013 ♍ VIDEO

[glowsferatu]

[ Kanaya turns on the camera, glancing at a distant point to the side, wearing a great scowl. ]

Have you ever had those days when you've had to empty out your savings to relocate friends whose lives are in active danger?

Well, happy birthday to me.

[ She finally looks at the camera directly, as Ashiah can be seen bumbling across the wall behind her. ] I think it's time to admit I need a new weapon. The Porter recently took the one I've relied upon for years, and this [ She brings her hand up, holding a large knife. ] has proven a feeble replacement. I'd prefer something with more weight and reach, something that can actually deal damage. Motorized, if possible.

So, I'm open to suggestions. If you craft any yourself, sell me on your product. I'm willing to learn something new, but no firearms. They don't agree with my style.

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[glowsferatu]

[ She takes a deep breath, knitting her fingers together. Time for a history lesson. ]

The majority of imPorts resided in a single metropolis, which I'm told parallels to New York City in most worlds. The only difference is the "New York" portion never seemed to work its way into the name. [ It was a stupid name for a City, everyone agrees. ]

There weren't any hovercars or talking toasters, and I'd never seen a malt shop there, either. There wasn't any government regulation over imPort activities, our only oversight came from the Porter herself, who wasn't nearly as quiet as she is now. Of course, she was also very lax on the matter, except in her own defense.

[ Snooping or tinkering usually ended in a quick drop in the Atlantic. The Porter here's still been known to do that. ]

And so, of course, we got into a great deal more trouble. The people there didn't like us, and they had plenty reason not to. [ She says it pointedly, as if it's the most important lesson imPorts could have taken away from the experience. To her, that's exactly what it is. ] Eventually, it came to a point where a group was formed among the natives for the purpose of expelling us from the world.

They eventually got their wish, but only because the planet was destroyed. Possibly the universe as well, and they were almost definitely involved in bringing about that doom.

[ She spreads her hands with a look of resignation. ] And so, here we are. January 14th, 2014, Lachesis pulled the survivors from that dying Earth and brought us to this one instead.

[dendarii]

[ Miles listens to the whole story with morbid fascination. And terror for that matter. Dear god ... ]

You destroyed the universe? How? Could it happen here too, do you think?

[glowsferatu]

We didn't, Atropos did. She was the Porter's older, more terrifying sister, if you're at all familiar with the Greek Fates.

But I can't help but wonder if someone hadn't called her down on us, especially when their agents were waiting for us within her.

[ Whatever "within her" means. ]

[dendarii]

Atropos ... yes, I'm familiar with the mythology. Either possibility is terrifying.

... When you say "within her" ...

[glowsferatu]

When she destroyed the Earth, Atropos swallowed the City whole. [ Though "whole" is a bit relative, it kind of floated into a few different chunks. It was a weird place. ] We lived there for a week before Lachesis got us out.

[dendarii]

Dear god. I will never complain about the oddities of this place again.

[glowsferatu]

To be perfectly fair, we haven't experienced anything quite on that level before or since. It will hopefully remain a once in a lifetime occurrence.

[dendarii]

And not occur here, if we are lucky...

[glowsferatu]

That would be the primary hope, yes. Neither she nor Vulcanus have found us in two years, it's just a matter of whether that's long enough that they've stopped looking.

The multiverse is am infinitely large place.

[dendarii]

Hard to find, then. In theory.

[glowsferatu]

Mm.

[ She holds up crossed fingers. ]