Text, Psuedonymous. It appears anonymous; any digging will only lead to the label 'LG'.

[fridgetothefire]

Who's actually dealt with nulls or voids before Or the tech? There are a lot of spooky rumors around but not a lot of facts. And nothing's better than first-hand experience.

Comments

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[fridgetothefire]

[She looks away, hands gripping their opposite elbows as she hugs herself, hunching inward.]

Because I'm scared.

[more quietly]

Just. Not of what I made it sound like on the network.

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[hostage]

What're you scared of?

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[fridgetothefire]

[She takes a slow breath and meets his eyes again. Still a little afraid, but calm and determined.]

There's someone here, from my world. He...I was a prisoner, for a long time. When I got here, I thought I'd finally, finally escaped.

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[hostage]

[His eyes narrow subtly and he grinds his teeth for a moment before uttering:]

So this guy who kept you prisoner's here too...

You think he'll do it again?

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[fridgetothefire]

I know he would. I mean, this whole place is just a larger trap. How could I ever get away? I can't even die.

[The last word breaks, just a little bit hysterical: that was always her comfort at home, her promise to herself, her last resort. If all her plans came to nothing, she could always jump off the edge of the mountain fortress. She bites her lip. Breathe in, breathe out.]

Right now he doesn't know I'm here, and I'm trying to keep it that way. But it can't last forever. He's too connected, the newcomer circles are too small. And you know, I'm okay with that, I can handle living in fear, I've been doing it almost half my life.

But I'm not going to do it without making plans to deal with him, not in a place where there might actually be ways to stop him.

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[hostage]

[He's already sold.]

So how do I help?

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[fridgetothefire]

[She smiles, still a little shaky but wide and bright as anything. She still isn't used to people that really want to help.]

Can you - can you tell me exactly what you do? And how, in as much detail as you can.

Which might not be a lot, I know, but everything helps.

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[hostage]

It's pretty simple. If I touch you, I can take away your power. Not just like disable it. I take it away completely, keep it. I can give it back, if I want - or keep it forever, if I want. Can't use it, which blows, but I can keep it nice and safe in here.

[He taps his head. He isn't sure why, but that seems like the place where he deposits powers.]

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[fridgetothefire]

What about people that don't have theirs yet?

[Oh gosh that is not at all what she planned to say.]

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[hostage]

When I first got here, people kept saying I had a power in me somewhere, I just didn't know it yet. Was probably true. But I ain't tried it with someone that new, so I dunno.

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[fridgetothefire]

Let's find out, then!

[she holds out her hand]

I haven't done anything yet. But maybe it's - there. Maybe you could find it.

[OOC: She hasn't manifested at all, yet. I imagine he couldn't access her power, unless that runs counter to how you imagine his voiding works?]

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[hostage]

[Jesse looks down at her hand, arching his eyebrow in surprise. People aren't usually this excited to give it up. But he shrugs and reaches out to take her hand anyway. He's curious too.

The process is painless. It feels like nothing. Just holding hands.]



((It's a dormant power, so he can take it even if it hasn't openly manifested yet. Up to you if he succeeds, though.))

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[fridgetothefire]

[A little wavering breath, and then she smiles in a sweet, hardy way, like the perfect shape of it is a sandwall erected on a barren beach against the inevitable tide of disappointment.]

There's nothing, right? I thought so, but I mean, you don't learn anything without experimenting. I'm just a mistake.

The Core's, I mean, probably.

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[hostage]

You ain't a mistake. Even if you didn't have a power, you wouldn't be a mistake. What if you were like me, huh? We'd cancel each other out, you know? Plue one and minus one or whatever.

[He gives her hand a reassuring squeeze.]

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[fridgetothefire]

[It's exactly the right thing to say, the opposite of what she's heard for so long, and she can't quite handle it. She yanks her hand back, expression snapping closed over how vulnerable she feels.]

Don't. Just.

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[hostage]

[His hand stays right where it is, though his eyebrows lift in surprise.]

No, hey, come on. What're you scared of?

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[fridgetothefire]

Nothing! I just -

[she draws herself up, spine perfectly straight as she takes a deep breath, and suddenly her composure is back, and the little-girl-scared look is gone, and she looks as self-possessed as a queen.]

You surprised me, that's all.

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[hostage]

Sorry.

You want it back?

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[fridgetothefire]

[she blinks, sucks in a tiny breath]

Wait, you - you really got something?

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[hostage]

Yeah. I could, like, explain it. Unless you wanna figure it out yourself.

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[fridgetothefire]

[Gingerly, she takes his hand again, grips it tight.]

Maybe - maybe just the general sense of it? I'll figure out the nuances, but it would help to have an idea of where to start.

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[hostage]

[This is all still so strange to Jesse. He's not used to figuring things out or knowing things other people don't already know. And it's a really alien kind of intuition that helps him understand what he takes from people. The hardest part is really putting it into words.]

You can control time. But it ain't like time travel. You can change the way time acts around you. But you can't stop it.

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[fridgetothefire]

[She smiles, trembles ever so faintly, looks for a second like she might cry.]

Great. That's - I can work with that, that's. Great.

Thank you.

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[hostage]

[Her power's returned, but he doesn't let go yet. He thinks he's upset her.]

You gonna be okay?

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[fridgetothefire]

Yeah. Sure. I'll just.

[she tries to smile, but it still comes out kind of precarious]

It's complicated, that's all.