tushanshu | 01 [Video]

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01 [Video]

[It's been a weird day.

She had been exploring the mainlands with Hellboy, then suddenly she's being dragged out of the ocean and being treated like fresh meat by the kedan. Then she was brought back to a newly rebuilt EA-1A - but they weren't done rebuilding it yet - and left home to think about what had just happened.

So far? It's been confusing. And she's still confused, which is why she's got the video turned on so she can address everybody here.]

Out of curiosity, have the kedan been acting weird to anyone else? I just got fished out of the ocean and was given the newbie treatment even though I've been here for months.

That, and it seems a lot of things have changed without much time in between. [She'd mention her building, but... that's still a sore spot.]

I don't remember drinking anything strong enough on the mainland to make me black out, but that wouldn't be the first time things didn't make any sense around here.

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Aw, come on. I can't look that bad.

[At least there was no skeleton army this time. But yeah. He's joking, running a hand over his head like that'd make it better. But he knows what she really means. She can tell he's thinking about something.]

I ran into someone in the desert. A psychic. She told me some things about this place I didn't like very much.

Oh, yeah? What did she tell you?

[All right. Guess it's time to ruin the fun.]

Just some crap about this place being connected to different worlds psychically. Something about us not really being here.

[He narrows his eyes, thoughtful. He really didn't like the sound of that.]

But I don't know how much of that I believe.

[Though it's a little unnerving exactly how much he does believe.]

I guess that'd make the whole 'dreaming' part of the introduction make more sense. But if that's the case, then are we really still at home, or somewhere else entirely?

I don't know.

[He gets that distant look again, thinking back to all the weird hallucinations and psychic experiences he's had over the years. This is nothing like any of them. Usually these kinds of things involved more suffering. Someone screwing with his mind or just generally beating the crap out of him. Reuniting him with one of his best friends and giving him the closest thing he's had to a vacation in years really doesn't fit the bill for anyone he's made the pleasure of pissing off in the past.

So the Emperor has to be telling the truth. Maybe she did bring them here to fight something. But how "here" they actually are is still up for debate.]

Either way, I don't like it.

[If you ever really want to rub Hellboy the wrong way, try to take away someone's free will. What's happening to the people here is anything but their own choice, and that really pisses him off.]

Neither do I. [She really doesn't. If they're here but not here, doesn't that just mean their physical bodies are passed out where they were before this whole mess started. Even if they said time stops back home while you're here, but really, how much of that is really true?

It's not a pleasant thought.]

[And that's what's really unnerving about it. But he tries not to over think it. Dreaming or not, he knows he needs to stay in the moment and do what he can with what he's got.

Meanwhile, a waitress swings by the table and gives them their drinks. When she's gone again, he starts fishing through the pockets of his coat.]

There's another thing.

[He draws out a folded piece of paper, smoothing it out on the table for Liz to see. It's a star chart, old, intricate and beautifully crafted, the stars themselves giving off their own strange glow.]

She gave me this. Wouldn't tell me why.

[Liz reaches out for the paper so she can take a better look at it. It really is beautiful, though she's not entirely sure what to make of it.]

Nothing at all? [Hm.] I wonder why she gave it to you.

[He just shrugs.]

Said it might come in handy.

[And he took her word for it because psychics. As Liz studies the map, he rubs at the stubble on his chin, muttering more to himself than anything.]

Damn psychics.

[Sometimes they can be useful, but most times they're just a big pain in the ass. Though if that thing really does come in handy, he'll be changing his tune.]

'Might' being the key word there. [She wishes she was there for it, but... well. That couldn't happen.]

Do you know if she lives here?

She's probably not living on the mainland. The place looks like it's been nuked, and there's no evidence of anyone living out there anywhere. But she looked completely human to me, and I'm pretty sure she wasn't a Foreigner.

[He reaches for the bottle of alcohol. It's served warmed and is like drinking sake's bolder cousin. He's come to like the stuff pretty well.

As he pours himself a glass, it dawns on him how the same could be said for the Emperor. As a ruler of an entire island of odd-looking changelings, she looked about as human as anyone he's ever seen. It's a strange coincidence.]

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