synopsychic | (no subject)

Back into the fray again, I suppose--

[Neria's voice echoes across the network, wry. She sighs.]

Welcome, new Travelers. I trust you can hear me. Wherever you are in Liminal Space, if you should require aid, you need only speak up or call out to the other Travelers around you. Though we're all strangers, I assure you that we're here to help.

[Which is your standard welcome, by all accounts. But she has a specific reason for requesting people's attentions this time.]

You might notice the portals that are leading out of Liminal Space. I would advise you be cautious until you've listened to what I have to say.

We are in the middle of an excursion into another world, something we do here very frequently. We have been tasked with aiding the realm of Dolorosa, a kingdom fraught with trouble. There is a missing queen and knights abound, with dragons and murderous barons. [She chuckles briefly.] I know it may sound fantastical and strange, but this is a reality you will be facing very shortly. I would caution you to ask your fellow Travelers, the other Veterans, about Dolorosa and how you can prepare, what you can expect, before moving on.

Rest assured, we will do all we can to help you.

I have but one request of all of you gathered here: should you find any herbs or anything of use, please collect them and bring them to me. I am one of the few here capable of healing injuries and my stock is low, a very dangerous thing considering what has transpired recently. [Her tone sounds almost bitter, colored with bemusement.] I would be highly grateful if you could bring me whatever you can. I cannot pay you, but it will certainly come in handy should you be injured along the way.

Oh, and do try to be inconspicuous. I've found that spouting inane babble about portals and other worlds tends to lead to trouble and a possible stay in a cell.

[Veteran Lock;]

We've spent a month in this place. What have we learned, and what's our next goal?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Perhaps surprisingly, Armin's voice rather than his thoughts appear in her head. His tone is amused, of the sort that usually accompanies a quiet smile.]

Were you hoping to find yourself a nice jester's hat, or was your plan to wake up in the madhouse? I could hardly credit the idea your grand plan didn't extend that far.

[A surprise indeed. She's still not quite accustomed to foreign thoughts; voices in truth are stranger still.

(Thankfully, there's no one around to ask why she's just jumped as though jabbed with a pin.)]

A madhouse, definitely. Jester's motley doesn't do anything kind for my colouring.

Perhaps I should say I'm hearing voices, too.

Good choice. The madhouse is probably a nicer environment, anyway.

Oh! [The amused tone grows.] Yes, you could probably say that.

You'll find there's a lot more you can do with Liminal Space or the Telepathic Network, if you take the time to work on it.

If we're given the time. It would be an interesting line of study, at the very least.

I don't know much, but if you want, I could try to teach you what little I do know.

What would you ask in exchange?

In exchange? [He sounds surprised - that was something he hadn't considered - but the tone is quickly quashed. If she wanted to see it as a trade...] I'm not sure.

What do you have to offer?

That depends on where your own skills lie - and what you would consider useful.

I'm a soldier in my own world - though not a very good one, I'm afraid. I'm more suited to planning and support than fighting. [There's an edge to his voice as he says it - frustration, or perhaps shame.]

You say that as though it's a failing. It isn't - a solid plan keeps you alive.

I know. I guess... I'm not sure my plans can really be called 'solid', is all. [Really, he just wishes he wasn't such a burden on his friends.] I suppose I'm also kind of good at avoiding fights in the first place, talking people down.

The fight you avoid is the fight you can't lose.

If you tell anyone I said this, I'll deny it, but no one has a solid plan every time. You learn from your mistakes as much as from your successes.

R-right. [He's not sure what to think of how Sabetha continues to laud his perceived qualities.] Well, i-if you think you have any skills that would be useful to me in that way - ways to gain advantage without direct confrontation - let me know.

[Honestly, he's not expecting much. But since he hadn't intended teaching her to use the telepathic network to be an exchange in the first place, even if she doesn't have something to give, he's not really losing out.]

[Their backgrounds really are worlds apart.] Quite a few, in point of fact. But reading people might make a good start. The applications are more diverse.

[That's certainly a bit of a surprise, and a bit of it comes through into his voice - but it's definitely not an unfavorable one.] That would be really useful.

I'll teach you what I can of the telepathic network and you teach me how to read people, then?

[It's not something he would have thought to trade, but by the sound of things they would all come out better for it.]

It sounds like we have a bargain.

I look forward to it.

So do I. I think it will be quite a promising exchange.