarra. funny how the emperor's name kept showing up in odd places. she'd have to call up gregor later. ] Sounds exotic.

[ivanyouidiot]

I do know Earth geography and history.

It's not terribly exotic to me, at least.

[herotypical]

...Are there palm trees?

[ivanyouidiot]

The winters are too cold for them, I'd imagine.

[herotypical]

Over the whole planet?

[ivanyouidiot]

No, of course not. There are certainly parts of the south continent which support that sort of ecosystem.

[herotypical]

...Ever visited?

[ so nosy, this one. ]

[ivanyouidiot]

Yeah.

Are palm trees that important to you?

[herotypical]

I haven't seen them in a while. Or, well, that's not true...

But I'm not sure that Shifts count.

[ivanyouidiot]

Shifts? That's something that happens here...?

[herotypical]

They're...how the experiments are conducted, here. And they're hardly pleasant. Fair warning.

[ivanyouidiot]

I'll consider myself warned, then.

So even seeing palm trees wasn't pleasant for you?

[herotypical]

I had other things on my mind. See -- we kinda got shuffled into each other's...worlds. And I was in someone else's. And it was weird.

[ivanyouidiot]

That sounds odd. Was the world very different from the Earth you know?

[herotypical]

...Yes. And no. I mean -- it was Earth! Just...someone else's Earth. And a part I've never been to, before. A few centuries before my time.

[ivanyouidiot]

Was it basically directly out of your history, or was something different with it beyond that?

[herotypical]

...I'd like to think the former, but the latter's more likely.

[ivanyouidiot]

More likely based on talking to other people about their worlds, or based on how it seemed?

[herotypical]

On comparing my world's history to his world's present. Little things. Things that he should know that he doesn't. The fact that I managed to go there during that Shift in the first place.

It was a two for one kinda deal. Two people went back to one person's world. But if you were two people from the same world? No dice.

[ivanyouidiot]

Was it dangerous for you to be there?

Do people come from a lot of different world's here?

[herotypical]

They do. All kinds. I've heard about loads of variations on my own home and time.

But as for dangerous? Maybe. There's always a risk when you play with the walls between universes. Other than that, I think I couldn't have been more safe.

[ivanyouidiot]

So it was the act of going there that was unsafe. I suppose that makes sense. I wonder if the physics are at all like wormholes...

[herotypical]

Why? Is that something you're into? Science?