video; un: peekaboo

[descendency]

[ the video feed flicks on to a young man's grim, steel-eyed gaze. he strikes as a man who might be more attractive were he not so severe and dour, a natural softness to his features that does not take easily to his fury. rosy lips pulled taut in displeasure, he stares out as though scrutinizing an audience he has not yet gathered, who yet remains unseen. ]

It's Gabriel.

[ he states his own name with distaste, as though he would rather be doing anything but giving his name to these circumstances and that much is the plain truth of the matter. ]

I require the statuses of Beitang Moran [ insufferable know it all ], Wei Wuxian [ insufferable busybody ], and Five [ insufferable ].

As for the rest of you, would someone like to kindly tell me where the fuck we are and what the hell we're doing here?

Comments

audio;

[reparo]

What, no please?

[descendency]

[ great, the british are here. ]

No.

[reparo]

Well, alright. I'm familiar with the three, but I don't know you, so I'm assuming it's been a while since you were here - Gabriel.

un: absterge

[downswing]

( ...ah, a second known face. )

All physically unimpaired.

Returned unharmed?

[descendency]

I suppose that's the best we can hope for, really. Their non-physical impairments being preexisting.

[ mingyu heaves out a breath, bitter. ]

I suppose that depends on your idea of harm, Wangji.

video |⍓| un: tagged

[kahl_175]

[Kahl may be new and still confused, but he can still share what he knows. His voice is slow and rough, trying to speak clearly.]

City called Ser-thi-ka. Two sides, hate each other. Lots of big machines. Some magic here, made Kahl and others see things different. Man from--hn. [All these names are hard for him to pronounce.] Man from El-leth-ia maybe do it.

Kahl not know much more. Kahl feel like Gab-ri-el. Would swear different though. [Grineer have a lot of good swears.]

[descendency]

And I presume you are Kahl?

[ the speech is a little difficult to follow, the information rudimentary. still, mingyu makes his notes. ]

@yiling laozu

[weifinder]

There's a face I've not seen in months, what the hell were you told when you were thrown back in with us?

[descendency]

Still in the habit of being fashionably late, I see.

[ there's a pause for breath before he answers. ]

That's the thing. I wasn't told anything. I was— We had—

We were... [ there's static in his mind. he can remember the exact moment it felt like he'd just shut his eyes, just for a moment, but everything surrounding it feels like noise. ] ...in Taravast, I was— [ trying, failing, to hold everything, everyone together. ]

I opened my eyes again here. Pocket watch, new— [ he gives his username a glance finally, then his lip curls in distaste. is that a joke? he's never shaken the notion that they are all simply being toyed with, not since leaving sa-hareth. ] —network name, barely recognizing anyone. My things— They're reset.

[ he's probably not making a lot of sense, but he feels like he's actively going out of his mind so that's probably to be expected. ]

What did it look like on your end? Where— [ his voice is tight. he's asking because he needs the information, needs the context it provides. he does not want to hear about fox or lee chang, does not even want to imagine. not yet. he'll unpick that later, unspool it in private next to his sanity, measure and wind them, package them in a way that allows him to keep going. ]

Where have all the others gone?

un: daozhang | voice;

[binghua]

[...Hey, that voice is familiar, though Xingchen has trouble placing it at first.

It's been a while and he's been through some things.

But then it hits him.]

Bai Mingyu...?

[descendency]

[ jesus christ it's xiao xingchen. mingyu was sure you were dead by now. the surprise registers audibly in his voice, a faint rustle of clothing as he sits up straighter. ]

...Xiao-ge.

Do you know how to turn on your video?

un: ut malum pluvia | audio

[somebadnews]

[ It's jarring when you spend all of your spare time working out how to chase someone down, only to have them come out of thin air. There's no mistaking it's him after he asks for him. Just like Winnie, who appeared after he was so convinced she was dead. But nobody stays dead here.

This throws a wrench in Five catching him by surprise when he found him again, but that's par for the course lately. ]

Mingyu. [ He sounds calm. ] You don't remember?

[descendency]

[ please, baby, he knows you better than that. ]

What is it you think I should be remembering?

un: wooden dice.

[strewth]

[British accent, thick, Scouse if you're familiar, somewhat heavy on the voiceless velar fricative if you're not. Bookhhhks.] Wonderland. They got books where you're from?

[descendency]

[ voice bone-dry. ]

No, we're all completely illiterate.

un : dappled peals of the parted seas (voice)

[beitangmoran]

Still alive and hale, Master Bai, and honored you seem to remember us.

[descendency]

Tang-ge. [ there is relief in mingyu's voice, distant. ] I hope your husband is keeping you in good health.

un : deft hand of little deaths (voice)

[scrapgege]

I think all three of these people are still around. As for where we are...

It's a long story. Which part of the city did you end up in?

[descendency]

[ and then there's this one. ]

How the fuck are you still around.

@mansbane | audio

[bravelyrunsaway]

Had enough of an answer on the where and what, love, or did you need more detail than "there's a stormstruck cult running around making womb-wall rooms to birth burlap dolls and everything's all dead or alive or somewhere inbetween," and our good McCoy is sick with the same illness that wiped out most of this citadel five years ago?

Because we just spent some few days falling through reality, it was horrid.

[descendency]

[ this is the first useful interaction with a stranger mingyu has had so far. he sits up a little, leaning in. ]

I hate every word you just said. Positively revolting. Could still use more information on what is actually going on, though, yes.

You happen to have a name and a face, darling?

Is 'our good McCoy' contagious?

[traaaaaash]

Don't you sound like a joy to be around.

[ A shrug, though. She gets it. ]

You're in Serthica, a city split in two by some conflict or another, and everyone here may or may not be dead. We're generally trying to head [ She makes air quotes with her fingers. ] "East", because this Merchant guy insists that's where the way home is.

[ Her grin is way too wide. ]

Have fun!

[descendency]

I'm not currently being paid enough to be pleasant. Feel free to change that.

[ he adds to his notes about serthica and though heading east with the merchant isn't exactly news, confirming that that's still the overall goal after a year of absence is just as good. ]

I appreciate the information nonetheless.

private ; @taken for granite | i'm so sorry, let me know if this isn't okay

[rumorate]

Hey.

You wouldn't happen to be the guy who wiped my sister from my brother's memory, are you? Because if so we're going to have a conversation you're probably not going to like.

[Look, she saw the beginning of Five's conversation and given that he's asking about Five now, she's willing to bet she's right. Because Five may be a paranoid asshole, but he's rarely ever wrong.]

ur so good hello

[descendency]

Ah, and which of you geniuses thought it was a great idea to confirm his missing memories for him?

[ he's so tired of your entire family, allison. five is his favorite of you lot and look at where we are with that. ]