ANNOUNCEMENT 012

[intercom_voice]

[Whoops. She's running a little late it seems, for today, the intercoms buzz into action a little late.]

Ahem. Attention, students!

[The husky voice of - well, the Voice that speaks over the intercom - echoes through the halls.]

Now that we're all done with our bout of spring sickness, it's time to buckle down to our studies! Remember that tests may appear at any time, and it would be such a shame if you were all to fail and be kept back another year.

And don't forget to be welcoming to our new arrivals, won't you? They're quite behind the times, after all.

[Click.]

Speak to the Voice
General Mingle

Comments

[wildcard_of_the_desert]

[Just when she thought she was getting the hang of this place, someone throws her another curveball.]

Space...pirate...


How? I... think people went to the moon, but that was long before the Great War. And since then, nobody's gone back to space. So how did you get there?

[trumpeting]

[He arches a brow, amused by her reaction.]

There are habitable planets aside from Earth, you know.

[Basco grabs one of his stir-fry bowls and leans back against the counter.]

[wildcard_of_the_desert]

There are? Where?

[Sibyll struggles to even remember the basics of astronomy. Most of what she knew was simple use of stars as navigation. What very little she knew about the other planets in the solar system were that they were uninhabitable.]

...So you're... not from Earth at all? Like an alien?

[trumpeting]

Bingo! I'm from outside of the Sol system.

[Allowing that to sink in, he takes the time to grab a bite of his food. When he swallows:]

About... 10.5 lightyears away? Rough estimate~.

[wildcard_of_the_desert]

[Sibyll shakes her head, trying to comprehend what exactly he's talking about. She's not having much luck. Wait a second, hadn't this sort of thing been Jason Bright's plan? She had intially assumed that the ghoul cult had been seeking out somewhere else on the globe, but perhaps his sights had been higher then she thought.

At least the second bowl of steaming food could serve as a distraction while she tried to process all of this. She takes a bite and is pleasantly surprised.]

This is amazing! What's in it?

[The Courier could probably afford to be a bit more lady-like when it comes to food. But, no, she's scarfing it down like she hasn't eaten in years.]

Wish I could bring you back to Vegas. Even the cooks at the Ultra-Luxe aren't this good.

[She takes a few more bites.]

So, what's a light-year?

[trumpeting]

[He is amused with how easily her attention shifts and watching her stuff her face with his food reminds him of Marvelous. He was always loud and reckless.]

Cabbage, chicken, ginger, garlic, carrots, sprouts, mushrooms, peas, red onion. The sauce list is equally long: plum sauce, vinegar, rice wine, cilantro, more garlic, more ginger, sesame oil... [He pauses, looking down at his dish and shuffling it around with his fork.] I believe that's all. Ah, no, celery.

[Since most of his weight is against the counter, Basco crosses one of his legs in front of the other.]

To answer your question, though, a light year is the measurement of distance~. [He gives a playful wink as he takes another bite of his food.]

v_v Sorry for being so lslow. I've been sick.

[wildcard_of_the_desert]

[His explanation, not to mention most of the ingredients he listed fly over her head. At least the food's good, even if she's still not quite sure what's in it.

However, Sibyll was quite tired of sounding like an idiot to this guy. Time to change the subject a little.]

So if you can travel through space and all, you've gotta to be from even further into the future then I am compared to everyone else here. What year is it for you?

That's okay. Hope you feel better!

[trumpeting]

[ If space travel is flying over her head, he doubts she'd make much sense out of their calenders so he goes with the next best thing. ]

I believe it was... 2011 on Earth? [ He punctuates the sentence by gathering the cabbage on his fork. ] I was a busy man, I don't quite remember the month or date - it's different from our own, anyhow.

Thanks~

[wildcard_of_the_desert]

Huh. [She pauses, fork halfway up in the air, head tilted in confusion.]

No, wait, I forgot. I think this place takes people from different worlds where events don't always play out like they're supposed to. Guess in your world there is no Great War in 2077 that wipes out most of Earth.

[That was still such an odd concept to grasp. Sibyll wasn't sure she'd ever understand it fully. She shakes her head a little more and finishes taking a bite.]

So I know what regular pirates are. They're ancient thieves on ships who used to attack other ships. Is that what you do? 'Cept in space?

[trumpeting]

Oh, but there was a Great War in 2011. Earth defended itself from an Zangyack invasion.

[ But he's willing to let that subject drop. The Timerangers probably had something to do with the 'multiple' histories anyway. ]

Crude but you're close. Only, I became a privateer; much more lucrative that way~.

[wildcard_of_the_desert]

[That was strange. Either it was an alternate history, or that invasion was something the former government kept ridiculously well hidden. She frowns a little, her expression mirroring her inner confusion before flickering back to normal smile.]

Ah, right. Privateer. Just like I'm just a Californian 'prospector'.

[Fancy talk for dirty jobs. Some things never do change, no matter the world, time or universe.]

So... [Having eaten enough that her other primary instinct, curiosity, can shine through, Sibyll tilts her head, scanning the man.]

Are you human? Certainly look like one.

[trumpeting]

Bleed just like any other.

[ And he seems to punctuate that fact with a bite of his food before points at her with his fork and turning the questions onto her. ]

You said 2077 - what year are you from?

[wildcard_of_the_desert]

[Idly, she glances at the Pip-Boy on her wrist, flicking a few dials before the information she wanted popped up onto the screen. The date had frozen in time the moment she had stepped into this weird place.]

Still November 24th, 2281. It's been like that ever since I got here. Keeps the time right, though. Automatic mapping also still works. Everything else is just frozen.

[That wasn't quite true. Her biometrics information still fluctuated a little, but she hadn't been significantly injured since coming here.]

[trumpeting]

2281? That's quite a leap. [ He makes a gesture towards the Pip-Boy with his fork. ] But your gear looks old. Result of the war?

[wildcard_of_the_desert]

When the world ends you're just left with the scraps, so you just make do.

[She simply shrugs at the observation. It was her way of life, like everyone else in her time. There was no shame in it in Sibyll's mind. So long as she could survive and thrive in (relative) comfort.]

It's funny what lasts and what doesn't. Roads and cars? All gone. Pip-Boys, on the other hand, built to last.