Dadwatch 2017 (@fraulein.zweihander: Video)

[oniondaughter]

[It doesn’t take Sieglinde very long to decide that she doesn’t like these ‘smartphones’ all that much. The idea of talking to all of these people over such a long distance is an undoubtedly novel one – and surely a concept with many practical uses.

But it feels like someone is always saying something on the network, and the phone she’d been given requires its user’s bare fingertips in order to work. Which means that she needs to remove her gauntlet, in order to unlock the bloody thing.

It’s a little frustrating, is all she’s saying. That, combined with the fact that she still hasn’t figured out all of the gadget’s quirks, has somewhat soured her mood on them – even if they clearly have their uses.]

Erm, yes. Hello? Is this working? I've never made one of these before...

[It takes a moment of fiddling with the gadget before the camera settles on a rather rotund set of armor sitting within the camera's view. If one looks closely, they can see Sieglinde's eyes through the visor, although little else of her face is visible. ]

Ah, there. I think I’ve got it. Greetings! I'm called Sieglinde of Catarina, and it is good to meet you all. Or as good as it can be, given the circumstances.


I was brought to this place by mistake, you see. The good folk of Riverview have promised to return me as soon as they are able, but until then I am holding out hope that my father will stumble into the same sort of portal that I did, and ends up here as well.

I beg of you, if any of you meet him here, please let me know. He is quite hard to miss – he wears the same sort of armor as I do, he has a moustache, and answers to the name Siegmeyer.

[A pause.]

And please, if you find him, ask him to stay put in the Guard Barracks until I return. I'll be away on a mission for a few days, and he has such a tendency to wander off on his own...

Comments

[ video | jkent ]

[supersweet]

Uhm, you don't want to add any other kind of message?

[ Like "Hey dad, I'm alive and also alternate universes exist, don't freak out."

. . . That's the message Jon got. When he was four. ]

[oniondaughter]

[There's a long pause, after he says that, before she responds. Truthfully there's a lot she needs to tell her father, but none of it should be done through a third party.]

....of course I do. But it's the sort of message I'd like to give him in person if possible.

[supersweet]

Oh, that kind of message. Gotcha.

[ He thinks. His family has always been sappy and mushy in public. ]

[oniondaughter]

Yes, thank you for understanding.

[It's actually not mushy stuff and more delivering the news that his wife, her mother, passed away. Family business.

Sieglinde doesn't let the subject bring her down for long, however.]

...you're quite young, aren't you? [Not that she's an adult, mind.] Do you have someone here to watch over you?

[supersweet]

I'm ten.

[ Which means nothing so he sighs. ]

Someone from Riverview comes every day to help me get to school 'n stuff.

[oniondaughter]

Yes, that would be my concern.

[She doesn't doubt that he isn't a capable young lad. She'd been training to be a knight since she was younger than he is now - but that doesn't mean that she would have been alright if she'd been whisked away to some strange, alien land by herself at that age.]

Ah, well, I'm glad you're being given that opportunity here. I wish you well in your studies.

[She comes from a medieval world, so it's rare for a child to be given regular schooling in her homeland. Rarer still for it to be an every day endeavor, like it seems to be here.]

[supersweet]

[ Jon smiles, easy-going. ]

Thanks.

So what kind of mission are you going on? Is it top secret?

[ All missions are top secret unless proven otherwise. ]

[oniondaughter]

[Sorry kid, it's not even a little bit top secret. If he'd looked just a little further down the network, he'd probably see an archive of it.]

Oh, no, nothing like that. It's a simple rescue mission - there's a settlement outside the walls that seems to have run into a spot of trouble, so a convoy is being sent to help them escape into the city proper.

[ Of course, she doesn't know what dangers th at settlement is facing, bu she's happy to help them regardless. ]

[supersweet]

So there are people living outside of Riverview?

[ He assumed everyone would be in here. ]

[oniondaughter]

Yes. Although, not for long if we don't rescue them soon. Their numbers appear to be dwindling.

[She says without hesitation to the 10 year old. It's a hard knock life.]

[supersweet]

Wait — What's happening to them?

[oniondaughter]

They're dying. Their numbers have been growing fewer and fewer - to my knowledge we hadn't identified the reason, but I imagine it's got something to do with the monsters that live beyond the walls.

Hence the rescue party.

[supersweet]

[ People are dying. Jon's instinctive response is to react, to head over to that location this instant. But that response fades quickly. He can't run into any situation hoping for the best. His powers aren't reliable enough. ]

I . . . hope you make it in time.

[oniondaughter]

[The concern is clear on this boy's face, and Sieglinde feels for him. Jon seems like a sweet kid, to be so worried about strangers.]

As do I. We're preparing to leave shortly - but it's important that we are ready before we do.

[It wouldn't do to go out there and get killed themselves, after all, or to not have the fuel or space to get all of the refugees back to Riverview safely.]

What's your name?

[supersweet]

Good luck.

[ Meanwhile, he's already thinking of ways to get his costume in gear. If people needed help . . . he should be ready. ]

I'm Jon.

[oniondaughter]

[Jon no. Sieglinde might be a bit young for a knight, but even she would frown upon a 10 year old putting his life in danger for her sake.]

You seem like a very kind boy, Jon, to be so concerned for others. If you'd like, I can let you know when we return - and if our mission was successful or not.

[She's had it vaguely described to her that these things can contact others directly. She might need a hand figuring out how to send him a direct message, but she's sure she'll figure it out eventually.]

[supersweet]

[ Jon nods, pleased. ]

That'd be great. Thank you.