[Once these coffins began appearing again, Altius had to wonder if this place was summoning that eternal night once more, but even though the sight of these is certainly concerning, the sun has remained where it's supposed to be and no monsters have started to roam into the city, so... he'll take it as a win, he supposes.
Still, it's worth investigation. One of his initial efforts brings him near Czeslaw's location, and he turns at the sound of the knocking to approach. With a frown, he runs his fingers along the edge to find where he might get the best leverage.
No point in asking if someone is inside. If there is, they'll answer this:]
[an unfamiliar voice. it could be a villager...but if it was, would they care if he was "alright"? he answers quickly, not wanting the stranger to leave him.]
[More children? Altius hates this. Though he doesn't stop the deep furrow that comes to his brow, he offers some reassurance:]
I'll get you out. Stay still a moment.
[Ah, there. His fingers find the crack Czeslaw made with his efforts, and it's only a few seconds after he gets a grip on both sides that whatever was caught cracks and the lid is pried open.
After a quick glance along the sides of the coffin to see if there's any evidence of other danger or... whatever else this place might throw at them, he scans the boy himself for injury. He sees nothing and lets out a breath, but best to be sure:]
[he's getting that weird feeling again, like this is too sci-fi to be real. trapped in a separate world? really? but then again, he's right. "aldrip" doesn't mean anything to czes at all.]
So...you were trapped in a box, too?
[that seems like a decent way to make a start to understanding this. people wake up in boxes, and...what? he hasn't looked behind himself to see that it's actually a coffin yet.]
A cage, actually. [Not a pleasant memory, and his affect is flat as he answers.] Though I was told being trapped wasn't usual, those who've brought us here may have decided to change that.
[He gestures at the coffin and its stupid shiny snowflake pattern.]
[how medieval. czes follows his gesture, turning and getting a good look at the garish coffin he was trapped in. he jumps a bit at the realization, and without thinking says exactly what's on his mind:]
Sheesh...I suppose at least I wasn't buried alive.
[for some reason his delivery there was less childish, though the tenor of his voice hasn't changed. there was a weight to it that wasn't present in his earlier words.]
[His eyebrows rise for a moment at the shift—it's an awfully macabre thing for a child to say, much less in that tone. Not that it's impossible for someone so young to have that sort of attitude, but the change is what's notable to him. Still, with how many different worlds and circumstances there are... it would be foolish to make any assumptions for now.]
That's a decent way of looking at it, [he says with something nearing a questioning tone, but whatever question he may have remains unspoken.] I've thought "it could be worse" a number of times here, myself.
[And... the expected behavior is back. He knows he didn't imagine it, but he sets it aside for now. Instead, he lets out a sigh through his nose.]
I do, unfortunately—as fanciful as it sounds. I've met a number of people who claim to be from different planets... or circumstances I couldn't have missed in my own world. For us to all be from the same place, most of us would have to be lying.
[Is it technically possible? Sure. But he finds it unlikely.]
[With a nod, he replies:] There are several dozen of us, I think, though we seem to arrive in smaller groups over time. I've been here two months, myself.
It must be really hard to get home then. Or, I guess you said you don't know how?...
[two months is nothing to czeslaw, really, but it seems like a long time for the average person to be trapped anywhere, much less some kind of weird alternate world.]
[It's testing his patience already, if he's honest! But he keeps that fully to himself.]
Some of those I've met have been here for over a year, unfortunately. Others have come and gone, but I don't believe there's been any real pattern to it. It's been... puzzling, to say the least.
[With no apparent witnesses to the disappearances, it's the best he's got.]
It's possible, [he says with some hesitation,] but I wouldn't expect it. The person I was with just before I came here didn't arrive with me. [Still.] What does your friend look like?
[he hesitates here for just a couple of seconds. should he give a fake name?...ultimately he decides to throw caution to the wind and give his real name. the odds of the man before him being immortal, or immortal with the same rules and limitations that czes lives with, seems low.]
I'm Czeslaw. I don't guess there's something like a record of people who get brought here, is there?
[He thinks nothing of the pause; all of this is a lot to deal with, especially for a child.]
I don't know how accurate it is at any time, [he says, pulling his tablet out of his coat's pocket,] but these devices we're given do have a list of contacts. Unfortunately, not everyone is so clear in how they decide to identify themselves...
[Normally it's smarter not to just use your name as your username, but having almost everyone here follow that idea is awfully inconvenient.]
[His eyebrows rise. Palm Pilot? There's a term he hasn't heard in a while.]
More or less, though fifteen years or so more modern, to my eye. [He offers his to Czeslaw for the kid to look at, if he likes; Altius has nothing on there worth hiding.] Aside from keeping in touch with each other, there are other functions for taking notes and pictures, along with a limited map.
[czes takes the offered tablet and turns it around in his hands. probably looking for a stylus of some sort. he glances up at altius in surprise, however, at his question.]
Isn't everyone? [but he quickly amends himself.] Unless you meant - we're in a different planet? Dimension? What does "world" mean?
[what are the odds he would arrive here to a different "world" and immediately run into someone who was from or knew of earth and was familiar with the term "palm pilot"? and for that matter, before altius really has time to answer his previous question czes fires out another one.]
And how can you know this is more modern than a Palm Pilot? Are you suggesting we traveled through time as well as space?
[his tone is getting just a tad sharp for an apparent ten year old. he forgets himself sometimes, in the pursuit of knowledge.]
[Sharper indeed, though that alone would be only enough to remind him of a clever boy he's fought... met. The shift, no longer just a one time oddity now, is more remarkable to him than the result, speaking to some kind of significant masking he wouldn't attribute to most children. Though there's a questioning tilt to his brow, he doesn't hesitate to answer; these are important matters for anyone arriving here to understand, as much as any of them can.]
I wish I had a concrete answer for you, [he says with some regret.] I've met someone from a colony on Mars and others from planets I'd never heard of, so I can't be sure of where or what we're in.
[He sighs just briefly.]
When is equally in question. I came from the year 2015, for instance, but another young man I've met was taken from sometime in the 80's.
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expiationlogs2024-12-09 08:17 am
arrival
Still, it's worth investigation. One of his initial efforts brings him near Czeslaw's location, and he turns at the sound of the knocking to approach. With a frown, he runs his fingers along the edge to find where he might get the best leverage.
No point in asking if someone is inside. If there is, they'll answer this:]
Are you alright in there?
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I'm stuck! Please help me.
[his is clearly the voice of a young child.]
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I'll get you out. Stay still a moment.
[Ah, there. His fingers find the crack Czeslaw made with his efforts, and it's only a few seconds after he gets a grip on both sides that whatever was caught cracks and the lid is pried open.
After a quick glance along the sides of the coffin to see if there's any evidence of other danger or... whatever else this place might throw at them, he scans the boy himself for injury. He sees nothing and lets out a breath, but best to be sure:]
You aren't hurt, are you?
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[he's dressed for the weather, at least, with a warm coat and a beanie that doesn't quite cover his ears.
he glances around, noting that nothing in the area looks even remotely familiar.]
Um...where are we, Mister?
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The city is called Aldrip, but I don't think that will mean anything to you.
[How best to put this? It's been a while since he had a real conversation with someone so young.]
I'm afraid we're trapped in a world separate from our own. We're still trying to figure out how it all works, and how to get home.
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So...you were trapped in a box, too?
[that seems like a decent way to make a start to understanding this. people wake up in boxes, and...what? he hasn't looked behind himself to see that it's actually a coffin yet.]
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[He gestures at the coffin and its stupid shiny snowflake pattern.]
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[how medieval. czes follows his gesture, turning and getting a good look at the garish coffin he was trapped in. he jumps a bit at the realization, and without thinking says exactly what's on his mind:]
Sheesh...I suppose at least I wasn't buried alive.
[for some reason his delivery there was less childish, though the tenor of his voice hasn't changed. there was a weight to it that wasn't present in his earlier words.]
no subject
That's a decent way of looking at it, [he says with something nearing a questioning tone, but whatever question he may have remains unspoken.] I've thought "it could be worse" a number of times here, myself.
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Um, do you really think this is a different world? It sounds like something out of a story book or TV show.
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I do, unfortunately—as fanciful as it sounds. I've met a number of people who claim to be from different planets... or circumstances I couldn't have missed in my own world. For us to all be from the same place, most of us would have to be lying.
[Is it technically possible? Sure. But he finds it unlikely.]
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[he's not sure if it's alarming or reassuring, that he's not "special" in that regard.]
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[two months is nothing to czeslaw, really, but it seems like a long time for the average person to be trapped anywhere, much less some kind of weird alternate world.]
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Some of those I've met have been here for over a year, unfortunately. Others have come and gone, but I don't believe there's been any real pattern to it. It's been... puzzling, to say the least.
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[With no apparent witnesses to the disappearances, it's the best he's got.]
It's possible, [he says with some hesitation,] but I wouldn't expect it. The person I was with just before I came here didn't arrive with me. [Still.] What does your friend look like?
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[the thought of her being stuck in this situation as well is a little troubling. he'd really rather her not be here, in all honesty.]
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[It is definitely preferable to Altius to have nobody he knows here, whether he cares for them or not.]
By the way, what's your name? You can call me Altius.
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I'm Czeslaw. I don't guess there's something like a record of people who get brought here, is there?
no subject
I don't know how accurate it is at any time, [he says, pulling his tablet out of his coat's pocket,] but these devices we're given do have a list of contacts. Unfortunately, not everyone is so clear in how they decide to identify themselves...
[Normally it's smarter not to just use your name as your username, but having almost everyone here follow that idea is awfully inconvenient.]
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Is it a Palm Pilot?
[he's never used one, but he's seen them in passing.]
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More or less, though fifteen years or so more modern, to my eye. [He offers his to Czeslaw for the kid to look at, if he likes; Altius has nothing on there worth hiding.] Aside from keeping in touch with each other, there are other functions for taking notes and pictures, along with a limited map.
[and games and whatever but who cares,]
... You're from Earth, then?
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Isn't everyone? [but he quickly amends himself.] Unless you meant - we're in a different planet? Dimension? What does "world" mean?
[what are the odds he would arrive here to a different "world" and immediately run into someone who was from or knew of earth and was familiar with the term "palm pilot"? and for that matter, before altius really has time to answer his previous question czes fires out another one.]
And how can you know this is more modern than a Palm Pilot? Are you suggesting we traveled through time as well as space?
[his tone is getting just a tad sharp for an apparent ten year old. he forgets himself sometimes, in the pursuit of knowledge.]
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fought... met. The shift, no longer just a one time oddity now, is more remarkable to him than the result, speaking to some kind of significant masking he wouldn't attribute to most children. Though there's a questioning tilt to his brow, he doesn't hesitate to answer; these are important matters for anyone arriving here to understand, as much as any of them can.]I wish I had a concrete answer for you, [he says with some regret.] I've met someone from a colony on Mars and others from planets I'd never heard of, so I can't be sure of where or what we're in.
[He sighs just briefly.]
When is equally in question. I came from the year 2015, for instance, but another young man I've met was taken from sometime in the 80's.
(no subject)
(no subject)