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(no subject)

Who: 008/Pyunma and anyone!
When: His arrival
Where: The Plaza
Style: Starting brackets, but I'll follow you.
Status: Open!

[Being wet isn't any surprise, not after Pyunma had just been out in the ocean dragging the others out of the water. What he doesn't expect is to suddenly not be in their little craft with the rest of his teammates. A flash of movement above catches his attention, and when he looks up, he sees a shark swimming in the water beyond the dome. It takes a few moments of staring to take in.]

Yomi? But...

[That should be impossible. They still had such a distance to travel. Unless he was teleported, but why only him?]

001? [He stands still as the moments stretch on, but there's no voice echoing through his head. Even if his fellow cyborg sent him here, he must not be able to contact him. Pyunma is about to find somewhere not so... public when he notices the brochure next to him. It's a quick read, but in the end, it doesn't explain the one thing he really wants to know. He's still unsure about this place, but there's information he needs to have. So, with one hand at his hip, he approaches the next passerby he sees.]

Excuse me. Have you seen anyone wearing a uniform like mine?

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[Jet was just heading back towards the apartment he'd been living in for a couple weeks when his eye was caught by the bright red and yellow of a uniform that matched the one stashed in the corner of his closet.

For a moment he just stared, but then a grin split his face and he jogged over to greet Pyunma.]

008! Man, am I glad to see you. Did you just get here?

[It's not difficult to pick Jet out of a crowd, thanks to the hair, but it does take a moment for it to click (last he knew, Jet was in uniform too), but the moment he recognizes who it is, the smile on Pyunma's face is just as wide and bright as Jet's.]

002! I found myself here only a minute ago. [He hasn't even dried off.]

Are the others here with you?

[It occurs to him he probably should have grabbed a towel on his way over, but he hadn't thought about it. He'd have to go grab one in a second.]

No, I'd kinda hoped you all would just show up at once, it's been a month.

Guess this means you're not the rescue party. Well, welcome to Vatheon.

No. You haven't been missing at all, let alone a month. [Of course, he's from Jet's relative past, which means that even if Jet was missing after his stunt, Pyunma wouldn't know about it.]

I don't think 001 is the reason I'm here.

[He holds up the pamphlet.]

So all this is true?

[That's just weird to think about, even if he'd already known that would be the case. Reading it and hearing it confirmed were two different things.]

So far as I can tell.

There's all kinds of people here in the exact same position and there's some pretty weird things that happen here too. Though, it's been more stupid than dangerous.

What it says about being trapped is true too, at least I couldn't find a way out. There's an island but it's surrounded by some kind of force field that I couldn't shoot through.

[For being there a month, all that didn't seem like much, but it was all he had to offer his comrade.]

All the way into the ocean?

[It seems likely, but still, hard to believe, and Pyunma resolves to check as soon as he can make it to the island. Reading it and having it confirmed are, again, two different things.]

As far as I can tell, yeah.

I tried seeing if I could find a top, but after a couple hours of going up and finding nothing, I stopped; it could go on up to the atmosphere for all I know.

[Not that he was too keen on testing that.]

There's this info database on the communicators too, but it didn't mean much to me.

[Pyunma was better at that sort of thing, maybe he'd understand it more.]

Anyway, this is probably going to sound weird, but what's the last thing from home you remember? Apparently, people can come from different times when they show up here. It's weird.

Is there? [He'll have to look it up, though he's still not certain that he trusts the communicator. Still, it goes on his mental list of things to do once he's figured out enough about the city itself to feel safe in it.]

That was in the brochure.

The last thing I saw, the Dolphin was destroyed. [If he sounds a bit upset to Jet's ears as he says that, well, the Dolphin was their ship for a very long time. It became home, at some points, and seeing it sink into the ocean was a blow to the entire team's morale.]

[Jet grimaced. That wasn't a pleasant memory and it was still mostly fresh for him as well. At least there wasn't much of a difference between them. A lot had happened, granted, but it wasn't as bad as it could be.]

Yeah...that was a few hours ago from last I remember, but close enough.

[He frowns.]

What happened? Black Ghost seemed intent on finishing us off.

[Same old same old, really. But the number of robots they had there was almost overkill. He'll be glad to hear if they survived it.]

[Jet shrugged but smirked.]

What do you think? We got them, of course. I'll admit, it wasn't easy, but we took care of them.

[He hesitated and his smirk faltered and fell.]

Bina and Helen and their sisters died, though. We couldn't stop that. Then...001 transported 009 up to take care of the rest of Black Ghost. We finally beat them once and for all.

[He was glossing horrendously, but details weren't his forte.]

[It's almost enough information, and Pyunma doesn't mind the glossing on most of it, but there's one question Jet isn't going to get out of.]

But 009 and everyone, did they come out all right?

[Jet looks away, eyes disappearing into his hair and in that moment of hesitation, he knows he's screwed. If he lies now, he has no doubt Pyunma will know it.]

Yeah, everyone else's fine.

001 said he couldn't bring 009 back from where he'd sent him, so I went after him myself.

The thing is, the place was way up higher than I've ever gone before so, by the time I got there I was out of fuel. Last I remember, we were falling through the atmosphere. I don't know after that.

[But, needless to say, it didn't look so good. He shrugged.]

Why would 001 send him so far up without our help?

[He's frowning for plenty of reasons, but first and foremost is that those two are in such a dangerous situation without the rest of them. If it means the defeat of Black Ghost, they'd all fight their hardest, so Joe being left to finish it alone doesn't sit right with him.]

We actually asked him that. He said the less dead, the better.

[On some level, he got it. Why sacrifice everyone if you didn't have to? But that didn't mean he agreed with it. Hell, maybe if he'd been sent up there with Joe from the start, he could have brought them back in better shape.]

[It’s hard to protest that, in some ways, but it’s different to know there’s nothing you can do to help a comrade. They all know their lives are on the line, fighting Black Ghost, but that’s their own decision, and by now, none of them are willing to stand still and wait for death to come.

He doesn’t want to accept that future. It would break the team more than anything else could.]

There must be some way to prevent it.

[He simply crosses his arms and shrugs, seeming completely nonchalant about it.]

Hey, I'm open to any suggestions anyone's got, it's not like I'm looking forward to going back to that.

[Because, really, it was kind of terrifying and more than a little disappointing. Not only was that it, but he hadn't even really made good on his promise.]

We'll keep looking. With so many different people here, there's sure to be something.

[And it seems to him that they've got the time to do it, anyway, what with Jet having been here for an entire month already.]

[The Plaza is rarely an odd place for Karkat to be. With the hat curse over, he feels safe to navigate his way there, and to give the coral an overdue touch. Luckily, a week without is hardly the longest he's gone sleepless on his own ability; he just didn't want to get near anyone too eager to share hats. He had enough of that curse the first time around.]

[But it is nearing the end of the month, isn't it? Time for arrivals, so when some soaking man approaches him with a question, he's not surprised at all. He turns to better face him, and hopefully Pyunma isn't too weirded out by seeing his first troll.]

No, I haven't seen anyone in a uniform that ridiculous.

[It's a mild remark, since he's seen worse. God Tier pajamas, man.]

[He pulls his SFC out from seemingly nowhere.]

But you probably arrived with one of these, so unless you're from one of those backwards worlds where people can't navigate technology so basic even a fresh-hatched wiggler could figure it out, you can figure out if anyone you know is here already. There's a list of people on this: search it, and if you don't find the name, they're not here.

[The hand at his waist jerks back toward the holster for his gun, but Pyunma doesn't hold it out at the ready. Maybe this boy has been modified. Maybe he's an alien as well, like those other strange children the cyborgs discovered once. He certainly doesn't seem hostile, and there's no need to make a strange situation worse by being trigger-happy.

Safe to use and simple to use aren't the same thing, but since this boy seems certain about the device, Pyunma takes out his own, and starts going through the list. Fortunately, it doesn't take too long, since he only has to get down to "J."]

002...

[But none of the others. Then perhaps it isn't the work of the Black Ghost. But there's no reason not to find out.]

This [He holds up the brochure] claimed the reason we are here is unknown. Is that true?

[Karkat catches the jerking motion, and while he doesn't see what the guy is reaching for, he's seen enough startled reactions from new people to guess what might be the cause. It does tense up his own posture, just a bit, but he doesn't pull out any weapon of his own. At least Pyunma trusts him enough to look through the list.]

[He captchalogues his own SFC.]

No, it's not, but before this gets any weirder let me clarify one thing. This? [He waves a hand by his face.] This is because I'm a troll, not the kind from whatever ridiculous fairy tales your world might have, but the kind from another planet in a universe entirely separate from your own. Save any questions about that for later because right now they aren't important, but the point is, get over it, because I'm not even the weirdest species this place has to offer.

[Ahem.]

Anyway, why we're here is a bunch of scientist shitstains abducting us out of our respective worlds to run experiments involving this here coral, called the Lamufao. [He points over at it, though it's hard to miss.] Basically stuff about using emotions as a power source, magical bullshit, blah blah, I'm not the one who knows the details and good luck finding someone who will explain it in depth.

Before you ask, no, you can't go back just because you want to. They decide when we show up and when we leave, and there's no way to petition them to change their minds. The good news it that things will be just like you left them when you return, though you won't remember anything about this place when you do. Trust me, I've gone back to my own world and experienced it myself. And yes, that also means that they can and do yank us back here at their leisure. I'd give you a lengthy metaphor for the exact nature of their awfulness, but unless you're emotionally stunted beyond repair, I'm sure you can feel your own reaction to the situation. Just be grateful I'm used to giving out the info dump to strangers.

[Well, that's certainly an explanation. Pyunma could ask a few more questions about it, but instead he just nods. There are more important things to find out.

And Karkat is good at giving the important information. Pyunma listens without interrupting, but he frowns when Karkat mentions the scientists and experiments.]

What is this group of scientists called?

[Well isn't that a question. Karkat sighs and tosses up his hands.]

Hell if I know! Do you think I'd just be calling them "the scientists" if I knew what they're called? I know the name of their country, but not their group, and that sure as fuck doesn't help me. And to be honest, what they're called hardly matters next to the fact of them keeping us in a city to run experiments on with no say or choice in the matter whatsoever. Have you heard of a thing called priorities? They're what tell you what's actually important to worry about, instead of stupid things like that.

[This boy (alien?) just might be the angriest person Pyunma has ever met. It's probably a good thing he doesn't get irritated easily. He doesn't even look irritated at Karkat's outburst, though he's still pretty pensive.]

I am familiar with a group which does similar things. If they were the same, I might have experience to contribute in stopping their plans. Without knowing the name, it's hard to be certain.

[Karkat by contrast frowns deeper, and his eyes narrow as well.]

Dipshit, this isn't even in the same universe as wherever you're from. Unrelated, totally, completely, and unless you've miraculously heard of a place called Fasest before, this is wholly a coincidence and you would do me a favor to shut up about it. I've been here two and a half earth years, understand? I don't know everything, but I know a lot more than some stonepanned newbie who thinks things sound a little similar to something from someplace else.

I have no way to test which universe is or is not mine, but I understand I am at a disadvantage. Fasest is not a name I'm familiar with.

[Still staying reasonable.]

Trust me, bulgewhiffer, this is not your universe. It has generally not been the universe of anyone else here. They haul in people from different places and the only ones actually from here are the natives and the scientists themselves, and more often than not neither one is going to give you answers. That's why you shut your ignorant trap when someone who knows what he's talking about is handing out information.

[He jabs a finger at him, as a gesture rather than any real intent to poke.]

Can you follow that basic concept, or should I give up on the conversation right here and now?

I understand.

[Can't give up a good information source so early on.]

If they have taken you back from your own world, is there no way to permanently avoid their attention? Why would they go through the trouble of sending you back and taking your memories, if only to bring you here once more? Just for experiments?

[At least he's not arguing, but Karkat's frustration doesn't die off completely. He folds his arms.]

Remember what I said about not remembering anything about this place when you go back? That means you can't do anything intentional to avoid their attention. Even if you did remember and it somehow didn't fuck up the timelines and doom you and everyone you know, that would take knowing exactly what they look for when they drag us here. The people from my world that they've brought are all interlinked in some way, but that doesn't tell me why they brought people from other worlds instead of whoever else is on the street. It's not a matter of importance, because even if some of us have done big shit, they've also brought random people with no special powers or destinies in their worlds or anything.

Why they send us back and forth, I don't know. Some of us have been back and forth so many times I lose count, others appear for maybe a month and never come back, some stay here for years at a time without disappearing at all.

[It's maybe difficult to deal with, but Pyunma is getting the impression that Karkat's irritation rarely dies off completely.]

And there is no way of telling which will happen.

[It's more a statement than a question, but he's still looking to Karkat for confirmation.]

Exactly. The less expectations you build up about this place, the less disappointed you'll be when things inevitably fail to happen the way you wanted. You will lose people, you will get hit with curses you don't like, and sometimes you'll be forced into fights because whatever wacky monster it is this time decided it was a grand idea to come harass a bunch of people in a bubble. Or up on the island, but it's the same difference in the end.

Thank you for the forewarning.

[He doesn't like any of the information presented, but he isn't about to shoot the messenger.]

Monster attacks? How often are they?

[It still sounds a lot like Black Ghost to him, but he doesn't bring it up.]

[A wise decision, because he is totally wrong and Karkat wouldn't be kind in correcting him.]

It varies, but they're not as common as the curses. The most I've seen is four in an earth year, the least is one in a year. Some are more serious than others, but like the curses themselves, you can't tell what it's going to be until it happens. I've seen pirate ghosts, dinosaurs, rotting fish monsters, a kraken, and a transforming orb of darkness, though I've heard of at least one other attack before I showed up in this place.

[That's definitely more variety than Pyunma has faced in fights before, but as strange as each of those sound, he doesn't question them. He's had it proved to him several times, not only here but in his own world, that just because things seem impossible doesn't mean they are.

Instead, he nods, and offers a hand for a handshake.]

Thank you for answering my questions. Do you mind if I ask your name?

Edited 2013-07-04 21:33 (UTC)

[Karkat eyes the hand a second, then takes it and gives it a shake. A couple dumb thoughts aside, this guy doesn't seem too bad, so far.]

Karkat Vantas. What's yours?

[In a more normal circumstance, after meeting someone being so helpful, Pyunma wouldn't hesitate to give his name. But in a place still unfamiliar to him, he doesn't go with that.]

I'm 008.

[Karkat stares for a good, solid moment.]

What the fuck kind of name is 008?

It goes with the uniform.

[Which is true enough, but if Karkat is insistent, he can probably get Pyunma's real name from him.]

[Karkat's lower right eyelid twitches once.]

And what, exactly, does that orange and red affront to the senses determine about a dipshit name made of numbers? What's it a uniform for, or is it so stupid that it's better you don't tell me?

It means I was the eighth to be made a member of the group. The answer is a long story.

[Not to mention a complicated and pretty personal one, so he opts for compromise.]

If you'd rather, you can call me Pyunma instead.

Consider it filed under Shit I Don't Care About. It's a stupid name either way, so I will gratefully stick with Pyunma, which sounds a lot less awful than half the other names I hear around this place.

[A proper six-letter name, even!]

[It tends to be considered weird next to the names of his comrades, but six-letter names are apparently a trend where he's from. Muamba, Kabore, Mamado, Unbaba, and so on.]

In any case, thank you for your help, Karkat Vantas.

[He waves his hand.]

Whatever. You are far from the first newbie I've schoolfed on this place, and I highly doubt you're going to be the last. Just don't be an idiot about it, and I won't come to regret wasting my time on an empty-lobed dipshit.

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