broadcast to investigators;

[blackhand]

Seems like the Trumps already want us back to work. [Oh, look, it's that one asshole everyone was probably warned about talking in your head. Congrats, Travelers, he'll make this quick.]

Those of you that are new, this is a Jaunt. We're here to investigate and fix something, so first thing's first- you need to blend in. If the people here get suspicious, we'll get blocked out of opportunities to find something, and sometimes they might even take our presence around here negatively.

[That's Garrett's way of saying "don't be an idiot and play your part or I'm going to call you a moron beyond this Jaunt." There's a sigh, but he continues.]

I'm not one for leading, someone else is going to have to take that job. Might want to sound off, just to see who all we have for this round.

Garrett, Investigator. Your turn.

Comments

[amadine]

So I gather.

[The former, at least. The latter, less so.]

That's...incredibly roundabout. How much autonomy do they have?

[If she's listened in enough to get the gist of what that means - if it can be called listening in when the information's being piped through her head like the world's most distracting daydream - it's still not quite enough to truly grasp the depth of the violation.

Which is probably for the best; no one wants to hear those particular opinions.]

[neverfeltthatway]

Ah, that's... a difficult question. In the jaunts, they appear to have total autonomy to act as they might, pursuing their own goals. But since they've been reprogrammed, holding different memories and experiences... I don't know if they can really be said to have any at all.

[It's a sore spot for him, fresh from being an infiltrator himself. Did he actually have any control over what he had done? What choices would he make if he could do it over now? And how much were his feelings about the events and people involved in the jaunt been influenced by who he had been?

He doesn't have any of the answers.]

[amadine]

Marionettes, then.

[No, that isn't deeply creepy at all.]

I'd point out it might be simpler to give us all a backstory and a goal, and let us work toward it without all the roundabout fuckery, but I'm getting the impression that simple isn't really the point of the game.

[neverfeltthatway]

I'm not sure. There are two options as I see it, as far as what's going on with the infiltrators. It's possible that the memories and lives of the infiltrators are completely fabricated - both in their own minds and in the minds and lives of everyone they're connected to in that world. If that's the case, the Trumps are powerful enough that it's hard to imagine they need us at all.

But it could be that they can't fabricate any memories they like - it's possible that infiltrators are just replacing real people in these worlds. What happened to them, I couldn't say, but it could mean the Trumps don't have direct control in these worlds, and they actually need us in order to influence them. It would be a much more believable level of power over us, and it would make more sense as to why they are doing this. Maybe this is somehow their way of pointing us in the right direction. Maybe it's the best they can do, for whatever reason. But if that's the case, then while the infiltrators can't really be said to be in control of themselves, they're not entirely puppets, either.

[amadine]

Or they have absolute power, but need us as catspaws because the alternative is direct confrontation with one another. They might not be a unified front, and affecting something directly might be cheating.

Or I could just like that better than the thought of one day sliding in and stealing someone's life for a time. Or all of us having our own stolen while we're here.

[neverfeltthatway]

[Armin's thoughts turn pensive.] I hadn't considered that. I'm not sure which I dislike more. If they need us to influence these places, then we're actually working towards a purpose. We might actually be making a difference in the worlds. But if they're not working together... then we're little more than pawns, the playthings of gods. [He says the world irreverently, with anger and frustration.]

[amadine]

I take it you're no fan of religion.

We're pawns either way. If there is a purpose, it isn't ours. All we can do is turn it to our own ends, if we can divine it.

[neverfeltthatway]

No god I could worship would create the world I'm from.

...No, you're right. We can only ever be sure of what we do with what we're given.

[amadine]

Gods are cruel. It's a part of having power.

So we'd better make sure we do something interesting.

[neverfeltthatway]

I take it you are somewhat religious, then?

I'm definitely not opposed. Any ideas?

[amadine]

I was raised by a priest. It makes an impression.

The seeds of ideas, maybe. We're on new ground here; I don't doubt we can do a lot with what we have to hand, but the better we take stock of what that is, the less likely we are to burn down half the countryside in the process.

[neverfeltthatway]

Oh.

To be honest, I'm not terribly familiar with many gods or religions. The only religion I knew of back home was the wall religion - and they'd be hard to take seriously if they hadn't become so popular and dangerous recently.

Let me know if you come up with something, or if there's some way I can help. I... try to keep records of who the Travelers are and what they can do, but I haven't been managing to keep up recently. Still, I suppose it might give you some more idea of what's possible and what's likely, with our group.

[amadine]

I'm familiar with a few faiths. We can trade tales over wine sometime; it's useful knowledge to have in an unfamiliar place.

And that would be helpful. You're a treasure.

[neverfeltthatway]

Ah... I've never actually had wine before. [A small wave of embarrassment comes over the network.] Is it customary to have when telling stories?

Of c-course! Just let me know when you'd like to see them.

[amadine]

Never? [There's undisguised surprise at that.] We'll have to fix that. There's nothing better for telling stories, or for making plans.

[neverfeltthatway]

Ah... no. I don't think it was as common back home as you seem to be used to. And I didn't really have access to it. [He might have, if he'd wanted - he'd never considered it before. Once he was an orphan, alone with Eren and Mikasa, they didn't exactly have the means for it. And after that he was a soldier, they didn't have the access or the time.]

A-all right. If you say so.

[amadine]

Even at home, most places aren't quite like Camorr. [It's humour and pride and wry self awareness all in one; most places are probably glad not to be.]

[neverfeltthatway]

Will you tell me about it? [There's a small pause, and then, a little too quickly -] I also try to keep records of the worlds we've been, and the ones we come from. Nobody's mentioned Camorr before.

[amadine]

Have you ever found yourselves in someone's home world? [It's not an evasion, wonder of wonders, she's genuinely curious about how this whole thing works.]

[neverfeltthatway]

Not that I know of, no. But... that's not really surprising, as this is only my fifth jaunt, and I wasn't myself for two of those.

Well, my fifth that I can remember, anyway. [He doesn't even think about how odd it must sound as he says it - not knowing how much of his life is missing due to Moebius has become normal for him.]

[amadine]

[Strange, yes, and disconcerting, especially given the earlier discussion concerning the possibility of fabricated memories.]

You think you've been on more that you can't recall? Beyond just...not being entirely yourself?

[neverfeltthatway]

...

[There's an extended silence from Armin's end. Eventually he breaks it, subdued and frustrated.]

Yes. I have been. Most Travelers who've been here for more than six months have been. Several jaunts ago was a place called Moebius.

I can't speak for anyone else. Nobody likes talking about it. But I woke up the final day we were on Moebius inside a morgue, with fresh aches and scars, and no memory of ever having been a Traveler. I found out later that others have some vague memories of jaunts before that point. Nothing concrete, but they sometimes know how long they've been Traveling - and apparently I was in at least a couple jaunts before Moebius.

[amadine]

Is that why you started keeping a record of where you've been, and what you've been told?

[There's an edge of calculation there - it's not the only thing she wants to ask, but she knows better than to just interrogate a stranger on their traumas.]

[neverfeltthatway]

...I don't know.

The first record I have is from the jaunt following that - but I already had the notebook, and there were pages ripped out of the front of it. I don't know what had been written there.

[amadine]

Then perhaps you stumbled across something that someone wanted you, all of you, to forget.