revenance_comms | 01: action -> video

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01: action -> video

[First District, Traverse Town. Kanji's spent a little while getting settled in, but he's out and exploring right now, getting his bearings.
Or, at least, he is until trouble hits.
A mob of Nightmares. Nothing spectacular, a gang of Meow Wows, but it's enough to catch him off guard. How can anything so adorable be so vicious...! Then again: he's hardly unfamiliar with getting into a fight. Now, what can he use around here to take those damn things out with...

Shortly after, parked on the steps leading down to the town gates, he'll be making a call to get some more answers while he recovers a bit.]

...anyone getting this? Uh, hi, anyway. Name's Kanji - I got here earlier. And - I've got a coupla questions. About these guys.

[He pans the camera around to show his Pricklemane bouncing happily nearby.]

This little dude saved my ass earlier, but I don't know anything about it. Or about the ones who were trying to eat me. ... That's how it works, right? They're 'Dream Eaters', we're dreaming...

[Kanji logic, everyone.]

So is there anything I need to know? Like, how do I look after this guy? Does anywhere sell food for 'em?

...uh, and does anyone know who owns the café by the 'item' shop? The one with the chairs outside? I ... can't see 'em anywhere but I think I kinda owe 'em some cash.
I just... didn't exactly have anythin' else I could use, here...

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[Oh man. He is really trying hard not to be distracted by Lela, here. She's got a cherry for a tail, for crying out loud!
He manages to get his concentration back to introduce himself.]

Kanji. ...and this little guy ain't got a name yet. [He looks at the Pricklemane for a moment, before -] I oughta fix that soon, huh.

[The other thing she said suddenly strikes him.] How d'you mean, 'not all human'? [He pauses for a moment, before jumping to a conclusion he probably shouldn't.] You're... not a robot or somethin', are you?

[Not that he's got any problem with that idea. After all, one of his best friends happens to be an incarnation of an aspect of a human psyche. But he can't help but be curious now she's said that much...]

[ And a peach dangling at her throat! There's also a cyan ribbon tied about her neck, the bow tied expertly and its tails fluttering as the frootz cat sits next to Kanji and proceeds to rub her head against his leg happily. WELCOME, NEW PERSON, WELCOME.

Don't mind her, the hebby repp hissed at the pricklemane in amusement, she likes everybody. How well does your NewPerson handle nightmares? Green eyes narrowed slightly. He doesn't look very strong. ]

I'm not. [No amusement - but no offense taken either.] There are several AI here. [A pause] Sentient computer programs, if you need a better description. One of them has a robot body, which looks a little like my armor.

It's the talking horses you need to watch out for.

[ And the wolf. Except the wolf doesn't talk. ]

Edited 2013-12-13 22:38 (UTC)

[This is too much. Kanji's going to take that as an invitation to start tickling the Spirit behind the ears as he speaks.]

Yeah, I know what AI means. Ain't actually ever heard of any that actually think, though. But ...talkin' horses? Huh. Okay, wasn't expectin' that.
Guess I shouldn't be surprised at anything right now.

[The Pricklemane squeaks up, all new and curious about this other member of its kind - What's strong? Person fought for me, helped me. Took down Nightmares. Fierce.]

Edited 2013-12-13 23:13 (UTC)

[ Persons: 0, Lela: 23. She's ridiculously charming for a cat partially made of fruit, and she's delighted to get any attention. Especially from new people. Definitely far less intimidating than her Person, who still has yet to properly introduce herself yet. (rude)

Dax looks from the pricklemane to the boy, then back. Strong. Tough. He's a fighter, huh? Good! There's lots of fighting nightmares here. The treats they leave are delicious. ]

[Faaaintest sound that might be a snort.] You be sure to tell them that. [Epsilon, especially.] You don't seem that bothered by the strangeness, though.

You can't miss them. Some have horns, two have wings. Rarity's all right, though. [Which is only high praise when you consider that she's neutral towards Celestia and Pinkie Pie, and the less said about her lack of friendship with Luna, the better.]

Edited 2013-12-13 23:42 (UTC)

[Kanji nods, still making a fuss - and feeling a little guilty, he goes back to ruffle his own Spirit's spikes, missing the squeaks of Treats sound nice. Nicer than bad dreams?]

Rarity, huh. Horns, wings... like unicorns 'n all that? [He pauses.] And I ... had a load of weird crap happen back home last year. I'm kinda used to it. This is a dream 'n all, why shouldn't stuff be weird?

[Once you've jumped through a few televisions into a strange and twisted world of peoples' hearts and inner feelings accompanied by a giant bear, things tend to be easier to cope with.]

[ There's pleased purring for such attention, then a pleased nod to see he's taking care of his spirit's needs. Your Person is very good at scritches, Lela informs the pricklemane happily. He's almost as good as YorkPerson.

Dax merely rolls his eyes from his vantage perch on Carolina's shoulder and resists commenting on that. Food, however? Food, he can and will talk about.Nightmares will sometimes leave little candies. Those are for us. Make sure your Person picks them up so you have some for later. ]

Very much like that. [She sounds the uetter opposite of thrilled. Weight shifts from one foot to the other, before her arms fold across armor plate.] There's a wolf, too, who paints. But she doesn't talk.

[Weird crap? Geeze.] So there's magic and the like back in your own home world?

Well... [Okay, he might as well come out and say it. Can it really be a secret any more? In a world like this?] Yeah. It ain't somethin' most people know about, but it's somethin' I've been involved with.

[The Pricklemane seems a bit proud, bouncing, its tail waving wildly for a moment. Yes - it's got someone good! Okay, get the candies! it chirps. I'll remember that!]

[ Spirit after Dax's own heart. The lizard nods approval, while Lela rises to all six paws, rubbing against Kanji as she slips past to nuzzle the new spirit in welcome. And our Person is very strong. I'm sure she can help you if your Person needed it. ]

[ It's probably for the best that humans can't translate these conversations. ]

...I'm sorry to hear that. This isn't a circumstance I'd wish on anyone, let alone kids. There's a few here about your age, at least. [There's a sidelong glance towards the sets of large double doors along various sections of the square, before she makes motions indicating he should follow.] The hotel's in the Second District. It's a safe place to fall back to while you're getting to grips with this place.

Edited 2013-12-14 01:07 (UTC)

[He turns and follows her lead. Not going to mess with the lady in the armour, after all.] I saw it when I was lookin' around here earlier. Good to know I ain't gonna get attacked in my - uh. Can I sleep here?

[If he's already dreaming, and all...]

But... thanks. I'll be okay.

[The Pricklemane noses back with a She looks it!]

[ Smart decision, kid. Lela immediately trots behind Kanji, bringing up the rear of the group, and waving her tail in a friendly manner at the pricklemane. This way, this way! ]

You can sleep. And eat. Fight. And probably various other things. [One armored shoulder shrugs.] It doesn't make any logical sense, but that is how things have worked here so far.

[Coming! The Pricklemane bounces on after its partner and the rest of the group.

Kanji's just nodding as he listens to what Carolina's saying-]

So it's... mostly like normal life, except for the things that really are weird. It ain't all like a regular dream. That's kinda a relief, I guess...

[ Gaze dead ahead and face hidden by her helmet means Kanji can't see Carolina's scowl. It's not intended for him, anyway. ]

Depends on what you consider 'normal'. There's some technology that's highly advance in my time, but magic? [Nope.]

Honestly, it doesn't feel like a dream at all. But we don't have any evidence to the contrary right now, just the word of people who say this place is connected to where they're from.

[Her first comment about normality gets a bit of a 'heh'. After all, normal did kind of go out of the window a year ago for him...]

Huh, alright. Just kinda going with people who sound like they know what they're talkin' about. Yeah. It's as good as anything.

[ Carolina has fought in space, during a time when aliens have come close to wiping out the human race. Everyone's 'normal' is different. It's simply a matter of degree. ]

For now. [Way to sound ominous, Carolina.] For the moment, it's pretty quiet.

You said strange things happened in your world. [Dax looks back over her shoulder for her.] And you're not surprised by the idea of other worlds. Have you dealt with portals before?

[...Okay, he might as well just come clean with this stuff. There's no investigation here. No reason to hide it.]

Yeah, guess you could say that. There was another world connected to ours back home. Me and my friends... we had a way to get into it. ...It's probably gonna sound kinda crazy, though.

This entire place could easily be a product of insanity.

[ Coming to a halt, Carolina turns, one hip jutting slightly to the side as she folds her arms across her chest. Dax grins, while Lela sits herself between the two Persons, looking between them eagerly. Yeah, someone was on something special when they invented her. ]

This world is perpetually at night, there's one stuck in sunset, one's a ship out in space that I know has been decommissioned and out of service for years, and the last turns visitors into multicoloured four legged creatures.

Try me.

Edited 2013-12-15 00:29 (UTC)

Okay, that's... pretty out there, too. For us, it was...

[He thinks for a moment about how to describe what he's been up to in a nutshell, not managing to look quite back at Carolina as he does so.] How 'bout jumping through TV sets into a world that's basically made up outta what people think and feel - people's hearts, y'know? And fightin' monsters that... came outta the worst bits of our minds?

[ She's not surprised he doesn't meet her gaze. Carolina's something of a force of personality, nearly always intentionally, though in this instance she hadn't meant to intimidate. ]

[ It's that last line that catches and holds her attention. If she stiffens beneath her armor, it's hard to tell. Dax doesn't seem to notice, but Lela does, and she scoots up against her person until she's nudged away gentle with a steel booted toe. ]

Can't say I've encountered anything like that here. Though some of the nightmares --the spirit kind-- are worse than others. [The worst parts of a mind, though? Oh, she can comprehend that. Her tone shifts, softening hard edges.] How'd you fight back against things like that?

Most of 'em, you just kick their asses the same as anythin' else. [He shrugs a bit, there.] The biggest ones, though... they ain't gonna stay down.

[As he goes on, he's a bit subdued, not wanting to think about it too hard - but he'd brought it up in the first place, after all... his Pricklemane gives him a little nudge.]

They come from a real person. They're part of 'em. The only way to deal with 'em is for the person whose they are, whose mind they came from, to accept what they mean.
[A pause-] ...You've pretty much gotta kick their ass before you get to that stage, too.

Sounds like most things in life.

[ She's not being sarcastic when she says that, either, though the tilt of that helm with it's glaring visor makes it difficult to determine her mood outside of 'stare', 'glare' and 'really pissed' if you haven't known her very long.

Your own worst enemy being inside your head. She doesn't really want to think how closely what he said hits home, strikes an unexpected nerve. Instead, she straightens up; how someone who's a good few inches shorter than Kanji can give the impression of greater height is a trick she hasn't bothered to share with anyone else yet. ]

Not sure what's going on here is quite like that. But sounds like you might be able to handle what this place throws at you. [His obvious discomfort is obvious - unlike others, she doesn't bother to pry] How did you fight?

Heh.

[He's not sure whether to start going into the details of his Persona with someone who he barely knows. Calling out a guardian from your heart to fight for you? Even in a place like this, it sounds a bit weird. He'll get there, perhaps. For the moment, he starts with-]

I kinda learned as I went along. Used to get into a lot of fights before that whole mess started. I'm... [and he shrugs] pretty good at improvisin', really. Whatever I can get my hands on, I use.

[ There's time yet, Kanji. Maybe not today, though. ]

[ She nods slightly as she listens, right up until he uses her favourite word - 'improvising'. He can't see the way her eyebrow arches, or the quirk of her lips to one side. ]

Being able to react and adapt to your surroundings isn't an easy skill to learn. Most people flounder when it comes to making use of objects at hand. [Not her, though, that much she doesn't even need to imply.] It'll help you stay one step ahead of the nightmares here. 'Specially when you get used to working with your dream eater.

...Thanks.

[He's not used to compliments coming from anyone but his team's leader, so there's a spot of red coming to his face there, a touch awkward.]

Damn things still caught me out before, though. Guess I'm gonna need practice.

[ She doesn't respond to the thank you; just hold that approval close like a gold star, Kanji, because Heaven knows that's harder to come by than gold dust. ]

They do that.

[ She tapped the sealed compartment at shoulder level, and retrieved her communicator, briefly flicking the screen in Kanji's direction. ]

There's a file on the network with a map for Traverse Town, shows where the higher concentration of nightmares are likely to appear. Use that to avoid getting caught out without back up.

Edited (ooc: tiny edit) 2013-12-21 23:15 (UTC)

[He'll take what he can get. On seeing the screen, he peers over, nods-]

Huh, alright. Yeah, I'll take a look later. There a lot of good stuff on there?

01: action -> video

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