expiationnet | Video:

Current Mood: confused

Video:

"Hello, I am Elizabeth, formerly of the Velvet Room. I have..."

She stops and ponders, as if looking for words, "Been trying to get an understanding of this place. I have two questions for people here. Firstly, is time wrong for anyone else here? As in you know people here, but they are from... Far before?"

Her eyes darken a bit after, "Also, does the word 'Persona' mean anything of note to anyone?"

"Anyways, I thank you for any help you could offer, mostly because I still am... Somewhat uncertain how to deal with people who have not yet seen things I have and, do not want to cause any past ordeals to be undone."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The camera opens up to a- fumble. The camera is slipping a view, giving Elizabeth a lovely view of orange-red hair as she can probably hear a yelp and what sounds suspiciously like a curse, but is said too quickly and too quietly to tell. But sometimes, you know a swear when you hear it, you know? Even if languages are different, the anatomy of a cuss is the same way.

But Guinaifen catches it just as quickly as it fumbles. There's the sound of something falling to the ground. Don't worry about it.

"Sorry!" Guinaifen flashes a smile. It's very practiced. "Handling a phone is usually easier when I've got all my equipment, but a girl's gotta make do where she can. Anyway-"

She's sitting, the camera's moving, there's a wall behind her. "The only two people I've been able to-" A hesitation. There's no kind way of putting it, so she's going to avoid the subject. "Who definitely come from the same place I do just come from somewhere far away. So there's no way of knowing if they're from far before, really- but I guess that happened to you?"

Elizabeth tilts her head slightly, a very slight frown being seen on her face.

"I supported someone and their friends through... We will call it an ordeal. Two ordeals in some of their cases. That was around...."

She pauses, time has never been an easy thing for Elizabeth, she understands its moving, and knows that most people base it around seasons, so se has to think.

"Three years ago? Where I come from time didn't work like it did in the human world so it is sometimes hard for me to know exactly how much has passed. Still, they are all from I suspect before the first ordeal ended or just after it. Given how.... It was the Ordeal of Death, I do not want to... Undo what happened."

Okay. Alright. Guinaifen shifts a bit, she looks to her left and to her right for a moment, seeing if anyone's paying too much attention to a girl sitting on some steps. Coast seems clear.

Then, she looks back at the device. Really looks at Elizabeth. "Are you sure we should be having this kind of conversation on this if it's as serious as it sounds?" She pauses, licks her lips, continues. "I know if somebody I knew started talking about time and the Ordeal of Death-" and yes, she says it with the implied capital letters, Elizabeth can hear the gravitas in Guinaifen's voice, "-I'd want to know more."

Elizabeth looks up for a second, pondering, then looks at the camera, "The thing is... Most people here are not from where I am, or where I was. Only a few. You are not one of them, so I am assuming you are either from elsewhere in the sea of the soul, or another Earth, or even another reality. The thing about being in a place where time does not pass, you become very aware of the infinite variations of reality and which one you are dealing with at the time."

She then blinks, and nods a bit, "I am not using the names of those who went the ordeal, and I do not think they refer to it as such, having only what they saw as a reference point, not... The history of the other ordeals, and while the Ordeal of Death was... Trying, I worry more about the Ordeal of Despair. Which was less... But more."

As there was no good way of admitting that she thought- look, there's nothing wrong with being homebodies, and if your tech level's low then your tech level's low and there's little to be done about it, but at least half the people going on about 'alternate realities' and 'alternate worlds' had yet to just fly out of city limits and discover the galaxy next door's inhabited. Sometimes it's just that simple.

But she doesn't say that. Guinaifen just nods seriously, a little solemnly, and makes a note to get coffee with Sunday sometime because she needs to talk to someone who's normal. "I guess it depends on perspective. I'd be more worried about this Ordeal of Death 'cause I might not make it out of there alive, and if I'm dead why would I care about despair? You can get over despair; death's harder, but maybe that's just me. But what's stopping you from warning whomever they are?"

"The end of humanity. Which... Honestly doesn't really bother me, but as... They are a human it may bother them."

She sighs a bit at that.

Guinaifen stares at that, and is clearly hesitating on doing something - an ill defined something - as her mouth swings shut and remains shut and she's tempted to grab her device and text someone she knows reasonably well here (a small number) to let them know that she stumbled across someone casually talking about genocide like it's no big deal.

Guinaifen doesn't...for now, but later, she'll probably be blowing up socials. But that's later. "So...what would happen to you if that happened?" And, in case Elizabeth didn't get it, she adds, "You'd still be there, wouldn't you?"

[It's that term again!]

A dog I know has a Persona!

"Would that dog be named Koromaru?"

Oh, do you know Koromaru-san?

"Not well. I aided his master in his ordeal."

Then you must have known Minato! ...Or maybe it's Kotone-chan you remember?

"Minato was my guest. My brother worked with Kotone."

Oh, time is pretty wrong. Like, definitely wrong. I mean, there are people here who only exist in history books, for me? But they're also from the future. And some of them are from the future, but also the past, but some weird alternate past where stuff that definitely happened did not happen.

I also live in constant fear that I'm going to expose them to past secrets that might make it home and totally alter the course of history, but I don't think that's part of what you're asking, here.

ANYWAY I'm just saying, I don't think you're the only one!!

I see, but is it possible they are from universes that are not your own and not simply out of time? I originally come from... How is the best way to explain a place outside of time? It is complicated, but if I said in the collective unconscious of humanity, would that be too much?

As for the fear, it is less actual fear and more, given the nature of the ordeals completed, and my own journey. I would rather not have them undone and thrown into chaos given the stakes. Luckily they don't know me well, save for one, but... I am uncertain the degree of stealth I need maintain given their being from several years ago.

It's not just possible! It's probable! I mean, at least with one of them, maybe even two.

I'm not quite sure I follow, but you could argue that THIS place is out of time, too, right? So far, it seems like it exists completely outside of our individual timeline continuities. Which is a nightmare. Like, every paradox in the multiverse should be launching right now. None of us should EXIST anymore. So maybe this is some sort of liminal space outside of time where all timelines converge? I don't know, I don't really specialize in temporal mechanics, but there has to be SOME explanation.

But...if that all is the case, then maybe we should both be a little less worried about whether we're messing up or undoing the past. Maybe it won't be a problem at all.

Edited 2024-07-09 20:19 (UTC)

Where I come from, existed outside of the stream of time, as to help support an ordeal in all the various timelines that it existed in. Imagine if you will, watching the same game over and over again, failure through failure, until such time as someone succeeded, simultaniously. If done in a place where time flowed normally, that would cause madness, but without, it was easier to track.

I suspect this place is a pocket in the sea of the soul that is also outside of time, but I do not know what happens when someone leaves. Do they create an alternate reality? Does time try to heal it? Are memories lost? I would ask my master... Or even my sister... If I hadn't left home without permission.

The problem is, how do we find an answer to those questions? Has anyone who's gone home ever come back? So far, it seems pretty impossible to communicate with other places, so we seem to be on our own, and THAT means we don't even have enough data to throw out a theory or two! Honestly I don't get it. Why bring us all here and refuse to give us any information?

[...]

"Left home without permission?"

Yes. People who are from the Velvet Room, do not leave it. My soul yearned for something more. I suppose that it is not common.

Still, as for the other questions, perhaps if we had someone with a navigation persona, or a ritual to pierce the veil, or one of those odd contraptions that mortals use to learn things about other worlds. I do not know why we were brought with no information, but perhaps it is our destiny to take what we can and leave it in a way others can understand.

It's...not as uncommon as you might think. I know the feeling.

I think you might be right though, that all we can do is gather the information we can and keep it organized and updated. That way, even if WE can't figure it out, someone else could later on.

I see. Still we would need to either craft a navi persona or one of those mortal machines. I would need more persona to merge and there are no shadows here, so the machine may be better, unless you know sorcery.

Are the green people the intellectuals of your world? You seem rather adept at scientific thought, and know nothing of green mortals so I am merely guessing.

... Wait, what? What machines? Why don't you have a shadow?? Am I missing something here?

Oh-- I'm from Orion. It's a planet. Everyone there looks like me. ...I mean, not literally the same as me, I'm not a clone or anything, but most Orions have skin that's some shade of green, and hair colors ranging from green to black to blue or red. Mostly.

Oh, I don't know. But I know that mortals like to make machines to find out all kinds of strange things. I know more of magic than science.

Are Orions the thinkers of your world? I know some races tend to live more in logic and thought, and others more in... Other things.

Magic?? That's...wow. I've heard a few people talk about magic, here, but there's nothing like that where I'm from?

Not exactly?? I mean. Orions are just...people from Orion. It's a whole planet, so people can be pretty...different. Just like on other worlds, I think. That said, there aren't exactly a lot of Orion scientists. Not that there aren't any! It's just...not as much of a thing, you know?

"Yes and yes," His answers are instantaneous and without hesitation, though for several seconds after he's outright staring at Elizabeth on the screen like he's trying to place her face. "You're a different attendant than I'm used to." He sits back from where he's looking at his tablet and fidgets with his hair, frowning. He'd forgotten to give her his name. "Akira Kurusu. Igor 'n Lavenza call me Trickster, not sure if that's the usual fare."

"So then you are a Fool. I understand. I was only the attendant for two ordeals. I.... Left after that."

She shrugs a bit, "I know my Sister was the attendant after me, but I know little about any ordeals after hers. I am uncertain that I could leave again were I to go back so I have never tried. That and I have not achieved my goals. Still, trickster... Perhaps a Fool of Chaos? Or a Fool who's ordeal was thrust upon them in a matter they were not meant to win in a head to head game?"

There is a pause and she tilts her head, "Lavenza... I see..."

"From anyone else I would try to be offended by that assessment," he offers, chuckling. "Two? That's... unusual, isn't it? I thought everyone had a different attendant." He shrugs narrow shoulders in a fluid motion, splaying both hands with his palms upward for a moment, and then frowns, as if playing back a statement she'd given him again. "Wait-- go back? You left the Velvet Room?"

"My two ordeals were related."

She shrugs, there is a bit of apprehension in her eyes, but she does not believe that a video is an immediate enough threat. That and there is no reason to lie about it, she is fairly certain Margaret has told her guest about this so it is hardly a secret.

"Yes. Just because an ordeal is finished, does not mean that all the problems from it have been dealt with. I left because I.... Did not care for how things ended and was looking for something better."

"Huh," he ponders aloud, nodding even if he doesn't really get it. Related, was it? He leans back in the chair he's seated in, setting his chin in one hand. His voice is quiet, like he's not fully intending to speak out loud, then. "I guess the twins did come out and have me show them around..."

Looking back to the screen, he smiles a bit. "Did you find something better?"

"Better no, but I'm still looking. There is a lot about the mortal world that I do not understand. For good or for evil... While I look human, I am not one, and not subject to the things that are the inner workings of the soul.

"My Fool showed me his world as well. We do not... Get perfect understandin..."

She stops and tilts her head, "Twins? I don't remember Lavenza having a sister."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Video:

also video;

video;

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

voice

voice

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

text; anonymous

text;

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject