f2020 | THE FRACTURED WORLD: ARRIVAL

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THE FRACTURED WORLD: ARRIVAL

rrival for some goes all but unnoticed. It's a sudden shiver, the sensation of being watched... and then nothing at all. Life continues serenely as it always has. The only indication of any change comes with sleep, wrapped in dreams: vague and distant echo imagery of another life, melting away in the morning.

or others, arrival is a sharp jolt. In the space of a single blink, they find themselves in an unfamiliar world, surrounded by the trappings of a life they have not lived. They are replacements, spirits taking possession of bodies belonging to people very much like themselves...

nd for the rest, arrival is a procedure. Routine. Those ported in to the Fractured World wake hazily in the comfortably dim light of the Porter room, laid out on an exam table. Their wounds, if they remember having any, have been healed— and even those who remember their own deaths find themselves miraculously restored. As they regain consciousness, an automatic audio-visual presentation is triggered. Regardless of their backgrounds or physiology, all imPorts 'see' and 'hear' this message as if in their own language:

"Greetings, imPort."

The voice is calm and gently authoritative, almost certainly selected by committee.

"On behalf of the Synod and all imPorts it represents, we welcome you to the planet Earth."

A decidedly non-humanoid robotic arm holds out a palm-sized device and rather insistently demands the new arrival take it. This is the imPort's comm, used for accessing the Porter's database of information, as well as the communications Network— though it won't receive communications from outside the Porter building until carried through one of the many Gates set up in a long, crescent-shaped array on the far side of the room.

As each Gate is approached, information about the faction it leads to flashes up on the comm device's screen. Which will you choose?

THE WHITE TOWER SANCTUM AURORAE KRAKOA HOUSE OF M EMPIRE OF LIGHT EQUALITY BEFORE LAW THE TWIN CITIES OLIN VALE EDEN SEEKERS OF THE NEW DAWN NORTHWESTERN IMPERIUM GREEN PIECE MAD BURNISH LUMINARY

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"Okay." By 'we' does he mean just the two of them, or will they be staying with other members of this faction? It ultimately doesn't matter. He's glad not to be directionless anymore, and already having a place to stay means one less thing to worry about.

He keeps his voice lowered, even if they're no longer speaking of matters of secrecy. "You must be used to how strange this place is. I can't tell what's magic and what isn't." And don't even get him started on the buildings. Maybe at some point he'll have more of an opportunity to be impressed rather than just baffled beyond all reason.

From the moment he arrived all he's been able to do is stare at everything.

"When I first got here it was definitely a hard adjustment. Most of what you will see is not magic. It's just..technology. I'll try to guide you through some important things." The kitchen for example. He had to learn a lot about the kitchen and what each item is used for and how..not..to use certain things. Of course he still is a terrible cook. That will likely never change.

"Luckily in this faction most people do use magic. So they aren't really afraid of what people can do here. Each of the factions have something they are strong at or an ideal they like to follow."

Fortunately for both of them, Wen Ning is a great cook. He does well enough not to get complaints most of the time, anyway. It may take some time for him to get over being utterly astounded by the microwave. Having a guide who's used to the world he's from will make this so much easier. He'll at least be less embarrassed when he inevitably gets all the names wrong.

When the subject changes slightly to be about the factions themselves he remains all ears.

"How did you end up in this one?"

"Some are more strict about rules..some seem to focus on physical strength. This one focuses on magic users so it just seemed like the best fit." Plus none of the others from their world are here. With his job he didn't want to take the chance that they might be used against him as means for revenge. The less contact he had with them..the safer they are.

"It's much like the sects back home. But instead of being born into them, they all seem to have a specialty and you just need to find the one that you can excel in."

He wants to ask why Wei Wuxian would separate himself from any friends he might have here, but he's sure the man has his reasons. There's still so much he doesn't know and he doesn't like to make judgments about the other's decisions at the best of times.

"You said there were others from our world here..." he tries to breach the subject carefully. "Where are they?"

If he's to help with a resistance movement he figures this is the least he should know - who to avoid and who to make contact with out of the ones they know.

"Most seem to be with the Seekers of the Dawn. Xue Yang is with Sanctum. Those two factions are about as opposite as you can get on this world. But I think he is the only one besides us that has chosen different factions."

It makes it easier to keep track of everyone that way. What Xue Yang does is little of his concern, but the rest from their world are still important to him even if he doesn't seek them out very often.

Wen Ning doesn't know about either of those factions, but it would make sense that if Xue Yang was here he would choose one opposite of everyone else. He wasn't exactly considered a friend among any of their peers. It's a surprise to hear that he's there at all, but Wei Wuxian had pointed out that there were those here who should be dead.

Seekers of the Dawn sounded like a proud name for a faction - a fitting place for many cultivators, but perhaps not for Wei Wuxian. Whatever is keeping him separated from them again, he's here to help.

"As soon as I figure out how to keep an eye on them I'll do so." As soon as he's sure he isn't going to break whatever it is they've given him to communicate with. Gods help him when it comes to technology. Then a stray thought gives him pause. "Is it alright for me to be... what I am? I mean in this faction here."

"I would appreciate if you would watch over them. But just be careful. What I do..what we will do..it's dangerous. And if the wrong people find out it will put them in danger too."

And he has found that it is easier that the rest of them don't know what he does. He doesn't want them trying to stop him or feeling ashamed of his actions.

"No one here will judge you for that. In this place it's all about what powers you have. They don't care how you got them. Not everyone on this world is human either."

"O-of course, young master. I'll be careful." Wen Ning: Stealth Mode has been activated.

"Will the others know that I'm here? And what faction I'm in?" If it's common knowledge then there's nothing they can do about that. Wei Wuxian knows what factions the others are in but he could have come across that information on his own. He's been here long enough for that.

It stings a little to think about himself as not human, even though it's not a new thought. He's certainly not going to hold anything against the other man for saying it that way. It leaves him more curious about the factions other members.

Wei Wuxian didn't mean to consider Wen Ning anything but human. To him, Wen Ning is..Wen Ning. But there are other species here..talking robots and aliens and things even he doesn't quite understand still. But he doesn't realize his error in words as he continues to answer Wen Nin's questions.

"They might not know right away, but I'm sure they will in time. There are lists that show everyone's name who arrives. And should they happen to leave this place, their name gets removed. So anyone who checks the list will be able to tell."

He walks up the front steps to a fairly simple looking house, letting the other man inside.

'Fairly simple looking' is still interesting to Wen Ning. Even the shape and construction of houses is different from what he's used to back home, so he can't help but turn his head this way and that in the entryway, trying to take everything in.

It's cute, he decides. Wei Wuxian has a cute little house.

He's not going to say that out loud, of course, as it doesn't exactly fit the mood of things. Instead he goes where the other man wants him to, cautiously stepping inside - not cautiously because he doesn't trust what's inside, but because he doesn't trust himself not to mess up something in this modern place.

Wei Wuxian smiles slightly again when he watches the other. He was probably not as cautious when he arrived but he was still as impressed by everything when he arrived.

"This place is your home now too so you don't have to worry about anything. You can relax when you are here. There is an extra room at the end of the hall you can use."

He doesn't really spend a lot of time here but it is at least more comfortable then the Burial Mounds had been.

A room? When was the last time he'd had a room to himself? When was the last time he'd actually slept indoors? Discounting years spent in a dungeon, of course... If it was anyone but Wei Wuxian leading him there, he might think he'd fallen into a trap.

He could go days without sleep if he needed to, but it would be nice to be able to crash somewhere decent.

Wen Ning stands in the middle of the living room for a few moments, mouth in a small 'o' as he continues to take everything in. Even the furnishings are strange and new. It's more astounding here, where it belongs to a friend, then it is when it's some grand building belonging to a stranger.

"...It's so nice."

He laughs softly and moves into the kitchen. Letting Wen Ning investigate the house at his own pace. He knows how overwhelming this place can be and he is glad that they happened to be in the same faction so that Wei Wuxian can guide him through it all.

"Wait until you see some of the buildings at the bigger factions."

The House of M is impressive in it's own right, but there are far more extravagant factions out there. And he chose to live moderately in comparison to some people here. Perhaps he had just gotten used to the simpler life and determined he didn't need so much excess in his life. Even this little house felt like too much most of the time. Perhaps a little less so now that he has a housemate.

The buildings at the bigger factions might be nicer, but he's not staying in those so it's not as meaningful. He's still gazing in awe at the living room and foyer when he realizes Wei Wuxian is moving on to other parts of the house. He scampers a few steps to keep up with him, as he certainly wouldn't want to miss out on details of someplace like the kitchen.

...Which ends up being even more of a confusing place to look at. He doesn't know what any of the devices do - and some of them seem to be built into the wall! How is he supposed to cook for the other man like this? (The thought that he might have been cooking for himself this whole time fills him with immediate pity.)

"Those in the other factions... do they know you're in this one?" Distracted as he is by everything, he doesn't want to forget the important questions.

"They are aware." It's easier to tell them about this place then to tell them what he does. "But they don't know that I am also with the resistance. I'm worried about what they would say if they knew." Or what they would do. He doesn't want them trying to stop him from doing what he feels he has to. And he also doesn't want them to worry over him.

He holds out his arms, "Welcome to the kitchen, Wen Ning. I will explain as much of this stuff as you want me to." He has learned a lot of what the items in this room can do even if he still can't use them very well.

If they're aware, that's good. They then wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that he was in the same faction, since what reason would he ever have to leave Wei Wuxian's side? No one would bat an eyelash at it.

That settled, he immediately returns his attention to the other man's tour. He can't even begin to guess how anything is cooked in this place. He doesn't even understand what materials most of it is made out of. "I... I don't know about any of it. Is there a place to cook outside?"

It couldn't be done inside, right? There's no proper ventilation for the smoke.

He laughs and waves towards the back door. "If you need to there is a small back area where you can cook. But you can do all the same things in here."

He walks over to the stove and opens the door to show him the inside, "This is for baking things and on top..all these round circles heat up like fire. All of it turns on to various levels of heat by these knobs." He points to each thing as he speaks. "So this is like fire but without the flame."

He points up at the microwave, "This is for heating things up that have already been cooked. But you have to be careful. Don't put metal in there or there will be a fire." He may have almost learned this the hard way.

He walks over the frig and opens the door to show a meager supply of food and drinks inside. "This keeps things cold. So you don't have to immediately cook things. You can store stuff in here for a long time."

This all sounds so complicated. He's afraid he'll accidentally destroy Wei Wuxian's kitchen trying to get it to work. Maybe he'd be better off building a fire pit in the back after all.

A place for cooking things, a place for re-heating things... Just for re-heating them! And a box that kept things cold - it's amazing! The storage functionality on its own was incredibly useful. What magic, or what technology, went into all of this?

He steps closer to the other man, if only to feel the chill from the refrigerator on his hands. The look of wonder on his face is like that of a child. "It never stops being cold?"

Edited 2020-09-16 00:29 (UTC)

"Just keep the door closed. It keeps the cold in." Wei Wuxian never truly figured out exactly why things work the way they do but he has tried to learn a little bit. But explaining electricity and power is way too hard and better done by someone actually born into that kind of technology.

He closes the door and looks around at the room. "This is the hardest room to get used to but once you do it is very convenient."

The cold can escape if the door is left open too long? That really does sound more like magic to Wen Ning, but either way he makes a mental note of it. There's going to be so much to make note of that he's beginning to think he should have actual parchment to jot it all down on.

He wants to turn everything on to see it in action, except that he's also afraid of breaking every item in this room. Maybe he'll start with the reheating device once he has something to reheat.

"I'll figure it out." He feels the need to assure Wei Wuxian that'll he'll be able to make him proper food, one way or another.

"I know you will. It took me awhile to get used to everything and learn about all this world had. You don't have to figure everything out right away. And I will help you." Just don't let him touch any actual food. Perhaps he can explain how to use the devices but he still isn't the best at using them. There is a thing called delivery that he has often taken advantage of.

The fact that he'll have help is already a big relief to him. He smiles back at Wei Wuxian, just nodding again. Everything is confusing, but every moment he's spent following the other man around has made it more and more bearable. "Thank you."

But as he's here... "Is there anything you need? Is there anything I can do for you now?" Wen Ning isn't even done being shown around, but he feels badly for Wei Wuxian having to have been alone for so long. It doesn't seem right not to offer.

"Wen Ning..you just got here. I should be the one asking you that, not the other way around." It's nice to not be alone anymore. With everything he has done maybe he doesn't really deserve to have a friend by his side but he can't help but enjoy the fact that right now he does.

"Just having you here is all I need. But if you have anything you need right now, you can tell me and we will get it."

"No, no. I don't need much. I have clothes and a place to stay." He tugs at the top of his robe. He has the clothes on his back and that's it, but he can wear those for weeks if he needs to. There are places to bathe here, right?

He's a simple man.

"It's just... you have a second pair of hands now." He holds both palms up to face Wei Wuxian. "And I don't mind helping out." Keeping busy always makes everything else easier to deal with.

THE FRACTURED WORLD: ARRIVAL

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