text, un: anonymouse

[aeturnus]

so hey i'm Asking For A Friend ;) but how many other immortals are here in the quarantine? any?

also! important question!! what did everyone get told when they got here? what questions did you ask? i wanna know what we're working with! Let's Work Together!

p.s., if you want to answer the first question without a name there are burner phones available at [ small list of locations ] to make unattached accounts. i'm just looking for at least numbers! names would be radical too of course!

Comments

[signifies]

More common than you might think.

[ They're finally here at a bustling cafe. There's a line to get in at this hour. ]

[aeturnus]

[ Cain notices, nods to himself in approval at the idea. Their conversation will definitely be well-masked here, and there's even more protection in that this place wasn't in any of their previous plans. He definitely approves. ]

How common? That just makes it even more absurd.

[signifies]

I have some notes... the short version is, there's a few worlds which have their own variations [ his is one ] that are separate from the others.

[aeturnus]

How do you mean? Subset worlds?

[signifies]

Something like that. You can establish one world as your baseline and have a few others similar to it. What they have isn't the same across any world out of that set.

For example, Metropolis. There are a few that have that city and the same multi-national corporations, which don't exist for the others.

[aeturnus]

[ Cain nods because it makes sense. Worlds just a step away from others, closer to each other yet still different somehow. ]

If I were to mention Enforcers or Reapers, would that mean anything to you?

[ If the lack of information on this world's internet is anything to go by, he doubts it. ]

[signifies]

No, sorry.

[aeturnus]

[ That just gets a smile. ]

It might be better that way. Hell if I know, it's the only way I've ever known. It works, but...

[ He just shrugs, watches the group of people lined up in their queue to get into the cafe. Lets himself relax despite it all. ]

It's a whole loaded—thing. Maybe it's easier when you don't see death coming.

[signifies]

Maybe. I've found things are different here.

[ It's a lot safer to be an alien. Clark keeps hiding because it's what he knows how to do, similar to how Cain can't shake his situational awareness. ]

[aeturnus]

[ That one's going to take a while to wear off. It isn't something you can talk yourself out of rather than waiting for it to fade. ]

Different how?

[signifies]

[ Clark can't elaborate without putting his secret at risk. He shrugs in apology. ]

It's hard to describe... I guess it's something you'll find out.

[aeturnus]

[ Cain shifts, gives him a bit of a knowing look. Pointedly doesn't press. ]

Pretty busy place you picked. I like it, but maybe the line could be a bit longer?

[ The sarcasm is pretty thick with this one. They'll be in soon enough and anything they say more in-depth would be totally covered. Easier to just say what they want... if they want to. If not, then at least Cain's made a new acquaintance. ]

[signifies]

[ Clark appreciates his discretion with a quick nod and an honest reply. ]

Some other time. [ Speaking of the line, they're in with this batch. Clark lets Cain choose where he wants to sit. ]

[aeturnus]

[ Cain just smiles and scopes out a good spot. It's instinct that has him putting them in the open table nearest to a corner. Not the best option, but the house is pretty full here. He settles easily once they're in and lets his chair dip back halfway. ]

There we go. Nice and noisy.

[signifies]

[ Clark digs in his pocket for his notebook once the waiter's taken their orders. ]

So, what would you like to know?

[aeturnus]

[ There's a grin at that motion and he waves his hand vaguely. ]

What you know. Did you say you saw the portal itself? Or know people who have?

[signifies]

I've read everything in the library.

[ Living a double life in a closed environment with less danger is proving to be difficult. He can't just say he used his X-ray vision. ]

There've been some people who disappeared after arriving here. I'm not sure if they went home.

[aeturnus]

[ He doesn't sit up straight or act more seriously, but his expression flickers at that. Concern. ]

Any patterns?

[signifies]

[ Clark shakes his head. ]

The sample size is too small. I only know two people who vanished, and I've been here since the beginning.

[aeturnus]

What do you mean, the beginning?

[ He realizes he doesn't have an exact time frame for the history of this place, and immediately makes plans to fix that. He'll need to tighten up his understanding of this place if he has any chance of truly relaxing here. ]

[signifies]

With the first group of mass new arrivals. There seems to be one every month since.

[aeturnus]

It didn't always happen like that?

[signifies]

I'm not entirely sure. You might to dig for that.

[aeturnus]

That's fine with me.

You did say you read the library, though. Any insight there?

[signifies]

There's a lot of research on the Portal. It's some kind of magic... which I'm not used to.