003. coming back to life [audio]

[jurisfictional]

This...coma thing, is it? Barge coma. Is that what you call it?

I take it it's a fairly regular thing?

[OOC: And we're back! Sorry about the hiatus--hopefully I'll be able to stay active now that classes are over!]

Comments

it's a fforde lovefest. :D

[needshumility]

More regular than I'd like.

Would you fill in my questionnaire? I'm trying to work them out.

\o/!

[jurisfictional]

I don't like going from first day on the job to completely unconscious in seconds. I'd ask how long I was out, but we don't appear to have met before.

Certainly, if you'll share what information you do have.

Re: \o/!

[needshumility]

No, we don't. I'm quite new, though. I'm Eddie Russett, a warden here, and you are?

I'll certainly be sharing my findings, and any ideas I have once I've sorted through the information I've got.

[And he'll leave her a Questionnaire. Mm, paperwork.]

Re: \o/!

[jurisfictional]

Thursday Next, also a warden. I'm quite new as well, I suppose--unless you count spending possibly months out cold as experience.

Thanks for your help. I'll get started on the questionnaire.

[Thursday haet paperwork, but she'll make an exception just this once, because she haet randomly blacking out even more.]

Re: \o/!

[needshumility]

Thank you very much. It's most appreciated.

Months out cold means you're now very experienced in sleep, I imagine. But that's not very useful.

Re: \o/!

[jurisfictional]

Indeed it isn't.

Well, I had better start getting to know the new faces around here. Where are you from, Eddie?

Re: \o/!

[needshumility]

[pause]

East Carmine. Yourself?

[jurisfictional]

Swindon originally. I've never heard of East Carmine. Where is it?

[needshumility]

I've never heard of Swindon, where's that?

East Carmine's in the Outer Fringes of the Red Sector. As you can probably tell from the name.

[jurisfictional]

England. Earth, really. Northern part of the planet, I suppose, since it sounds as if we're from different timestreams entirely.

Are all places named after colours where you're from?

[needshumility]

Well, we're in the northern part of the planet. If the Parker Brothers' map is right.

Everything is, to be honest. I'm a Red, hence my last name - Jane, who you might meet here, is a Green - her name is Brunswick.

[jurisfictional]

Oh, have you got a map with you, then?

Reds are...races then? Or nationalities?

[needshumility]

[this reply comes a good quarter of an hour later. Dictionary time.]

Oh, no, no... they're very rare.

Neither, really. More of a social status and position, I suppose. It's hard to explain to the Previous.

[jurisfictional]

Try me. There's not a lot I haven't seen. Or read about, at least.

[needshumility]

Reading about it isn't quite the same as seeing it.

Our society is, well, a chromoctracy. We don't see in full colour like the Previous do - and your social position and the amount of power you have is based on what colour you see, and how high your perception is. I'm a Red because I see Red. I'm a Prefect because I can see 86% Red.

People who can't see over 10% of any colour are Achromatic. They're Greys and... they generally do most of the labour.

We also have a collection of Rules which we have to live by, and will be demerited if we break them, and given merits for acting for the good of the Collective. National Colour produce artificial colours - called Univisual - which anyone can see. Your town can collect merits together to pay to be put on the grid.

That's everything I can explain right now. [And everything he wants to. Luckily, he's had practice at this by now.]

[jurisfictional]

The more things change...

You wouldn't happen to have met a fellow by the name of O'Brien here, would you?