Online Encounters (open!)

[mercurialMonster]

(just hop in, no need to ask~)

Your name is Jouket Lokrow, a Jadeblood with a passion for music, and you are uncommonly bored. Ordinarily you would solve this by chatting with your moirail, but she's currently busy; out on a mission from the Empress to eliminate undesirables. Unfortunate for you, as none of your other friends are online right now either. Eventually you settle for setting up an open 'room' on trollian-- this way, anyone else bored and looking or someone to talk to can find you without already knowing your handle. A neat little feature indeed. Maybe this will entertain you for a while.

You pause over your keyboard for a moment before typing up an introduction. Hopefully this will lure someone in.

harmoniousCroaker [HC] entered the chatroom
HC: H€llo +h€r€.
HC: I'm Jouk€+ Lokrow. I lik€ music, fudg€, croakb€as+s, and li+€ra+ur€.
HC: I DON'+ lik€ idio+s.
HC: I'm h€r€ b€caus€ m¥ moirail is ou+ on busin€ss and I'm BOR€D.
HC: so ma¥b€ com€ +alk +o m€ or som€+hing

Okay, so maybe that comes across as a little standoffish. But honestly, you're not sure how to behave otherwise. Maybe someone will ome talk to you anyway

[celestialSprite]

Your name is Isolde Dokken, and this may be one of the worst nights of your short life, but you wouldn't tell anyone that. Stagdad was just culled to feed that monster at the bottom of the ocean; and the Empire has sent you one of those "Welcome" pamphlets, telling you about how the contribution of your psionics to the fleet would be a great addition, along with the usual hoofbeast shit about how every caste must contribute to the greater good...Blah...Blah...Blah.

Even though the Empire has basically screwed you over by taking away your chance to do anything productive with your life, it doesn't really matter anyways. Better you, than half the trolls that you know. Your quadrants are empty, a crowning achievement from acting like one of the biggest asshats on Alternia some nights.

It seems that Trollian has invented one of those 'open' message boards or something, and there's a poor sap on it waiting for someone to jump in. So you jump in.

troubledAntagonist [TA] has entered the chat room
[TA]Gr33t1ngs, my n4m3 1s 1s0ld3
[TA] 1 l1k3 s0m3 th1ngs, 4nd d1sl1k3 0th3rs
[TA] 4nd 1 4m h3r3 t0 r3l31v3 y0u 0f y0ur 4pp4r3nt b0r3d0m

[mercurialMonster]

You are just so bored. It doesn't look like you're going to get a response, so you're just about to go see what Frogmom is doing when Trollian pings. Oh! It looks like you've got a reply. What fun. You turn back towards your husktop and go to respond to the yellow text promising to relieve you of your dull mood.

HC: No wa¥, I lik€ and dislik€ +hings +oo!
HC: +his m€€+ing mus+ b€ fa+€

Wow, so that was painfully sarcastic. Your words are so caustic you nearly burn yourself. Ouch. And now your narrator is being sarcastic about the quality of your sarcasm! Will this cycle of biting wit never cease?!

HC: so how ar€ ¥ou doing +oda¥, Isold€?

Oh good, you're being considerably more polite. You don't want to snark your company away, after all. Then where would you be? The same place you are now, only alone, that's where.

[celestialSprite]

You jump when the other troll responds to you, reading their message and quickly formulating a response in your head.
AT:1'm d01ng just w0nd3rfully, 0nly 4 cull3d lusus 4nd th3 3mp1r3's h00fb34st sh1t t0 d34l w1th. 4ll 0th3rs th1ngs s3t 4s1d3, h0w 4r3 y0u d01ng?

[mercurialMonster]

You lean back in your seat, startled, when Isolde responds. Holy shit, her lusus had been culled? How dreadful! That's why you keep Frogmom far, far away from the ocean in your swamp-based inland hive. The seadwellers didn't often come out here looking for food for the Empress' monstrous lusus.

HC: oh m¥
HC: I am so dr€adfull¥ sorr¥ for ¥our loss
HC: I am, um
HC: missing m¥ pal€ma+€ +€rribl¥
HC: sh€ is of+€n awa¥ running €rrands for +h€ €mpir€ +h€s€ da¥s
HC: bu+ I am compara+iv€l¥ w€ll, r€all¥.

[celestialSprite]

[TA] 1t's f1n3, y0ur p1ty 1s n0t wh4t 1 w4nt. Y0ur p4l3m4t3 must b3 qu1t3 th3 tr0ll, runn1ng 3rr4nds 4lr34dy.
You respond with a slightly more civil tone, taking the time to focus your energy on a small glass figure; destroying it to release some of the psionics. Sighing deeply, you rest your head on your hand and wait for him to reply.

[mercurialMonster]

HC: Sh€ is v€r¥ good at wha+ sh€ do€s, y€s
HC: +hough sh€ of+€n runs m€ ragg€d wi+h h€r ridiculous an+ics
HC: Wha+ of ¥ou?
HC: do ¥ou hav€ a moirail?

You care for your moirail deeply, of course-- you'd relationship is so pale it could be described as "white"-- but her highblood temper and ludicrous risk taking can leave you a little exasperated.

[celestialSprite]

[TA]¨W3ll, 4t 0n3 p01nt 1 d1d, but th3n 1 br0k3 it 0ff. 1t`s b3tt3r th1s w4y. L3ss p41n, y0u kn0w?

[mercurialMonster]

HC: I am afraid I do no+? Know, +ha+ is.
HC: if a moiraill€gianc€ is a "pain" +h€n I do no+ +hink i+ is m€an+ +o b€.
HC: bu+ an¥wa¥
HC: wha+ ar€ ¥our in+€r€s+s?

[celestialSprite]

You sigh.
[AT] H1st0ry, t3chn0l0gy. Th3 w0rks.Y0u?
[AT] 4nd th3 th1ng 4b0ut m0r41l13g3nc3 n0t w0rk1ng, l4st t1m3 1 ch3ck3d; 1t w3nt b0th w4ys 4nd 1t d1dn't h4v3 th3 thr34t of futur3 p41n.

[mercurialMonster]

HC: music, his+or¥, zoolog¥, sociolog¥. Junk lik€ +ha+.
HC: and ¥€s, pr€++¥ much, if i+ hur+s +h€n I+'s a good idea +o g€+ ou+.

Your first instinct is to offer advice, but you're not some sort of weird pale auspice. You don't need to fix everyone's relationships.

[celestialSprite]

[TA] Just 1m4g1n3 f0r 4 m0m3nt th4t y0u w3r3 g01ng t0 b3c0m3 4 m4ch1n3, th4t y0u w3r3n't g01ng t0 b3 4 tr0ll 4nym0re. W0uld y0u l3t th3 0n3s wh0 y0u c4r3 f0r s33 y0u hung up l1k3 s0m3 d3m3nt3d pupp3t? 1f y0u und3rst4nd, y0u'll s33 my p01nt.

You should really just log off and take a long walk off a short cliff for all you're good for.

[mercurialMonster]

The scenario flute through your mind-- yourself a tortured cybercreature, your moirail a helpless onlooker-- and you feel a little sick. You couldn't bare it, you physically couldn't. But what would hurt her more, you wonder, seeing you strung up but alive, or for you to be dead? Or for you to break off your relationship entirely? You shake yourself-- it's unimportant. That won't happen to you.

HC: Oh d€ar. I s€€.
HC: I don'+ know wha+ I'd do.
HC: bu+ I und€rs+and ¥our poin+.
HC: I +ak€ i+, from +ha+ scenario, +ha+ ¥ou ar€ a psionic and hav€ caugh+ +h€ €mpr€ss' €¥€?


It's not hard to deduce. A yellowblood dealing with the Empire's "hoofbeast shit", under threat of being turned into a machine. All the clues are there for you to find.

[celestialSprite]

[TA] N0t h3r d1r3ct 3y3, 0f c0urs3. 0nc3 y3ll0wbl00ds r34ch 4 c3rt41n 4g3, th3y 4r3 r3g1st3r3d 4nd 3v4lu4ted. Th0s3 wh0 r34ch 4 c3rt41n l3v3l w1ll b3 c0nscr1pted.
[TA] S0rry f0r r4mbl1ng, 1t must s33m 4wkw4rd f0r y0u.

The cliff looks to be a really nice place now, considering how much of an asshole you are being.

[mercurialMonster]

HC: oh, I was no+ awar€. M¥ apologi€s.
HC: no+ a+ all, I did no+ b€li€v€ ¥ou +o b€ rambling.
HC: I wish I could off€r ¥ou som€ comfor+, bu+ +h€r€ is li++l€ I can sa¥ :(

Your first instinct is to advise and console, but really, what can you do?

[celestialSprite]

[TA] 1'm st1ll h3r3, 4r3n't 1? D0n't w0rry 4b0ut m3, 0kay? 1'll g3t thr0ugh th1s, h0p3fully.

[mercurialMonster]

HC: oka¥, if ¥ou sa¥.
HC: I wish ¥ou +h€ b€s+ of luck, and I hop€ €v€r¥+hing +urns ou+ w€ll for ¥ou

You understand, as a fellow lowblood (though admittedly a little higher on the spectrum) the extent to which you are at the mercy of the empire. Thankfully you have no psychic abilities of your own to draw attention to yourself.

[celestialSprite]

[TA] Th4nks, f0r th3 th0ught, 4t l34st. 4nyth1ng b1g g01ng 0n f0r y0u?

[mercurialMonster]

HC: um
HC: no+ par+icularl¥
HC: g€++ing dragg€d +o fanc¥ highblood ga+h€rings b¥ +h€ moirail
HC: +h€ o+h€r a++€nd€€s ar€ as shi+hiv€ maggo+s as ¥ou'd €xp€c+ :/

[celestialSprite]

[TA] Lucky y0u. 0n3 w0rd 0f 4dv1c3, th3 th1ngs th3y c4ll t33th, 4r3 r1d1cul0usly sharp. 4ls0, st4y by y0ur m0ir4il, m4k3 sur3 t0 w34r th31r c0l0ur t00.

[mercurialMonster]

HC: Oh ¥€ah, absolu+€l¥
HC: I'm familiar €nough wi+h +h€ +€€+h jus+ from looking a+ her, ¥ou can cu+ ¥ours€lf on +h€m from +hr€€ f€€+ awa¥ lik€ damn
HC: and I go+ m¥ purpl€ shi+ r€ad¥
HC: I +hink I'm pr€++¥ saf€

[celestialSprite]

[TA] Th3n 1 w1sh y0u th3 b3st 0f luck.

[mercurialMonster]

HC: +hanks. An¥wa¥, is +h€r€ an¥+hing €ls€ in+€r€s+ing happ€ning wi+h ¥ou?

[celestialSprite]

[TA] N0th1ng b3y0nd th3 1n1t14l tr4g3dy, 4nd th4nk y0u f0r 3v3rth1ng 1n 4 t0t4lly n0n p4l3 w4y, 0f c0ur3.

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