Video

[dreadinquisitor]

[He wanted time to familiarize himself with this place. He needed to know if anyone else from the Inquisition had been brought across as well, and then to find them if they had. But first, he'd looked through the information they'd given him - the neat print on the strange white paper - and now, suddenly, Maxwell had a much more immediate, personal worry.

The video opens on his face; his expression a mixture of incredulity and concern.]

Hello. [It feels awkward, addressing nothing, but he pushes on.] My name is Maxwell and I have a question, and there doesn't seem to be anyone else to ask.

[The camera turns and fixes on a portion of the pages he'd been given. He points to a section, chases a sentence with his fingertip as he reads it aloud.] 'Bears will always find him.' [Then the feed swings back to him.]

Why would anyone want this? How many bears do you even have in this place, to hope to make this useful? And do they just-- roam about?[He glances away, as if one might have suddenly sneaked up on him, then back.] Are these abilities negotiable in any way?

Comments

[dreadinquisitor]

If this is love, I hope I never have to see hate.

[Sincerely.]

[ghoulking]

Nobody knows. Lachesis is known for being very difficult.

[dreadinquisitor]

Lachesis? Is that their name?

I don't suppose they're open to meetings.

[Not a question, because somehow, he already sensed the answer.]

[ghoulking]

Lachesis is the artificial intelligence that is inside the Porter. basically, the being that controls it.


But no. She is silent. And frustrating.

[dreadinquisitor]

[His eyebrows jump.]

A golem?

[ghoulking]

Some would call her that out of spite- but no.

She's... like the consciousness inside of the machine that brought us here.

[dreadinquisitor]

[Maxwell is silent for a moment, not wanting to argumentative even if that was, more or less, what he knew a golem to be: the inanimate made conscious through magical means... Perhaps that was the difference- the magic? He was gathering that this place didn't understand it the same way he did.]

And everyone just lets her decide? A machine?

[ghoulking]

[ the Porter isn't exactly animated, though ]

Not because we want to. She does whatever she wants as she controls the machine, has defenses and if you destroy it, there is no way for us to return.

[dreadinquisitor]

Well, no, I can see why they wouldn't let the kidnapped have a say... but the people here? There's no one that controls her? No master?

[ghoulking]

She does whatever she wants. No one has control over her.

She can send people in and out of universes and worlds. [ she can bring Cthulhu here and kill everyone if she feels like it ]

[dreadinquisitor]

[Another long pause. He has more questions, but the responses thus far have been so direct he's not certain if this man can't tell him more, or if he merely doesn't wish to speak of it.]

I see.

...Has she always been here? Or was it more-- someone somewhere fiddled with something they shouldn't have and now everyone's stuck?

[That, in his experience, was far more often the case.]

[ghoulking]

No, she wasn't. Lachesis is originally from another universe that was destroyed by her own sister. [ yes, that's how powerful they are ] In order to escape that fate, she came into this universe and attached herself to the Porter.

This happened in 2014, three years ago.

[dreadinquisitor]

[Maxwell wasn't surprised to hear of such power. Corypheus had been intent on doing something similar, after all, before the Inquisition had sent him packing into the Fade the hard way. So he takes the new information in stride; actually just happy to learn something about the machine.]

So, the latter then. Of a sort.

...[His head bobs thoughtfully, lips pursing] Well, I can see now how that would complicate things.

[ghoulking]

An event not related to this world. [ that's the story for now. Who knows what they'll find out in the future ]

The matters with Lachesis and the Porter are always complicated. Dealing with a megalomaniac being that has power over an inter-dimensional machine could never go easy.

[dreadinquisitor]

[A low hum of agreement.]

Not to mention knowing its got you right by the short ones.

[He hadn't agreed to be brought here, but that didn't mean he'd wish harm upon entire world and all it's people just for that.]

...And I suppose it could be worse, all things considered. Bears aside.

[ghoulking]

Well, yes. Lachesis is known for being frustrating and demanding - so far she hasn't demanded anything, so that's good.

[dreadinquisitor]

[He exhales a long breath, sighing through his nose, nodding vaguely.]

...Well, thank you for your help, serah. It helps, at least, to know a bit more.

[ghoulking]

You are welcome. I don't mind answering all these questions.

[ but- ] What's "serah"?

[dreadinquisitor]

[It was such a force of habit, so common to hear and to say, he hadn't even realized he'd said it. And it took him a moment longer to understand what he was being asked.

Of course no one would know it here.

He shook his head, offered a sheepish sort of smile.]

Apologies, I didn't even think... 'Serah,' is a greeting where I'm from. A way to address someone of equal status respectfully.

[ghoulking]

Ah- don't worry. [ kaneki smiles and nods after ] We use honorifics in my country, so it was difficult to kick that habit as well. You can call me that, if you want.

[dreadinquisitor]

[An elegant duck of his head, a thank you.]

Noted.

But if I may-- what do they use here? I'd to inadvertently offend anyone.

[ghoulking]

Well, it depends on the country. In USA they us "Mister" from men, "Missus" from women and "Miss" for young women. [ it actually gets more complicated than that, but Kaneki is not going to complicate it ]

[dreadinquisitor]

Mister, Missus, Miss... seems easy enough.

[Something he can handle at the moment.]

I think I can manage that.

[ghoulking]

People here don't mind much what you use or don't use.

[dreadinquisitor]

That's also helpful to know. [An honest smile.] Thank you again.