000001; Dictated;Action

[bluebot]

[Blue has been sitting with the journal open on her lap for sometime now. It's a curious thing, and she'd be far more fascinated if it weren't for the fresh pain and almost-disorienting confusion. There is one logical explanation for all of this--]

U-um... excuse me? Is this-- can anyone... A-am I dead? [If she is dead, shouldn't she be here, too? And she wasn't expecting to keep her body. This is not how it should have happened.]

I'd really appreciate-- I just want to know what happened.

Comments

[whistles_the_blues]

[And this robot's going to speak up in a flat tone.]

You're not dead, or even if you were, you're alive again so long as you're here.

You've been kidnapped by a magic castle. Get used to it.

[bluebot]

... [Hahaha, what? No, really, what?!] A magic castle. I'm sorry, is this a joke? Who are you?!

[whistles_the_blues]

You don't have to believe me, but you'll find most people around here will tell you the same thing.

As for my name, I go by Blues.

[bluebot]

Good. Because I don't. [Yes, hello, she is actually a five-year-old child.]

Are you-- ... you aren't the book. Right? You're speaking through it?

[littlebityeah]

Uh -- you're not dead. [ Probably not reassuring, but hey. ]

[bluebot]

How do you know for sure? [Because if she's not even sure, how the hell is this random guy supposed to know? Definitely not reassuring.]

[littlebityeah]

[ The PLAN was to make the comment and carry on, but hello, Newt, these are people you're talking to. ] Oh -- because this place being some kind of pocket dimension is a way more viable explanation than some wacky afterlife. I mean, for starters.

[hellofist]

[It looks like the whole magic castle/kidnapping angle has been covered, so...]

Why would... you think you died?

[bluebot]

... Oh. [she wasn't prepared for that question so soon. It takes her a second to remember.] Because there were people chasing us. With guns. We were trying to leave the city... where the power stops. We were supposed to die, but then... something happened to Red and thenn I was here.

[hellofist]

They won't find you, here.

[There's no hesitation to saying that, Cass focuses hard on not stammering over the words to be sure they'll be taken seriously. She doesn't like it, the idea of someone sounding so worried, running away. She's a runaway too, knowing that you've finally reached somewhere safe was one of the best feelings she had ever had. She wants to give that to Blue too.]

Dictated forever

[onlyanapple]

That's a difficult question. Did you die before you came here? If you didn't, then the answer would be no. But if you did, the answer would be a more complicated and annoying yes-no.

[bluebot]

I'm not... entirely sure. I might have. I was supposed to.

The fact that I'm not exactly alive in the regular sense might complicate it even more.

[onlyanapple]

Ah well. Lots of people don't do the things they're supposed to.

Oh? Some sort of spirit, perhaps? A robot? I've seen them all at this point.

[scaler]

Depends on how lucky you are.

[bluebot]

I've never been very lucky. [Except for Red. That was luck in the purest sense.] I don't seem to be dead, though.

[scaler]

Hate to break it to you, but just because you're not here doesn't mean you're not anywhere.

[Dictated]

[cant_breathe_no_heir]

You are not dead.

Though sometimes I wonder how much that would do.

[Dictatedforeveromgequius]

[bluebot]

How can you be sure? Solely because you aren't dead? And how do you know you're alive as well? I... I'm not sure what it would feel like. How am I supposed to know? What if it's all just the same and nothing ever really ends and--

I'm sorry. This is all a little much.

[Dictatedgreetings~]

[cant_breathe_no_heir]

That is alright.

I know that I am alive because I have witnessed others die.

Do you feel any different? That could mean you are dead.

[silentrunning]

[Scribbled in the journal.]

Hello? Are you new here? You're not dead. This is Paradisa.

[bluebot]

Yes. Yes, I'm new. I've been filled in a little bit so far... Who is this?

[silentrunning]

[More scribbling.]

My name is Chell. Do you have questions? I could try to help.

[magnets]

[ Her door's open by the time Jesse's going for a walk down the castle hallways, cigarette in hand and a beer in the other. Classy as always. But he likes walks around this place. They're long, they're quiet, they clear his head. ]

[ Blue's door's open, and Jesse finds himself leaning against her door frame on a whim, peering inside. She looks lost. She's gotta be new. ]

I, uh, I like your hair.

[bluebot]

[Blue looks up, wide-eyed and mouth open, probably looking even more lost than she was just a second ago. He startled her. She'd been so engrossed in the journal and the voices coming from it that she hadn't expected to see a real person standing so close.

She reaches up to touch her hair-- Hair is what he complimented. Compliment. Say something back! Don't mention that it's standard issue or removable, go!]

O-oh... um-- ... thanks. I-- ... is this your room?

[magnets]

[ Jesse's not a big fan of the journals. Still kind of wigs him out that there's talking books. Whatever happened to a normal old cell phone? ]

Nah, I'm, like, five floors down, man. Lotta room in this place, this one oughta be yours. [ He knocks his knuckles against the door. ] Even got your name on it.

[ Which he promptly checks out. Blue. He's glancing back to her. ] Like your hair. I'm, uh, I'm Jesse.