❧ 001 video;

[noprophecies]

Who: you!
Broadcast: video
Action: Marsiva
When: right now tbh

[when the screen turns on, there's nothing but blackness for a few minutes, followed by a string of very angry-sounding curses. There's the sound of fumbling before a woman's face comes into frame, and she squints at the camera before her eyebrows turn down in a scowl.

Someone is not happy]

If this is supposed to be some sort of joke, then I am not laughing. Though I find it rather cute that you seem to have made your walls fire-proof.

We shall see what else your bloody ship can stand up to. Return my damn weapons.

[that's it, that's all she has to say. With a huff, she fumbles and manages to end the feed]

Comments

[noprophecies]

. . . I do not know what either of those things are.

[axiomed]

It means I encode the frequencies on the communicator. I make sure they work. Erik makes sure the ships are running.

[noprophecies]

Ah. [she frowns, considering that for a moment . . . oh] I am - tactical? How appropriate.

[axiomed]

The information to do your job comes from the augment. I'm not sure what tactical does, though.

[noprophecies]

I am support of some kind. [a shrug] Appropriate, given my work history.

[axiomed]

Your work history?

[noprophecies]

Mercenary, dear. I was hired as "support", in some sense.

[axiomed]

Ah, right. I don't think it'll be anything like that.

[noprophecies]

Then I am entirely useless and wasting my time here. How unsurprising.

[axiomed]

You don't know that.

[noprophecies]

We shall see. [she's already convinced, Miles]

. . . apologies. I am not in a happy mood, even if seeing you as greatly improved it.

[axiomed]

[ He shakes his head. ]

It's fine. I know hearing this kind of news always comes as a shock.

[noprophecies]

Let us just say that I am having a . . . shocking day overall. I was in a mood before they bloody kidnapped me.

[axiomed]

What were you doing before you came here?

[noprophecies]

. . . you do not want me to answer that, Miles.

And I certainly do not want to do it where every bloody person can see.

[axiomed]

I could lock this conversation. Or it can wait until we're face to face.

[noprophecies]

[. . . she's going to stew in her anger for a whole week if she doesn't at least talk about it.

After a moment she shrugs a shoulder]

Lock it.

[ video / private ]

[axiomed]

[ It doesn't take him long to encrypt the channel ]

It's done.

Re: [ video / private ]

[noprophecies]

Thank you, dear.

[her shoulders slump a little, a bit relaxed now that there's some semblance of privacy. She rubs a hand over her face before breathing out]

I do not even know how to explain it without it sounding utterly ridiculous. But to put it simply, I - we have been lied to for the past . . . year? Or more? Going to that other place has messed with my sense of time. I found out the truth earlier today.

Re: [ video / private ]

[axiomed]

Lied to about what?

Re: [ video / private ]

[noprophecies]

[she winces a little, because she hates trying to explain this]

Did I ever mention that shite prophecy I began to remember? I do not know if it was before or after you left.

Re: [ video / private ]

[axiomed]

No. You've never spoken to me about it at least.

Re: [ video / private ]

[noprophecies]

I saved you a bloody headache, then.

I know I've spoken of my death to you, as well as Maias' and my cousin's, and our revivals. There are three others, similar situations. To keep it short, we were told that we were necessary in order to fulfill a prophecy. It was Seen, by a woman both Maias and myself have known to be very credible in the past, so while we were wary of it, we went along with it. And a number of us obviously wanted answers as to why we were the ones chosen. Things happened along the way that only made us doubt it less - attacks on our group and on some of us individually, by creatures and people who knew of the prophecy as well.

But it was a lie. [she rubs at her temple, frowning and pausing for a moment] A very elaborate one that had all of us fooled.

[she blows out a sigh] I need to be blunt to explain the rest. Just know that I am fine, yes?

Re: [ video / private ]

[axiomed]

But . . . why lie about something like that?

Re: [ video / private ]

[noprophecies]

Because otherwise we would have never agreed.

[she snorts, waving a hand]

Certain magic in my world has very set circumstances that must be met for it to work. This is not the same type of magic I use - it is very old, and very, very forbidden. It is the kind that comes with consequences, even if one performs the spell perfectly.

Years ago, this kind of magic was used in a ritual to seal another world off from ours. It is a type of blood magic, wherein those involved quite literally sacrificed a part of themselves to act as the "lock" that keeps the spell in place. That way, should someone try to reverse it, they would need to find the same wizards and priests involved in the original spell.

. . . or those who share the same blood. Direct blood relatives.

That is why we were lied to. Our "sacrifices" were needed to break the spell.

[she pauses, and then a little dryly] My, that sounds rather dramatic.