maskormenace | video;

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[ When Claire had first begun to instruct him on using this contraption, he'd been admittedly slow and clunky, though so had Claire herself; it's a piece of remarkable technology foreign to both of them, though Jamie moreso than Claire. Recognizing there would be times when they’re separated and something could happen, it doesn't take long for Jamie to see the value in it, and to wish they'd had something like it in his time.

The first few days with Claire, he can’t be bothered to think of anyone or anything but her. They’ve been reunited again after nine years apart, and he never wants to waste another moment with her. ]

I couldna have fathomed such a useful contraption in my time, but 'tis a remarkable tool. [ Are people truly listening to this? It's a wonder to imagine anyone might care to hear his ramblings right now. Of course, he's still learning, so pardon the extreme close up as he holds the device near his face to speak, not realizing he's switched on the video. ]

How many of ye listen to this? [ And he sees the video playing, immediately pulling it back and chuckling softly. ] Och, pardon a man still wi' much to learn.

[ Of course, it’s not like he’s saying much of value right now anyway. ] In the time I hail from, we spoke wi’ letters, which took long weeks to arrive. I’d say this is a vast improvement, ‘tis only that it takes time adjusting. [ It’s something new and very different, but he’ll learn, he’s confident in that. It just feels so strange to speak to someone or something he can’t really see. ]

Tell me, then, of yourself?

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Good evening, sir. It's wonderful, isn't it? But it's also easy to spend all day staring at the network and reading things. Of course, I try not to fall into that habit.

I'm Alphonse.

Aye, 'tis of great use and value. I confess I've found myself reading much of the correspondence here and losing track of the time, much as I might have done wi' books in my time.

A pleasure to meet ye, lad. I'm James Fraser. Jamie, if ye like.

You as well, Jamie.

I didn't have anything like this in my world- we had radios and telephones, but nothing for face-to-face communication like this, or the internet, or anything. It's an effort to not spend all day at it, when I'm not working.

Tell me you've tried texting.

Aye, a bit wi' my wife. The wee pictures, in particular, are clever.

Aren't they? You can have a whole conversation just in pictures. Most humans haven't done that in a few thousand years.

[ No video for this one, sadly. ]

What time are you from?

[ Jamie's adaptable, though he keeps his camera on nonetheless. ]

Eighteenth century. 1755, to be more specific. And you, lad?

The answer is complicated, but 1755 is much further than I've ever gone.

[in a vaguely Irish accent that teeters in and out of existence:] Isn't it? Wait till you've figured out BlueTube, then you'll lose hours watching whatever shows up on the screen.

[Then Molly cocks his head to the side and smiles a little, friendly and amused. The charms on his horns glint as he does so, catching the light.]

I've been there, it's something of a learning curve after letters. [Not that Molly's ever written any.] Maybe the closest thing to this on my world was this spell a friend of mine could use to talk to us, but the range on that wasn't as far as this one can go.

[ The Irish accent, even the hint of it, reminds him a bit of home, though most of the Irish stayed away from Scotland in his time. The sight greeting him on the video is truly a thing to behold, though. ]

A kind of witchcraft, was it? To be able to speak in such a manner?

[ Perplexed as he is by the fellow's appearance, Jamie's too polite to ever look taken aback in his response. ]

Forgive me, I've no' seen anyone of yer sort in my time. Might I ask where ye're from?

Something like that, yeah. But with more books and studying involved, so far as I could tell, and like I said, the range couldn't go this far. You had to be in, what, a hundred, a hundred-fifty feet?

[He's pretty sure of that, anyway.

dryly:] You, and just about everyone here. But sure: I'm from Wildemount. Ever heard of it? [He doesn't expect Jamie to, because the man doesn't seem to know what a tiefling is. But hey, at least he's not calling him a devil or anything.]

[oooh, an archaic sort!]

Speaking as a person who's had to adapt to modernization [although with Eccarius it had been gradual rather than abrupt] if you'd like any help with adjustment, I'm the host of a BlueTube show which specializes in that sort of thing. Although it's more to do with fashion than technology.

I'm grateful to ye for the offer. I canna say I know much of fashion, either. [ As an 18th century highlander, Jamie's wardrobe is more of the functional sort; comfortable and practical, with no real care for outward appearances. ]

Can ye tell me more of this BlueTube?

Well, basically you'd just choose a clothing style more fitting with the times; just as casual and comfortable as you like.

[Although jeans probably have nothing over kilts.]

Ah, certainly! It's electronic visual media, much like television, only on the internet. Very similar to the way we're communicating now.

[Hopefully he doesn't have to explain television, as presumably he'll have encountered that in imPort housing.]

[It's a guess, only - and she thinks maybe it's a reach, since the Porter can apparently bring in people from anywhere and anywhen, so she's reluctant to say it out loud at first.]

This is probably...[Dumb. She always wonders if what she's about to ask is dumb, so she hems and haws a moment before spitting it out:] Are you Claire's husband?

[ He can't say he's surprised at all that his wife's made acquaintances already. She was always good at that.

Of course, at the mention of his wife, there's a broad smile. ]

Aye, that I am, and proudly so. I'm glad to make yer acquaintance as well, lass.

[This is probably the only decent relationship she's ever witnessed that wasn't on TV. It's nice and it feels fake but only in a too good to be true kind of way.]

You can just - call me Vanya. I don't really know how much I can tell you, um, about where I'm from. It's - probably really different.

It was no simpler seeing the world change with its invention.

A marvel to have witnessed, no doubt, but perplexing as well. We havena had such drastic advances in my time. Have ye seen much of it in yours, beyond this?

( if only she told the truth because lilith has seen it all )

A few things. ( she's only pretending to be a few hundred years old instead of thousand ) But it's a slower process than this would have been.

[ Allison does turn on her video, as a habit now, but her words appear at the bottom of the screen in text. ]

It was the same for my family, and we came from a much further future point in our Earth, too. It's a learning curve, but it ends up being more helpful than problematic so far.

[ He's been trying out the texting, but the video is still easier for him for now. Plus, he's a bit slow with texting, and that seems less conducive to having a conversation. ]

Aye, it seems a helpful thing to have. We couldna have fathomed this in my time. [ There's a soft laugh at himself as he shakes his head a little. ] Nearly everything here fascinates me, I find myself staring at the strangest things for minutes at a time. Automobiles, for instance.

[Oh, a Scot! How charming. Jane listens to him speak with some measure of bemusement, and finds a level of appreciation in his own struggles with the technology here. She's still finding her feet with it, herself, after all.]

The year I come from is 1912. We very much rely on letters there, too.

[God bless the Royal Mail.]

... Do you happen to know a Claire Fraser?

[ At least she's a bit closer to his time, and quite close to Claire's time. ]

Aye, I do. [ A broad, bright smile spreads on his face. ] She's my wife. Ye ken her well, lass?

[Jane brightens up immediately. It was a shot in the dark, but Claire had mentioned a husband, and here he is!]

Oh-- yes! We have tea together. Sometimes. She's been so very helpful to me while I've been here.

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