driftfleet | Recipe #001

Entry tags:

Recipe #001 - Arrival

Who: Ignis Scientia
Broadcast: Network Communication
Action: Aboard the Marvisa
When: On the evening of the 28th

[When he'd stepped aboard the ship in Caem, he'd known that he'd be leaving behind everything he'd ever known for the unknown, but this? Not what he had in mind. The others are nowhere around—something that set off all of the panic buttons in his brain—and he is mostly definitely not in a water craft.

The air is chilled, but there's no salty tang. He's warm and feels as if he's enveloped in a blanket. After a few moments of trying to get his bearings, he leaves what appears to be a bed in a...medical type room. A search of his person turns up his cellphone, his notebook, pen and... another communications device. He takes a few seconds to appraise it before opening to use the item.]

Hello. I'm not sure whom I'm addressing, but my name is Ignis Scientia. As I appear to be new to this place and there are others here as well, I would like to know where I am and what is going on.

[The look on his face says that if you waste his time, he will hang up on you.]

Also, if anyone knows the whereabouts of Prompto Argentum, Gladiolus Amicitia or Noctis Caelum, I would appreciate being told.

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That is interesting. How long have you been here and have you received many payments and "gifts"? Have they all been useful or mostly superfluous?

[He doesn't want to inundate her with a lot of questions that she'll have to comb through to answer, but if she's been here for any period of time, she is his best source of information to date.]

What sort of planets have you visited thus far?

I've been here more than a year, now, and I've received regular monthly payments. it goes up and down, depending on how dramatic your life has been, but I've never been given any kind of gift. That's probably for the best, to be honest, since they can sometimes be a little... Terrible.

[ Condoms and glitter and magnets and party poppers. ]

We've been to all kinds, honestly. There was one where you could share thoughts and memories with someone else, one where the entire planet was covered in poison, one where they were split into three different guilds...

A year.

[He doesn't want to think about what will happen to Eos in a year's time without himself and Noctis present. The days were already shrinking and the night gaining traction. What would be left of the planet should the daemons continue to roam, unchecked by the Crystal?

The thought actually scares him.

Not that tries to show it, aside from the off-screen balling of his fists.]

So, my acquaintance's remark that we're unwitting actors in a reality television is true. And the level of dramatics in our personal lives has some sort of monetary value.

Wonderful.

Have you enjoyed many of these planets? They all sound varied, but the ones you've mentioned don't exactly sound what I would call pleasant.

I was in the world I was in before this one for three years. It doesn't feel as long as it sounds, I promise.

[ Hermione shifts, unconsciously touching the scarring on her cheek before she breathes out. ]

That's what we've been told, and it seems to work that way. I haven't heard anything to prove otherwise, but there's not much more evidence to say that it is true. It's, essentially, a bit of a mess.

[ But, ah... ]

Some of them were nice. The memories planet was lovely, very intimate and peaceful, and the poisoned moon was nice once we'd tried our best to help them. I think it depends on what sort of attitude you have and if you... Try to get involved? If that makes any kind of sense.

So, this is not the first time something like this has happened to you? Did your previous captors give a reason as to why you were selected for their hospitality?

[He does notice her actions, but he's not about to call attention to them either. Although, it's a sign of some sort of trauma that she isn't completely over and that could be an issue for her later.]

This entire situation reeks of convolution and deceit. It does not inspire confidence in anything, if I'm honest.

[He listens to her assessment and nods when she's done.]

Actually, what you're saying makes a great deal of sense. I believe the saying is "You get out of it what you put in." I could be wrong.

[He's not.]

Last time it was so that I could take part in a war. There were two sides, Seelie and Unseelie, and they brought people with shards in their chest to come and fight for them.

[ The Drabwurld might have been more than a year ago for her now but that doesn't mean it's any easier for her to deal with. There are some things that are just unforgettable. ]

None of us are particularly confident in anything the Atroma tell us, really. They talk a lot of nonsense, and they definitely can't be trusted, all things considered. Unfortunately, we haven't figured out a way to get home quite yet.

[ Nose wrinkling, she sighs. ]

We just try to get on with it. Being with people who understand helps, and you can make some very good friends here.

From an unwitting warrior to a captive for the entertainment of others. I would say that you've led an interesting life thus far without knowing more than that.

[He's not exactly how he'd handle things if he were in her position, but she seems to have accepted it all with a sort of enviable grace. Would that she could share it with Noctis.]

These Atroma sound a lot like someone I knew back home. He's also here. Tell me, have you had the chance to speak with Ardyn Izunia yet?

[Since she's been so kind to answer some of his questions, he feels it's only fair to warn her of the duplicitous nature of the Niflheim chancellor.]

It was interesting before I ended up in the Drabwurld. It's as if we're not really allowed to take breaks - one interesting world to the next, or something like it.

[ If she hadn't been drawn to the Drabwurld she'd definitely have been more out of sorts with the fleet and everything to do with it - but being dragged from her world to another before gave her some experience. She's still doing her best to keep a level head about it all the same. ]

Ardyn Izunia... No, I don't think I have. He's posted a few times on the network, though, I think? Why?

[ It's not that she's on guard, exactly, but she watches carefully. ]

I could do without that much excitement. I'm sure that my position at home affords enough thrills to last a lifetime.

[He doesn't even know the half of it, but fighting empires and daemons and keeping a king in line does make his life a little less than boring.]

I believe he has. The man certainly likes the sound of his own voice. [Ignis shakes his head and offers a half-smile before continuing his warning in his normal tone of voice.]

You seem like an intelligent woman, so I would like to caution you against trusting him very much. I'm not completely certain what his motivations are, but they seem to revolve around my friend from home, Noctis. And they aren't at all kindly, despite what he might say. He has a way with words that twists even the most innocent statement into something for his gain. Cautioning the whole of the fleet seems drastic, as I cannot ascertain what he's after, but having someone who isn't tied to my own world and who can think for themselves seems prudent at this point.

I think we all feel that way at first, but you do get used to it. I do empathise, though - my position in the Drabwurld was probably just as exciting as this, if not more.

[ Being a Marchioness lent itself to being in the middle of every single piece of drama and hysterics that ever took place in the Seelie court - and some things that took place outside of it, thanks to her friendships and quiet alliances with Natives.

As the topic changes, though, Hermione frowns, making sure she listens properly. She does do her best not to judge someone on appearances or rumour, but time and experience has taught her that sometimes she ought to heed warnings. ]

I can assure you I am an intelligent woman. [ Modesty is normally a strong suit, but when it comes to her mind she knows there's no point trying to pretend she isn't the brightest witch of her age. ] I've met Noctis, and he seems like a good person. I'm... Not sure what on Earth he can do here - Ardyn, I mean - but I'll make sure to keep an eye on him, if I can. I'm not going to let anyone cause trouble, not if I can help it.

[ Old habits die hard, and there's only so much rule breaking she can handle. ]

Edited 2017-04-13 23:54 (UTC)

The most admirable trait of the human condition is the ability to adapt to anything. I'm sure that in time, things here will be as normal as my life was back home, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't appreciate being back where I am the most needed.

[It's a good thing that Ignis is a patient man. He'll adjust easily and will take things in stride, mostly.

If he didn't think that Izunia was still dangerous, he wouldn't bother warning anyone. But the man was devious without any of the seemingly endless powers he possessed.]

I'm glad to hear that. Noctis does his best at all times and is a good person. As for what Izunia can do, he has powers that not even I know the extent of. I know that Lady Lunafreya said they've been lessened, but that could only serve to make him more dangerous as time goes on.

I know from experience that he can appear convivial but he definitely has ulterior motives for everything he does and says.

[Most of it appears to revolve around Noctis and the power of the Chosen King, but Ignis isn't about to share that with someone he's only just spoken to and never met until that moment.]

Please feel free to contact me should you speak to him and want more clarification on what will undoubtedly be a high mixture of lies and exaggeration.

No, I can appreciate that. There's a lot I could be doing back in the Drabwurld if we're being completely honest, but there's nothing I can do about that. All I can do is try and make the best of whatever is going to happen here and make sure the people I care about are okay.

[ She's learned that the less she fights things she can't change the better - and her energy should be put into fighting for the things she has the power to influence and change. She wants to do some good in the world, after all.

Still... The idea of someone so fantastically dangerous being aboard puts her on edge and she listens, intent. ]

I've met people like that before.

[ Gilgamesh was one of them, and she had been so wrapped up in him she had been blind to the worst of him, even as she'd hoped. She doesn't want to get fooled again - even when she had known Gilgamesh she had been aware of his nature but hoped, desperately, that she could be some kind of good influence. ]

I'll keep an eye on him. If someone dangerous is going to threaten my friends, my family, I'm not going to let them get away with it. If I encounter him I'll make sure to report it to you.

You speak of this Drabwurld as if it is your home, however that wasn't the impression you gave earlier in our conversation. Is this other place so in need of help?

[He's obviously interested in knowing more and if he can get the information with a few easy questions, all the better.]

As for Izunia, I'm sure there are people like that everywhere. His attitude is hardly exclusive to the Niflheim Empire or Eos. And should anyone else like that show up, I plan to keep a very close eye on them as well. It's our collective... I won't say duty, but it is for the good of us all that we make sure that people who have caused trouble before be at least watched.

And I appreciate your willingness to assist me in this. Please, let me know if there's any way that I can return the favor.

It was, for a while. It wasn't the place I was born, but I was there so long, and I have so many friends and family there... I think of it as home, now. It's where I want to go back, when the Atroma have decided what they want to do with us. I don't want to end up back in a world that won't recognise me anymore.

[ It's clear that she's more than happy to talk to him about her home - either the one she was from or the one she had claimed. ]

Of course, I'll let you know. I'm not going to stalk him or anything, but I'll keep an eye on him -- I'm used to that, at least. I know how important it is to make sure that certain people don't cause trouble.

Hm, I would like to hear more about both worlds, but perhaps at a later time.

[They've only just met, after all. But that doesn't stop his natural curiosity about such things from being piqued. He'll just have to rein it in for the time being.]

I wouldn't suggest stalking him. He might take it as a sign that you're interested in him. He doesn't need the inflation to his ego.

I don't mind talking about it later, when you have a little more time.

[ She's used to a dozen or so questions about everything, really. ]

I won't bother inflating anything, don't worry. If I have to talk to him I know how to handle him.

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Recipe #001 - Arrival

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