EXPEDITION: DEPARTURE

[ino]

[ To Terre Haute we go! Hope you've packed your things, travelers, because it's going to be a long trek there. Feel free to mingle about in the lobby with everyone else waiting to get going, or grab a bite to eat! After all, it might be awhile before you see fresh food again … ]

[ooc: LOBBY | KITCHEN | OUTSIDE ! Feel free to add your own sections!]

Comments

[ino]

Well, yeah, it can be a bit hard to tell what's "normal" weird around here compared to weird-weird ...

[ sigh. this is a bit tough to explain to someone so new, but she'll give it a shot! ]

But that's what I'm saying about making sure you know who you're traveling with. There'll probably be some people on the trip who you think are really weird, but if they've been with us the whole time, then they're not who -- or what -- you need to look out for.

[princelyspirit]

[Her eyes narrow, as if deep in thought, as she listens to Ino's words. She's quiet for a moment before she snaps back to attention, speaking again]

That makes sense - I mean, we all come from so many different places, that nobody's really going to have the same idea of what's "normal". But, who will we need to look for? If everyone in the group is safe, that is.

[ino]

Well, for starters, there are some people in metal suits that we know are hostile, so that's definitely important to keep an eye out for. They have the technology that we haven't figured out how to operate out there, which makes them extra dangerous.

[princelyspirit]

Wait, technology? I thought that sort of thing just went dead out there! I mean, isn't that what makes the Dead Zone, well, the Dead Zone?

[ino]

It usually does. But --

[ she'll pause to stick a hand into the collar of her shirt, and she pulls out a simple necklace with a small crystal attached to it ]

This is a special crystal that comes from this world. If you use it you can operate technology in the Dead Zone. Problem is, we only have a few of these small ones -- which only give off about as much energy as a small battery. They have a much bigger one, and we have yet to figure out where they got it from.

[princelyspirit]

Hmn... maybe it has something to do with what fell out of the sky? I've heard some people call it a meteor, and, well, meteors are just big hunks of rock, right? Then again, that thing wasn't really meteor shaped, either-

[shakes her head]

Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble on like that. It's just that I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this. It sounds almost like something out of a storybook, you know?

[ino]

[ she gives utena a reassuring smile ]

It's alright. You're pretty new, right? It takes awhile to get used to everything around here.

[princelyspirit]

[smiles back]

Yeah, I can imagine! But, I guess things like this help, in a way. I mean, the more you know about a place, the more familiar it is, right?

[ino]

Exactly. That's why we go.

Well, in the meantime, there's a report of all the other places we've been that's written up fairly comprehensively ... [ she opens her journal and flips to this bookmarked page ] Right here! You'll probably have plenty of time to check it out on the way there.

[princelyspirit]

[Skims over it - there's too much to actually read in depth right now - but what little she sees piques her interest! She glances at the maps, before looking back up at Ino]

So, we've got our own little visitor's guide, then. I'll definitely check that out. Is there anything else I should read up on, though? Or just keep an eye out for, I guess.