[Text] (Voice replies are also fine!) (A day or so after Jayce's post)

[constantvrunning]

If you touched anything in the shrines - why?

[Sure, the messages were informative - in terms of explaining how some of the people from this world think, if nothing else - but:]

We've run into how many traps, now? Of course the shrines themselves are rigged.

I do have pictures of the contents of one of them, though. And another of those strange messages, besides.

[They'd have shared with Jayce by this point, but they do want to know if Jayce intends on sharing the results first. In the meantime, V has their own two cents to offer.]

Comments

Re: voice!

[constantvrunning]

It sounds like you have experience, and I'm willing to defer to you that much.

Do you also have a sigil? It seems we all woke up with one, in the garage. Whatever is running this seems perfectly willing to make the first move.

[Which, while it doesn't mean they should just give up and become - what's the word, heralds? V is not certain - does mean they're playing with loaded dice, so to speak. Some options are harder to achieve than others.]

[thetatters]

[ John doesn't want to talk about his experience. There is an awkward pause, then: ]

Yes, I have a sigil. [ Admitted in impatient tones. Whoever stamped this mark upon his face was making a cruel joke: it is a mark John has been trying to avoid for months now. ] Currently I assume it to be a side-effect of whatever summoning brought us here.

[ That's mostly a lie. John thinks he knows who brought him here, and that bastard is powerful enough not to need written magic as a crutch. ]

[constantvrunning]

[Not knowing why John is reluctant, V chalks it up to 'probably similar to why they dislike brands', and figures it's a bad idea to push either way.]

Seeing as we arrived with them, rather than them only appearing afterwards, that's a reasonable assumption.

[But the fact remains that, for all of the Drifters, they simply don't know what they don't know. And that bothers V in its own way.]

They somehow provide information on the monsters we fight. I would like a way to stop that. It doesn't act like a proper database.

[On that particular matter, letting something have access to their mind in that way, without permission... V would 100% agree with John's stated preference.

Just, if it turns out to be feasible.]

[thetatters]

[ John has no idea what 'a proper database' may be, but he can agree with the sentiment. ]

Perhaps that knowledge stems from a connection with the person or entity that drew us here. Such ties may not be easily broken.

[ But he sounds uncertain, thoughtful. He... he truly doesn't know what the cause might be. It's unsettling. ]

[constantvrunning]

Up until this point, the bulk of my experience with mystical beings was on a much smaller scale. And none of them had paid enough attention to me to mark me.

[V hadn't been their problem and - mostly - vice-versa.]

Back where I am from, certain of my teammates were better suited to understanding how to work with them, when the matter came up at all.

[Which wasn't always.]

[thetatters]

Some can withstand the knowledge better than others. As for whether the same holds true here... I suppose we will find out.

[ Said grimly. He's used to gods being fundamentally dangerous to comprehend. ]

[constantvrunning]

It is not as if we have been given a choice in coming here.

[Or in being marked.]

I am in the black Dodge Charger, if there is anything about this you would prefer not to talk on this network for. I'm usually near the front.

[But not the MOST in the front - that honor goes to the motorcycle riders.]

[thetatters]

[ Interesting. John has not been offered such discretion before. He takes it as a gesture of respect, and appreciates it. ]

Thank you. If you ever wish to find me, I am in the... black truck.

[ it's a 1930's Ford pickup ]

And here's a hat to future threads!

[constantvrunning]

Understood.

[... John isn't the ONLY one with a black truck, is he?? V will figure it out.]