Entry 001 - Written

[breakfastmetaphors]

[At first he'd thought he was dazed and hallucinating from the crash, but he's learned to assess his physical condition quite accurately and, as impossible as it seems, he seems to be quite whole and well. Just not where he was. As fanciful and strange as it seems, the simplest thing to do is accept as a fact that he's somehow been pulled into some sort of alternate world and work from there.

The entries in the journal purporting to explain the situation to newcomers are lacking in much of the necessary information he needs to move forward. On top of that, there is the strange voice offering home when it outright contradicts one of the welcome posts, a post that itself says not to respond to posts that seem anomalous. There's not enough in the book yet for him to judge whether that voice is an anomaly or not, but the shocked reactions suggest it is.

Therefore, he decides that the wisest course of action is to follow the welcome post's advice and find lodging, then to write an entry in the book himself.]

I am one of the "new arrivals." Given the situation, what I require is a position on an established crew and further information about this world and my place in it. I can offer the following skills at the following levels:

- close combat (hand to hand, knives, improvised weapons): A
- ranged combat (firearms): A
- handling of explosives: A
- situational awareness: A
- wilderness survival: A
- assessment and management of personnel: A
- strategy and tactics: A

Further clarification available on request.

L11

[It is, in fact, only a small cross section of what he is capable of, and simplified at that, but it's better to withhold some information, considering he's unsure who exactly will be reading what he writes.]

Comments

written:

[oneofthelost]

Hey. My name's Alex.

Another new arrival. I've got some skill at ranged combat and close combat. If you want someone to watch your back if you'll watch hers, I'd be willing to meet tomorrow morning.

written:

[breakfastmetaphors]

[An ally could be useful.]

I'm willing to meet in the pub on the first floor of the inn to discuss terms. I would suggest you avoid the plaza until then.

written:

[oneofthelost]

I found a room, and I plan to stay in it all night. I suggest you do the same. Whatever's out there is dangerous.

[If it knew she was... then it was very dangerous.]

written:

[breakfastmetaphors]

I agree with that course of action. In the meantime, see what information you can find and we can compare notes when we meet.

written:

[oneofthelost]

Sounds like a plan. I'll talk to you tomorrow.

[Action]

[breakfastmetaphors]

[He's found himself a table out of the way and set his journal on the table in front of him as a way to be recognized. His chair is pushed back to the wall and closer inspection shows that he's actually catching a short nap.]

[Action]

[oneofthelost]

[Sleep has become a precious commodity for Alex, so she takes a seat near the person she assumes is the one she spoke to last night. She'll let him nap as long as he likes.

She usually only sleeps a couple hours at sunset and a couple hours at sunrise, when the changing of the day cycle affords her the opportunity for it.]

[breakfastmetaphors]

[L-Elf opens his eyes shortly after Alex sits down. He has a tendency to catch catnaps throughout the day instead of sleeping for any length of time. Uninterrupted sleep has always been a luxury.]

You're Alex?

[At first glance, she doesn't look very impressive, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. He's sure that, aside from the military-style uniform he wears, he would just look like a rather average teenage boy to anyone who didn't know any better.]

I'm L-Elf. We communicated over the journal.

[And that's all she'll get by way of introduction.]

[oneofthelost]

L-Elf. [Weird name. But. Kidnapped to another world. She can... deal.] Got it.

[This is such a weird situation. But... well. Here they are. Best to make the most of it.]

So. That thing last night.

Did it... contact you? Directly, I mean.

[breakfastmetaphors]

I didn't engage it, either in person or over the journal. It hasn't contacted me, either. I assume it contacted you. What did it want?

[His gaze is piercing, especially for someone who was asleep a few moments ago.]

[oneofthelost]

It wanted me to come out to the fountain. Tried to play to... being lonely. Wanting my company.

[She meets his gaze, a serious, sharp look from someone her age. Not quite what might have been assumed.]

[breakfastmetaphors]

I see. Did it try to take anything from you? Was there any effect when it spoke to you?

[He continues on unfazed. All that really matters at the moment is getting answers to his questions.]

[oneofthelost]

No effect over the journal. Not that I noticed, at least.

I didn't go out to meet it, though. Something kind of gave me the impression that would be a bad idea.

[breakfastmetaphors]

Agreed, however it's possible that engaging it over the journal is enough to result in possession. If it's the sort of being I think it is, it can use words as a vehicle for its power.

[It would take seeing it in person to determine if it's like what he's faced before, but considering how outclassed he was then, he knows better than to try.]

[oneofthelost]

Very possible. I think I would have noticed the change, but it's possible it's subtle enough right now.

[She shrugs, though her hands -- the way they flex, curl, then settle together -- indicate more nerves than she's letting on.]

All the more reason to hang around someone with a pretty good chance at taking me down, right?

[breakfastmetaphors]

Indeed.

[It's an interesting way of putting it, and her nervous fidgeting doesn't go unnoticed. It wouldn't be unreasonable for her to be worried about possession still. Or it just may be a nervous habit. He doesn't know her well enough to tell.]

Have you found out anything else we can use? I've managed to establish the basic timeline and the symptoms of the possession, but that's all that seems to be known by the people that were here before us.

[oneofthelost]

I haven't. I guess I got a little rattled from being contacted like that.

Except that a lot of people aren't familiar with the geography I am. I did find out that. But that's not all that helpful.

[breakfastmetaphors]

[He thinks that over, opening the journal to flip back and forth between a few entries.]

It could be. Any sort of pattern we can establish would make predicting what may happen in the future easier, but I agree that it doesn't do much for the immediate issue.

[He frowns and closes the journal. There is far too much information that needs to be collected and no efficient methods or sufficient time to do it.]

Where are you from? We should at least establish if we have any common ground.

[oneofthelost]

United States of America, Rhode Island. I was traveling to England when I found myself here.

What about you?

[breakfastmetaphors]

[The locations are familiar, but the fact that she chooses those names instead of ARUS indicates that there is at least a difference of time between them, if not world.]

I can't offer anything more specific than the state I was born in, which is Germany. I'm a former special agent of the Dorssian Military Pact Federation.

[oneofthelost]

Germany.

[She can't help but smile.]

I've got a friend from Switzerland.

[breakfastmetaphors]

[He's confused for a moment about what the connection might be, but then it occurs to him that the two states do share a border, though Switzerland is still part of ARUS.]

I've never been. Where, or maybe when I'm from, Switzerland, America, and England are all part of the Atlantic Ring United States. I served primarily in operations against JIOR. That would be "Japan and Islands of Oceanian Republic."