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[acrimsongaze]

[the feed begins, showing a woman with red hair, fair skin, teal irises, and scarlet glasses, glaring so intensely at the camera you'd think she was trying to burn it with her eyes. she's absolutely unhappy with the current situation for several reasons, the first being--]

I am sure someone is viewing this, and who ever is should know where the hell I am. If this is supposed to be paradise for the dead, this is the poorest rendition of it I've ever seen. And trust me, I've heard of one with Faygo rivers and trees that grow special stardust. I believe I'd take that over this.

[even after their subtle betrayal, she'd take the damn clowns' idea of heaven, and all the clowns in it. at least then she'd be in her own body, and would understand so much more about it.]

The matter of where can be addressed with ease, as can the matter of why I'm here, how I was brought, and who did so. What I do not understand is the "what" of things. Particularly, what am I? Am I some sort of slug? A strange relative of the cholerbear? Is this what reincarnation really is? If it is, I think I would've been more content as a ghost.

[she gives a thoughtful pause, then softens slightly. her answers would come in due time. they always did. no need to be so upset... her gaze focuses back onto the camera, but this time it is not so harsh.]

If anyone has any information regarding any of my questions, please contact me as soon as possible. I am willing to work with anyone who has an idea of what is happening to me. [her calm facade shifts into something a bit more manic, a grin suddenly splitting her face.] And if anyone has any intelligence on the pirate, Marquise Spinneret Mindfang, please report it to me as well. [for what reasons? none that could be too good. before the feed ends, redglare winks, and offers few parting words:]

A good evening to you. Until we meet again.

[end feed.]

Comments

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[64th]

[ wow and Cashmere thought she was acting crazy. she doesn't fully understand all the questions, but sure, she'll take a stab at being helpful. ]

Aren't you human?

[ what the fuck is a cholerbear? ]

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[acrimsongaze]

[what the fuck is a human.]

Uh, no. No, I am not. I don't even know what that is.

[god, that girl looks... kind of like her? are there MORE of them? more delicate meatbags with multicoloured hair? this place is TERRIBLE...]

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[64th]

[ ... ? ]

You look like a human. What do you think you are? [ she sounds snippy. THIS BETTER NOT BE A RIDDLE. ]

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[acrimsongaze]

[??!?!?!!???!?!]

I look like a human... [she extends her hand and looks at it for a moment. it's. pinkish. it's so weird.] I'm not human. I'm a troll. [that's the most clever joke anyone could make... if they weren't so serious. but she is.]

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[64th]

A troll. [ she repeats it. it's a mostly unfamiliar concept, but the word sticks in her memory from some long ago childhood tale. ]

Are you sure?

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[acrimsongaze]

[try alien race hellbent on conquering the stars.]

Absolutely. I wouldn't lie about what I am when I cannot afford to.

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[64th]

...Okay.

[ fine. be a troll. ]

You're stuck here so you might as well get used to it.

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[acrimsongaze]

[well, wouldn't she like to be.]

I figured as such. Nothing around here budges. Are all the doors and windows this stubborn?

And does this planet have a sun? Or does the atmosphere never let it through?

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[64th]

Yes to the doors and windows - I don't know about the rest. I'm not sure where we are. Earth, probably. If so, then yes.

[youcantransform]

[Well, Cashmere's got that rather odd question covered, so. Harry looks calm and collected on the screen, one side of his face and neck pitted with little shrapnel wounds from an egg-grenade blast.]

A good evening to you as well, madam.

I'm afraid that intelligence on anyone you knew previously may be difficult to come by. Nor is this, strictly, an afterlife.

[acrimsongaze]

[only odd if you were born as a handsome monkey as opposed to a handsome beetle.

redglare notes the wounds on his face and smirks. a fighter, or perhaps a failer. one has to wonder how he got them, but to survive a fight is honourable. surely he'll be proud enough to tell her unprompted if he won. warriors were prone to that.

but she offers him a little nod and listens well.] Difficult to come by? I find it hard to believe that it'll be impossible for me to gather information on one of the most notorious criminals Alternia has ever seen. Not having information about her already seems odd, and having to work a bit to get any is... well, unusual.

[but hold up, who cares about mindfricker when--] This... isn't an afterlife? Then what is it?

[youcantransform]

I'm afraid the jury is out on that, madam. [She's identified on the network, as he is, but he won't use names until invited to. Manners.] A prison, or some form of experimental environment. Some residents have come here from situations which ought to have proven fatal, but are in a minority.

To address your first question, it may be the case that no-one else here has never even heard of Alternia. Many of us have arrived from alternate universes, for lack of a better term.

[It sounds like nonsense even as he's saying it, but he'll defer to majority opinion.]

[acrimsongaze]

Is it? [jury, ha. law humour. it's funny to her, and she likes him for it.] So there are others here who should be dead, similar to myself, but we are all living now, and confined here. [what a shitty second chance at life. but it was a second chance, nonetheless.] Peculiar, but I've certainly heard wilder tales.

[for a moment, she is taken aback by the idea that people may have never heard of her planet-- the empire was making leaps and bounds in technology and advancing in ways that would make them recognisable to aliens, right? maybe not... the idea of alternate universes isn't anything that surprises her, but it will make things a bit more complex.] I'm assuming you've never heard of it. Then... where are you from? What will most of these people have heard of?

[youcantransform]

Earth is the name of the planet, though obviously that's our name. The best-represented landmasses seem to be North America and Britain.

[acrimsongaze]

Earth. How quaint. Your planet is named for dirt. [it's said with a giggle, but not sarcasm. she really does think it's cute.]

Are there people from other regions besides those two? Or should I keep my focus primarily on them?

[youcantransform]

A small handful also seem to be from Japan and others are quite likely from planets I couldn't identify myself.

It's actually quite curious that you speak English having never heard of the planet where the language developed. Although -- would I be right in thinking that your appearance changed when you arrived here?

[acrimsongaze]

Japan. [so many things to learn, and to teach. she wondered if the dirt planet held similarities to her own, to make the process easier.] I hope to meet others whose homes are on other planets. Perhaps they'll have heard of the Alternian Empire.

[the comment about language gets her to laugh. didn't he hear himself?] I could say the same of you, my good man. You seem to be quite fluent in Common Alternian. Your accent is charming, by the way. [he sounded like a highblood. stuffy, but on accident.] My appearance did change, actually. I'm very pink now, which is. Terrifying. I should be grey. [and actually intimidating instead of looking like a ginger cutie.]

[magicsprice]

[Well, this is the what, third? one he knows of who's died prior to arrival here. He has to wonder just why this place is capable of grabbing the dead and bringing them here. Better yet, why is it doing that?

He has no idea really what she's going on about, but since certain questions have already been taken care of, he'll turn his attention to the thing that he's not seen discussed yet. Namely the desire to learn if a certain pirate is in the hotel. He doesn't know who this Marquise is, but if they're anything similar to Hook, he doesn't want to know them.]

There's only one pirate here, dear. He goes by Captain Hook, otherwise known as Killian Jones.

[acrimsongaze]

[no one wants to know the marquise.

but being in the hotel is truly a dead end, for her, and for any leads on mindfang's whereabouts. she can't help but frown at the mention of another pirate, though-- one pirate is one too many.]

This is disappointing on many fronts. No information, but a new problem. [the frowning intensifies, and she rolls her eyes. pirates.] I'm assuming he's not particularly well behaved.

[magicsprice]

Given his history, I'm afraid not. We've had our disagreements in the past, starting with him stealing away my first wife, or rather enabling her to abandon me and our son. When events resulted in my killing my wife turned pirate in front of him, he swore a vendetta on me. Since then he's tried [and failed, though that second time did damn near succeed.] to kill me twice.

As for his exploits here, he's merely tried to turn everyone against me here by bringing up my less than stellar past and casting me in a rather negative light. I have little doubt that given time, he may attempt for assassination three once he realizes he stands more of a chance succeeding at it here.

[acrimsongaze]

[the more she hears about this pirate, the more she dislikes him. the man she's speaking to doesn't seem like the most trustworthy, but certainly more than whatever filth the hotel dragged in. she'd rather trust the devil than a dirty criminal.]

Charming. I'm sure he's squeaky clean, without a spot to his name. Disgusting... [the disdain pours from her voice, but there's only so much to be said about this captain hook.] I'm very sorry you've had to deal with him. If you need any assistance handling him, know I am more than happy to help.

[magicsprice]

[The disdain is quite obvious and he's momentary amused to think that he may have just met someone who might dislike pirates more than he does.]

Thank you. I'll keep the offer in mind.

[And now to change the topic, because having one about the pirate wasn't something he wanted to discuss at length.]

It's interesting to note that this place is capable of dragging those who died into it's halls. May I ask how your transition from death to waking here was?

[He was mostly asking for comparison reasons. After all, he's been trying to figure out if whatever brought him here after his suicide yanked him here en route to the vault or from the vault itself. Either way, he still looked as he had prior to his death, even if he currently lacked his dagger.]

[acrimsongaze]

[she's a special girl whose grudge will last so long it'll rear its head generations later. they'll certainly have to compare notes better.

but she just nods in response, and while the idea of a topic change is welcome, the topic of her death isn't. death is great to discuss, of course-- honouring the brave and mocking the cowardly can be done so well with words, but it's strange to discuss her ends. for a moment, she doesn't say anything, sitting still as stone, but then the hint of a wicked grin reaches her lips.]

You may, but I may not answer honestly.

[of course, that's a joke, and when she starts to think about exactly what happened, the smile falls, a sure sign of her truthfulness.] I'll spare you the full story. I was hanged on a rope I had prepared for someone else. I fell through the trapdoor, and kept falling, it seems, to this hotel. I'm not sure how it's possible, considering the circumstances. There was nothing in place to rescue her... So there would've been nothing to rescue me.

[magicsprice]

[The first line actually amuses him. Which shows both in his eyes and the small amused smirk on his lips. After she explained, his expression sobers some, amusement giving way to consideration and curiosity.]

Interesting. I didn't fall to my demise, my own death was self-inflicted, done to save my family. Yet after it occurred, I found myself falling into a room here and was made aware that somehow I had escaped death.

[acrimsongaze]

[she is certainly sympathetic for this kindred spirit-- it seems he died well before his time, and for a noble cause. that idea, though, sparks an idea, and it shows on her face. but she quickly reigns in such an expression, and looks to rumplestiltskin intently.]

How odd that this hotel pulled us both from our last moments. Still... perhaps it chooses to save the heroic. Those who have died for a worthy cause. [his being for his family, hers being... well, she would've ended mindfang's reign of terror if she'd succeeded. saving a planet seemed pretty damn heroic.] They do call themselves Generous, don't they? [it's said with a bit of a smirk. what a joke this was turning out to be.]