[Ginia comes sauntering toward the fountain a minute or two later. Not deliberately late, but there is a small bag of baked goods in her hands. She was on time, but walking by the bakery, the smell of fresh good wafting out, it's a wonderful distraction.
She greets Erwin with a smile and a friendly wave, offering the bag. Warm croissants and fresh blueberry muffins, you know you want one.]
[ His greeting is a smile as well. He wasn't expecting breakfast, but he'll certainly take it. He reaches into the bag and picks out a croissant. It's still warm, which is especially nice in cold weather like this.
Erwin can say this much, at least: as suspicious of it as he remains, the food here in Luceti certainly tastes better than the military rations at home. ]
[Ginia bows her head and takes out a muffin for herself. The bag rests in the crook of her arm as she takes out her cellphone. Her thumb moves swiftly over the flat screen as she types out a message, showing it to Erwin once she finishes.]
I have something to ask you and Levi. It's entirely optional, but it would be beneficial to me and of possible use to the two of you.
[ The first bite of the croissant proves that it tastes as good as it smells. Erwin chews and swallows thoughtfully as he reads Ginia's message. She's been nothing but helpful so far; he would gladly help her in return, especially if it was with something that might prove useful. ]
Of course. I am always interested in your suggestions, Ginia. What is it?
[Tap, tap, swipe, tap. Ginia types swiftly as she takes a bite of the muffin. Mmm, warm, buttery, blueberry goodness. Once she finishes typing, she turns the screen back toward Erwin.]
I've been helping the Welcome Center stock the new feather stations out in the woods once a week. I already did it this week so it's set, but would you two mind helping me out next week? There are two south of the village in the woods and two in the north, closer to the farmlands and mountains.
It takes me half a day on horseback so splitting the task would be helpful.
[Ginia's not sure how much Erwin knows about the area surrounding the village, so it's either known knowledge or an enticing bit of information and offer to explore.]
[ Erwin's done quite a bit of research already, so he knows about the existence of the stations, but hasn't yet been out to see them. He'd been planning to go and have a look anyway, at some point, but being directly given a reason to do so is even better. ]
I would be glad to help, as would Levi.
[ Well, Levi likely won't be glad, but he'll willingly do it all the same. ]
Much appreciated. I won't be back until Tuesday and have a shift at HQ that night, so knowing I don't have as much work to do Wednesday is nice. You and Levi can borrow horses from the stable.
[Ginia quickly checks the time on her phone. Ahh, probably good to begin heading down.]
We should get walking. I suppose you'll want a report when I return?
It will do us good to get on horseback again--and I am glad to be of assistance to you.
[ Erwin has a feeling that it will be of little use keeping track of favors owed between them; this is turning into more of a symbiotic relationship than anything. ]
I would be very appreciative of a report, yes. Your first was quite informative.
[ He gets walking, following Ginia's lead while keeping pace beside her. ]
[It's not a bad arrangement to have. It's all in keeping a balance with proper give and take, all while withholding enough information to maintain an edge.
Ginia shuts off her cellphone and trades it for good old pen and paper. While she knows from the guide the tunnels completely suppress abilities and powers, she's not sure if it applies to technology and she'd rather not find out by frying her phone.
The tunnels branch east and west. East leading further down to the laptop room, even the beach if someone wants to walk long enough. They head west, red arrows on the walls and floor guiding them to a room while the tunnel continues west. Further exploration west will result in running into a barrier.
Ginia leads the way to the room. Inside is a silver platform labeled with H.47 at the top in black bold font. She writes out a message and turns to Erwin.]
Here's where we part ways. You're welcome to stay down here and explore, though you can't go any further west; there's a barrier.
[ Erwin is quite engrossed in observing their surroundings as they walk. He hasn't been to the tunnels before, so he's noting interesting features, things that will help him remember where to go in the future.
Their destination is apparently that platform, a strange-looking thing to Erwin's eyes. He is unable to compare it to anything else he knows. But that is becoming all too common. There are many things with which he is not familiar, he's finding. ]
Thank you for inviting me to accompany you this morning. I am glad to have had your guidance my first time here.
[ He'll likely keep looking around for a bit after she leaves, curious as to what else the tunnels hold. ]
You're welcome. I'll be back Tuesday, I'll contact you then to arrange a meeting.
[Ginia smiles and steps onto the platform. There's a bit of warmth on the back of her neck - the barcode reacting to whatever mechanism operates the teleporter - and then she vanishes.]
[ Ideally, Erwin had wanted to see Ginia the day she returned, but the events of the weekend (whatever they were) made that outright impossible. Two days unaccounted for and a mysteriously missing cadet are serious matters, and Erwin had made sure to do everything in his power to find out what happened, which took precedence. They hadn't found any concrete answers. Likely, nothing would be known for certain about Marco until his return. Whether he was kidnapped or killed--both equally real and equally disturbing possibilities--his return is, thankfully, inevitable. Erwin is concerned for Jean, who has been beside himself with worry for his former classmate.
But Ginia had by no means slipped his mind. He'd contacted her briefly to arrange a meeting for today.
As expected, she arrives at his door promptly at the time agreed (noon) and he lets her in. Levi is out, and the spotlessly clean apartment is quiet. ]
Ginia. Please come in. [ Erwin isn't in his jacket or his boots (Levi doesn't allow the latter past the door mat), but he is, as usual, wearing his harness. And without boots or jacket, the complicated system of straps is more obvious, dark brown leather a stark contrast to the crisp white of his shirt and pants. ] I apologize for my unavailability yesterday. It was quite eventful here while you were gone--or so it seems.
[Ginia understood the need for a delay; she knew from Jean Marco was missing and everyone in the village was unable to remember the events of the weekend. It's troubling and while she's glad she wasn't around for it - there's already enough in her mind and enough she can barely remember without more gaps - it's still worrisome. But Marco's absence, whether through kidnapping, death, or other means, still worries her more.
But Wednesday rolls around and Ginia arrives on time. She bows her head in greeting, quickly noting the boots by the door and kneeling down to unlace her boots. Her attire is neat and tidy; black jeans, a dark blue button-down blouse, a black shell jacket she'll hand to Erwin for hanging up. Her wings fold neatly against her back, the color of her feathers nearly blending in with her shirt.]
No need to apologize, I understand there were pressing matters to attend to.
[She writes swiftly on her phone. As he reads, she'll take a moment to study the harness system and maybe the man wearing it. Interesting.]
[ Yesterday was trying for all of them. He and Levi had done some investigating of their own into both Marco's disappearance and the possible events of the last two days, attempting to find out what may have occurred from clues left behind. There was little to go on, and what they did find had been less than reassuring. ]
There were. I assume you saw Jean?
[ Because who hadn't seen (or heard) Jean yesterday?
He'll lead her to the table and invite her to sit, not unaware of her assessing the harness. It makes sense. He'd given her a look at the maneuver gear itself, but not what holds it in place. He would like to give her an actual demonstration of the gear at some point; they've had their first lesson, so at least an introduction should be in order for Ginia. ]
[A nod. She was out of the village when Jean was running around shouting for Marco, but she saw the entry and that was reason enough to check on him. So she could be a softie, oh well. But it was Marco and their shared experience in being dead in their world and alive here was a connection point. He was a nice kid too.
Ginia takes a seat at the table, shifting to pull her laptop out of her bag. It's probably a strange device for Erwin see, thin and silver, a bright screen lighting up as Ginia taps away on the keyboard to log in. Not unlike her phone, but on a much larger scale. She folds it flat to use as a tablet, poking and dragging her finger along the screen as she pulls up her report. Having the meeting delayed by a day gave her the opportunity to sit down and write out a proper report.]
If you want a paper copy of the report, I'd be glad to write an abridged version.
[ Oh. That's a piece of technology he certainly hasn't seen before, and he leans curiously over to have a better look at it. Letters appear on the screen as she touches them on the...he doesn't have a word for it yet, but the rows of letters. It is a bit similar to what she does with her phone (that's a new word too), he thinks, and then she's flipping the device around and touching it directly to open the page on which her report is written. It's fascinating. ]
I am very interested in this, however.
[ He extends a hand, wanting to read the report and have a better look at the device. ]
[Ginia hands the laptop over to him, showing him quickly how to scroll up and down and zoom in and out of the screen. An unfamiliar system, but also a fairly intuitive one. As he reads her report, Ginia will check her journal to see if there's any news of Marco or anything else of interest.]
"On January 25th to January 28th, Luceti cycle 7, I was assigned to a research mission. Also assigned to the mission was Masaomi Kida, a long-term resident of Luceti who had been previously helpful providing information about the village and the missions. Upon arrival in Desset City, we were met by two droids - robots or mechanical constructs - and a Malnosso researcher. The Researcher informed us the two droids would be our handlers for the duration of the mission. They would guide us wherever we needed to go and handle any requests we might have had. Failure to obey the droids would result in punishment up to and including mission failure.
From there, we were escorted to our rooms. There is little to say about the surrounding area; the walls, ceiling, and floor were white, very clean, wer sterile seeming. Each room was marked with a number on the door and there were numerous rooms extended far down the hallway.
We were each given our own room. The rooms were comfortable in size and furnished only with essentials; a bed, desk, and a dresser for clothing. A private bathroom was attached to the bedroom as well. Once we had unpacked and rested, we were escorted to The Central Malnosso Library.
The Central Malnosso Library was quite large, several stories tall, spreading across numerous halls and rooms. I can only imagine what information was held in the hundreds of thousands of books there. There were many people there, all winged, some like us accompanied by droids. We were allowed to speak with other people, provided we did not distract them from their research or our own. Most people were friendly, from other enclosures, researching various topics.
Our mission was to research plants found in deserts across as many worlds as possible. We were to add our information to their database as well as put together a presentation. Our handlers proved to be helpful as they were quick to assist us in locating books or accessing information on the database, but were also a hindrance as they were quick to block us from entering parts of the library considered irrelevant to our topic.
Breaks were encouraged and when we wished to eat, we were escorted to a shared dining hall in the basement of the library. The food was varied and we were allowed to take as much as we wanted. We were also allowed to mingle with people from other enclosures.
During one such lunch, we met two individuals from Excenn; Kida, who was identified as a demon, and Anarial, an elf. Both were quite friendly and forthcoming about information about Excenn. Their enclosure seems to be similar to Luceti in that both are villages surrounded by woods and experience similar shifts. Of note, they described a situation where people teleported uncontrollably, which Masaomi was familiar with. They also spoke of a time when hundreds of sheep appeared in the village and disappeared shortly after. During that duration, wool was gathered and knitted garments were produced by the craftier members of the community.
When asked why people from Excenn seemed to hold people from Luceti in high regard, Anarial said it was because we seem to hold more impressive abilities and are often more successful on drafts and missions. Anarial also mentioned there is debate between people those who like Luceti and those who like Kin'cora more.
There is little else I can say about the mission. We were encouraged to work as long as we wanted, though there was little else to do outside of research. We were not restricted from visiting other rooms provided we had permission from the room occupant, though we were still accompanied by our droid handler.
Upon completion of the mission, we were sent back to Luceti via the teleporter.
The laptop you are reading the report on was obtained through mission points. It was waiting in my apartment when I returned.
The fruit of prickly pears, commonly called cactus figs, Indian fig or tuna, is edible, although it has to be peeled carefully to remove the small spines on the outer skin before consumption. If the outer layer is not properly removed, glochids (hair-like spines or short prickles) can be ingested causing discomfort of the throat, lips, and tongue as the small spines are easily lodged in the skin.
Roasting the fruit is one option to remove the glochids.
[ Erwin takes the time to read carefully, and by the time he reaches the end there's a small smile on his lips. This mission is entirely different from the first; he'd had no idea she was going on a research mission rather than a combat one. ]
It seems that your time away was relaxed, at the very least.
[ That's more than he can say for those who stayed in Luceti--as far as he knows, at least. But he'd seen some damage left behind: craters in the earth, shattered windows, walls ripped entirely from buildings. Something monumental had happened over the weekend, and it continues to bother him that no one can remember what. ]
I have read about 'deserts' myself. We supposedly have them in my world as well, though none within the walls have ever seen one, and very few even know that they exist. Most are completely ignorant about anything beyond the walls, though that is hardly their fault. Books containing information about the outside world were outlawed decades ago, and anyone in possession of one considered heretical and dangerous.
[Relaxing yes, and quite fascinating too for the opportunity to speak with people from other enclosures and get a feel of the environment. Still, even a day, a few hours, with free reign in the library would have been incredible.
Ginia listens to Erwin, finding it interesting books about the world beyond the walls were banned. It makes sense to a degree, and it makes her think of her conversation with Jean, about the little things like not realizing the world was round. She wonders how many books about the world Erwin's read.]
If you're interested in seeing, I have maps and pictures from my world. We can also discuss tactics for each kind of environment as any of them could be a likely battle zone on a draft.
[ Erwin might have to sign himself up for a research mission at some point just for that very opportunity: the chance to talk to those from other and enclosures and hear what they have to say. ]
I am very interested. The terrain we are used to dealing with in my world is rather limited in comparison to others. Anything you can teach me about other environments would be appreciated.
[Ginia takes her laptop and unfolds the keyboard and sets it back up on the desk. Remembering her conversation with Jean, she's quick to pull up a map of the world as well as a map of the United States. Leaving the world map up first, she opens up notepad and begins typing up some figures and information, pausing now and then to consult her phone for notes.]
Circumference of Earth: 40,075 km 510,072,000 km2 total area 148,940,000 km2 land 361,132,000 km2 water
Earth is round, rotates on its axis around the sun. 24 hours in a day, 365 days in a year.
Seven continents: North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, Antarctica. Continents can be further broken down into countries.
I'm from North America, the country United States of America, born in the city Davenport in the state of Massachusetts.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[Written | January 24th]
[ You certainly know what interests him, Ginia. ]
[Written | January 24th]
[Written | January 24th → Action | January 25th?]
[ And, true to his word, there he is the next day, fifteen minutes early and standing rather than sitting as he waits. ]
[Action | January 25th]
She greets Erwin with a smile and a friendly wave, offering the bag. Warm croissants and fresh blueberry muffins, you know you want one.]
[Action | January 25th]
Erwin can say this much, at least: as suspicious of it as he remains, the food here in Luceti certainly tastes better than the military rations at home. ]
It smells wonderful. Thank you.
[Action | January 25th]
I have something to ask you and Levi. It's entirely optional, but it would be beneficial to me and of possible use to the two of you.
[Action | January 25th]
Of course. I am always interested in your suggestions, Ginia. What is it?
[Action | January 25th]
I've been helping the Welcome Center stock the new feather stations out in the woods once a week. I already did it this week so it's set, but would you two mind helping me out next week? There are two south of the village in the woods and two in the north, closer to the farmlands and mountains.
It takes me half a day on horseback so splitting the task would be helpful.
[Ginia's not sure how much Erwin knows about the area surrounding the village, so it's either known knowledge or an enticing bit of information and offer to explore.]
[Action | January 25th]
I would be glad to help, as would Levi.
[ Well, Levi likely won't be glad, but he'll willingly do it all the same. ]
I've been eager to see them for myself.
[Action | January 25th]
[Ginia quickly checks the time on her phone. Ahh, probably good to begin heading down.]
We should get walking. I suppose you'll want a report when I return?
[Action | January 25th]
[ Erwin has a feeling that it will be of little use keeping track of favors owed between them; this is turning into more of a symbiotic relationship than anything. ]
I would be very appreciative of a report, yes. Your first was quite informative.
[ He gets walking, following Ginia's lead while keeping pace beside her. ]
[Action | January 25th]
Ginia shuts off her cellphone and trades it for good old pen and paper. While she knows from the guide the tunnels completely suppress abilities and powers, she's not sure if it applies to technology and she'd rather not find out by frying her phone.
The tunnels branch east and west. East leading further down to the laptop room, even the beach if someone wants to walk long enough. They head west, red arrows on the walls and floor guiding them to a room while the tunnel continues west. Further exploration west will result in running into a barrier.
Ginia leads the way to the room. Inside is a silver platform labeled with H.47 at the top in black bold font. She writes out a message and turns to Erwin.]
Here's where we part ways. You're welcome to stay down here and explore, though you can't go any further west; there's a barrier.
[Action | January 25th]
Their destination is apparently that platform, a strange-looking thing to Erwin's eyes. He is unable to compare it to anything else he knows. But that is becoming all too common. There are many things with which he is not familiar, he's finding. ]
Thank you for inviting me to accompany you this morning. I am glad to have had your guidance my first time here.
[ He'll likely keep looking around for a bit after she leaves, curious as to what else the tunnels hold. ]
I hope that your mission goes well.
[Action | January 25th]
[Ginia smiles and steps onto the platform. There's a bit of warmth on the back of her neck - the barcode reacting to whatever mechanism operates the teleporter - and then she vanishes.]
[Action | January 25th]
But Ginia had by no means slipped his mind. He'd contacted her briefly to arrange a meeting for today.
As expected, she arrives at his door promptly at the time agreed (noon) and he lets her in. Levi is out, and the spotlessly clean apartment is quiet. ]
Ginia. Please come in. [ Erwin isn't in his jacket or his boots (Levi doesn't allow the latter past the door mat), but he is, as usual, wearing his harness. And without boots or jacket, the complicated system of straps is more obvious, dark brown leather a stark contrast to the crisp white of his shirt and pants. ] I apologize for my unavailability yesterday. It was quite eventful here while you were gone--or so it seems.
[Action | January 29th]
But Wednesday rolls around and Ginia arrives on time. She bows her head in greeting, quickly noting the boots by the door and kneeling down to unlace her boots. Her attire is neat and tidy; black jeans, a dark blue button-down blouse, a black shell jacket she'll hand to Erwin for hanging up. Her wings fold neatly against her back, the color of her feathers nearly blending in with her shirt.]
No need to apologize, I understand there were pressing matters to attend to.
[She writes swiftly on her phone. As he reads, she'll take a moment to study the harness system and maybe the man wearing it. Interesting.]
[Action | January 29th]
There were. I assume you saw Jean?
[ Because who hadn't seen (or heard) Jean yesterday?
He'll lead her to the table and invite her to sit, not unaware of her assessing the harness. It makes sense. He'd given her a look at the maneuver gear itself, but not what holds it in place. He would like to give her an actual demonstration of the gear at some point; they've had their first lesson, so at least an introduction should be in order for Ginia. ]
[Action | January 29th]
Ginia takes a seat at the table, shifting to pull her laptop out of her bag. It's probably a strange device for Erwin see, thin and silver, a bright screen lighting up as Ginia taps away on the keyboard to log in. Not unlike her phone, but on a much larger scale. She folds it flat to use as a tablet, poking and dragging her finger along the screen as she pulls up her report. Having the meeting delayed by a day gave her the opportunity to sit down and write out a proper report.]
If you want a paper copy of the report, I'd be glad to write an abridged version.
[Action | January 29th]
[ Oh. That's a piece of technology he certainly hasn't seen before, and he leans curiously over to have a better look at it. Letters appear on the screen as she touches them on the...he doesn't have a word for it yet, but the rows of letters. It is a bit similar to what she does with her phone (that's a new word too), he thinks, and then she's flipping the device around and touching it directly to open the page on which her report is written. It's fascinating. ]
I am very interested in this, however.
[ He extends a hand, wanting to read the report and have a better look at the device. ]
May I?
[Action | January 29th]
"On January 25th to January 28th, Luceti cycle 7, I was assigned to a research mission. Also assigned to the mission was Masaomi Kida, a long-term resident of Luceti who had been previously helpful providing information about the village and the missions. Upon arrival in Desset City, we were met by two droids - robots or mechanical constructs - and a Malnosso researcher. The Researcher informed us the two droids would be our handlers for the duration of the mission. They would guide us wherever we needed to go and handle any requests we might have had. Failure to obey the droids would result in punishment up to and including mission failure.
From there, we were escorted to our rooms. There is little to say about the surrounding area; the walls, ceiling, and floor were white, very clean, wer sterile seeming. Each room was marked with a number on the door and there were numerous rooms extended far down the hallway.
We were each given our own room. The rooms were comfortable in size and furnished only with essentials; a bed, desk, and a dresser for clothing. A private bathroom was attached to the bedroom as well. Once we had unpacked and rested, we were escorted to The Central Malnosso Library.
The Central Malnosso Library was quite large, several stories tall, spreading across numerous halls and rooms. I can only imagine what information was held in the hundreds of thousands of books there. There were many people there, all winged, some like us accompanied by droids. We were allowed to speak with other people, provided we did not distract them from their research or our own. Most people were friendly, from other enclosures, researching various topics.
Our mission was to research plants found in deserts across as many worlds as possible. We were to add our information to their database as well as put together a presentation. Our handlers proved to be helpful as they were quick to assist us in locating books or accessing information on the database, but were also a hindrance as they were quick to block us from entering parts of the library considered irrelevant to our topic.
Breaks were encouraged and when we wished to eat, we were escorted to a shared dining hall in the basement of the library. The food was varied and we were allowed to take as much as we wanted. We were also allowed to mingle with people from other enclosures.
During one such lunch, we met two individuals from Excenn; Kida, who was identified as a demon, and Anarial, an elf. Both were quite friendly and forthcoming about information about Excenn. Their enclosure seems to be similar to Luceti in that both are villages surrounded by woods and experience similar shifts. Of note, they described a situation where people teleported uncontrollably, which Masaomi was familiar with. They also spoke of a time when hundreds of sheep appeared in the village and disappeared shortly after. During that duration, wool was gathered and knitted garments were produced by the craftier members of the community.
When asked why people from Excenn seemed to hold people from Luceti in high regard, Anarial said it was because we seem to hold more impressive abilities and are often more successful on drafts and missions. Anarial also mentioned there is debate between people those who like Luceti and those who like Kin'cora more.
There is little else I can say about the mission. We were encouraged to work as long as we wanted, though there was little else to do outside of research. We were not restricted from visiting other rooms provided we had permission from the room occupant, though we were still accompanied by our droid handler.
Upon completion of the mission, we were sent back to Luceti via the teleporter.
The laptop you are reading the report on was obtained through mission points. It was waiting in my apartment when I returned.
The fruit of prickly pears, commonly called cactus figs, Indian fig or tuna, is edible, although it has to be peeled carefully to remove the small spines on the outer skin before consumption. If the outer layer is not properly removed, glochids (hair-like spines or short prickles) can be ingested causing discomfort of the throat, lips, and tongue as the small spines are easily lodged in the skin.
Roasting the fruit is one option to remove the glochids.
[Action | January 29th]
It seems that your time away was relaxed, at the very least.
[ That's more than he can say for those who stayed in Luceti--as far as he knows, at least. But he'd seen some damage left behind: craters in the earth, shattered windows, walls ripped entirely from buildings. Something monumental had happened over the weekend, and it continues to bother him that no one can remember what. ]
I have read about 'deserts' myself. We supposedly have them in my world as well, though none within the walls have ever seen one, and very few even know that they exist. Most are completely ignorant about anything beyond the walls, though that is hardly their fault. Books containing information about the outside world were outlawed decades ago, and anyone in possession of one considered heretical and dangerous.
[Action | January 29th]
Ginia listens to Erwin, finding it interesting books about the world beyond the walls were banned. It makes sense to a degree, and it makes her think of her conversation with Jean, about the little things like not realizing the world was round. She wonders how many books about the world Erwin's read.]
If you're interested in seeing, I have maps and pictures from my world. We can also discuss tactics for each kind of environment as any of them could be a likely battle zone on a draft.
[Action | January 29th]
I am very interested. The terrain we are used to dealing with in my world is rather limited in comparison to others. Anything you can teach me about other environments would be appreciated.
[Action | January 29th]
Circumference of Earth: 40,075 km
510,072,000 km2 total area
148,940,000 km2 land
361,132,000 km2 water
Earth is round, rotates on its axis around the sun. 24 hours in a day, 365 days in a year.
Seven continents: North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, Antarctica. Continents can be further broken down into countries.
I'm from North America, the country United States of America, born in the city Davenport in the state of Massachusetts.