[Video]

[with_elegance]

[Michiru only hesitates a moment before coaxing a finger over what she hopes will be the switch that turns this on to broadcast -- though broadcast to whom, she's not entirely sure. Still, they're in the dark. And they need answers, even if she's not sure how well she'll be able to trust any of the answers that come.

But there wasn't much choice.]

I'm not sure who is out there and hearing this, but we're looking for... answers. Any answers. Where is this place. Why are we here?

[All business, a plainly guarded expression on her features, blue eyes fixed steadily on the video screen.]

And how did we even get here? Who kidnapped us and who do we need to defeat to get home?

[The deeper voice comes from somewhere off screen, and a dusty blonde head looks briefly over Michiru's shoulder to frown at the screen, too. Then it's gone again, as Haruka pulls back and gets back to finishing getting her things together.]

If we were brought here, there's a way to get back where we came from. There has to be.

[Michiru's gaze flickers back only briefly towards her partner. Who do they need to defeat. It's crossed her mind too; if this is another battle they need to face to fulfill their duty, she's willing to face it.]

We'd appreciate any answers anyone has. That's all. Thank you.

You're too nice, Michiru, you should have--

[And that's all of Haruka's growled complaint that the feed gets before it shuts off.]



((OOC: All dialogue is in Japanese! Replies may come from either Michiru or Haruka or both.))

Comments

[Voice]

[weapabilities]

[JAPANESE? Yes! He knows some of these words.]

Hello. I'm pretty new here too, but I'll try my best to help you out.

[Audio]

[kazeninaru]

[Haruka intercepts this one, and she sounds annoyed.]

New here? Help us out? Just point us at whatever needs to get taken care of to get us home.

[Point of fact, she doesn't really sound all that feminine-- and she's using the masculine pronoun to refer to herself.]

[Audio]

[weapabilities]

[Drift really doesn't register much on the gender radar, being as his own species doesn't really have them.]

W-well there isn't. Exactly. A way that we've found yet. But uh- I mean if you have any other questions or you need a lift somewhere safe?

[Audio]

[kazeninaru]

A lift? What, how far from civilization are we?

[She hasn't exactly gotten outside the ship yet. It's a big ship, and they only just got here, after all.]

[Audio]

[weapabilities]

Well, not too far. The Old City is just down the way, but I know it's a little... jarring.

[Audio]

[kazeninaru]

[Haruka gives a little grunt of skepticism.]

Can't be worse than anything else we've seen... Who are you? Do you know who kidnapped us?

[Video]

[nodavinci]

[The video feed shows a dark-haired man with what appears to be a welding mask pushed up on top of his head, eyebrows lifted high in a combination of surprise and amusement.]

No kidnappers here.

[His Japanese carries a definite accent, and is a little stilted - he can speak it well enough to communicate, but he's by no means fluent.]

Do you speak English?

[Video]

[kazeninaru]

[Oh hey, this one's showing his face. Haruka replies to this one, too.]

Yes.

[About as well as he speaks Japanese, from the sound of it. She switches to that language.]

No kidnapper? We seem awfully kidnapped, to me.

[She also hates not having a masculine pronoun to use in English. Stupid English.]

[Video]

[nodavinci]

[Well, at least they won't have to resort to charades.]

And crashed. Don't tell me you didn't notice the crashed part. It kind of puts a spike in whatever we were kidnapped for.

[Beat.]

Assuming the plan wasn't to strand us on a post-war planet filled with velociraptors in the first place, which, you know. Would have been a pretty stupid plan.

[Video]

[kazeninaru]

We are not outside yet.

[Though crashed would explain the general lack of lighting in here. She hasn't any idea what a velociraptor is, though, so he just gets a frown. Which isn't much different from how else she was looking at him before, so not much to notice there.]

There is war here, too?

[Video]

[nodavinci]

Yeah. Turns out the whole 'enlightened utopia' line of science fiction wasn't on the mark after all. Who'd have guessed?

[Video]

[with_elegance]

[Sorry Tony, you won't get away with only having to deal with one of them. She doesn't bother answering the English question in so many words, since she just goes into speaking it.]

Then you don't know who is responsible for our being here?

[Video]

[nodavinci]

No clue. They didn't stick around to make introductions. Which does leave the floor open for some hilarious speculation.

[Video]

[with_elegance]

How impolite. [She pauses though, eyebrows raising.] What sort of hilarious speculation? [Do share.]

[Video]

[nodavinci]

I think my favourite's the theory that someone was amassing a zoo populated by human beings from as many alternate realities as possible. Which, you know, falls apart when you remember not everyone's human, but hey.

Seriously, though - we're working on it. If you or your friend's good with languages in general, take a look at some of the script on the walls. You recognize anything new, that might narrow it down a little.

[video]

[sadandsingle]

[Tosh gives both girls a friendly smile, trying to be reassuring...or something. Not that she's very good at being reassuring, particularly in situations like this.]

I've only been here a short time, I'm afraid, but I'm quite willing to share the information I do have. This is a planet known as Verdana; most people here woke up in the pods on the ship, but I don't think anybody has yet to figure out how we all got here, or who is responsible for putting us in stasis in the first place.

Re: [video]

[with_elegance]

[Michiru listens closely. Actual information is appreciated, after all. Even if it does just lead to more questions. And since English seems to be the language de rigueur, she will follow suit.]

Most people? How many people are there here? Do you know?

[sadandsingle]

About forty who are awake, and countless others in the pods on the ship. There seems to be no real rhyme or reason to the pattern of awakening, though some people here are trying to study the conditions under which people awaken, and other things about the ship.

[ooc: Sorry, it was late at night when I tagged, and I forgot to note that Tosh replied in Japanese. ^^;]

[with_elegance]

[She frowns a little at that.]

When did people first start awakening here? And how did we get into the pods in the first place?

The last thing I remember, it should be impossible for...



((ooc: that makes sense XD let's just assume it's been going that way then.))

[sadandsingle]

I don't know how long it's been - I've only been here a week or two myself.

Your guess is as good as mine; it should have been impossible for me to end up in one, too. Or to be awoken, anyway.

[Video]

[pepperspray]

[Pepper's mien is restrained and pleasant welcome. It's funny how often her default setting when handling the overawed or irate visitors to various Stark holdings or functions is a good approach for this strange new world.

Then again, 'strange new world' has been applied to describe some Stark holdings'.]

I offer apologies for the poorness of my Japanese. If you are comfortable with English, I can explain more if you would like. Welcome to Verdana. my name is Pepper Potts.

[Not being a genius and polymath, her Japanese is far more stilted than Tony's, relying heavily on phrasing that speaks to a language learned and practised in the name of business and good will best efforts.]

[Video]

[with_elegance]

[The calmness and professionalism is appreciated. That much is certain. And Michiru looks a little relieved at the offer to explain, just a flash of it in her eyes before she nods, answering in English, accented slightly, but spoken with a comfortable enough cadence.]

English is fine, and I'd appreciate any explanation you have. [She even offers a faint smile here.] My name is Michiru Kaioh. [Down to switching it to the Western style.]

[Video]

[pepperspray]

Thank you. I was counting down until I said something offensive involving radishes because I got my nouns mixed up.

[Pepper's gratitude doesn't come without a bit of dimpled good humour at herself -- she knows just how stilted that Japanese was.]

But I should warn you that my explanation will sound a little unbelievable, and also that I'm really very much not a scientist, so I can't explain the details well at all. In summary, though, everyone who woke up in the pods comes from different places and times. Some of us even come from different worlds. The ship crashed on a planet called Verdana, some unknown time in the past, and people have been waking up in the pods for the past few months to half a year.

[Video]

[with_elegance]

[And that, that earns a quiet laugh.] Actually, you were doing very well. [Obviously not her most comfortable language, but understandable anyway -- better than many of her friends' attempts at English. CoughUsagiCough]

Different worlds? If you speak English and Japanese, you must be from Earth at least. So... we've been in stasis? Is there anyway to tell what year it is here? Relative to Earth?

Re: [Video]

[pepperspray]

Unfortunately... no.

[Pepper sounds mildly apologetic at having to break this news, as if the inability to prestidigitate an astronomical constant for time and location is a personal failing.]

There's a theory going around that we may not even be in the same galaxy as Earth, so the passage of time... well, it's complicated. I'm from the early 21st century, myself. 2012, to be exact.