001

[puro]

Who: Manolo and you!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Marsiva
When: Today

[The Marsiva is suddenly up one (1) wooden Mexican. One that's looking more than a little disorientated, but it's not due to the sudden change in surroundings. Just a few seconds ago, this guy was dead as a doornail, but not any more. He feels the thudding of his heart in his chest, he draws breath into his lungs for the first time in hours. The gods had held their word, they gave him life. But-

He glances around, finally taking note of his surroundings. After the bright vibrancy of the Land of the Remembered, the spaceship is drab and clinical. There's no wonder in it for him, even if it's no place he could have ever dreamed of before. He puts a hand to his back, his guitar is still there, but both his estoques are gone. Not only is he lost, but he's unarmed, not a good combination. He frowns.]

This isn't San Angel. [This wasn't where he was supposed to be. He can't afford another diversion. His town can't afford one. He needs to get to María, to Joaquín and he needs to get to them now. He glances downwards, raising his voice, panic and frustration seeping in.]

I did everything you asked of me!! We had a deal! You promised!

[He takes in a shuddery breath, his lungs ache from sudden use again, and he realises how tired he is. It's been a really long and exceptionally crappy day and this is the absolute last thing he needs. There's no answer. Not from any of them. Why would they desert him, after everything?]

You promised. Just send me home.

[Ok. Now is not the time to panic. He'll just starting looking for an exit, don't mind him.

Comments

[catamite]

Not that anyone has figured out... We're way out in the middle of nowhere.

Who knows where home could be.

[puro]

[He considers this, then nods, somewhat determinedly.]

But it's still out there, and so long as it is, I will find it.

[catamite]

...I hope so.

[he'd love to believe that you can do it, man.]

Have you gone through something like this before?

[puro]

Not...exactly.

I have been in another realm before. Two other realms, actually. But there were nothing like this.

[catamite]

Oh, yeah. Me too.

[nodding as if he's sure their experiences are totally similar.]

Was one of them a castle? I keep hearing about one of those.

[puro]

Huh. No castle. Mine were both in the Lands of the Dead.

At least, I don't think there were any castles. [There were palaces, but he's pretty sure they didn't count. ]

[catamite]

Lands of the Dead??

[hang on a second there, buddy.]

What do you mean?

[puro]

They are the lands where you go when you die. I only passed through two of them, though.

[Best explanation ever.]

[catamite]

...Are you serious?

[maybe he's joking. or maybe he's missing something else, here.]

[puro]

[Totally serious. ]

It's...a long story. I got better?

[From...being dead.]

[catamite]

[yeah, about that...]

--From being dead?

[puro]

Yeeees.

I was returned to life by some gods. There were trials I had to complete.

[It's times like this that he realises just how insane his afterlife was. ]

[catamite]

[...yeah. and Nel is not one to easily accept this as reality.]

But, that doesn't... like... really happen, though.

[puro]

No, it doesn't. I'm...an exception. It took a lot of convincing.

[catamite]

And then they turned you into wood??

[he's pretty sure he's heard his mom tell this story before bed, once. it was something like this, he's sure.]

[puro]

What? No, no.

This is...just how people look where I come from.

[catamite]

...Is this a joke?

[and he is asking this one totally honestly. maybe he missed the punchline somewhere.]

[puro]

[Manolo, meanwhile, just looks very, very confused. ]

No joke. At all.