001 { video }

[athnvas]

[ when the feed comes on, it’s mostly just annabeth looking a bit intense. not too scary, really, but close to it. especially with how she’s staring directly at the camera with her dark grey eyes, sitting at a table at fauxhalla.

possibly familiar grey eyes, but that depends on the company you keep. ]

I’m looking for personal accounts of what happens when people disappear. When they get ‘ported out’ or whatever you want to call it. [ her lips press into a thin line, like she’s trying to keep herself from reacting more loudly, or extremely, or just in general be more pissed off. ]

Some people think they get sent home but I know not everyone does- but is there anything else? Do they always just leave, or do they come back remembering what happened? Is there any way to know the difference based on when they leave? Anything about what they leave behind here? How normal is it for people to remember their time here when they leave?

[ her finger taps on the wood of the desk, a kind of nervous tick as her eyes scan the room around her. there's a feeling like she has something more to say, but is holding it back with some frustration. after a brief pause, she exhales through her nose. ]

How much time has to pass before you know for sure they’re not coming back?

[ a pause, and then that’s the video- abrupt cut to the end of it and everything. ]



PRIVATE: CLOSE MAGNUS CR

[ the feed comes back up to a collection of people, with annabeth’s head tilted down, her thumb and forefinger massaging at the bridge of her nose. ]

Magnus was ported out. If he comes back and someone else finds him first, just...can you let me know?

[ there’s a kind of half-break to her voice, there, but she does swallow it back well enough as she cuts the video. ]

Comments

video;

[coppelganger]

[ Ah, god, this isn't what she wants to talk about today, but she can't just not help. ]

Look... People port out and come back and remember being here all the time. They're gone a few days, a week, but it's like—like a blip, and they're back. [ A sigh, and she runs a hand through her hair, frustrated. She hates people porting out. She hates having to explain this to a teenager. ]

A month. That's how long it'll be when you know it's for real.

video;

[athnvas]

[ annabeth appreciates the help, considering how it's the only solid answer she's gotten so far. ]

And there's no way of knowing why? Or how long they'll be gone?

[ but then there's that, and annabeth does her best to hide it, but her shoulders drop and her face falls. ]

A month? [ a beat, and then a breath. a second to pull herself back together. ] Okay. Okay. [ . . . ] Have you left before? Or just had people leave?

[ video | locked ]

[nightmarist]

[Ronan appears utterly indifferent to this news, because it's not like Magnus is his best friend or anything.]

Yeah, sure.

[ video | locked ]

[athnvas]

[ yeah see she might have believed that if she didn't.....know magnus. and live with magnus. and has probably heard more about ronan than literally any other person since arriving.

so. nice try.

still, at the video she will just kind of watch him. partially like she's just pulling him apart by looking at him, and partially like a few different puzzle pieces are setting together. so...he'll just have to deal with that for a second. ]

You're Ronan, right?

Private

[disentombs]

[Oh no. His brows are furrowed, pure concern in his eyes for her.]

How long has it been since anyone has seen him last?

And you know you will be the first contact if any of us should run into him first.

private.

[athnvas]

A few hours.

[ she hasn't opened her eyes, her fingers still massaging at the bridge of her nose. but it's gansey, so she's comfortable enough to answer, comfortable enough to not really try and force a calm over that anger and upset tilt to her voice. ]

But he doesn't ditch, and he ditched dinner. [ a pause, and then a sigh. ] He's not here, so unless I've done something awful and he's mad at me, he's just. Gone.

video » private

[lesterzeppelin]

[ Oh Annabeth.

Lester would know that expression (and honestly, that crack in her voice) anywhere. His reply is immediate, with zero hesitation - ]

Of course. But in the meantime, you should probably get something to eat. [ . . . ] My treat.

video » private

[athnvas]

[ not now lester!!!! she doesn't need to be pitied!!!

still, she'll lift an eyebrow at that, tired and lacking the usual amount of 'yeah right' sass to it, but still. ]

Did you budget enough to pay for someone else's dinner?

video; private

[legionnaires]

Seriously?

[ A beat, he's actually kind of down about this. He hasn't told anyone that he's been kicking himself for not saying anything when Alex disappeared. ]

If I see him, I'll let you know.

[ There's another pause, and he looks a little uncomfortable. ] My team mate and I have been ported out before.

video; private

[athnvas]

Yeah.

[ she doesn't know most of the people responding to this, but it doesn't really matter. she went out to magnus' closest connection, and she's pretty aware that said list will include plenty of people she's never even met. ]

Thanks- [ and then she stops, eyes widening minutely. ] What happened when you did?

text;

[dragony]

There are probabilities, but no certainties. There is no knowing "for sure" if someone will come back or not. Some return after days; some return after years, when there's no one left to greet them. Most don't at all. But there's no final threshold to cross; the possibility *always* remains.

You have to decide for yourself how much hope you're fit to bear. That's all.

text;

[athnvas]

There are others giving time limits for how long someone's god.
Do you really think there's no correlation?

private;

[perfectible]

I will let you know. [ she offers her a gentle smile.] I came back after being ported. I was gone only a couple of weeks.

private;

[athnvas]

Thanks. [ annabeth tries - but it's not exactly a smile. ]

What all happened when you left?

private;

[sanguinespell]

Fuck.

[Nico rubs her forehead, before slumping forward, propping her elbow up against her desk. She's a recent enough imPort that she hasn't really had to deal with this yet.]

I'll... yeah, I'll let you know. Shit.

You okay?

private;

[athnvas]

[ you and her both, nico. so when annabeth sees that, she can relate, giving nico a sympathetic look. ]

I'll be okay when I know what happened for sure.

[ it's the in between period that's killing her. ]

You?

video;

[dreamkid]

[ Oh no, she seems upset. Matthew has been witness to a lot of port outs, so he tries to help. ]

It happens lots of different ways. Sometimes people remember being here and sometimes they don't.

I went home when I got Ported out, and I was there for a few months. [ The next part troubles him to say, for himself and for her, but she did ask and he wants to be honest. ] When I got back here, though, it'd been... a lot longer.

[ He looks down, thoughtful. ]

But that's why I don't think you can ever know for sure that someone isn't coming back. It might just be a while.

video;

[athnvas]

Is there any way to tell if someone's going to remember everything when they come back?

[ part of her wants to ask him to elaborate, details on things that happened before he left, things that happened while he was gone. but then matthew says something like a few months and a lot longer and while annabeth does her best to hide the way her heart sinks, she probably isn't doing a fantastic job. ]

How long?

private video » arrives 24 hrs late with warbucks

[areou]

( she's definitely not like. right outside fauxhalla when she answers this. of course not. she didn't even realize what "porting out" was until she got back with brand spanking new powers. cool. maybe annabeth didn't even notice she was gone, either. play it casual, clarisse. )

Haven't seen him, so my bets are the jury's still out.

( the jury being the fates, or whoever else controls all this porting nonsense. he didn't come back when she did, anyway. )

private video »

[athnvas]

[ yeah, nice try. guess who is getting on this video and is PISSED. ]

Where in the gods' name have you been? Why didn't you answer your phone?

[ annabeth is in ANGRY MOM MODE SO NICE JOB CLARISSE. ]

video

[khajidont]

When they leave, there's really no way of knowing whether or not it's for good - or if they're gonna go back home or if they're just, like, suspended. Or for how long they'll be at home for, if they go back.

Usually? Give it a month. It's always possible that they'll come back with their memories, but it becomes a heck of a lot less likely after a month.

Sorry about whoever it is got ported out on you. It's always hard.

video

[athnvas]

[ that's the second vote for 'a month', and as much as annabeth hates it, she's not going to ignore a pattern. ]

Thanks for the information. [ she lets out a breath, something close to a sigh but not quite there. ]

I'll be fine. I've just never- dealt with this before. Do people get ported out all the time?

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[storyseeker]

[She's just going to jump to the last question, because it feels like that's the important one.]

I don't think you ever know for sure. People have returned after days or even months.

For me, I let myself wait for about a month before I decide they're not coming back. It's not about giving up—you just can't live your life in a holding pattern.

video;

[athnvas]

[ she appreciates the efficiency of it, but there's something about that last question that gives annabeth pause. ]

Isn't this whole place just a holding pattern?

video;

[romancekiller]

It seems like that sort of things varies for everyone. I don't think there is a pattern that is known for sure.

video;

[athnvas]

I've had a lot of people tell me a month. I don't know if it's definite answer, but it's closer than 'we have no idea'.

[ she just needs direction at this point? even if she hates the idea she'll be waiting a month. ]