outer_divide | 001 [video]

[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.

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[Pepper looks thoughtful at that, and inquires a] When did you say you were from, exactly? [before she finds her smile again.]

I won't say that there's no danger of saying the wrong thing, but the people here seem to value actions more strongly than words, and there's some allowance made for the fact that we are all very much not from around here. Friendliness, attentiveness and a willingness to work will get you pretty far.

Edited 2013-01-26 21:13 (UTC)

I didn't say exactly. [He's a little nervous with it for some reason, so he drops his voice.]

1792. My sister is my older sister, you see.

I can do all that, I promise! I know how to work, and learn. [And no one has ever faulted him for being unfriendly.]

[The relevance of his sister's age isn't something that Pepper's immediately following, but that doesn't stop her from looking thoughtful over the date.]

And, given your name and accent, that would put you in the thick of the French Revolution. Keeping your mouth shut as a habit becomes clear...

I wouldn't worry about that as much here. Have some caution when talking on these devices -- they may be monitored by the forces inside the dome -- but there's no class struggle here that you have to worry about.

[To him, it's obvious. She's his older sister because she bosses him around.]

I managed it when it was important, yes, Ms. Potts. [Not so much at other times, but he's still hoping that he helped reconcile Marguerite and Percy by letting her in on Percy's secret, even if it was against orders.]

That's a relief. We came a little too close to Madame Guillotine before we got away.

When I get to the city, I'll try not to use it so much. [But right now it's important to him as his contact with people.]

Oh -- don't treat it like you should never use it. Just don't say anything that you'd like to keep strictly private. Which, come to think of it, is fairly universal advice for any public conversation, really.

[She looks a little chilled at the thought of the guillotine -- high school history and fodder for Les Miserables for her is sharp reality for him -- but soon leaves the abstraction behind her with a quick nod.]

Once you make it to the town, you should look me up if you'd like help getting settled. I keep an apartment rather than staying at the Flop, but I turn up there fairly often, or at Edmund's stores... which reminds me: have you taken much education?

[Given his time period, 'can you read' strikes her as a good thing to establish before she starts trying to arrange his future for him at the drop of a hat.]

[There were a few things that Armand wanted to keep private, so he nodded at her advice.]

I would like to meet you. [And soak up any advice he can get, thank you.]

Education? I attended a lycée until Marguerite married. I was going to study law. I can read and write both French and English, though my English is a bit more limited. [The writing that is. He is fairly good at speaking it, though hardly fluent.]

Good... good. Beyond the very bare basics you can get at the Flop, the economy here is based off of barter, for either goods or skills. For those of us who aren't exactly hunters, gatherers or tinkerers, putting your skills to work can take some thought.

You're obviously quick on your mental feet, so I can already think of a few things you could get involved in. We'll talk soon, but if you think of anything critical before we can meet, don't hesitate to call me specifically.

I'll remember, Ms. Potts.

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