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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"And I was defending myself from you! Do you really want to start down this path, Darin Altway? We both know where it winds."

At that, she straightens, her hands falling to her sides.

"As I've said before -- as I've said many times before -- I have no wish to put my hand into the mix of things. Not now, not then. Whatever it is your faction is doing? Whatever the others are? That's your business. I wish for none of it, ask for none of it, and will not entertain their machinations."

Mortal business. She can't do much good even if she wanted to.

"I got news for you, Lady Ardenbury" he begins, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"You're already involved. You don't want to be a part of this world? That's fine. But by harboring others, you're just as much a 'faction' as the rest of them, each taking a piece of this world, staking claim to it like it was theirs to begin with."

His tone takes a bit of a somber note.

"We just want peace. The Empire of Light only wants safety for theirs just like you want for your own. Why not work with us? We don't always have to fight."

A beat.

"Not that I don't enjoy the fireworks between us."

Her expression screws up at that for a split-second before she can smooth it out again. Gods, he only says those things to annoy her and still she hasn't fully mastered the elven art of utterly stonewalling emotional reactions.

"If peace is what you truly want, then why won't you leave me in peace? And whomever winds up here? It's not like I'm sending them off on nonsense missions anyway; they'd be pieces entirely wiped from your little board!"

"Because talking to you always manages to provide me with some entertainment. You've got fire and like I said, I'm a blacksmith."

He laughs, doing his best to suck the tension out of the air.

"I just want to know if you have any possible troublemakers that have recently come in. Someone who might take the sanctity of your vale for granted while passing the hours amassing a proper resistance to what we've built. You clearly think you have an eye for spotting trouble, so I'd at least trust your judgment on the matter."

"If you trusted my judgment at all, you wouldn't be here," she points out, but the ire in her voice has dampened. "If your lords or...whatever they call themselves trusted my judgment, they wouldn't keep sending you here to try and pry my abode from me! Gods, it's like you all want me to actually intervene!"

"I didn't come here because Master Skywalker told me to."

He looks as confused by that statement as she probably is by his retort.

"I came here because I like it here. Plus, I actually do trust you."

That gets a few baffled fluttering blinks out of her, and for a moment, she actually doesn't have a quickly-snapped retort.

"I...beg your pardon?" she manages to huff out, an incredulous note in her voice.

"What, you're surprised?" He laughs again.

"As nice as the Empire is, it's always...bustling and busy. Always something to see or do. It's like...there's always some sort of noise. The sights, the sounds, they blur together. Out here...I dunno."

He cranes his head up and looks at the dense foliage above.

"It's tranquil. It helps me recalibrate. I get to check in and make sure you and yours are all good, I get to report back that all's quiet and peaceful. and I get to have a nice chat with someone who doesn't sound like they're tranq'd up. It's wins across the board, really."

She stays quiet for a few beats, trying to put all of this information into proper, rational place beyond the fluttering of conflicted feelings this less-snarky offering stirs up.

Gods dammit.

She draws a slow breath, fixing her focus on the matter of reports instead.

"...How much do you report of this valley?"

"Enough for Master Skywalker to be satisfied. Essentially 'all's peaceful, no further action needed.'"

He shrugs a little bashfully.

"I can't exactly tell him the place doesn't exist. His powers and his information network are too good for that. But I can at least tell him where his attention is needed more. I don't say more than that. I promise."

Her eyes narrow, scrutinizing his words -- his demeanor even more.

"And you're inclined to do this because...you want a vacation spot?"

"I'm inclined to do this because I don't want you or anyone else you deem to take charge of to come to harm. I know what I do isn't...well, it's not pretty but...it keeps the peace. It keeps a lot of people safe. And I don't want you or anyone else in your Vale who just wants to live peacefully come to any harm. Especially with the way these factions are starting to stir the pot."

He rubs the back of his head, struggling with his words.

"Look. I might not be able to do the things Master Skywalker can do...and I can't do the types of scrying or magic you can do. I'm pretty much only good for one thing. But...I know a good person when I see one. Call it...intuition."

"You're one of the good ones, Lady Ardenbury. And I aim to make sure you're kept safe."

Cecelia's ear twitches, her eyes widening briefly. Hundreds of years can pass and she'll still be moved by sincerity -- it's why she still reads! But worse than that, on the rare occasion such things are directed at her?

Damn her weakness.

"Gods." She huffs, her face red, and turns around. "You're the same everywhere, somehow...!"

"Uuuuuh...yeah. Of course I am. I don't go around acting different with other factions or anything like that."

He blinks twice in confusion.

"I don't even think I could pull off an accent, let alone a disguise. It's just easier being me."

He crosses his arms behind his head and cocks it to the side bewildered.

Edited 2020-09-09 00:50 (UTC)

Unbelievable. Somehow, she managed him better when he was being set on a rampage!

She shakes her head, sending small waves through her hair.

"Everyone else was so different, yet you remain you. I don't think those fates are truly gone..."

"Everyone else? I'm...not really sure I get what you're saying."

A beat.

"Are...you alright? You actually...seem kinda sad. I don't think I've ever seen you sad. Just...various shades of angry."

He dares to take a step forward, to close the gap just a little bit more.

She laughs, mirthless and weary, tapering into another sigh.

"Right...right." She turns, lifting her chin. She cracks her knuckles. "I'm supposed to be chasing you off now, aren't I? I'm behind schedule."

"...W-Whoa, hey now!" He takes a step back, arms patting at the air.

"We can break the pattern every now and then! I mean...I happen to think you're prettiest when you smile!"

"Now that--" She points an accusing finger. "Is certainly a lie. I've never smiled in your presence."

"Then prove me wrong?"

"And why would I do that? Just to give you more lines? You have plenty!"

"What lines? I'm being serious here! Why are you suddenly mad at me?!"

"You're trying to play me for a fool! Don't think I can't see what you're trying to do here, Altway!"

Cecelia plants her hands on her hips, now back in confidence as she raises her voice authoritatively.

"I'm no fool child anymore, and I've seen nearly as much as I've read. To acquiesce to such a request would only see you trying to fish for compliments and make me into some flustered, simpering maid, only for you to tease me for it into the next millennia!"

"First off, I don't think I'll live that long, and second of all..."

He halts.

"... ... ..."

"Okay, maybe you've got me dead to rights on the teasing. Look, it's not my fault you're cute when you're flustered!"

"Is this the tactic your emperor has for you this time?!" she cries, incensed. "Flattery? Trying to woo me? You cad!"

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