001 [video]

[did_i_say_percy]

[Armand found his clothes and the communicator and his way as far as the base of the ramp exiting the ship. The utter unfamiliarity of the landscape hit him hard, and he didn't make it much further yet. So he fiddles with the device until his fingers find the combination he wants, though he has no idea why he knows it.

The tip of his nose is already red from the cold. He speaks with a noticeable French accent, and his voice is pleasant and cheerful, at least for the moment.]

I'm game if someone wants to tell me the trick. This is hardly England, nor France either. And it wasn't this cold last I knew.

[A pause, as he looks around yet again. He's not wearing a jacket over his shirt and waistcoat. Apparently he didn't have one with him when he was spirited from there to here.]

I'd go back inside, but it doesn't seem hospitable in there. I can see a city, but it looks a fair way off to walk. Is that where I should go?

Has anyone seen or heard of Sir Percy Blakeney or Marguerite St.--I mean Lady Blakeney? If you have, could you tell them I've been found though I don't know how I was lost this time? It's not my fault, anyway. I'm Armand. St. Just, that is. Margot's my sister.

The short of it is that I'm cold, and if I should just go back inside for a bit, I will, but I'm hoping to hear of a better alternative.

Comments

[video]

[knightoflight]

Is the temperature an issue for your kind?

[video]

[did_i_say_percy]

[Armand is trying not to show his distress at being addressed by a being who looks to be made of metal. At least there's a nice long distance between them, he hopes. Though even as the camera is coming into focus on his face, he looks around anxiously for a moment.]

I would say that it is, yes.

[video]

[knightoflight]

I could bring you to the Old City? There are humans there. And warmth. And it's a bit safer than the ship.

[Wing is doing his usual 'steamrollering someone's discomfort by an overdose of kindness. It had worked so far?]

[video]

[did_i_say_percy]

Is that faster than walking? [Though, he's now standing up, holding the communicator, and looking off into the distance away from the camera. He isn't really anxious for the walk, either.]

[ Video ]

[unshackledferocity]

[ There's a red haired, red eyes little girl peering at the feed on her end here, wondering which question to answer first. ]

I don't know those names. [ Even her voice is whisper soft, quiet. ]

You should go to the town.

[ Video ]

[did_i_say_percy]

Thank you. [His voice softer than his earlier complaints, mostly because he thinks her whisper means she's afraid.]

[ Video ]

[unshackledferocity]

You should take care to watch for the wildlife. It's dangerous.

[ Video ]

[did_i_say_percy]

[And now he looks worried.]

Wildlife, miss? I haven't seen anything yet. [But he's still quite close to the ship.]

[Video]

[prophetic_name]

There's a settlement nearby where you can find shelter and food.

[Video]

[did_i_say_percy]

The one I can see? [He's glad for the advice, though he hasn't started off anywhere because he's wondering if the metal man above was going to accost him or something.]

Re: [Video]

[prophetic_name]

Yes. It's not so terribly far.

[Video]

[did_i_say_percy]

I think I'm being met, so I should be able to find my way there.

Video

[theverymodel]

[A face with a certain... froglike quality appears on the screen.]

Communal housing available in city. Suggest rapid action to avoid hypothermia.

Video

[did_i_say_percy]

Someone is coming to escort me, I think. [Yet another attempt not to stare at someone who looks very bizarre to him.]

Where should I go in the city to find that housing?

Re: Video

[theverymodel]

Center of town. Ask about the Flop.

[He notices the attempt to not stare. He's used to ti.]

Re: Video

[did_i_say_percy]

Oh yes. I will ask if I'm not directed there.

[Video]

[professorwolf]

[Lyall takes a break from his paperwork-- there's a neat but run-down sort of office in the background of the video-- to respond to some poor fellow that sounds like he might actually be from his own time frame. How novel.]

Good morning, Mister St. Just. Welcome to Verdana. I'm afraid you are very far from either England or France. Have you made it down to the city yet?

[He also happens to have a waistcoat, not to mention a pair of reading glasses and, unlike Armand, a jacket.]

[Video]

[did_i_say_percy]

[Armand is jealous of that jacket, sir. They didn't let him have his back when he "escaped" from the scaffold.]

I seem to have learned some of that.

I think I'll be there soon. M. Wing has agreed to escort me. [He sounds nervous about that, but he won't turn down the offer from Wing either.]

[Video]

[professorwolf]

[And Lyall doesn't even need the jacket, except to have his clothing look proper. Poor Armand.]

Ah, Wing is a reliable fellow. I know he looks a bit odd, but don't let that put you off to him. My name is Randolph Lyall-- from London, England, in eighteen seventy-five.

[And he's pretty sure this poor pup is from France, given the accent. The cut of his clothes are a bit old-fashioned, though... interesting.]

[video]

[jimkirk]

It's not England, France, or anywhere you've heard of. Actually, the whole thing is kinda hard to swallow.

My advice? Come down to the city. The ship's not a good place to stay long term. Wouldn't go near the dome, though.

[video]

[did_i_say_percy]

[Instead of yet another promise that he's being taken there, Armand seizes on that mention of the dome.]

I assure you, monsieur, that I won't be going there. It looks altogether too different from anything I have ever seen.

[So does the ship, but he's almost accept it as real, having been inside. A real place, that is, but not a ship. A fortress perhaps.]

[video]

[jimkirk]

Good.

City's not much to look at, all told, but there's food and places to stay. Small consolation, I know, but we gotta make the best of it.

I'm Captain Jim Kirk, by the way. You got a name?

[Video]

[pepperspray]

[Hello, Armand. Add a poised looking redheaded woman to your collection, admittedly at a bit of a delay. Pepper looks dryly apologetic as a result.]

My apologies for the late reply, Mssr. St. Just, although I'm sure several someones have gotten in touch with you by now.

If you haven't left the ship, there are some people doing work aboard it who could lend you a coat and some directions, but if you've reached the Old City or are en route to it, you'll want to head to a building called the Flop -- you'll find shelter and food there, and some more seasonal clothing for you.

[Video]

[did_i_say_percy]

[He looks a little stunned while he debates how to address her. He finally settles on the one he deems more polite if perhaps less flattering.]

Are you in charge here, madame? [Of course, he'd think a regal woman was in charge.]

[Video]

[pepperspray]

Ms. Potts will do, if you want to be formal. 'Pepper' is also perfectly acceptable.

[Regal doesn't mean unable to offer a smile with a hint of a dimple to her cheeks, apparently, especially at his question.]

I certainly wouldn't consider myself in charge so much as in a position to know how a few things work here, and to make sure people are getting what they need. In charge would probably mean either Nem, who heads the townspeople here and is the one responsible for setting up housing for new arrivals from the ship, Edmund, the master of trade, or possibly Roni, the leader of the local militia.

I'm another person who woke up on board the ship, I've just had a few months to acclimate.