[Visual] movin' up, movin' on [location: hyperion hotel]

[imperial_long]

For a moment the transmission shows a room in the clutter of moving, boxes packed and half-packed, bookshelves emptied and looking sad and forlorn. Then Long manages to get the camera pointed accurately, and offers Taxon a smile and a dip of his head. He's holding a notebook with pages of writing, passages scribbled out, corrected, a few crumpled-

Comments

[location: wherever the heck he is]

[slayersidekick]

Because Willow is actually really not in the mood to deal with formalities right now - she really should get over that. one of these days it'll make her life difficult - she looks up his location on the tablet map and heads straight over.

"Uh... It's me, Willow?" She's about to actually be all formal in talking to him, but then something occurs to her. "I-I don't think we ever really addressed how you want me to uh... address you."

She really doesn't care one way or another. She just wants to know so she doesn't insult him further. But she's standing outside for now and will wait for him to give her instructions.

[location: hyperion hotel, my bad]

[imperial_long]

Long hurries to the door at the voice, and opens it, blinking a moment at Willow before stepping back to allow her to enter. The once-nice hotel room beyond is full of boxes in various states of packing, and stacks of books still covering the flat surfaces.

He looks bemused at the question, and shrugs one shoulder. "I don't really have a preference. Long, Mr. Long, Mayland... whatever you are most comfortable with. Erm, hello. Please come in."

Long hesitates, shutting the door after her, his brows knit as he ponders her question. "....would you prefer I not called you Miss Rosenberg?" he asks after a moment. "I'm aware I'm... very old-fashioned, but if-- well, whatever you are comfortable with.

"...Do you want a cup of tea?" he asks, in a somewhat blatant attempt to try and rescue the situation with his own brand of manners.

[location: hyperion hotel, ♥]

[slayersidekick]

Willow at least has the grace to look apologetic as she steps inside. "Sorry. I just thought it might be easier for me to come straight over instead of waste time on the tablets." What, it makes sense to her!

The name thing gets a thoughtful look as he shuts the door. "It doesn't matter. Most people call me Willow, but you're kinda like the teachers at school, so my last name's fine." It's a power trip; she gets it. "Besides, if I use 'Mr. Long,' it'll be all nice and formal." She smiles warmly at this, so obviously formality is a good thing.

"Oh, sure. Tea would be lovely." She at least knows how to appreciate that. "Just... tell me what you need me to do and I'll do it."

[location: hyperion hotel, ♥] slowest tags evar

[imperial_long]

This had seemed a splendid idea when he was proposing it, Long muses as he crosses the carpet back to the little table with its jade teapot and hot plate and starts pouring a cup of tea. A lesson learned, all nicely fitting, that magic should not be used as a shortcut for things, and so forth. Very much the sort of task he had been given as a younger.... well, being

[Audio]

[icanhaslogic]

I must agree with both your translation and the analysis of it. There is, fortunately or unfortunately, little else that it could mean. As it is, if there are indeed other beings who have escaped the city, that information is, perhaps, the most vital that we have received within the limits of Taxon.

[Audio]

[imperial_long]

"Personally I find it incredibly encouraging," Long responded, content to stick with voice-only if the man addressing him was. "That, and the iteration that they are not deities-- our captors, that is. While even gods may be defeated, it is certainly easier if omnipotence is not on the table."

[Audio]

[icanhaslogic]

There were, of course, certain reasons why Spock had chosen to continue with voice-only responses, even if the Temporal Prime Directive was anything but enforced. Habit, maybe, out of keeping those who couldn't accept something other than their own species might have sentience. That tended to break down when coupled with the fact that aliens were entirely responsible for their predicament in the first place, but there was no telling who believed what.

"I had never entertained the idea that they were deities in any sense excepting, perhaps, their seemingly limitless power. They are, in all likelihood, highly advanced beings with knowledge that has not yet been discovered by others."

[Audio]

[imperial_long]

There was a soft chuckle in answer, and then Long said, "Would you by any chance happen to know one Lieutenant Torres, sir? I think the both of are reading from the same playbook, as it were."

[visual]

[rereremembered]

Manual labor? No, just no. Language mysteries? That Fitz could work with.

"My Chinese is rusty but...yeah, that's about what I got," he replied. "It's certainly encouraging, isn't it?"

[visual]

[imperial_long]

Long nodded politely back to the young man on the other side of the screen.

"It is-- although I confess that having read 1984 I can't help but suspect something delightfully Emmanuel Goldstein about it all, intrigue upon intrigue...." Long chuckles a little to himself, and shrugs.

"But I don't really think that. I think the transmissions are genuine. Have we met, young man?"

[visual]

[garg_elisa]

What little background could be seen on Elisa's tablet broadcast seemed to be moving, the armatures of her wings adjusting slightly as she glided across the sky.

"I was just on my way, actually," she said.

"But escapees? I suppose that's encouraging."

[visual]

[imperial_long]

"Ah, splendid-- I look forward to seeing you," Long said with a smile and a nod at Elisa. He attempted not to stare, but it was fascinating being able to see the wings in motion-- and if he was honest, there was a slight pang of jealousy there. He missed the sky.

"Yes, I think it is-- they seem sympathetic to our situation, and that is certainly more than can be said of our captors, after all."

Re: [visual]

[garg_elisa]

"Probably about five minutes out. Ten at the outside. Depends on if I get a good updraft or have to climb."

"Question is then... why not in English? And if they're speaking from a dictionary, what language were they translating from?"

[visual]

[imperial_long]

"There is no rush," Long answered, although there was definitely a quiet wistful sigh at the talk of updrafts.

"I don't know, but it's very interesting to ponder, no? Perhaps they don't originally speak any tongue native to Earth, and are simply translating through as many as they can find, hoping to get through eventually."