00:00:01 - [Audio]

[einselective]

[Marian's voice is clipped as she asks without preamble:

Who has technological expertise here? Mechanical or chemical engineering, electronics, programming, more than a rudimentary grasp of mathematics or physics?

I'm also looking for anything that can be broken down for parts. If you have anything that you're not using any more or that has broken, please let me know.

Comments

[Action]

[hearthebell]

[He waves a thin hand vaguely.]

It's what they call themselves, but inter-dimensional beings, if you like that better. What it comes down to is that they have abilities humans do not, much as the "gods" who dwell here do. For the purpose of discussion, I'm not opposed to using the word so long as we leave religion out of it.

[Unfortunately for Marian, L is very interested in her experiences, given her clear and heavy disdain for the entire concept of things that defy logic and explanation.]

We have a long way to go. But in the meantime, tell me about where you're from, if you would. Give me some context for your world, and how it shaped what you know and believe.

[Action]

[einselective]

[At that, Marian freezes up, with a bit of a deer-in-the-headlights look. She can't really brush aside the events of the last hours she'd spent in her world, but there's nothing remotely out of the ordinary that happened before the Incident. There's no good way around the question.]

I... uh, not.. not now I don't think.

[She checks her watch, a rather large, bulky smartwatch, more out of habit than anything. She's unsure of how much she can even talk about, but decoherence anomalies seem to have lowered dramatically since coming here, and with no yellow warning lights flashing, all is still well. She collects her papers again, not meeting L's eyes.]

I should probably go, there's a lot to work on collecting still.

[Action]

[hearthebell]

[That might be the most interesting part of the conversation so far, to L. He focuses more sharply on Marian, much like a cat who's just seen a small animal dart across the room.]

We've only just started to talk, though.. and you're not the only one with secrets in this place.

[Action]

[einselective]

It's not a secret. I'm just.... not prepared to talk about it... not now.

[This is a bit of bluster, in a way. She'd never really planned to talk about it, but there'd been the creeping dread as the weeks passed here that eventually the subject would come up.

With that in mind, it wasn't exactly untrue either. Everything had gone so horribly wrong, and with it all indirectly being her own fault...]

[Action]

[hearthebell]

[L nods. There's slight impatience below the surface of his blase expression, for anyone skilled enough to pick up on such subtleties, but he can see when forcing an issue is unlikely to get desirable results. He's certainly pushy, but interrogation is an art form like any other, and antagonizing or attempting to break someone on a first meeting probably isn't wise. Especially if, like Marian, they're clearly intelligent and might prove useful at some point.]

Suit yourself. The truth is important to me, but I would not want you to associate me with feelings of being uncomfortable or on-edge. I hope to work with you at some point, after all.