[ Thankfully for everyone, Claude catches on to new social norms quickly. Amal doesn't sign his message, nor does he try to wrap everything up in a pristine bow of formality, as Claude's always found himself expected to do in written missives. It's a little jarring, but he thinks he's got it.
Despite receiving the message right away, it takes him a long moment to respond. This is because he is meticulously hunt-and-pecking each letter one by one on his phone's keyboard with his index finger, having yet to memorize the layout. Save him. ]
I understand. Like I said, sorry for the over-formality and wordiness. I still haven't got a good grasp of what's expected with this kind of thing, but I'll learn.
Anyway, thanks for the pointers. I'll definitely keep the tip about doing odd jobs finding things in the spirit realm in mind, it sounds like it could be promising. Always happy to help out the weirdos, after all. Have you done much of that kind of work yourself? My only experience with the spirit realm so far is the labyrinth through which I arrived, so I figure it might be a good idea to ask around for what to expect if I do decide to go foraging in there.
sry this is so late i am finally feeling only HALF dead instead of all the way dead. thx covid
you've already stopped signing your messages so i think you've caught on pretty quick!
by the way, if you hold your phone with both hands, you can type with your thumbs and it's a lot faster than using your pointer finger. there are suggestions that will appear above the keyboard that you can press and it'll complete the word for you.
hah, i'm glad you asked! as it so happens i'm an adventurer! i'm a dancer and entertainer by trade, but adventuring is what pays the bills. it takes a certain kind of person to walk into a dragon's lair, and i'm just crazy enough to do it on the regular. then again it's a little less scary when you know dragons personally, but still... where was i......
ah yes, spirit realms. i've jumped into pretty much every one that's appeared since i've been here. the only time i didn't was when i was sleeping for a whole month. so you could say i'm familiar with the kinds of requests that undertown and zodiac give out.
also i'm trained in a few different weapons and i've got some tricks up my sleeve. if you bring me along i'll make it easy for you you can just stand in the back and keep looking handsome, if you like
[ The next message comes just slightly quicker, thanks to the tip about trying to use both thumbs to type instead of his index finger. ]
What can I say? I'm a quick study, and it helps to have such a captivating teacher. I'm fairly proficient with a few types of weapon myself, but I may just have to take you up on that for the fun of it.
Hold on, though. Not to get too sidetracked, but you know dragons personally? And you fell asleep for a month? Is that normal? Or were you speaking figuratively, in either of those cases?
[Ooh, he's being called a captivating teacher! EAT SHIT NASHMEIRA HE'S A GREAT TEACHER.]
i'm always down for sparring too! an unused blade grows dull and all of that and i always take care of my knives
i do! they're old creatures on my world... older than humanity as we know it. but once you get through to them, they're incredibly interesting and very cool, in my humble opinion. just don't make one mad because you might end up with a thousand year long war
i really did just sleep for almost a month! while i was asleep i thought i was home, and maybe part of me was... it's hard to explain, but i woke up as if it was like a huge dream, except i had a bunch of new scars, so obviously it really happened
i'm not entirely sure what that all means, but having dealt with world traveling before i'm inclined to believe that we're here but we're not really here, if that makes any sense. like astral projection if you've heard of it
Sparring sounds like a great idea, if half of what people say about how dangerous this place can be is true. I'd be more than happy to train with you, not least because it's not every day you get to see how someone from another world entirely fights.
That sounds a little like how they're supposed to be where I come from too, though I didn't exactly get the chance to confirm any of that with the only one that's been sighted in the past thousand years before she disappeared again. I can only imagine the kinds of stories a being that ancient would have to tell, though. Or the grudges they could hold.
Anyway, that's certainly interesting. I have heard of astral projection, but mostly in theory and rumors. It's not really supposed to be possible, but neither is a lot of what I've witnessed in the past few years, so really, who's to say? So your theory is either that you projected yourself back into your world of origin, or that you're still there and projecting yourself into this place, or something like that?
hells yeah! that's my logic too. i think we can all learn from each other.
dragons are difficult for most people to understand because they don't have the same sense of time that we do. but the closer they live to people, the greater of an idea they'll have. a very good friend of mine was dedicated to ending the conflict between dragon and man that was plaguing her homeland, because she saw the kindness and love that dragons could feel when others could not. i do hope one day you can get some answers though, it sounds like quite the mystery
you've got the gist of it. this requires a little bit of background
so a little while ago, before kaisou, i was involved in traveling to another world. while i was able to traverse the rift and cross over, my friends couldn't quite make the trip. though they were there in soul and they seemed to have a physical form, it wasn't actually their bodies that were interacting with the world. their bodies were sitting perfectly alive at home as if they were in a deep sleep
while i was asleep for a month recently, this is almost exactly what happened to me. i was asleep here physically but my soul was off where i normally live, eating and sleeping and breathing and fighting like nothing had ever happened. no one around me ever detected that something was different nor did i remember anything that had happened in kaisou-- which is weird
i haven't found a better explanation but this is a city with a bunch of magic running through it so i'm ready to believe just about anything
I can see how that'd be a problem. All our wars and drama must seem like fleeting whims to a people that can live as long as dragons seem to. I hope your friend is able to see that conflict to its peaceful end, though. The benefits of being able to see eye to eye with people of other cultures and races - or species in this case - aside, after seeing what just one dragon could do on the battlefield, I don't want to imagine what an all-out conflict would look like.
[ In any case, he has to stop and consider the rest of that for a second, thinking about the implications. ]
I think I get what you're saying, but I have to admit, I don't really know what to make of any of it. You're right, though, magic in this world seems to work so completely differently than anything I'm used to, at least, that I don't really feel comfortable making any assumptions about how any of it works. All we can really do is compare experiences and see what we turn up with.
that's the long and short of it. to an ageless dragon, a grudge from a thousand years ago may as well have happened yesterday
you're right. and if i'm being honest, i think we're gonna need everyone's cooperation if we're ever going to find a way back to our worlds. zodiac said they were working on it over a year ago, so i'm not very confident in their abilities
You're probably right. I wouldn't doubt that there are individuals out there who are willing to help us get home out of the goodness of their hearts, but a mysterious faceless organization? I can't say I've got a lot of confidence there, especially when they benefit so much from having capable strangers drop in and have to rely on them to get by.
[ There's a slight pause as Claude thinks over what he's about to say next. He doesn't really want to show his hand like this, but it seems important. ]
Now, that said, in the interest of comparing experiences - I've got another question for you. You haven't heard of anyone winding up here by dying at home, instead of just walking through a portal, have you?
that's exactly it. maybe they're completely unable to get anything done, or maybe they're doing nothing but for their own gain, but it doesn't change the circumstances we're in. truth be told i never liked letting other people rescue me anyway... finding my own way out suits me much better
[He's a little surprised at the forwardness, but as it turns out, Amal's the perfect person to ask... or second to the perfect person.]
actually, i have. a very good friend of mine died and woke up here. going back home isn't an option, we're pretty sure... though i don't think he'd want to go back anyway
there's something cruel about denying the dead their rest. but if they aren't ready to rest... they are welcome to mingle with the rest of us inconvenienced living
It makes sense to assume that, doesn't it? That just because a person is whole and healthy here, that wouldn't necessarily mean they could just get back up or walk through a door and be fine if they returned to a world where they're supposed to be dead. Especially if you're right about the astral projection. Unfortunately there seems to be no real way to know for certain, just yet.
[ He's not entirely convinced, but at the same time, what would he do if he could go back to where he came from? His plan, had Edelgard spared him, had been to ride off back to Almyra and make himself scarce until another opportunity to seize at his dreams arose. But could miraculously returning from the dead be an opportunity in and of itself? Spun the right way, it could get the people of Fodlan to rally behind him in a way they'd never done before.
But... a part of him feels tired just thinking about it. Thinks about how little he could manage even with the whole of the Alliance and all his friends at his back. He'd well and truly squandered their help, and with them gone, what right did he have to try again?
It's... something to think about. ]
Anyway, we'll just have to keep working at it, I guess! I'm sure if we pool our resources and knowledge, someone can figure something out, with Zodiac's help or without.
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no subject
Despite receiving the message right away, it takes him a long moment to respond. This is because he is meticulously hunt-and-pecking each letter one by one on his phone's keyboard with his index finger, having yet to memorize the layout. Save him. ]
I understand. Like I said, sorry for the over-formality and wordiness. I still haven't got a good grasp of what's expected with this kind of thing, but I'll learn.
Anyway, thanks for the pointers. I'll definitely keep the tip about doing odd jobs finding things in the spirit realm in mind, it sounds like it could be promising. Always happy to help out the weirdos, after all. Have you done much of that kind of work yourself? My only experience with the spirit realm so far is the labyrinth through which I arrived, so I figure it might be a good idea to ask around for what to expect if I do decide to go foraging in there.
sry this is so late i am finally feeling only HALF dead instead of all the way dead. thx covid
by the way, if you hold your phone with both hands, you can type with your thumbs and it's a lot faster than using your pointer finger. there are suggestions that will appear above the keyboard that you can press and it'll complete the word for you.
hah, i'm glad you asked! as it so happens i'm an adventurer! i'm a dancer and entertainer by trade, but adventuring is what pays the bills. it takes a certain kind of person to walk into a dragon's lair, and i'm just crazy enough to do it on the regular. then again it's a little less scary when you know dragons personally, but still... where was i......
ah yes, spirit realms. i've jumped into pretty much every one that's appeared since i've been here. the only time i didn't was when i was sleeping for a whole month. so you could say i'm familiar with the kinds of requests that undertown and zodiac give out.
also
i'm trained in a few different weapons and i've got some tricks up my sleeve. if you bring me along i'll make it easy for you
you can just stand in the back and keep looking handsome, if you like
sometimes you die a little and that's okay
What can I say? I'm a quick study, and it helps to have such a captivating teacher. I'm fairly proficient with a few types of weapon myself, but I may just have to take you up on that for the fun of it.
Hold on, though. Not to get too sidetracked, but you know dragons personally? And you fell asleep for a month? Is that normal? Or were you speaking figuratively, in either of those cases?
LMAOOO
i'm always down for sparring too! an unused blade grows dull and all of that
and i always take care of my knives
i do!
they're old creatures on my world... older than humanity as we know it. but once you get through to them, they're incredibly interesting and very cool, in my humble opinion. just don't make one mad because you might end up with a thousand year long war
i really did just sleep for almost a month! while i was asleep i thought i was home, and maybe part of me was... it's hard to explain, but i woke up as if it was like a huge dream, except i had a bunch of new scars, so obviously it really happened
i'm not entirely sure what that all means, but having dealt with world traveling before i'm inclined to believe that we're here but we're not really here, if that makes any sense. like astral projection if you've heard of it
no subject
That sounds a little like how they're supposed to be where I come from too, though I didn't exactly get the chance to confirm any of that with the only one that's been sighted in the past thousand years before she disappeared again. I can only imagine the kinds of stories a being that ancient would have to tell, though. Or the grudges they could hold.
Anyway, that's certainly interesting. I have heard of astral projection, but mostly in theory and rumors. It's not really supposed to be possible, but neither is a lot of what I've witnessed in the past few years, so really, who's to say? So your theory is either that you projected yourself back into your world of origin, or that you're still there and projecting yourself into this place, or something like that?
no subject
dragons are difficult for most people to understand because they don't have the same sense of time that we do. but the closer they live to people, the greater of an idea they'll have. a very good friend of mine was dedicated to ending the conflict between dragon and man that was plaguing her homeland, because she saw the kindness and love that dragons could feel when others could not. i do hope one day you can get some answers though, it sounds like quite the mystery
you've got the gist of it. this requires a little bit of background
so a little while ago, before kaisou, i was involved in traveling to another world. while i was able to traverse the rift and cross over, my friends couldn't quite make the trip. though they were there in soul and they seemed to have a physical form, it wasn't actually their bodies that were interacting with the world. their bodies were sitting perfectly alive at home as if they were in a deep sleep
while i was asleep for a month recently, this is almost exactly what happened to me. i was asleep here physically but my soul was off where i normally live, eating and sleeping and breathing and fighting like nothing had ever happened. no one around me ever detected that something was different nor did i remember anything that had happened in kaisou-- which is weird
i haven't found a better explanation but this is a city with a bunch of magic running through it so i'm ready to believe just about anything
no subject
[ In any case, he has to stop and consider the rest of that for a second, thinking about the implications. ]
I think I get what you're saying, but I have to admit, I don't really know what to make of any of it. You're right, though, magic in this world seems to work so completely differently than anything I'm used to, at least, that I don't really feel comfortable making any assumptions about how any of it works. All we can really do is compare experiences and see what we turn up with.
no subject
you're right. and if i'm being honest, i think we're gonna need everyone's cooperation if we're ever going to find a way back to our worlds. zodiac said they were working on it over a year ago, so i'm not very confident in their abilities
especially when us being here makes them money
no subject
[ There's a slight pause as Claude thinks over what he's about to say next. He doesn't really want to show his hand like this, but it seems important. ]
Now, that said, in the interest of comparing experiences - I've got another question for you. You haven't heard of anyone winding up here by dying at home, instead of just walking through a portal, have you?
no subject
[He's a little surprised at the forwardness, but as it turns out, Amal's the perfect person to ask... or second to the perfect person.]
actually, i have. a very good friend of mine died and woke up here. going back home isn't an option, we're pretty sure... though i don't think he'd want to go back anyway
there's something cruel about denying the dead their rest. but if they aren't ready to rest... they are welcome to mingle with the rest of us inconvenienced living
no subject
[ He's not entirely convinced, but at the same time, what would he do if he could go back to where he came from? His plan, had Edelgard spared him, had been to ride off back to Almyra and make himself scarce until another opportunity to seize at his dreams arose. But could miraculously returning from the dead be an opportunity in and of itself? Spun the right way, it could get the people of Fodlan to rally behind him in a way they'd never done before.
But... a part of him feels tired just thinking about it. Thinks about how little he could manage even with the whole of the Alliance and all his friends at his back. He'd well and truly squandered their help, and with them gone, what right did he have to try again?
It's... something to think about. ]
Anyway, we'll just have to keep working at it, I guess! I'm sure if we pool our resources and knowledge, someone can figure something out, with Zodiac's help or without.