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[drazhada]

[ hello, network. gray-skinned, pointy-eared person in the feed today, draped casually in enough opals and diamonds to probably be pretty alarming. with the addition of the elaborate clothing and hair, though, it's probably apparent that he's not just some joe schmoe where he comes from. honestly, maia's aching to remove all the heavy jewelry and unpin his hair, but it doesn't seem appropriate to appear on this network in that state of undress. certainly, no one here knows who he is, but.. what if someone else from his world does show up? the emperor of the elflands should represent his people well.. especially given the discomfort many still have with having a half-goblin on the throne.

he offers a small, cautious smile, and though his gray eyes are clearly a little nervous, they're just as clearly curious and determined. ]

Good day. We are-- [ a beat, then a small breath. ] We are Edrehasivar the Seventh, Emperor of the Elflands. We have been fortunate enough to have already met fellow imPorts that answered some of our questions, but.. we do not wish to put all the burden of our ignorance on those same people. [ he glances down, and papers shuffle. he lifts the pamphlet and folder he was given on arrival, opening the paper and tapping it with a lacquered nail. his ears flatten back slightly, earrings chiming with the motion. ] We did not.. have magical gifts before arriving here, and we must admit that we are.. concerned. [ he flips another page with the smallest of worried frowns. ] They seem.. invasive. [ though gods know they would have come in handy at home. one isn't supposed to lie to the emperor in the first place, but that doesn't mean that people don't do it. as evidenced by the two attempts on his life thus far.

he lifts his eyes again, politely inquiring. ] We would be glad to know your opinions on the best way to.. control one's new abilities? There were some options offered, but.. [ the small tilt of his mouth becomes wry. ] .. we might know better than many that the choices encouraged by a nation's government are not always the best. [ maia's pinch of salt about his council of corazhas isn't showing at all.

he flips the page once more, then sets it down on the desk and smooths it out. ] We would also be interested to speak to those who have chosen to register or remain unsettled. Our first loyalty is of course always to our empire and to our people, but we would like to better understand what vows this nation expects of those that register. We would also appreciate knowing what benefits or difficulties the unsettled have experienced.

[ he hesitates, ears drooping slightly before he forces them up again. ] .. We have many, many other questions, but we suppose this is a good place to begin. [ he hesitates, then offers another of those tiny, worried smiles. ] You have our thanks for any assistance you may provide.

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[dendarii]

[ Here's a friendly and familiar face. Miles' grin is sympathetic today. ]

May I ask what you received, then? Speaking as someone who dislikes at least one of their abilities...

[drazhada]

[ he brightens faintly, smile warming. it's.. nice to have a few friendly faces around, even if they're not from home. the question makes it fade slightly, though, looking a little concerned. ]

It seems as if.. we will know when we are being lied to. [ his face is starting to feel a little hot. ] And.. confessing wrongdoing.. [ no, he can't do this, it's too embarrassing. ]

[dendarii]

[ Miles blinks a bit at that. If this elven emperor is blushing, then he shouldn't be surprised, but ... it doesn't seem terribly bad to him, anyway. ]

Confessing wrongdoing? Meaning you can force the truth out of someone?

[driftsintobuffetline]

[God, so much royal We.]

I have a bracelet that restricts my abilities when I don't want to use them. It's an imperfect solution, but it's better than nothing.

So, you're an elf?

[drazhada]

[ in all fairness, it's just polite speech where he's from.

his ears perk up at the mention of the bracelet, frank interest in his expression. ] A bracelet can do that? Is it.. That is, is it a device, or some form of magic?

[ the question makes his ears flatten back, face feeling hot. as usual, when he's embarrassed, he takes a moment to be grateful that his skin hides a blush fairly well. there's a quiet moment, then softly: ] We are half-blooded. Our mother was a goblin.

[driftsintobuffetline]

A device. The kid who put it together is gone now, but I might know someone who can reverse engineer it.

[Newt perks up a little, even more interested, as if being something out of Tolkien wasn't enough for him, now you're a half-blooded something out of Tolkien. EVEN BETTER] A goblin? Oh, cool. Okay, so aside from pointy ears and the obvious skintone differences, what are the characteristics of a goblin and an elf? Do you get prolonged life? Is there a goblin king with a ridiculous labyrinth and a legion of muppets?

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[fridgeflower]

How you manage your powers will depend a lot of what you've got. I'm sure that's probably been said already, though. Um... There's a training facility and the Xavier Institute, but I'm not sure how much the Institute here offers powers training for non-students.

I can't speak much to being unsettled, either. I went the registration route.

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[drazhada]

[ he glances back down at the paper again, looking a little puzzled (and maybe reluctantly interested). ] Yes, we did see that the Institute was a type of.. school. We are uncertain how appropriate it would be for us to attend, even if possible.

[ a beat, glancing back up again, polite and curious. ] May we ask if you are satisfied with your choice? What does this government demand in return..?

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[fridgeflower]

I'm satisfied enough, usually. The biggest concerns would probably have to do with the war, but involvement in that is never compulsory. All of the subtle allegiance stuff, the moral stuff... That's trickier.

I really don't know if it makes much of a difference, either way, registered or unsettled.

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[bindsthedead]

Managing your powers will depend on how they operate. At best, all you will need is practice and meditation. At worst, you may need to wear a nulifier.

As for Registration... it's a promise to follow the laws and not sabotage this country in its dealings with the rest of this world. There's no expectation to act against our own country's interests.

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[drazhada]

[ an interested blink. ] .. Would meditation help, do you suppose? [ meditation he can do. in fact, he'd very much love to spend a few hours in quiet contemplation right now, given the upheaval of his arrival. ]

But is that not also an expectation of those that remain unsettled? To obey this nation's laws, that is.

[video] TDM thread is canon?

[protects_the_small]

One of my powers is...also invasive. I asked for help with testing it's effects, which helped quite a lot with controlling it, though it was rather distressing.

[video] a-ok!!

[drazhada]

[ his face feels hot at the comment, especially considering his conversation with miles. ]

We must admit, we feel that testing our new abilities would be.. inappropriate.

[vorbarra]

[ Sympathetically, ] Hello, Edrehasivar.

We arrived with something invasive as well. Two invasive things, actually. With time and practice we've gained some level of comfort and control with them. We're afraid there doesn't really seem to be an alternative-- avoidance won't create confidence.

As for registration, we were registered upon arrival in order to take care of financial concerns, but have since unregistered, for the reason you've already spoken of. It's disingenuous to pretend loyalty to a government when I, ah, am one, in some sense. Our subjects were also uncomfortable with it.

[drazhada]

[ his smile returns, warming cautiously. ] Gregor. [ though it still feels a little strange to be using the other man's given name like this. still, he knows it isn't inappropriate-- gregor wouldn't have encouraged him to use it if it was. ]

We fear our new abilities are not only invasive, but.. [ a slightly flustered glance. ] Well. Somewhat.. inappropriate. [ inappropriate?? but he doesn't look super excited about elaborating, either.

he clears his throat, moving on. ] One has the option to unregister later..? We were concerned for similar reasons. [ he's getting pretty good at dealing with his entire empire's budget, but doing this on a personal level is very different. ]

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[rathercommon]

[ Kitty's manner is friendly and forthright. ]

So - is you saying we all the time an Emperor thing, a cultural thing, or a personal thing?

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[drazhada]

[ a slightly startled blink. honestly.. it's probably a fair question. others he's encountered here don't seem to have a formal 'i' the way his people do.

he offers a tiny smile at last. ] Cultural. It would be impolite of us to be so informal, particularly with strangers. Though.. we understand that the same is not true of those we've spoken with here.

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[tactical_lalafel]

[Malms bows, as formally as one can via a video feed from a propped-up communicator.]

Emperor Edrehasivar, I am Malms Vovokosi. Where I hail from, I'm an independent adventurer, an officer of the Maelstrom, one of the Grand Companies of the Eorzean Alliance, and a Scion of the Seventh Dawn, part of an organization whose purpose requires it to stand apart from the states of the Alliance while working closely with them.

I can't yet speak to the nature of the government here, having only barely arrived myself, but I might offer advice about the balancing of allegiances.

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[drazhada]

[ that's.. quite a list. he dips his chin politely in return, lacing his hands together atop the papers on the desk he's seated at. ] We are glad to make your acquaintance, Osmer Vovokosi. [ is that overpolite? he hadn't said he's a lord, but that list of titles seems to imply a more formal title than simply 'mer'. ] It does sound as if you have some experience in such things.

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[suldreen]

[ That's a far more elf-like looking elf, Sophie thinks. ]

Hello, I'm Sophie. So... do all elves look like you back in your world?

[ She's sure others will answer his questions way better than her, anyway. ]

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[drazhada]

[ he's.. starting to get used to this question, no matter how technically offensive it is. of course none of these people would have any idea, and he's never been easily offended, anyway.

he offers a small smile, gray eyes warming gently. ] We are pleased to meet you, Min Sophie. [ that.. may not be the appropriate title, but it seems most people don't use them here, so he's.. taking a gamble. ] To answer your question.. no, not precisely. Full-blooded elves are white-skinned and white-haired. We are half-blooded. Our mother was a goblin, which accounts for our gray skin and dark hair.

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[helpline]

Edrehasivar the Seventh, well that's a name and a half. [ the Doctor shrugs a little bit before he keeps on going ] Pleasure to meet you Seven, I'm the Doctor, bearer of too many stupid titles, none of which are any use here, currently unsettled. What specifically do you want to know about that last bit?

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[drazhada]

[ .. ah.. 'seven'... his ears flatten back, expression taking on a slightly puzzled, embarrassed note. well, he sort of asked for this, he supposes.

a pause, then gently: ] We only wear our title out of respect for our people, we assure you. [ it's certainly not because he thinks it has any authority here. still, onto the matter at hand. ] We were simply curious to know if you find living here difficult because you are unsettled. Was it troublesome to find employment? Are you.. treated differently?

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[causidicus]

I couldn't help but... glean on some of the conversations, and I must say...

[ welp ]

One of the powers I was given allows me to force people to speak the truth. It doesn't force to admit wrongdoings, and it surely doesn't give any... positive feedback. [ Yeah let's call it that. ]

What I mean is, I understand how you feel, if only a bit.

And I'm Kim. Kim Wexler.

FIVE MILLION YEARS LATER god..

[drazhada]

[ it's a good thing his face doesn't really show a blush, because he's blushing pretty hard right now at 'positive feedback'. that's.. a nice, neutral way to put it, anyway.. ]

Ah-- we are pleased to make your acquaintance, Min Wexler. While we're sorry to hear that there are others sharing in our.. predicament, it's good to know that we're not alone here.