text | un: m.cabrera

[naloxone]

[ turns out? space doesn't give a single fuck about your circadian rhythm. or maybe insomnia is just that attached to her that even the absence of a sun dictating her internal clock doesn't faze it, like an old friend you wish would just forget you already.

one night (?) late into the early hours (???) marta finds herself drifting out of the room she's come to assume will be hers for the indefinite future, passing through stark white walls with all the sterility of a hospital, but none of its familiar chaos.

she's still getting used to the earpiece. still getting used to hearing other people's voices in her head. she doesn't mean to add another in the void, but one of her own thoughts blares out too vividly as she stares out into an actual void: ]

—but where are the stars?

Comments

audio; un: Sabriel.Abhorsen

[bindsthedead]

Given what this station is meant to contain, it's probably for the best that it's as far away from anything else as possible.

There are stars in the sunlight room at night, and you can make the simulation room show you any constellations you'd like though.

--> audio too

[naloxone]

You're talking about the orbs, right? Someone mentioned them... Something about keeping them from doing more damage?

[bindsthedead]

Yes. They act through making bargains... but any artifact that powerful will have a will of its own, and the orbs are not benevolent- they seek chaos, and the prices they call for in their bargains are aimed at causing that.

[naloxone]

[ that was... not at all the answer she was expecting, but then again what was she expecting? something that made sense? how foolish. ]

This is — a lot.

[ to say the least. ]

If they're that dangerous, can we really trust they'll do what we — what they promised they'd do..?

[bindsthedead]

Because if part of their nature is to crave chaos, it also seems to be part of it to keep their word. For better or worse, everyone who made a bargain with the orb got what they asked for.

[And unlike some stories Sabriel heard as a child, the orbs have so far adhered to the spirit of the wishes, and not just the letter.]

And they have not been... creative in how they interpret wishes, although some who struck bargains with it might not have understood what they were giving up in exchange.

[naloxone]

I agreed to "help." But now I'm not so sure what that help really means.

[bindsthedead]

It means participating in missions, gathering the orbs and trying to fix whatever damage they've caused in the process. Which could mean finding the cause of a sleeping curse, or a cure for a plague that turned people into monsters.

[Or... well, Sabriel's not entirely sure what the Orb was after in Braccia. Chaos from the simmering tension between the three different families?]

[naloxone]

[ there's a lengthy pause. a desperate attempt to let the other voice deliver a punchline that never comes.

marta sighs. ]

I think I'm underqualified.

[bindsthedead]

You know, everyone here has different skills, but I don't think anyone here has actually proven to be entirely useless? We all have different rolls to play, and we've all got different skills and we all try to learn from each other.

I've been learning how to cook and use a gun, and in exchange, I've taught others what I know.

[naloxone]

[ compared to cooking, marta's skills can probably rank just a level or two higher. but using a gun? apparently they're expected to be in situations that call for it. ]

What do you know? If you don't mind me asking.

[bindsthedead]

Magic, mostly. [Sabriel says this in the same tone a normal person might use to say they're good with computers, or skilled at navigation.]

I'm decent with a sword, but that's not the easiest weapon to conceal.

[naloxone]

[ magic. somehow marta is both surprised and not. ]

Does... Is magic common? Where you're from?

[bindsthedead]

It's fairly common, although people in Ancelstierre like to pretend it doesn't exist.

wtf im so sorry i thought for sure i caught this!!

[naloxone]

Is there... prejudice? Against it?

It's okay!

[bindsthedead]

Not really. I've heard that some worlds treat mages badly, but that's not the case in Ancelstierre.

They just want to pretend it doesn't exist.

🙏

[naloxone]

I guess in some ways it would just be easier that way.

[bindsthedead]

Well. It is, most of the time. Especially when you acknowledge it enough to stay inside after nightfall and seek running water if you're out after dark.

[Sabriel's tone is bland and matter of fact.]

[naloxone]

I...

Sorry — are you not given water?

[bindsthedead]

We have plumbing in Ancelstierre. But running water, like creeks and streams, is a powerful barrier against the Dead.

[Again, delivered with a matter of fact seriousness, like she's describing the best tactics to avoid dangerous wild animals.

And somehow she's pronouncing the capital D.]

[naloxone]

[ marta rubs at her brow. ]

Your world sounds very, very different from mine.