001 ⚔ Video

[danceofcurse]

[The device is unfamiliar to Van, but he has always been a quick study. After a brief fumble with the initial direction of the camera, he appears upright on screen, a young man with earthy red eyes, wild black hair, and a stern expression that suggests he is attempting to, and only halfway succeeding at, controlling a barrage of intense emotions.

Probably confusion and disorientation, the same sort almost all imPorts feel upon their arrival, though some more so than others, particularly those who hail from worlds much less advanced than this one...]

I'm looking for two friends of mine.

[He's abrupt and to the point, seemingly unhappy with having to ask for help, but obviously knowing that he's without any alternative options at the moment.]

We were traveling together before I found myself here. Merle, Hitomi...I've been told that this is the quickest way to reach you if you've also been brought here by that Porter.

[If...

Van's expression darkens, and a gloved hand rises to cover the lens of the camera.]

...I would be grateful to anyone who has perhaps heard of them, or who recognizes the names Gaea or Zaibach.

[The latter said with such potent disdain it's a wonder the young man's voice didn't crack before he simply...disconnects.]

Comments

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[fistofthejoestar]

[enjoy the face of this calm British bodybuilder, Van, because I'm totally tagging you with Hazel later.]

I'm afraid that only Gaea is familiar to me, and likely no in the way you're hoping for.

[unless he was strangely fixated on Greek mythology, but somehow Jonathan doubts that.]

But there's never any telling when the Porter may pull more people in, so it's hardly a permanent situation. Would you mind telling us what they look like, so we can keep an eye out?

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[danceofcurse]

[No way. Van's not ready for her! He has literally never encountered anything on Earth or Gaea that could prepare him for Hazel Lockwood! And he's gone up against some mighty large lizards. And befriended a cat girl.]

What they look like...

[Van hums in thought, picturing both girls in the back of his mind. Where he's from, Merle's appearance was considered somewhat nondescript and Hitomi, with her strange customs and even stranger clothes, had stood out the most between the two.

Here, however? He gets the feeling that the opposite will prove to be true.]

Merle is a feline Junin and little shorter than I am. [He indicates with one gloved hand that she stands at approximately shoulder height or thereabouts.] She's a little under one and a half costa, with blue eyes, pink hair, long ears and a tufted tail.

[He pauses briefly and then sighs, eyes narrowing as he continues...]

Hitomi isn't much taller. She looks...boyish. Brown hair, green eyes. And she dresses strangely. [Van, that's...not very helpful.] Oh, and she wears a dark pink pendant.

[fistofthejoestar]

[there's some kind of unhelpful vagueness and even more unhelpful alien terms, but Jonathan gets the general picture well enough that he doesn't see any reason to press. between this and new arrivals' tendency to search out others on the network, he's confident he'd be able to spot them should they ever arrive.]

Thank you, I'll do my best to keep them in mind whenever I meet any new arrivals.

[or old one who haven't touched the network. same difference.]

Is there anything else I might be able to lend a hand with? The first day is always quite overwhelming.

[danceofcurse]

[The first day, implying there will be many more to come. Van starts to say something and then, as that thought sinks in, shakes his head and averts his gaze instead.

How long? That is the question he would like to ask. How long will he be stranded here and separated from his friends? From his country? How ever will he get back home? Though if this stranger knew the answer, Van supposes he'd have already gone back to where he came from.]

No, I'm fine. Thanks...but I don't need anything else.

[But that's not entirely true, is it? And he realizes this quickly, allowing him to amend...]

Although...your name. What is it?

[fistofthejoestar]

If you're certain.

[an acknowledgement rather than a doubt. there's no reason to insist on a matter that's so deeply personal, especially when Van can change his mind whenever he likes. help isn't going anywhere, after all.]

My name is Jonathan Joestar - although you can simply call me Jojo, if you prefer. It's a pleasure.

[systemize]

I did a search of the names registered to the network, and none of those terms came up. That might not mean anything if you think they're using an alias.

[ Cadel does this the efficient way, okay. ]

[danceofcurse]

[Unfortunately, Merle and Hitomi aren't that careful. They would sooner give their real names to strangers who ask than provide something they'd fabricated as a cover, although Van can't fault them for that. He won't be hiding his own identity any more than they would have in his position. Not because he is without discretion, however, but because he is more than a little prideful.]

I don't think that's something they'd do.

[Which means they mustn't have followed him here from Gaea. They're stranded very far away from what's familiar to them or any form of protection, and with only each other as company. Van's only hope is that there is truth to what the soldiers in Cape Canaveral told him upon his arrival: as long as an imPort is present in this world, time ceases to move where they come from.]

This is just great.

[He'd promised to bring Hitomi here, back to this place she called Earth, so why was he here and not her?]

...thanks anyways.

[systemize]

[ Cadel hesitates, a little awkward, but he means it sincerely enough when he says: ]

Sorry. They might show up later. The Porter is pretty unpredictable.

[ Though that is an idea for a project, trying to come up with a predictive equation for it, Cadel suspects already that it's doomed to failure. ]

[danceofcurse]

That's what I keep hearing.

[But the only thing it serves to accomplish is frustrating Van more. Unpredictable things...while it's natural not to know what's coming, perhaps he's grown a little used to Hitomi's foresight? They've only been together a short time, but her visions were always so precise, and now he can't turn to them even if he wants to.]

But it's probably for the best if they're not here. I'll just have to figure out some way back on my own.

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[quaerit]

[ Here is a boy a little older than Van, with brown tousled hair and hazel eyes. His smile seems effortless, but if you look very closely, there's sympathy in his eyes.

It's always difficult to come here alone. Gansey had found his friends quickly, but since then he's lost some of them. He knows every emotion running through this boy's eyes, even if his own stay under closer control. ]

I'm sorry, I don't know those names. If you can find it, there's a list of everyone who's here on your device.

Sometimes the Porter does lift people alone, though. I do know of Gaia, as in, Mother Earth? I don't know if that's what you mean. I've never heard of Zaibach before.

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[danceofcurse]

[Van's reply comes a little later, after he's taken some time to follow Gansey's advice and see if he can uncover Merle and Hitomi's names on his device. The attempt is, of course, a bust. They're not here, and that's a sad burden to bear. Nevertheless, he feels better having been able to confirm that for himself rather than take a stranger's word for it, and that's...better than nothing.]

It doesn't seem like they've followed me.

[He frowns, thoughts floating inward once more until Gansey mentions Earth and Zaibach, and then his attention snaps back to the other boy.]

Be grateful, then. It's better if they can't interfere here, too.

[There's no telling what kind of irreparable damage Zaibach could cause with a device like the Porter in their possession. With guymelefs alone they could destroy entire cities, empty whole countries...they needn't the kind of power that would allow them to breach worlds, too, and destroy those in the same vein.]

But...Earth and Gaea aren't one and the same. Where I'm from...this place, it's called the Mystic Moon. It hangs in Gaea's sky.

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[quaerit]

You mean it’s another planet?

[ Gansey frowns at that. If it is, he doesn’t think it exists in his world. There definitely aren’t two moons in the sky. He shakes his head. ]

I’m sorry, it’s none that I know of. There are others here from other planets, though, it’s not unheard of.

What is this Zaibach that you mentioned, then? Should we be wary of them?

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[danceofcurse]

[Van makes a soft noise of assent.]

They're completely separate worlds, as separate as this one appears to be from all the worlds other people are brought here from.

[He's never really imagined how many there could be. It's a little overwhelming to think about.]

As for Zaibach... [Here, his expression hardens.] Anyone claiming association with that name is someone you ought to be on your guard around.

But...as far as I can tell, at least, there's no one here to worry about.

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[huntergames]

Gaea? I am sorry... I have never heard of that name before, but the name Pangaea is familiar.

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[danceofcurse]

[Van shakes his head. The names are similar...but they aren't close enough.]

I don't think they're the same. Though, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

[It wasn't as though Hitomi had any idea who he was or where he came from when they'd first met. And her friends, Amano and Yukari, had been just as confused as her.]

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[huntergames]

[ She offers him a sympathetic look. ]

Our worlds can be very different... it's strange, I know.

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[danceofcurse]

And where are you from?

[...that's probably not asked as nicely as it should have been.]

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[baetiful]

If you can describe them to me, I have a network who can search for them. But as for the names, no. Unfortunately none of them are familiar to me.

[ Of course, Petyr does recognize that look. And that means this Van fellow must be from a world not quite as advanced as this one. ]

It can be difficult, arriving and adjusting to this world. In time, you will grow used to these technological advances.

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[danceofcurse]

It's—

[Fine? No, not fine, because none of this is fine at all! But...]

—it's alright.

I think they'd have found me by now if they'd arrived before or after.

[Whether by having seen his post or by using Hitomi's pendant to track him down, he's certain that they would have come back together again if it were possible.

But it's not.

Van's gaze hardens, shoulders growing more rigid—and then, at Petyr's astute observation and assurance, he gives a mild start. Was he so transparent?]

I'm not too worried about this thing, to be honest. [Referring to his phone. Sure, he's unfamiliar with the technological leaps this world has made, but he's no stranger to strange devices. He'll acclimate quite quickly—especially when ignorance is a weakness he cannot afford to have in a world full to the brim with potential enemies.] I don't want to grow used to it, though.

[He wants to go home.]

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[baetiful]

I wish this world catered to what we wanted. Unfortunately, we have little choice but to cater to this world as long as we are here...

[ His tone seems sympathetic, though. ]

But you are not alone. There are those of us who come from worlds that are quite lacking in all of what we are surrounded by. I, myself, am one of them. If ever you do need someone's aid who understands what you are going through, I would be more than happy to help.

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[danceofcurse]

[If he should ever need someone's aid? Yeah, about that...]

...who exactly would I be asking if I decided to come to you for such help?

[Ever cautious and unwilling to lend his trust frivolously, Van still sees no reason not to learn who people are and what they're capable of. And, sometimes, the best ways to do that aren't from a distance at all.]

video; wanna keep the tdm canon or not?

[helpline]

Everybody else's answered the Gaea question, though admittedly none of them have mentioned the children bit, bad form everyone. But Zaibach...well, I'm assuming that's some form of German.

[ who's ready for the Doctor to be completely unhelpful ]

Both are Earth terms, right?

answered already but yes!

[danceofcurse]

Children bit?

[Way to throw Van for a loop! He has no idea what that's in reference to. Or German.]

If you're implying that Zaibach is sick...you're not wrong.

[Whoa, Van, cool the bitterness a bit. Shake it off.]

Anyway, they're terms from my world. From Gaea. Names, actually, of the world itself and... [He gives the Doctor a sharp look, sizing him up. He remembers him from earlier, but saying too much, volunteering information freely, that's something Van's always had difficulty with.] Well, Zaibach is an empire. A rather ruthless one at that.

[helpline]

Gaea, Greek force of nature, popped out some god babies!

[ There's the explanation for the children bit. And as Van mentions Zaibach being a ruthless empire, the Doctor can't help but repress a small laugh, shaking his head slightly. ]

Aren't they all? [ He's meaning to say 'aren't all empires rather ruthless' but that context is woefully missing. ] Can't say I've ever heard of Zaibach though, but that's not surprising.

[danceofcurse]

I don't think we're talking about the same Gaea at all, in that case.

[A realization that helps Van admit a little less morosely...]

It's better that you haven't heard of Zaibach, though. Better for everyone.