ximilia | Voice; un: newt

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Voice; un: newt

Oh man, we have new blood again? Welcome aboard!

I've been saving these stickers for the occasion.

[He sends a snapshot of the stickers in question:]

If you're not a newbie and you really want one, I barter in any of the following: snacks, shiny rocks, manga, monster movies, cool figurines, cigarettes, conversations about tattoos, spaghetti or any type of noodle, cute dimples, cheek kisses, compliments about my boots, neat pictures of any manner of phyla, a tall can of pringles, pens with blue or red ink, caffeine patches, 80's or 90's band shirts, things that hover that shouldn't, fancy scissors, dinosaur stickers, or coffee.

Just come on down to the lab and get your very special prize!

If I'm bumping into tables and jumping six feet in the air because you so much as sneezed in my direction, it's because I'm temporarily blind and literally can't see my own hand in front of my face.

Ciao!

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In the meantime, you can reach out in front of you with your hand first. Until that period of time runs out and you are adjusted, of course.

[ This is his attempt at helping. ]

Oh, yeah! No, don't worry, it was mine.

I'm totally fine now, bee-tee-double-you. The infirmary here is state of the art!

[ARE YOU PUT AT EASE???]

[YOU KNOW HE'S NOT!]

Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that but, what on Earth did you get up to that had you bleeding so much it ruined a pair of pants?

[He sounds maybe just. a LITTLE panicked. And exasperated! But that's kind of normal for him, dw about it.]

[Dude, that almost sounds like that one Barenaked Ladies song. You have a drumstick, and your brain starts tickin! You know what I'm sayin'? Anyway, focus, Newton.]

You're pretty close! And they actually borrowed a lot from Earth's ecosystems. At least, that's what I gleamed when I drifted with 'em; they're composed of different parts of species. Lizards, fish, all of that. But actually, they're all clones that had been created in deep space by evil genocidal overlords.

[It happens.]

Dude, there's no exclusivity in the movie club. In fact, I whip out the ol' projector after every mission to unwind! So any time you wanna tune in, even if we're not doing the movie nights, you just gotta ask.

I got all kinds of stuff in my roster!

You ever see Godzilla? The original? It's a masterpiece, man. And I've got some bootleg, crappy movies based on my world, too! And tons of classics like Princess Bride or Titanic; most people here will tell you not to watch Titanic, but they're just thin-skinned.

[Newton nods, listening quietly. As much as he can't see anything, can't get a read on Edward's face, he can at least try to track how he's feeling in the tone of his voice.]

Sounds like a lot that I wouldn't get without a lot of lessons.

But I kinda get it. I mean, I can see the logic from your world... Hearing that souls are a confirmed thing in so many worlds is kind of nice, though. In a scary 'holy shit, we need to be careful with our souls' kind of way. Maybe this 'Gate' is kind of like our Drift. Like, pilots always talk about being in the Drift, even after they die.

Makes me wonder if it's somewhere we all go.

But — I'm sure you'll make it. You've got time here, and you'll get your regret fixed up, no sweat.

Edited 2022-12-27 06:44 (UTC)

Oof... buddy...

[He rubs the back of his neck.]

You know, it's just. This place isn't always the safest. The last time, it was kind of me stabbing myself? But it was to stop myself from getting possessed. It's complicated, but the orb on the last mission really didn't want us finding it. Or the person who had been using it didn't want us finding it. I'm still not 100% sure on which.

Point is, do your best to avoid getting blood on you, but definitely expect it.

Gee, thanks! I would have never thought of that myself.

[/sarcasm

But he does, in fact, put his hands out in front of him now.]

Well? C'mon! Let's go walking to the mess hall. All this talk's got me hungry.

[He may or may not be roping Joric into this because he's a little nervous being alone and blind at the same time. One or the other, but not both, mkay?]

[ His eyes narrow, but he makes no comment about the sarcasm and instead starts off towards the food. He'll put up with plenty if there's food at the end of it. ]

Do you remember how to get there? This would be a good test of your memory.

[Godzilla? Princess Bride? Titanic? None of these ring any bells for Finn, but he’s thoroughly intrigued, if only by Newt’s boisterous enthusiasm for the topic.]

I’ve never heard of any of those, but they all have awesome names. The movies selection where I’m from is pretty slim. You kinda just take what you get.

[Turns out the movies most likely to survive the ravages of the apocalypse are the ones buried or abandoned in the greatest numbers. And those aren’t the good ones.]

So what’s your favorite? If you had to pick one.

Yeah. Why I gave you these as some homework.

[Or. Well. Newt is a fellow nerd so he probably doesn't necessarily consider this as a chore like homework. Ed spends a lot of his time researching as well. So it probably seems more fun and exciting than others might consider. He hopes.]

The Gate is...like this part of us, inside all of us, that gives us the potential for alchemy. That knowledge. Al is trapped in his, in ours. Or, his body is. Because when we tried to bring her back, we mixed our blood. As payment. Alongside the other ingredients of a human body. I can't speak for this Drift, except you said it was like it links people? I guess that is kind of similar. At least in that basic sort of sense. Al and I, our Gates are connected.

But -- yeah. I hope so.

...Ah.

[He sounds, maybe... Just a BIT queasy? He's staying off video though so, sorry Newt, you'll have to base your image of how faint he's probably looking at the moment off of the unhealthy waver in his voice.]

Well. I, um... Appreciate. Your honesty.

[...]

Wait, sorry, when you say possessed...

[DON'T TELL HIM GHOSTS AND EVIL SPIRITS ARE INVOLVED HERE TOO, GOD DAMMIT--]

... I think so. Maybe. Yeah!

[He bites his lip, one hand carefully following the walls.]

It's through the sunlight room, so the only danger is, like, tripping on some rocks.

But I think I could manage. I've lived here for over a year now, so you'd think it'd be a walk in the park.

[... kind of literally-]

I believe you can do it, as long as you remain cautious of your surroundings.

[ So maybe Newt could stop talking quite so much and listen to what's around him. Perhaps that's just wishful thinking on Joric's part. ]

[ ooc: hey! i was thinking this could be a good wrap spot as we head into the next mission. ]

[He snorts waving a hand.]

Oh, monster movies, no contest. Godzilla vs. Mothra was one of my all-time favorites growing up! But they're all awesome. And boy, I bet I could find tons of anime you'd be into. Oh! What kind of stuff are you into? Quests? Because Lord of the Rings is a great quest flick.

[He is gonna HOOK YOU UP, kid.]

... Huh.

You think any of us have Gates? People not from your world, I mean.

At this point, I've learned that honesty is the first step to spiritual and mental healing... or, uh. Whatever that pamphlet I read said. I'm not about to lie to you, pal — it'd be bullcrap if I did. We're on the same team, and we gotta be open.

[Which is a real development from Mr. Two-Man-Team from the PPDC. But the Ximilia's really taught him being a team player is even more life and death than ever, yanno? With a soft breath, he continues:]

Possessed, yeah. Like, a spirit entering you and controlling you.

That kind of possession.

Not like there's a way to check but. So far nobody else aside from me from all these different worlds have been able to transmute? Even if you might be vaguely aware of alchemy. It might just be something specific to my world.

[Doesn't mean others might not be able to understand the theory. But actually making use of that to perform a transmutation.]

[Suffice to say, this nerdy teenager is very into quests. Even as the names wash over him like random gobbledy gook, Finn is no less enthralled.

Movie night was going to be the best thing ever.]

I'll take anything you can throw at me! [And he means it. Newt isn't exactly posing a challenge his way, but Finn seems to be taking it as one anyway. And then, a little more sincerely, maybe a little bashfully:] Thanks, dude.

[Being showed kindness, being given an avenue for fun... Finn maybe needed them a little more than he realized. It chased away lonely thoughts of home, giving him something to look forward to besides just Orb Work. He's truly grateful, and it shows in his voice.]

Just, uh, hit me up whenever!

...O-oh.

[He's... Hm.

He's not even sure what to say to that?? There's a bit of an awkward silence for a moment.]

...I think I'd prefer to go back to talking about stickers, now.

Heh, that's true.

It just kind of reminds me of the Drift. This idea of Gates?

We use technology to use the Drift, not alchemy, but it can really feel like you're passing through one. Into other people's memories, their thoughts and feelings, all of that. I know scientifically they're crazy different, but I think I can at least get how something like that could exist.

It's no problem, kid. And it goes both ways! You ever need an anime to watch or some tech to repair, just hit me up.

[we're best buds now 2023]

I haven't really tried to explain the Gate to anyone else. It was just...I only go there when we do Human Transmutation. This white space that's just empty except for us and Truth, this white figure. And Al, Al's body is there, with his Gate now. I just have to figure how much, what to give up in exchange for it. It's because of the Gate that I can do alchemy the way I can, without needing to draw a transmutation circle. I guess in a way this Drift is sort of similar in terms of knowledge?

Ha. Smart guy.

[Really, he likes the veer in conversation. It's still all kind of tender, you know.]

You want some dino stickers?

I've got the coolest shiny foil dinosaur stickers.

Yeah, maybe... Like, maybe the tech we made to get there is like the transmutation circles you use to get there. [He shrugs.] But I guess it's kind of hard to ever compare the two! I mean, I've got a half-busted drift machine in my room, but I don't know if I'd ever use it here.

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