First Missive: Man of Tanith

[thewoodsmansoldier]

[Corbec sat crouched near the edge of the forest, looking in at the village and frowning. He twirled the wooden aquila he had made in his fingers, thinking to himself. He'd found the village a few days ago, and what he saw of it at first seemed quite out of the ordinary. There were a handful things wandering around the village that clearly weren't human, or natural, but things seemed peaceful. He had decided he would watch from afar for a few days to get a better picture of what was going on here, and so far what he'd seen seemed like life in any peaceful village. The building he was currently looking at had people coming and going from it at regular intervals, and from what he could tell it was a bar of some sort. Again, it seemed like a relatively peaceful place. He looked at the aquila in his hand and pocketed it, standing up. Things here didn't seem harmful, and it was time for a closer look. Quietly, he made his way towards the bar. As he got closer, he managed to get a better look at the sign. The Good Spirits Bar, it read. So it was as he suspected. His guess confirmed, he now only knew one thing. And that was that he could use a drink. He took hold of the handle of the door, and entered, hoping he wasn't making a fool decision.]

Corbec will be in the bar for most of the evening. Do feel free to stop him before he enters if you wish, however.

Comments

[thewoodsmansoldier]

[Corbec nods and gestures to a seat]

Feel free to. You work here, afterall. Wouldn't be right of me to say no even if I didn't want you to, aye?

[Corbec tilted his head ever so slightly, thinking.]

New here...I figured from the wings I wasn't the only one, but that wasn't something I wanted to just assume. I take it I'm not the first to show up here out of nowhere, then?

[herotypical]

Every two months we get a round of New Feathers. [ she tips a hand towards him -- perhaps indicating himself or his wings. ]

[thewoodsmansoldier]

[Corbec looked back at his wings, frowning again.]

I tried tearing them off. It didn't end well. ...given how things seem to be here I'm not sure what to think. I've never seen anything like this place before. For me spontaneously growing wings and ending up somewhere you have no idea about would normally be a death sentence, but this place actually seems more peaceful than what I'm used to.

[herotypical]

[ oh, hell. where to start?

buffy peels a corner of the bottle's label off its front. ] The wings are life, here. Lose'em and die. So I'd suggest not trying that again. Still -- failed wingectomies seem to be a rite of passage in these parts.

A-and although I, too, come from a less peaceful place than this? I must warn you. The first blush of idyllic countryside is a little deceptive. We have our hard times. You'll witness them soon enough.

[thewoodsmansoldier]

Deceptive, eh? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Nothing can be perfectly good, aye? Still, I'm willing to wager it's better than what I'm used to in any case. ...if people aren't from here originally, though, where do they come from? Where did you come from?

[herotypical]

Earth. [ her answer is quick. certain. although her old life would have begged her to identify a town or a country, not a whole world, luceti had long ago taught her that it was best to start out generally. ] Or a version of it.

You?

[thewoodsmansoldier]

[Corbec frowns slightly.]

I can't say I've heard of Earth. I myself come from the world Tanith...or did, before it was destroyed. More generally I come from the Imperium of Man. Since that's almost the entire galaxy though it's a bit too general, isn't it?

[herotypical]

To match the same general level, I'd have to tell you I was from the Milky Way. Which sounds a lot more delicious than it actually is.

[thewoodsmansoldier]

[Corbec chuckles]

Aye, I knew it was too general. ...milky way though...I -do- know that. That's the same galaxy the Imperium is in.

[herotypical]

[ a slight smile. ]

There. Common ground -- err -- stars, I guess. Not so much ground. [ all this talk of galaxies, though... ] Is yours one of those interplanetary cultures? Hop on a space ship and see world deals?

[thewoodsmansoldier]

[Corbec nods]

Yes, it's interplanetary. Most don't see more than the world they were born on though. I saw more than most because I was a member of the Imperial Guard. ...of course, because I was military I wasn't exactly there to relax and take in the sights. Besides the moments of downtime, that is.

[herotypical]

...Oh. Military?

[thewoodsmansoldier]

Aye, I've been in the Guard since Tanith was destroyed. So almost a decade of going planet to planet. ...I had friends, but I'm not entirely sure I'll miss it. Considering how long I lasted there I think I was starting to push my deadline, if you follow me.

[herotypical]

Mmhm. [ a knowing nod -- perhaps a little too knowing for a tiny, youthful blonde. ] Soldiers aren't known for their shelf-life and -- if you'll pardon my supreme indiscretion -- you don't look like a spring chicken.

[thewoodsmansoldier]

[Corbec smiles, a mix between amused and acknowledging.]

You've certainly got that right, I'm not quite as spry as I used to be. I just hope my men will be able to get by okay without me...I have faith in 'em, though.

[herotypical]

That's the what of this place. When you eventually do get your ticket punched to return home? You'll go back to the very moment you left. Or so the fortunate among us have claimed. I wouldn't know. I haven't been back.

[thewoodsmansoldier]

...so what you're saying is time stops? Or reverses when you go back? I'm having trouble deciding if that's a good or bad thing...

[herotypical]

Stops for them. Reverses for you. You're meant to never remember this place.

[thewoodsmansoldier]

[Corbec tilts his head slightly]

So it's just erased from your mind, then? ...this whole situation has me a bit on edge. These are all things I'd normally be watching my back for. Sudden mutation, time stopping, memory loss...stuff that gets you put in an Inquisition shuttle and sent off somewhere to be studied or executed. ...and that's on a good day. The ones that happens to that go unnoticed, though...they don't live as peacefully as this. They go crazy.

[Corbec frowns deeply]

I'm not sure if I'm just going crazy like them.

[herotypical]

[ sent off somewhere to be studied. buffy smoothly suppresses a shudder at the thought. and, perhaps, the memory. ]

The fact that you're not outright disbelieving it all as a dream means you've got one up on most newbies. But...no. This place can be more than a little crazy-making but not by default. You're just as sane as the rest of us.

Which...probably isn't all that encouraging. Sorry.

[thewoodsmansoldier]

[Corbec shrugs]

I thought it might be a dream at first. Most dreams don't last days though, especially the vivid ones. And just as sane as the rest of you, well...you seem sane so far, but I haven't seen much, aye?

[Corbec offers a small, if perhaps somewhat forced, smile]

[herotypical]

...I suppose that depends on who you've met. So far.

[thewoodsmansoldier]

[Corbec nods to her]

So far you're the only person. You seem sane, so I'm not quite as worried as I was.

[herotypical]

...One moment while I try and decide whether I should feel apologetic or relieved that I am now the sum total of your Luceti experiences.

[thewoodsmansoldier]

[Corbec laughs]

So far, you seem a good sort. No need to worry about that.