Video [Open]

[english_dignity]

Who: Arthur Kirland and Open
Broadcast: Network - Unfiltered
Action: SS Marsiva
When: Thursday evening

[The badly angled view of Marsiva's viewing bay should be familiar to most before Arthur gets his camera angled right to actually show his face. It figured he'd be dragged away on his day off. Meeting new people when he actually looked respectable and not dressed like a punk (Union Jack shirt, earrings, and temporary green streaks in his hair included) would just be too much to ask for, wouldn't it?]

Really, kidnapped to a reality show in space. If I didn't know better I'd think someone had given me a good sound whack on the head. This would make more sense as a hallucination.

[Grumbles, flicking a few green strands from his face and trying to straighten his clothes to look somewhat respectable. The proper English accent helps, he's sure.]

Well, since it sounds like I'm not the only one in this situation, I might as well say hello. I'm Arthur Kirkland, of Great Britain. It's a pleasure to meet you. Circumstances aside of course. I'm sorry for my appearance, but this caught me a little off-guard.

Comments

[english_dignity]

[Automatically touches the little lump on his neck, frowning.]

Well noted. Has anyone been able to?

[mucked]

Not that I'm aware of, no. [ ... ] Or they have, and in so doing died.

[ cheery, isn't she? ]

[english_dignity]

It's not that easy to kill me, but I don't think I'll be trying it in any case. Thank you for the warning.

Have you been here very long?

[mucked]

A smidgen more than a year. [ ... ] I'll answer any questions you have.

[ though others might be a little more merciful in their answers. ]

[english_dignity]

That's very kind of you.

If only I knew where to start.

[Can deal with blunt. It's vague that he has issues with. Grumbles.]

Would have been nice if they'd at least given a bloke time to pack a bag and call someone to feed the cat.

I suppose I should first ask if we know anything about our kidnappers.

[mucked]

Apparently, they broadcast our daily lives to a faithful audience. That's why we'ere here, according to them.

[english_dignity]

Oh bloody- [Coughs. You're talking to a lady, Kirkland.]

So it's to be Kidnapped and in Space the television show?

[mucked]

Presumably. Having never watched one, I can't exactly vouch for the verisimilitude.

[ -- she almost laughs when he censures himself. almost. ]

[english_dignity]

Never? Well, with a few exceptions, you haven't missed much of value.

[He's a gentleman, dammit. Don't laugh at your country.]

[mucked]

So I've heard. Frankly, I've always found even the radio programmes bad enough.

[english_dignity]

Not a fan of popular entertainment, I take it?

[mucked]

I like it well enough so long as it manages to actually entertain. [ and she likes music. dancing. books, too, although there never seems to be enough time... ]

But I'll admit it's not much of a priority, either.

[english_dignity]

Ah ha. Well, I can certainly respect that. Think I'll miss being able to go see a decent band while I'm here.

Though I hope our 'hosts' don't try to entertain us with our own show.

[That would be faaaar too creepy.]

[mucked]

Quite the contrary. Apart from their word -- [ and her tone betrays just about how far she'd trust that word on any given day ] -- we have very little in the way of proof that such a programme even exists.

[english_dignity]

I'm not sure if that's a comfort or another worry.

[Flat tone. He's with her there. Just arrived and trusts them about as much as he can throw Russia.]

[mucked]

It can be both, I assure you.

[english_dignity]

Lovely. Well, I've survived through worse. They can't stand up to William's record, I'm sure.

[Shakes his head.]

So, they just watch us?

[mucked]

Or muck with our augments from time to time -- if we're being too boring, I suppose.

[english_dignity]

...how so?

[Because as uneasy he is about having something wired into his brain, having it messed with sounds even worse.]

[mucked]

They can change the way you behave -- or suddenly lower your age, perhaps. Change your memories. [ ... ] Makes it difficult, at times, to hold others accountable for everything they've done. Hard to say whether something is their doing, or the Atroma's.

[english_dignity]

[Curses under his breath.]

Well. Lowering my age would hardly be worth the effort unless they really put their backs into it enough to show, I'll say that. The memories, those are a little more worrying.

[mucked]

It's best to accept that there will be a certain margin of error even when trusting your own senses, I'm afraid.

[english_dignity]

I'll remember that. Perhaps I should take up journal writing again to track any changes.

How do you cope with this madness, Miss Carter?

[mucked]

The Starstruck backs up all its most pertinent files in hard copies. [ she doesn't trust digital formats -- didn't even before the inconsistencies were exposed. ] And as for myself? Well -- I make do. A cuppa in the morning and another before bed. Having something new to learn is a helpful distraction, too.

[ and for someone as far-behind as she tends to be, there's always something new to learn. ]

[english_dignity]

Heh. Tea always makes things better even if just a little bit, doesn't it?

I'd have to get the supplies again since they didn't have the courtesy to grab my sewing basket along with me, but I've found needlepoint to always be nicely relaxing too. [Smirks] Especially when I can imagine stabbing certain people in the face every time the needle goes in.