hadriel | 01

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Um. Hi. I'm Henry.

[ He knows full well how to use a smartphone so there's no awkwardness there, it's more the fact that he's addressing people he can't see and hasn't even met in person yet. They all do it so it's nothing new, it's just figuring out how to start this that has him fumbling for words for a moment. Some people might not even really care who he is and what his name is, but he likes to be friendly. Might as well be authentic, even in a place like this. ]

I've been here for a few weeks now, I...haven't met a lot of people yet. And I was thinking about where we all come from.

[ There's a lot to fear or at least be worried about when it comes to this place, so idle chitchat like what he's initiating might not be super welcomed by everyone, but messages like these are easy to ignore, he figures. He's curious and he wants to know people better; the ones who are willing to listen and respond, anyway. ]

I know of a lot of places, some of them...kind of bad. But I didn't know a place like this could exist. So. I was thinking maybe there are places even worse than this out there. Or maybe more places like where I come from, where things are more...normal. Ish. [ The 'ish' is because, well, his hometown doesn't even technically exist. But that's a story for another time. ] What's your home like? Is this place better than what you left behind?

[ And, because he is a teenage boy: ] What do you miss most? I miss really good New York pizza. And my family. I really miss my family, but at least my mom's here. Well, one of them, at least. [ Oh. Right. That's another story. That'll have to wait. ]

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[Chris isn't great with telling ages but it's clear enough that Henry is definitely younger than he is, and that means he's way too young to have to be dealing with a place like this. At least his mom--or one of them, apparently; Chris is from Los Angeles and not too fazed by the idea of someone having two moms--is here, though Chris is admittedly curious about who that might be.

He offers a smile in greeting, though his expression grows a bit more serious when he actually responds.]

It's uh... Kind of complicated to answer what my world's like, I guess. I mean, if you'd asked me before like, the last night I'd been at home, I would've said home was totally normal and this place would've been a lot worse. But there's part of home where uh... It's worse than here.

[That cursed mountain, despite everything that's happened here so far, is still a worse place than Hadriel.]

And oh my god dude, don't mention pizza. I have been wanting pizza since like, the day I got here.

[He's not going to comment on family, though. He really misses his parents, even if he's also really glad they don't have to deal with this place.]

[This is kind of a sensitive subjet for Emily, so she is not going to make a video or voice response to this. Ltting Chris see her cry was bad enough.]

my home is better or worse than this place, depending on where you are

i miss the food and the clothes

[As for who she misses the most? Matt. But this kid is not getting that piece of information.]

I think everyone probably thinks their home is normal... I know New York though! Doctor Banner is from there - I'm from Henrietta, it's a town in Virginia. [He leaves out the 'on earth' clarification because, well, Henry is either not an alien or one that looks human and lives on earth...]

I miss gelato. There was this great gelato place.

[ He has wondered since arriving here if he's one of the youngest people brought here. That's a question for another time to the network of people at large. But of course, Henry doesn't see himself as a kid. Based purely on age, yeah, he's a kid to most people. But he knows a lot, he's seen a lot, and he truly believes he can take care of himself. More than anything, he wants to help and protect others, which he believes he can do as well as any adult around here.

...Maybe with a little backup from time to time.

Henry smiles back at him with a little nod. ]

Worse? What was it like? What...happened? [ Now his curiosity is really piqued. ] Sorry, about the pizza. I thought talking about it would help but it really doesn't. Now I just want a large pepperoni. [ Oops. Talking about it again... ]

better or worse? the worse part - how worse? i mean, how bad, what's it like?

Yeah. I guess you're right. [ How else would people define normal? Unless they have awareness of other places that they think seem better somehow. ] I've heard of Virginia, I haven't been there, though. Oh, gelato! Yeah, I miss gelato. And ice cream. And milkshakes. [ He's rambling a little, he realizes. ] What was your favorite flavor?

Wait...Dr. Banner?

[Don't blame her if this gives you nightmares.]

there's this one place, this mountain, where there are these spirits that make you eat human meat no matter how much you try to resist it. and then it possess you and you turn into a monster called a wendigo

so that sucks

the rest isn't too bad

[He's quiet several seconds at the first questions, mostly because he's trying to figure out a way to put this that's appropriate. It's all a super messed up situation at home but he also knows better than to talk to kids like they're stupid; he's just trying to decide how detailed to be.]

There's uh... This mountain. And on it are these spirits that possess anyone that's engaged in cannibalism, and it turns them into these... Really freaky monsters called wendigos. We didn't know they were there and we got kind of... Trapped on the mountain for a night.

[If this story sounds similar to Emily's, there's a good reason for that. There's a lot more to it, at least for his part of the night, but that's the main story.]

The spirits showed up here a few months ago, so they're something to watch out for, but I think Hope or Rage drove them off into the caves outside the city, so.

[Ohno stop with the pizza.]

Hey, at least we've got a chance now with Delight being here. She's the newest god in this place and she's been pretty cool about requests so far.

[A child. Here. There's a lot upsetting about that in itself, but what he says in his broadcast - asking about where others are from, mentioning his family (his mother) - it's enough to not only draw Beyond's attention but evoke an honest response. The idea of home is one he doesn't place much stock in for himself; his last real home had been in Los Angeles, with his mother, before she died and he spent time moving from one foster home to another, and that was a very long time ago. The House wasn't really a home, for all the time he spent living there. But admitting to not having a home is probably more than he should place on the boy's shoulders right away, so instead, Beyond skips the first and answers his second question.]

I was on a prison ship in space before here. I'm not sure it was much better than this place.

[Maybe there were no monsters to constantly keep at bay, maybe no gods to contend with, but there was the Admiral, a being who seemed to believe himself a god, and there were dangers aplenty on the Barge, no shortage of ways to find himself killed.

As for the third question ... ]

Coffee. I think - that's what I miss the most. Coffee, and my friends.

[ If Henry was the type to mutter expletives out loud, what he's just been told would more than warrant a holy shit, but as it is, those two words simply pass through his mind for a moment as this sinks in. He's heard of a lot of bad stuff, but this is...well, this is something else. The thing is, he's pretty sure things could potentially get just as bad here. In different ways. So...better to be prepared, he supposes. ]

I think...I think you really deserve some pizza. So. If we can talk her into giving us some, I'll get you the biggest one possible. [ Because...well...holy shit. ]

You were stuck on that mountain for a whole night? Did you - were you scared? [ That is perhaps a dumb question because Henry likes to think of himself as tough in a lot of ways, but he'd be scared. Without a doubt. Some people don't admit to that kind of thing, though, so he's curious. Maybe...maybe this guy really wasn't scared at all, though. ]

[ Welp. He definitely asked for this. No doubt. ]

that's...pretty bad. you never went to that mountain though right?

[ He really hopes that, for their sake. ]

[He laughs a little at that, because he definitely appreciates the sentiment.]

Thanks. I won't turn it down. Me and a friend are gonna try to get some good coffee from her too; do you drink coffee, or...?

[Chris started drinking coffee pretty young but he knows a lot of teens hate coffee, so he's not sure.

His smile fades a little but doesn't disappear at the question, and he doesn't hesitate to answer.]

Yeah. We all were.

[There's no reason to lie, and no shame in admitting it. That night had easily been the most terrifying experience in his life, and he doesn't think he's felt unafraid since.]

Hi Henry, I'm Steve. I'm sorry you ended up here, but I'm glad you've got your mom. Or...one of them.

[His brows knit together for a moment. He's clearly confused by that one. Anyway, a kid being here at all is bad, but a kid alone would be a lot worse, no matter how decent most of the folks seem to be.]

My home was in Brooklyn. And you're right, they do have really great pizza there.

Edited 2016-04-10 23:38 (UTC)

[ With all the different worlds Henry's heard of - Wonderland, Oz, Neverland - he's never heard of anything definitive out there in space. But his mind has often wandered to space, to what might be out there in the stars. There's something cool about being out in space, but...prison ships in space are definitely not what he would call cool. That sounds pretty awful. ]

It sounds pretty bad. So you were trapped in space, in prison on top of it? [ He wonders what happened, that he was in prison, but that's none of his business. ] I'm sorry. That...that really sucks.

I've never had coffee, but...I do miss my friends, too. Have you been here for a while? Do you have any friends here?

I miss my brother.

Edited 2016-04-10 23:43 (UTC)

[ Actually, Henry's never tried coffee yet. He's wondered about it and it always smells pretty good to him, but he hasn't snuck a taste yet. Now, though... ] Oh. Yeah. I've had it a few times. [ He's not sure why he doesn't just tell the truth. He doesn't like when people lie about big things, things that are hurtful, but this is just coffee, it's not a big deal, and...he might be trying to seem and feel older than he is. ] Yeah, I'd love to have some. If you get it. Thanks.

[ Hearing that he was scared is somehow strangely reassuring. It's normal to be scared of stuff like that, he thinks, but it's nice to know other people see it that way, too. ]

How did you...stay alive? Survive.

[ He knows it probably sounds strange to others, but saying that he has two moms has become so commonplace for him he doesn't think much of it when he says it out loud. ]

Thanks. I wish none of us had to be here, but...I'm glad my mom's here. She's my birth mom, my other mom...she adopted me. It's a little complicated. [ He smiles and shrugs a little. They make it work, though. ]

Brooklyn? I miss that place. A lot. I lived in New York for a few year with my mom. Um...my birth mom. [ Steve. From Brooklyn. He wonders something... ] Were you still living in Brooklyn, right before you came here?

I'm sorry you're not with him. Maybe he'll come here, too.

[ Not that that is really...ideal, though. ]

[Chris doesn't have any reason to suspect Henry isn't being truthful, and it's not like it's ultimately all that important either way; the only thing it really affects is that he assumes that means it's okay with Henry's mom if he has caffeine.]

Yeah, of course. I mean, we have some now but it's really crappy coffee, though you're still welcome to some if you want. If we get the good stuff I'll let you know.

[It takes a few seconds to respond to the next question and his gaze shifts offscreen a few times; the truthful answer--that a huge amount of it was luck--isn't exactly something to tell a kid in a situation like this. So instead he settles on an answer that's still true, if not necessarily the main reason.]

We um... We made the best decisions we could in the situation, and it worked out. The most important part was just... Working together, and not letting being scared stop us from thinking.

Same thing's important here.

Hello, Henry. My friends call me Ciri. [ hmm. how to even begin explaining her home? ] I guess home is both better and worse than here in ways. There are many, many monsters there. Even more than what is in these caves and people seem to wage war over the smallest of things. I could still travel though, see the sun and smell fresh air.

[ ah... she really misses the sun. ] My family is there though and that's all that matters in the end. I... I miss them very much.

Your mom is here?

[this is the first time peter's heard of family being here. friends, sure, but family? that's new.]

I hope so.

[ It's better than the alternative of being separated, or being home where they're both dead. at least they'd have each other. ]

Do you have any siblings?

[ Just trying any coffee at all sounds good to him, so he nods a little. ] I'll try some. It's better than nothing, right?

[ What he's telling him, it makes a lot of sense to Henry. In all the really stressful and dangerous situations he's already faced, he's seen how his family is stronger together. If they're not working together, if they're fighting, everything is worse. ]

I've seen what happens when people don't work together. Things get...really bad. Really dangerous. You're right, we have to be on the same team here. Do you think most of the other people here believe that, too?

No. It was always just me.

[ And pretty lonely for the first ten years of his life, since time didn't move in his town and he had no friends. ]

I always wanted to be a brother, though.

Hi, Ciri. It's nice to meet you. I mean...sort of. [ This isn't necessarily the typical introduction, not meeting in person, but it works. Her home sounds really terrible in some ways. Depressing, with people warring over things they shouldn't be, from the sound of it. ] I'm sorry your home is like that. I wish...I wish people didn't hurt each other. If you have monsters there, why can't everyone just work together to fight the monsters instead of each other?

[ That's the idealist in him talking. He smiles a little when she speaks of her family, though. ] Family is everything. I miss mine, too - when I left, they...they were gone. Something happened to them. [ He just doesn't know what, unfortunately. But he was the only one left. ]

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