[Jaunt] A Very ROSE-y Livestream

[photonicfighter]

I... I think there are people that need to see this.

[Having said that, there's a livestream of a message being played atop a decrypted disc, featuring someone that is no doubt very familiar to some travelers. The stream cuts off once the message finishes.]

I know that our actions have consequences in the worlds we visit, but... this makes it a little more explicit than usual, doesn't it?

...what do we consider our "parameters" to be for this jaunt, anyway?

Comments

[verdeleonessa]

She's forbidden from coming here herself? That's different from last time, isn't it?

I guess we should decide our parameters with what with know. It's not safe to go forward without it... not after receiving a message like that.

[photonicfighter]

Last time was before they properly started the game, wasn't it? The rules must be different now.

Now's the time to lay out what we know, then.

[verdeleonessa]

I've been mostly investigating the grey-lit programs. One of the Travelers' overlays - Jean's - is apparently infecting others with the same virus he has. The programs then start infecting others and they can become aggressive about it.

Other than spreading the virus, their intentions aren't very clear. At least, not yet.

[photonicfighter]

I see. The group I'm with has been investigating the I/O towers. That message I shared is the biggest part of what we've found.

So the virus is something resident to this system...?

[verdeleonessa]

Most likely. Eren thinks he might have interfaced something he shouldn't have and since we're in a new place, that would make sense.

[photonicfighter]

Oh. Oh dear. That's good to know, then. What did he.... wait...

[She's just going to skim back on the network a bit.]

...that data pad you found? Or something else?

[verdeleonessa]

Something else. That wasn't him and it didn't even contain a virus of any kind. Just some random data.

We'll keep you informed on what's going on, but make sure everyone you're working with won't interface with the grey-lit programs.

[photonicfighter]

I'll let everyone know, absolutely! We can't let this spread around any further.

[verdeleonessa]

Great. If you're asked how you know... just make something up.

[photonicfighter]

Are you sure? I'm getting better at making things up....

[verdeleonessa]

You'll be fine. Ask the network for support if you need it.

[portinari]

Is that - the Magician?

[photonicfighter]

That's ROSE, which is one of the... forms she has? Faces she wears? Yes.

[portinari]

And she is cheating. Again, as I understand it.

[photonicfighter]

If I understand things correctly, that's one of the things that she does.

[portinari]

And yet, she risks whatever negative consequences might be imposed for... what appears to be an almost trivial message. Very little is conveyed.

She must have very great faith in our abilities to make something of this information.

[photonicfighter]

It's a very big prize that they're competing for. Some people would take the risk and bend the rules, in that situation.

It seems like it's not just for our sake. And... if you think about it, on a bigger scale, it's not news to us. Whoever wins the game gets the World, and everything will become more like the winner's idiom.

I worry about what it means for all of the systems here.

[portinari]

I had never suspected it was for our sakes at all.

And yes. I worry very much for all the worlds which we visit.

[photonicfighter]

They'll do things for our sake when it's helpful to them, or it's something that's part of what they are, I think. Some of it is self-interest, but some of it...

[She doesn't finish the thought.]

Things almost didn't go well in Questing Country. I hope we don't have a problem of a similar scale here.

[portinari]

There are unquestionably worlds which are the worse for our presence, as there are worlds which are better. I suspect both better and worse outcomes serve the Arcana's purposes more often than not. They punish us for our failures.

[photonicfighter]

As 'badly' as some of our visits have gone, we haven't had an outright failure in a long time, have we? It doesn't look like we're headed in that direction so far, at least....

[portinari]

I don't know when the last failure occurred, as I wasn't present for it.

[photonicfighter]

That was before my time here, too. I think it had something to do with cars trying to run over people? The... the punishment. Not the failure itself.

Anyway. I'm not sure what the best course of action is for everyone right now, but my best course of action is to keep accompanying this group to see what else we can learn and pass along.

[portinari]

Certainly.

I understand so little of this world, I would give much away.

[photonicfighter]

That's a feeling I'm familiar with... maybe the next one will be one where you have an advantage?

[portinari]

I'm not so selfish as to wish all the stars aligned for my convenience. Perhaps I'm best off serving the Investigators, rather than the Jaunt directly.

[breakaleginhalf]

At least she's still frank as fuck about it.

[And any lingering doubt about his announcing Magician's plans over the Network simply vanishes - she's doing the exact same thing he did.]

And he... maybe that means Hermit. Uh, SAGE? Which is kind of cute, that he still cares about the Grid world.

[photonicfighter]

I think I appreciate the frankness, even if it's bending the rules.

Oh? That's who she meant? That... does make sense. And didn't he spend an awful long time stuck there?

[breakaleginhalf]

Bending isn't breaking. It sounds like they said she's not allowed to go back into this world herself. So she sent a copy of herself. Technically within their rules.

And yeah, Hermit was the reason everyone got sent to the Grid at all, Rose wanted her BFF out of Lovers' jail.

[photonicfighter]

Rules are made to be very carefully worked around, for some people...

[A part of her doesn't like the idea. Another part of her understands the need for it.]

Why would Lovers lock one of the others away? Less competition? ...does it matter, at this point? We haven't seen any sign of her here, have we?

[Please, say no.]