video

[queenkiller]

[The video clicks on with some fumbles, some readjustment as Hella realizes what she looks like in the playback on the device and just sort of. Stares at her apparent reflection. It's really weird, but she's been laying low and trying to figure out this thing for almost a month now so she thinks she's sort of got it.

She certainly looks out of place, in full dark scalemail armor and with scars on her face and a very serious expression. She doesn't shift from full serious mode when she finally begins to talk, but she sounds more awkward than stern.]

Hey. I'm Hella. I've been quiet, I guess. But I'm new here, relatively speaking.

[She pulls a lock of red hair behind her ears, her bangs the only hair outside of her usual bun today.]

I noticed you all have a monster problem. Apparently it happens once every month? Anyway, we should be coming upon a month of my being here soon, and I'm... willing to offer my services.

[She holds up a sword, the hilt of it embellished with red jewels, the center one being the largest and bleeding into a white diamond-like color in the center. If anyone has any ability to sense dead things or magic, this thing is giving off a severe ghostlike energy.

Because of all the powerful dead people and gods and stars living in it.]

I'm really good at killing things. I also live near the colosseum. I can kill anything that comes through that Door.

[Said with full confidence.]

If you're worried about someone arriving and want to check it out but don't do well in dangerous situations, I'll guard you. For trade, maybe. Or favors.

[If anything, Adaire's taught her the value of owed favors. Though Hella still doesn't have the patience to wait on collecting.]

I'll hear any offers now. Thank you.

[She fumbles with the phone a bit more, and finally shuts it off.]

Comments

video;

[smoketendrils]

Would you like some help? I must admit I'm going a bit stir-crazy myself.

[He didn't think hiding in a room somewhere tinkering his grief would get old, but it kinda did... Or at least he has the good sense to realize that if he doesn't touch grass, he's going to nuke the bloody Door.]

And I'd love an excuse to get a closer look at it.

video;

[queenkiller]

[Those are some weird fucking glasses, dude. She sounds a little distracted as she answers.]

...Yeah. Sure.

[She's not distracted by the glasses, though. She hasn't partied with strangers in foreeeever. Throndir and Adaire were recent additions, sure, but that was tempered by Hadrian's presence as well as other factors. He was always... a comforting, if not quite comfortable presence.

Still, she doesn't know this guy at all. At least she had Hadrian's reassurances about Throndir and knew of Adaire from the cartographer's time in Velas scamming the locals.]

Handy with a sword?

[smoketendrils]

[They are very important for tinkering okay!!]

Among other things. I guess you could say I used to do this for a living.

[queenkiller]

Do what? Kill monsters? My world doesn't really have monsters like these, just weird people and wild animals. ...And stars. I guess those count as monsters.

audio

[completelycrazy]

Hey, if you're gonna be killing stuff, toss me a corpse or two, would you? I study the monsters that come in every month. I collect the manageable stuff too, so if you manage to catch anything alive, I'll take it.

[There's a pause, and then, like he's just remembered his manners:]

Oh, I'm Newt. Nice to meet ya.

audio

[queenkiller]

Oh, you're like that other guy.

[...

If you're waiting for an explanation, there isn't one.]

[completelycrazy]

[...???]

What other guy?

[video]

[northerndragon]

[Jon has a reasonably friendly expression. His longish dark hair is pulled back from his bearded face, a face that tends to fall into sadness when it's still, and the buckled leather collar of a brigandine can be seen under the plate gorget he wears. His voice is low, with a heavy Northern English accent, though that's not exactly where he's from.]

That's a nice sword. What sort of steel?

You could just join the Guard. What you said just now -- it's what they do.

[video]

[queenkiller]

It's Ordennan steel.

[So not a material anyone outside of her world would be familiar with.]

Uh. I'm not good at...

[Literally any part of being part of some outfit guarding people other than killing things, nevermind the fact that she just claimed to be looking to guard people. She's pretty bad at that too honestly, but in her defense, most people looking for guards probably deserve to die for some reason.

Besides, the Guard here doesn't seem to earn anything for their work.]

...I mean. I'll consider it. Are you one of the Guard?

[northerndragon]

I am one of them, but I've only recently joined. You should talk to Nick Valentine, or Hotspur. They're the commanders.

If they're paying, though, I haven't heard about it.

[Lucky (?) for her, he's interested in unusual swords, so he goes on to say...]

But I've never heard of Ordennan steel. What are its properties? Anything like Valyrian steel?

Video

[knifecollecting]

I don't know if anyone's going to pay you for what a lot of people do for free.

Video

[queenkiller]

I'm gathering that. It's pretty annoying.

Video

[knifecollecting]

There's not really an economy here anyway. What would you do with payment?

voice;

[thelastjoy]

That's a shiny name you got. [That's Girl's main takeaway.] Even shinier sword. I'm guessin' you didn't get that here.

voice;

[queenkiller]

Thanks? No, I've had this sword for a long time.

voice;

[thelastjoy]

Figures. [She blows a raspberry.] This place definitely wouldn't just give people something that cool. Lucky you, though.

video

[bythewaves]

I fear the monsters are indeed a regular occurance, although you may find that only the ones from the Colosseum follow any sort of schedule! If you do well with boats, in this new place, you might ask if folk would like an escort on the crossings? I have yet to hear of any being attacked, but there are creatures in the deeps of a certainty.

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[queenkiller]

There's more in the water? This place is... a shithole.

[That's her main takeaway.]

I'm pretty good with boats. I'm from an island nation. So... I'll keep that in mind.

video

[bythewaves]

I believe so. I have not seen them myself, however.

My brother Curufin is building a boat, I would suggest he might be one to speak to.

[video]

[pocketspa]

[Oh hey, it's that woman who threatened his life. That description is a little vague, considering a lot of people have told Taako to piss off from their general vicinity, but she's kind of distinctive.

Then again, she doesn't know where he lives, and can't stab him through a phone. So.]

You know money's like, worthless here, right? Nobody has any of it and everything's free. Sooo not gonna get much of that.

[video]

[queenkiller]

[Oh, gross. This guy. Wizards are trouble. Wizards are always trouble.

Nevermind that she thought there was only one of those in existence until here.]

I said trade or favors. I know there's no money. I've been here a month. I've noticed. And it sucks.

[video]

[pocketspa]

[Sorry Hella, you've emerged into the wide world of Dungeons and Dragons proper, where the place is just crawling with these little fucks.]

Oh yeah, it blows ass. But there's also not a ton o' favors to be had. What're you lookin' for? Maybe I can give you some tips. Y'know. For funsies.

[Or for his own favors, most of which he'll probably use for 'don't kill me and/or my family because we're all deeply unsetting magic people'.]

video;

[atravellerwithabow]

[He doesn't use his phone a lot. Or... at all, really. Sometimes, though, something happens to catch his attention at the rare moments he retrieves it from his belongings and gives it another glance over.

One of these days, he'll ask Aloy to show him how to use it properly, but he manages to get the video on by himself this time.]

Keeping the monster numbers down is already a way of life for a number of us... but I don't doubt you've been told that already.

[It might well be what this guy is doing right now, actually. The coliseum is in the background, and there's a splash of something that looks like blood across his neck (not human blood, it's the wrong colour).]

Some of us even enjoy it.

video;

[queenkiller]

[Hella, for all she thrives on violence, doesn't necessarily enjoy killing. She doesn't hate it, either. It's a tool. A means to an end.

So she's a little taken aback by this man covered in the blood of creatures, talking about enjoying thinning the population.]

Well, I'm sure that makes staving off the boredom between being toyed with just that much easier.

[It's pretty much her only talent. She's a little put out that she can't benefit from putting the work in.]

I might work on doing it anyway, even if I can't get anything in return for it.

[atravellerwithabow]

[Nil is... well, Nil is quite specific about how he enjoys killing and is not shy about going into the details of it. His expression is slightly amused when she answers - that's one way to put it, though no doubt he'd be hunting things regardless.]

You'll get appreciation, whether you're looking for it or not. But some people here can be picky about what you do with the creatures once they're dead. [He's looking at you, Abigail.] Even if most of them have no use about them once you kill them.

[If you can't eat it, after all, what's the use in lingering? Maybe he'll try fishing some time.]

But if you're looking for someone to watch your back, I never object to a partner.