[video]

[withoutaworld]

[ Rikki's in her suite, in her street clothes, toying with the long knife she took off that kedan and frowning to herself, not quite looking at the camera as it comes on. She glances up briefly, but she's too distracted to try and keep up the eye contact. ]

So... I guess a lot of us were at the thing at the festival. Obviously. I hope everyone came out of it okay and all.

But I've been thinking about what that guy said, before he was killed. About us saving them. Have any of you heard the kedan say anything about that before? Did I imagine that? And... maybe it's just me, but I don't see a whole lot to save anyone from, other than... y'know... the kedan.

Comments

video;

[trainwrecked]

I don't think any of us have been here all that long. There may be things we haven't seen, yet.

[video]

[withoutaworld]

I'm sure there are. It just... I don't know. It's bugging me.

[video]

[trainwrecked]

The awareness that there may be a big bad unseen force - or group of individuals - threatening the existence of this place, up until now not even hinted about, is something that would... bug anyone who stopped to think of it.

[okay, maybe he doesn't know how much more reason than most she has, to be worried by something like that...]

text; anonymous

[demon_brat]

One would think that could be a good line of questions to ask of the Emperor at the next audience held.

[text]

[withoutaworld]

Any chance you can tell me when that will be?

text; anonymous

[demon_brat]

Not yet, but the kedan said there is one every month. The wait should not be long.

[video]

[littlecousin]

I'm fine with saving people, but I kinda have to know they need to be saved, first.

[Seriously, what is this?]

[video]

[withoutaworld]

Yeah, same here. [ Wry smile. ] Not like I had any other plans for my afterlife. They could at least point me at whatever I'm supposed to be fighting.

[video]

[littlecousin]

Hey, it's not like dead is permanent most of the time.

[CHEER UP THIS IS COMICS.]

I figure they can tell us or I can keep sitting around "wasting resources" or whatever that guy was on about. I'm sick of being jerked around.

[ Video ]

[hairpipes]

There's always someone who needs saving. I'm sure we'll find out what needs to be done soon enough.

[video]

[withoutaworld]

[ Rikki grimaces and shrugs. ] I'm not real big on waiting around to be told what to do.

[video || anonymous]

[cowled]

[You have a good instinct, Rikki, and Bruce can appreciate that. So here he is in his Craig persona, brow slightly furrowed.]

So what do you think that means?

['Batman' has theories. No, really. They're like. Thirty pages deep at the moment. But 'Devin Craig' isn't nearly so savvy, and Bruce is more than willing to play the congenial, absent-minded professor role to dig for other people's opinions.]

[video]

[withoutaworld]

[ She eyes her screen for a long moment while she considers her answer. ] He could just be crazy. The guy who grabbed those girls. I mean, obviously he's crazy or he'd have found a different way to say what he did, but... assuming he's not delusional...

I think maybe we're not here accidentally. That the emperor or whoever brought us here for a reason. [ She clenches her jaw and looks down at the knife in her hand. ] And I don't trust people who want to use me without telling me why. Or that they're doing it at all.

video;

[storm_warning]

[Ororo has her boots propped up on the edge of her console and she's hugged her arms around her legs.]

Call me crazy, but that one guy who killed the others had in under control. I don't see why they'd need us if they've got people like that lying around.

[video]

[withoutaworld]

Maybe it's not the people who're their problem. Or maybe there's something kedan can't do that we can.

audio

[agentdork]

Doesn't look like any of the newbies here got hurt, at least.

Far as what was said-- well. We haven't been here that long. There's no telling what could be so...off.

[video]

[withoutaworld]

Yeah, and that's another thing that bugs me. Why isn't there anyone else from outside around here? It's like we just started coming all of a sudden, but they were ready for us.

[dadissues]

...Oh yeah, he did say something like that, huh? It seemed like all crazy rambling.

[video]

[withoutaworld]

Crazy rambling usually means something if it's inspiring them to go killing people in front of an audience. People don't just do that for kicks, you know.

[video]

[mistyoldworld]

I heard that as well...perhaps it is why we have been brought here.

[video]

[withoutaworld]

You'd think they could've just told us that in the first place, if it is.

text;

[redjay]

I'm kinda hurt you'd say that. Thought I saved you from another hour of boring history lessons.

[text]

[withoutaworld]

Yeah, I was definitely in the kind of mortal danger you need to drag someone in from another universe to deal with. I understand everything now.

action; after Peggy shows up?

[trainwrecked]

[He has to admit, rooftops - if more challenging and exhausting - are faster to move around, especially with the way the streets are crowded. And he's starting to like the burn in his muscles from the workout.

The urgency in Rikki's request they talk? Somewhat less so.

Knock on her door, and when she opens,] Hey, what's the matter?

[withoutaworld]

[ There's a faintly apologetic smile as she opens the door and beckons for him to come inside. Her apartment is not exactly homey - it's huge and echoingly empty, it's got the bare minimum of furniture and absolutely no decoration, and it barely looks like anyone actually lives here. Still, Rikki seems fairly comfortable in it. ]

Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like it was an emergency or anything. It's not, I was just kinda... surprised.

[ An awkward pause while she considers how to phrase this, then: ] That woman that just showed up. Agent Thirteen? How well do you know her?