(Untitled)

[specifythepoint]

[There's the sound of a piece of plastic landing on a piece of wood, once, twice, three times. Anyone familiar with it might recognize it as the sound of a die landing, with a distinct clatter every time it reaches the final side. Then the noise stops and there's a slight exhale of breath]I suppose answers are too much to hope for, even if I did

Comments

voice

[tothecloud]

Sorry, mister, but the only way to go home is when the machine decides to send you back.

voice

[specifythepoint]

[Meaning the dreamer, or the PASIV? As far as limbos go, this is downright self-aware.

No, wait, she means the other machine]

And let me guess, no one knows when that will happen.

voice

[tothecloud]

Nuh-uh. It just-- happens when it happens. [ a beat. ] You don't have to be a hero though, if you don't want. Or a bad guy. Not everybody is.

: voice

[specifythepoint]

Are you?

voice

[tothecloud]

Sometimes.

[ another little pause. then, as if this explains it: ]

I-I'm a real good shot.

voice

[specifythepoint]

[Consideration]

So am I.

voice

[tothecloud]

[ she perks up the way most teenage girls would if you talked about pop stars or shopping sprees. ]

Really? Are you a sniper? Or uh, do you like handguns better? Do you have to shoot people and stuff a lot, or do you do it for fun? How many times out of ten do you think you could hit a target? Like, eight maybe? Nine?

voice

[specifythepoint]

[A snort, because this is kind of funny. Usually teenage girls comment on his clothes, not his gun selection]

I've been a sniper, but I'm pretty decent with any kind of gun. With the right prep, I can hit a target nine times out of ten.

voice

[tothecloud]

So, you are pretty good. I'm a sniper, too. I've got military training and everything.

I'll totally show you were all the good shooting ranges around here are-- I mean, y'know, as long as you aren't some kinda freaky supervillain in disguise or something.

voice

[specifythepoint]

You're military?

voice

[tothecloud]

Er-- well. Not exactly. It's a long story.

[ a little fidgety pause. ]

Um, where I come from-- some people have superpowers, and... People were afraid of us. So, the government made us all register and do this military training program, or else they said they were gonna take our powers away.

I didn't want them to take my powers.

voice

[specifythepoint]

[Ariadne if this is some kind of self-projection, Arthur will spit. But Ariadne doesn't know the first thing about sniping]

So they trained you to shoot, and you like it.

voice

[tothecloud]

I... Like being good at something, I guess.

voice

[specifythepoint]

How often do you hit?

voice

[tothecloud]

[ a hesitation. ]

On a good day? I don't miss.

voice

[specifythepoint]

[A moment of consideration. Good snipers are hard to find, but Arthur's not really in that line of work anymore. Any way you look at it, though, those are good skills. Arthur isn't sure what this place is yet, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious]

What's your name?