[Audio]

[notmyplacetosay]

[There's a sharp click as Samuel turns his communicator on, followed by muttering. Those with good hearing can make out the words: 'test, test, test.' He clears his throat, and speaks much more clearly after a moment or two of fiddling with the buttons.]

Not that I'd expect you fine folks to be listening in to some old man's ramblings, but if anybody out there can let me know if all this chatter's going through, it'd be much appreciated.

Had an audiograph player for a bit. Recovered it from, well, someone who wasn't getting much use out of it. Never had one of my recordings talk back to me before, but I guess there's always room for something new under the sun.

But, anyway, I think the point might've gotten away from me a bit there. The name's Samuel, Samuel Beechworth. Don't suppose any of you are in need of a boatman, but if the situation arises, well, I'll be here.

(OOC: feel free to bring your wild magic'd characters at him! If anybody in maurtia falls #02 would like to have an action/in person thread, let me know either here or on plurk at likeabox)

Comments

[lonered]

You're coming through loud and clear.

[Keith offers. He's not entirely sure what an audiograph is but it sounds vaguely old-timey.]

New to the technology, huh? You'll get used to it pretty quickly.

[But now he's curious.] What sort of boats?

[notmyplacetosay]

Haven't been having too much difficulty with this... whatever it's called. So far, anyway.

[He brightens up, now that he's back on familiar ground.] Riverboats, mainly. Good for hauling people up and down the Wrenhaven. Cargo, too, though the gangs usually handle that bit for themselves.

[lonered]

That's good. This place makes enough things difficult without that learning curve on top of everything else.

[But hey they all manage so.]

So you're used to navigating out on the water. I've never seen a riverboat. I grew up in the desert.

[notmyplacetosay]

Never been to the desert before. Well, as far as I can say. And I've learned to live with the damp too much to part with it for good.

audio

[republicrelic]

[ Wryly: ] Oh, I don't know about that. Seems to me like plenty of people here have little more to do than listen to an old man's rambling.

That said, I'm not sure that boatmen are in high demand around here. You might want to look for a different line of work.

[notmyplacetosay]

[Wry:] Well, that'd explain why this apartment came with a job offer. Been wondering about that.

[republicrelic]

It's to help us adapt, or so they say. Not that they ever seem to give us anything worth doing.

What did they give you, then?

[notmyplacetosay]

Something about keepin' rats. Always figured rats could keep themselves well enough, but apparently that isn't the case.

[republicrelic]

Ratkeeping?

[ Rex raises a brow. ]

What, for eating?

[ They have better choices of protein here, but it's not as though he can think of any other reason to keep rats. ]

[notmyplacetosay]

Might be, but I wouldn't want to eat them myself, if I had a say in it.

[republicrelic]

Me neither. Not when they've got cows and pigs here. Better eating on those than a rat, any day.

But I can't think of any other reason to keep the damn things.

[notmyplacetosay]

Some sorts might be fond of them, but I couldn't begin to tell you why. Nothing that makes a lick of sense to me.

[republicrelic]

Me neither. Pests, the lot of them. But I've never been much for pets anyway.

Good news is, you can change jobs whenever this one proves to be intolerable. Or maybe you'll take to it like a fish to water. You never know.

Audio

[of_the_skies]

Your chatter, to use your term, is coming through loud and clear, my good sir. And while my world is somewhat more advanced, we are still very much behind this one in terms of many such things. I myself had only a phonograph back home, so I understand your surprise.

Regardless, it is a pleasure to meet a fellow new arrival. I can't say I'm in need of a boatman right now, but we'll see what the future brings. For the moment, how are you settling in?

[audio]

[notmyplacetosay]

Having all this land under my feet'll take some getting used to, I'll tell you that much. Never knew a sea so solid.

[audio]

[of_the_skies]

I can't say I fully understand that, as I've spent most of my life very far inland, but having lived in the mountains for so long, I'm constantly disconcerted by the warmth here. I can understand feeling a little off-center here. But if you got your sea legs once before, you're clearly capable of getting your land legs, so to speak. [She believes in the capability of humans to adjust to things.]

[notmyplacetosay]

Being capable of something and being comfortable with it aren't always the same thing. At least, that's how I see it, so take that as you will.

[of_the_skies]

A fair point, and well made. But the people here are kind enough, and I've been informed our stays here can be sometimes quite brief, so perhaps you can take some comfort in that.

[notmyplacetosay]

A bit of comfort's better than none at all, so I'll take what I can get.

permavoice

[killtime]

You get used to the communicators, more or less. Take it from someone who's a little old-fashioned.

[notmyplacetosay]

That's good to hear. Almost everything worth sticking with just takes a little bit of patience at the start.

[killtime]

I'll never really like touchscreens, but sure. Patience. Suppose at my age I should have some of that.

[notmyplacetosay]

Don't mean to imply what you should or shouldn't have. If you've survived as long as you have, whatever you've been doing must be working somehow.

[killtime]

That's probably true for some people, sure. But my personal survival has less to do with sense or skill, and more to do with with an inability to die.

I'm just a cranky old woman that doesn't like cellphones.

[notmyplacetosay]

Far be it from me to ask a lady her age. Sounds like you're the sturdy sort, though, and that's nothing to sneeze at.

[killtime]

Maybe I'm just lucky. Luck can make you harder to kill than most things. You know the type? Like weeds. Or rats. Always just manage to survive and pop up somewhere else to cause trouble again.

[notmyplacetosay]

Wouldn't put too much trust in luck, myself. Seems like that'd be the best way to find yourself running out of it. But experience'll see you through even the roughest storms.

[killtime]

Guess that depends on how hard-headed you are. I might have a thicker skull than most.