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[pharmaka]

[ For a brief moment after the camera flickers on, Circe appears uncertain, and then her expression at once resolves into a calm, unstirred facade, cool as a plane of water. She has unglamorous auburn hair set back in a tousled braid, eyes of an odd, subtly gold sheen, and a plain, even voice. ]

Well. I do not know whether it is for the better that most of the plants and animals and the like are familiar to me here. It would surely be a better preoccupation than what I was assigned, to acquaint myself with the local wildlife, so perhaps I will do it nonetheless. It has been made clear to me that there is an almost impossibly large amount of land to be seen.

Given I am unfamiliar with travel and with this country, I thought I would seek suggestions. In particular... [ a short pause ] I find I miss the sea. I had heard of deserts, but they are not so lovely a place to live as they are to hear tales of. And the same can be said of cities of men.

[ That is it. She says nothing about the confusion, the mingled hope and fear, that all this freedom and newness has set about in her. She is quite possibly the only divine being here. It is impossible to tell. Is that her father, keeping eye on her in the sky? If it is, she doubts he is about to say hello. In some respects she is as alone as she ever was.

In others... There are more people, more mortals, and more land than she has ever given thought to in her long life. It is thrilling and terrifying at the same time, and Circe dares to betray as little of it as she can manage. ]

Comments

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[flightforfreedom]

[He's not totally sure what the question is, but:]

Are you looking for suggestions of where to go, or how to get there? Because there's actually a ton of coast line, in this country, if its ocean that you're looking for.

[pharmaka]

[ When she's flustered she gets more circuitous, and being from a time where people were fairly poetic with their words... makes that a bit of a mish-mash.

Oh look, it's a mortal man. Circe has obviously run into quite a few by now-- she'd had to, just to get to Jeopardy from Heropa, and learn how to use this device-- but directly soliciting conversation with one is another matter. She resorts to appearing as unflappable as she can. Accepting help is not her strong suit anymore. ]

I think it must be both place and method I need advice on. I benefited from a stranger's kindness to find my way here to my assigned house, but I have not in my life done much traveling. [ What an understatement. ]

[flightforfreedom]

[ For his part, he gives her an honest and reassuring smile. He's not always in as good a mood, but he is today. ]

Yeah, it's a bit of a culture shock for everyone - even the people originally from Earth, from what I hear.

Okay well, I'll give you the basics. Between imPort cities, the fastest route are the Porters, which you would have been sent through from Cape Canaveral when you first got here. Second fastest are planes - well, if you're not me, anyway. [ He grins at that, like he's making a joke, but continues on anyway. ] They're the craft you'll see in the sky, sometimes - they hop between cities, but you'll spend just as much time getting onto the damn thing and off it than you will in the sky.

Beyond that, you've got your ground transport - cars, buses, hover cars - they required a license to drive, but you can hire people to drive you just about anywhere. Costs money but so does most things.

Or, if you want, I can give you a lift. [ He's in a very good mood, apparently. ]

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[codeofiron]

[There's a moment before he speaks.]

If you're using the Porter, Heropa is closest to a beach.

[pharmaka]

... Is it a beach with many inhabitants? Heropa as I recall was so populous I could not imagine where they all slept.

[ Take a hermit off her island and she's mostly just unsure about leaving her enforced exile. ]

[codeofiron]

Usually. [He thinks.] Less at this time of year.

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[khajidont]

Um... how about you come visit Heropa? It's another one of the Porter cities, so you can just teleport on over here. And the beaches are great.

[pharmaka]

I passed through shortly after my arrival, but I found it [ she hesitates for a second, about to admit a weakness and then retracting it ] extremely busy. I have been alone on an island for many years.

[ Circe quirks a tiny, unreadable smile. ]

I shared my beaches only with crabs. I was hoping for something more that like.

[khajidont]

Heropa's probably still your best bet, at least until you're here for long enough to be, um, financially independent? Those sort of places are places you'd need to at least be able to buy tickets to a ferry service for, or to rent a boat of your own.

But I can point you to the quieter parts. You probably just saw the tourist-y bits.

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[bindsthedead]

I am also a newcomer, but- I've found the woods outside De Chima pleasant enough. I see others have also offered where to find the sea.

[pharmaka]

The woods would not be remiss either. I have not been to De Chima yet. It is a good suggestion.

[bindsthedead]

I've been assigned to live there. It's... nice enough, but they are very fond of technology.

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[ghoulking]

One of the Porter cities, Heropa, has a small beach. Many find it quite pleasant.

There are also woods and forests, if it interests you. Usually away from cities. [ "cities of men" ]

[pharmaka]

[ They're certainly not cities of gods. She's been to one mortal city before, but Minos pales in comparison in terms of scale, if not richness. ]

They would interest me. The animals and plants seemed disrupted, if not outright relocated, the short time I was in Heropa. I was hoping to find a more natural setting.

[ghoulking]

Well, city borers often have a lot of vegetation. I'm particularly fond of Nonah's green sides myself. Quiet and bright.

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[baetiful]

Many have already mentioned Heropa and the beaches, but I might suggest the waterfalls in Maurtia Falls are worth seeing -- as are the canals. For a city that has a reputation for danger, there is a certain beauty to it in spots.

[pharmaka]

Waterfalls would be lovely -- and I have heard of canals but never seen one. It has always amazed me how inventive men can be in how they change their surroundings. It seems like a terrific amount of work.

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[symphonyinme]

Aw, you from the beach too, hun?

[pharmaka]

More precisely I am from the fresh water rivers that lead to the Mediterranean Sea, but I have spent considerable time on its beaches.

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[notgood]

So no one's going to say it's weird to call it "cities of men"? Okay.

You've got some good advice on where to live otherwise by now I assume.

[pharmaka]

That is what they are. I see no gods residing here.

[ Nothing weird about it, ok? ]

I'm hardly about to run off to live in the woods without accommodations, and I'm far from a carpenter. For now, I would just like to visit. [ Although... really, could she convince trees to grow in the shape of a house for her? It would be a far cry from her divine-created house on Aiaia, which had been made by her family to save face during her exile, and subsequently lavishly appointed: gilded furniture, eternally clean floors, cupboards that always had food in them. Circe didn't really need all of that, but she'd gotten enough used to it that sleeping on the pine needles did not hold any appeal. ]

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[setmatch]

[ The name Circe stirs some familiarity. And the way she says cities of men draws his attention. Like someone mythological, one of the fair folk, maybe. But it's so hard to tell with the various people of various worlds. ]

I personally would recommend the woods. A cabin out of the way of the cities. Isolated.

However, if you want the sea, there are some seaside towns that tend to be very quiet.
A private island would be a bit expensive, however.

[pharmaka]

I remain unsure I wish to seclude myself entirely, but periods of respite would be welcome. The woods near De Chima have been suggested to me, and a beach farther up from the tourist sections of Heropa.

[ Owning land is a strange thought for her. Aiaia is hers in some indisputable way, from all the sweat, tears, and blood she has shed onto its earth, all the work she has done in tending it, the uncountable hours she's spent roaming it. Yet Circe would not claim to own it. Aiaia is hers and she is the island's, an extension of herself. It is mortals that think of 'purchasing' a land.

Yet that may be what she must come to, here. ]

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[craftpunk]

[ A beat, a tip of a reflective helmet. ]

The cities of men are rather vile, aren't they? Curse of the patriarchy, huh?

The name on the comms... [ His finger lifts, and points. ] Is that accurate?

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[pharmaka]

[ Patriarchy is a Greek word, so although she does not know its usage here, she can parse it out close enough. ] I think it is less to do with male rulers and more to do with the nature of people. I would not call it vile, but I am sorely unfamiliar.

[ A beat. ] Could it be false? Yes, I am Circe. [ She has no idea if it's possible to lie on the internet yet. And she might not offer out information on who she is, but she won't hide it, either, and certainly not her name. ]