001. [@m.murdock : video]

[trustinthedevil]

[The camera is pretty evenly focused. The man sitting on the screen is less so - even behind his glasses it's obvious that, while he's looking at the tablet, he's not really looking at it. In fact, it's almost as if he accidentally pressed 'video' and meant instead to go for 'audio' - which is a likely scenario, honestly.

Matt will learn what to press and when over time.]

I think I've got my floor mapped out, and a little bit of the surrounding area. I'm not really sure if the 'welcome to Riverview' video shows the layout of the place. A lot of you are probably a lot more familiar with things than I am already.

[A pause as he smiles, ducking his head to laugh and shrug. He doesn't really realize that everyone can see that.]

I don't mind exploring but I'd hate to get lost a few days out of the gate. If anyone's free to show me around, it would be appreciated. I'm a quick learner once I get a feel for things. I promise I'm very independent.

Comments

[signifies]

I'll meet you at the front door in a few minutes, then. My name is Clark.

[trustinthedevil]

Matt. I look forward to properly meeting you, Clark. And thanks for this.

to action.

[signifies]

[ Clark is waiting for him downstairs, just outside the front door. ]

Matt?

[trustinthedevil]

[Matt tips his head a bit to the side, smiling as he shifts his cane to the other hand so he can offer a handshake.]

Clark, I assume.

[signifies]

You assume right.

[ He reaches out to shake Matt's hand. Clark's grip is firm, careful of his strength. ]

Shall we?

[trustinthedevil]

[Matt takes note of that. He takes note of everything, of course.]

Lead the way. [And it seems odd to walk in silence ...] Where did you come here from, Clark?

[signifies]

[ For every displaced person here, Clark memorises something unique about them so he can find them if needed. For Matt, it's the tap of his cane. ]

I'm from Metropolis. It's a city on the East Coast. What about you?

[trustinthedevil]

Metropolis? [Matt clearly looks confused. Having lived his whole life on the east coast, he can't say it's a city he's heard of before. But then again, this place is ... Well. There's all sorts, isn't there?]

I'm from New York City.

[signifies]

New York's been a useful landmark. Not everyone knows Metropolis.

[ They recognise Kansas. Clark hasn't yet asked about Superman. ]

What's the year?

[trustinthedevil]

You know, you're the second person to ask me that? It was 2016, last I checked.

[signifies]

It's 2013 for me. There's people from further back in time.

[trustinthedevil]

I'm starting to catch on to that. Though people from the past existing in the present isn't really unheard of where I'm from, either, so I guess this is the sort of thing you learn to take in stride.

[signifies]

Really?

[ Time travel shouldn't be so startling to an alien, but even Clark has limits to what he's willing to believe. ]

How so?

[trustinthedevil]

He's this big hero from the Forties. They pumped him full of this stuff to turn him into a super soldier and then he got frozen in the ice, and somehow the stuff kept him alive. So now he gets to run around being a big hero in the modern age.

[Which sounds pretty ridiculous to say out loud, but who's Matt to judge, honestly, and Clark's from a city that doesn't even exist in Matt's life.]

[signifies]

[ An experiment. Matt didn't say enough to suggest if it was a fluke or not.

Clark feels for this unnamed man. The 1940s were practically an alien planet, except he has memories of the world before and knows what pieces don't fit.

It gives him an opening. ]

Is it just him or are there others who are... different?

[trustinthedevil]

It seems like every day there are more and more. Not just in New York, but globally. You name it, we might have it.

[signifies]

[ Clark weighs this question out carefully. ]

Aliens?

[trustinthedevil]

We have norse gods? [Matt laughs, but then he clears his throat, shrugging.]

Probably. We had an alien invasion a few years ago, but I'm sure there are good ones.

[signifies]

I'm sorry... Norse gods?

[trustinthedevil]

You know. Thor.

[signifies]

I know of them from the myths.

[ They're not real, but sometimes these are all based on real people. ]

So they're from the past as well?

[trustinthedevil]

No, I think they more or less exist concurrently. I'm not an expert in how time passes in other worlds, but I assume he has a degree of immortality.

[signifies]

That's incredible.

... You probably think it's normal.

[trustinthedevil]

I guess I don't have much choice, all things considered. It's something we all accept where I'm from.

[signifies]

[ He hums. Humans are pretty amazing in what they can accept and live with. At the same time, it's hard to imagine a world where all of that is so mundane Matt doesn't even raise an eyebrow at the inquiry into the existence of aliens. ]

We need to turn left here. The crossing's wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

[ He's walking in straight lines instead of cutting through alleys or using shortcuts. ]