[Console] (Video) ❅ The Fifth

[stonebird]

(Alayne looks conflicted. She scrunches her skirt in her hands, her fingers moving restlessly.)

I pray everyone is safe. I wish I were...braver. But if there is a need for someone to watch over those injured, I am volunteering.

(She is still the sort to run away from danger rather than confront it.)

Did anyone determine the cause for the destruction? Are we...

( ...going to war? No, once she says those words, bad luck will follow her like an unshakeable shadow.)

I know how to clean wounds and see that they heal properly.

Comments

video;

[stonebird]

Certainly not. (The reply comes instantly and she nods, strengthening her resolve.) I will study the available books and lend my aid.

Re: video;

[merb]

[ Stork looks pleased by his agreement. ]

I've seen you around the Hotel.

[ He may have been lurking. In a not-creepy way. Probably. It's just a matter of avoiding germs, mostly. ]

I'm Stork.

video;

[stonebird]

I have been living there for some months now. (Which isn't something she ever saw herself doing. But it has been a positive experience for her.) I'm Alayne. It's nice to meet you, Stork.

Re: video;

[merb]

You too, Alayne.

[ everyone has such strange names here... ]

video;

[stonebird]

This place is strange, isn't it? I have never had so much free time.

Re: video;

[merb]

[ at that, Stork laughs in a completely understanding way ]

I know. Getting to work on my projects on my own schedule, I haven't had that in two years.

Not that I don't miss my squad, but...

video;

[stonebird]

What is your...squad...like? (A strange word for her.) Do you have the proper tools to work on your projects?

Re: video;

[merb]

Well, there's six of us. Aerrow is our Sky Knight, he's the leader. I'm the pilot. Piper is our crystal specialist and navigator, Finn is our sharpshooter, Junko handles heavy ballistics, and Radarr is... Radarr.

I had a few that came with me, others I made while I've been here.

video;

[stonebird]

You have interesting names for your people. (Expected but curious nonetheless.) One of them is...a sharpshooter? Does that mean you are like...knights?

Re: video;

[merb]

Our actual names or our job titles?

[ Not that it really matters, but he's curious too. ]

Right. Finn uses an energy crossbow, with crystal-tipped arrows. He's actually an amazing marksman [ and Stork sounds like he's admitting this under duress ] ... when he's not showing off.

Well, knight -- Sky Knight -- is a specific title in Atmos. Aerrow took the Trial and passed, so he's officially recognized by the Sky Council on Terra Atmosia. Each squad only has one active Sky Knight at a time.

[ Stork actually sounds pleased to be explaining all this, and not put off at all by the questions. ]

video;

[stonebird]

...both? (They are both strange.) Are crystal-tipped arrows better than iron?

(Sky Knight. She's not sure about the term.)

Why does a Knight fight with non-Knights? (It occurs to her that she is asking a lot of questions. Smiling faintly, she inclines her head.) Your world seems...more advanced...than mine.

Re: video;

[merb]

Crystal tips give you a range of effects when they hit. For example, if you put an Icer crystal chip in there, it'll freeze the target.

Because not everyone can be a Knight, and it'd be hard to beat the Cyclonians by yourself? Other parts of the squad are important too.

Does it? Most people think Atmos isn't advanced compared to theirs. I guess it must be somewhere in the middle.