[Video]

[neverfeltthatway]

[Armin image appears suddenly, and though his face is composed, his thoughts are both cautious and alarmed.]

Everyone - be alert in liminal space, and avoid the men's bathroom four floors above where the portal let us into liminal space. The sign of the King in Yellow is still with us.

Comments

[neverfeltthatway]

...I'm not sure there's any point to that, trying to say something is real in one world but not in another. You traveled from one to the other. It would be foolish to assume he could not - I'm sure the people of Harrogate thought he was fictional in their world, before he tried to manifest. Most of them still probably don't know what happened.

They were not very active in your world. They weren't in mine, either. But whether something is real or not is not determined by which universe it's in, once you know travel between them is possible.

[shutupandwalk]

That wasn't quite what I meant- I meant more that any knowledge of them came from a rather fantastical book series. While I have no reason to disbelieve that they wouldn't be able to cross worlds [unfortunately], I also have no reason to really believe what was written about them applies to them as they really are.

But, since you brought it up... how much do we know about the way we travel between these worlds, anyway?

[neverfeltthatway]

Oh! That makes sense, I see what you mean now.

...Not much, I'm afraid. Actually, I'm not sure we really know anything about it.

[shutupandwalk]

Just that it happens at the Trumps' whim?

[neverfeltthatway]

It appears that way. From the last jaunt, where The Magician took us without the knowledge of the others to rescue her colleague, we know that the places we go are definitely intentional on the part of at least one of the Trumps.

[shutupandwalk]

So one of them can do it alone? [That's actually information to Joshua- jumping worlds takes a lot of power.]

[neverfeltthatway]

Yes.

Or at least, The Magician can. We have no way to know if some of them are more powerful than others, or their abilities are the same.

[shutupandwalk]

What do we know about them?

[neverfeltthatway]

...Since we don't know when or how they might be listening in, I'd prefer not to answer this on the psychic network.

Where are you?

[Of course, even this much is a ruse - when he really wants to hide a conversation, he does it in his mind palace, and he doesn't say anything about it beforehand. This is just another added layer of the deception - it's reasonable for a conversation he doesn't want overheard by the Trumps, so it's a perfect cover.]

[shutupandwalk]

[Joshua personally thinks that if the Trumps were listening in, they would be able to do so anywhere in Liminal Space- it is their domain, after all- and are unlikely to be truly absent from the Jaunt. But he has no reason to suspect that Armin is bluffing.]

Currently, in the Immortali area, by where we woke up.

[neverfeltthatway]

[Armin actually has a lot of thoughts about that - but once more, it's not something he's likely to talk about where he thinks they may be listening.]

All right. Try to find somewhere we can talk without being overheard. I'll meet you there in a few minutes, if I can find someone to open a portal for me.

[shutupandwalk]

I'll do my best.

[In Joshua's mind, hardly anything will be truly private, but he does manage to find a mostly out-of-the way area. Secluded enough that they're unlikely to be interrupted, but with the surrounding area loud enough that their voices won't carry.]

[Action]

[neverfeltthatway]

[Armin does manage to find someone to open a portal for him, and carefully finds his way to the Immortali area - at which point he somehow makes his way straight to Joshua, without so much as pausing to ask where to find him.

After carefully looking around, Armin sits down close to him, extending his hand.] I don't think we ever officially met. I'm Armin.

[Action]

[shutupandwalk]

[That's... certainly interesting, but Joshua won't comment for now. It's likely he either has some kind of magic, or is just very, very lucky.

Joshua will take the hand offered, shaking it.] Joshua. Pleasure to meet you~

[Action]

[neverfeltthatway]

[Armin would be disappointed in himself if he realized just how obvious he made that ability. Not that it was precisely a secret - but then, he still doesn't know Joshua. But then, he's been distracted lately, and his focus isn't what it perhaps should be.]

It's nice to meet you too. So - you want to know about the Trumps.

[Action]

[shutupandwalk]

[To be fair, Joshua has a similar ability programmed into his cellphone. Even if Mr. H screwed it up the first time he installed it...]

I do indeed. How much is there to share?

[Action]

[neverfeltthatway]

We've met seven or possibly eight of them in person, and there are a few things we can infer about them, but there's not much we know for certain.

...Is there anyplace in particular you want to know? Anyplace you'd like me to start?

Re: [Action]

[shutupandwalk]

As far as I've been able to tell, what they actually want from us isn't entirely clear, correct? [and Joshua knows inferences can be dangerous, but likely all they have to work with at the moment.] Do we know how much power they hold over us in general?