maskormenace | 1 cuff | video

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1 cuff | video | joint post

[ The video turns on to reveal a large man, who is providing it with a close-up shot of about half of his face, and one strong, muscular shoulder. Most of his skin is bare, aside from a white tunic-like garment pinned at that shoulder. It's evident that someone is in the room with him, since he's focused on them and not on what he's doing. ]

Is it working? I cannot tell if --

[ Another voice interrupts, directing his attention back to the camera, and then Damen adjusts it so that his whole face is on screen. He is dark-haired and dark-eyed, and his olive-toned skin is well bronzed by sunlight.

He could not look less comfortable with a camera in his hand. His smile is a somewhat awkward attempt at friendliness, but it's obvious this is new to him. ]

Hello. My name is Damen. [ His eyes flick away from the camera at that, looking again at his companion. 'Damen', and not 'Damianos'. A pet name given to a network of strangers. He sees no reason to hide their true names - but he’ll do it, even so.

While he is introducing himself, the person who had his attention earlier decides to make an appearance. Or better yet, he decides to slide into the space by ending half on Damen’s lap, one hand lazily lifting to sweep a little of his hair back from his forehead. Where the original man is large and olive skinned, Laurent looks fair and slight in comparison. He isn’t actually in miniature, a fact he will press upon people at some point, when perspective is brought up. And where there is bare skin on show behind him, his is all covered up by the kind of clothing that looks restricting even by modern standards. ]

And mine is Laurent. [ He somehow manages to look like he’s smiling without following through, which is a power he possessed before the Porter ever decided to bless him with new ones. ] As you might have guessed, we’ve only recently arrived to this wonderful place.

[ Damen has rearranged himself to give Laurent space, and slide an accommodating arm around his waist. At that comment, though, he rolls his eyes up at his lover. Be nice, Laurent.

Laurent catches that look out of the corner of his eye, mouth twitching slightly like that smile he’s been curbing is threatening to break free. ]

We would like any advice you can give about acclimatising while here. This world is unlike our own, your buildings, modes of transport, ways of communication - [ Lifting his brows upward as if to indicate the device . ] - they’re all unfamiliar. We would not like to remain ignorant.

[ Then Damen leans in, tagging onto the end: ]

And I have need of a place to train. I prefer the sword. If any of you would test your skill against mine, I’d welcome it.

[ The glance they share then seems to be one of mutual agreement. Laurent shifts slightly, reaches out to turn off the feed. His sleeve obscures the view, but to those with extremely good hearing they might catch the as if anyone could best you before Damen interrupts his own smile to reach forward.]

Wait - there was something else. [ There’s a brief scramble for something beside him, and then Damen lifts his file into view. With his eyebrows lifting and expression dubious, he reads from the page. ] Can someone tell me what-- ‘Sunday School’ is? I am supposed to teach it.

[ He glances up at Laurent, nodding. ] That’s it.

[ It’s settled then, Laurent angles the camera once, so that his sincere ( no, really! ) expression can be caught. ] We appreciate the aid.

[ ooc: Damen is red and Laurent is blue. ]

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[ Oh, well. In fairness, that's a good solution. He wouldn't mind bringing people here.

(His roommates might. And Laurent might. Damen, on the other hand... ]

You'll be welcome, then. Do you know the import apartments in Heropa? That is where they sent us.

[ He doesn't sound delighted by that, either. But his mood is improving now that they have an arrangement. ]

I've heard of the cities. Laurent spoke truly, they're different from what we know. How close is Nonah to Heropa?

I do actually! I live in one of those myself.

[ But as for the cities.... ] Well, Nonah's actually hundreds of kilometers away from Heropa. But don't worry! It's almost instant when you use the Porters.

[ The term 'kilometre' is met with a blank gaze from Damen. It also comes with a sinking feeling. The more he speaks, the more Damen realises how much he has to learn. Even the very basics of this world are different. ]

And you trust these machines? I'm used to horseback, not to this.

[ But he'll have to get used to it, despite its strangeness. ]

There's no shortage of what we have to learn.

These machines are commonplace in my time. Don't worry about them.

[ said with a small little smile on his face. ]

Of course, feel free to ask me for information if you want any about this place.

[ Any information? Well, if you insist. He’ll ask the thing the soldiers hadn’t been able to explain. ]

How is this possible? How can there be other worlds, and how could we be taken like we were? I fear it’s all an elaborate trick –

Though even that, I can’t imagine how they would do.

Oh, the other worlds part is easy. Quick, give me the name of a super well-known event that happened back in your world, I'll use that as an example.

[ Damen lifts his shoulders. He says the first thing that comes to mind, which on balance might not be the best idea. ]

The war between Vere and Akielos, which ended with the Battle of Marlas. Some seven years ago.

[ Dammit that is not an event that exists in his world. ]

Right, who won that one again?

[ Yeah, sorry about that one.

Unfortunately that question brings a level of discomfort to Damen. Once, it would not have. Those days are gone. He waves his hand. ]

It matters little in a world where neither place exists.

Take the death of King Theomedes, instead. That was proclaimed across the land.

I can work with that. So, different worlds. In your world, King Theomedes died when he was a king. I'm sure he had plenty of scrapes and near misses earlier, those things happen when you're king. So what happened if it was one of those near misses that killed Theomedes? What if, instead of dying as a king, he died as a prince?

[ The Doctor continues talking as he pulls a piece of chalk out of his pocket, tilting the camera down towards a table...that he's just going to start drawing on. ]

This [ as he draws a line ] is the timeline of your world. Now this circle right here is one of his prince near misses...let's say him getting thrown off a horse. Hypothetically, of course. In your world, he survived. In another world, he died. [ The Doctor draws the line forking off into two branches. ]

So we've got your world, the surviving the horse fall world. But what if it was a different near miss that killed him before kingship, such as an assassination attempt. Well, we've got another branch right here, [ and then he branches that line into two. ] However, what if he survived the assassination attempt, but it left him crippled. Well, that's another branch. A crippled prince's going to eventually rule differently than an able-bodied prince. [ the Doctor draws a third branch in the middle of the two he just drew. ]

And so it goes on and on and on. Every action has multiple outcomes, and for every outcome there's a different world. That's why you can have worlds that are so similar to your own. Maybe someone'll show up where Vere won the Battle of Marlas, and someone else'll show up where Akielos won. Bu that's also why you have worlds that are radically different to your world. That turning point could have happened way back in the past—maybe my cavemen invented fire before your cavemen or your cavemen figured out ranged weapons before mine did. It's an infinitely complex display of infinitely connected worlds.

[ You know, actually? Strange as it is to see a man pull chalk out of his pocket and start talking, it actually helps to see the diagram. As the Doctor explains, Damen's face darkens. He's starting to think about the possibilities.

A world where his father never died.

And world where Laurent's brother never died. What would that world be like? He has imagined it, many times. But that had been a fantasy. He had never imagined that it could be real. ]

You are saying that people could come here from these different worlds. From different versions of my world.

Has that happened before? Or do you think -

[ He pauses, frowning, forcing his mind around it all. ]

- that there is only one world, and we are all from a different version of it?

I think that a good majority of the humans here are from different versions of one world. Gonna get a bit technical here, but you all look alike. If the world were a few degrees colder or a few oceans wetter when humans became humans, more people might be fuzzy or have gills.

[ and man, he hopes Damen knows about evolution...which he doubts...and might need to explain later, just roll with this, buddy. ]

[ Unbelievably, that sounds more crazy than the story did alternate universes. Damen's expression doesn't really change, but he gazes long and hard at the Doctor. ]

You suggest we could have been animals.

[ His head is beginning to hurt. ]

We have been lucky to find an hospitable place, then.

Not animals! The human body's a great body, evolution works out that most things look like we do.

[ because the BBC would rather put someone in just face make-up than a full body suit. ]

I'm saying we'd be furry. Or have webbed feet.

[ This man's mind cannot be whole. ]

And the fact that we do not have these things is what? A trick of nature?

No, it's because you evolved in certain specific climate conditions that are perfectly fit for the human body everybody in your world's got.

It is an interesting theory.

[ 'Theory.' ]

I can find you some books on it if you want.

[ A Primary School Guide to Evolution. ]

[ He's not even the bookish type when it comes to subjects he understands, honestly. ]

No, that's...kind, but I think your instruction has taught me well enough.

Good. Feel free to bother me about any sort of other scientific whatever, by the way. I'm good at being bothered.

Even by men who might question everything they see.

[ It's a question even if it doesn't sound like one. Damen could well imagine that others might get tired of his ignorance. ]

Especially by men who might question everything they see. The best part of answering questions is other people learning.

You sound more like a teacher than a physician.

But if you're willing, I want to learn. Too much of this place makes me think I know nothing.

Not all doctors are physicians, you know. You can have doctorates in all sorts of things.

But I digress. When do you want to start the sessions?

Sessions?

[ It's possible he's getting into more than he knows, here... ]

...when it suits you. My schedule is far more free than I was expecting.

1 cuff | video | joint post

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