2nd Lost Adventure [Video]

[knight_of_heart]

[ Yep, this guy's still around, and this time his transmission is on purpose and coming to you from inside his tent, judging from the slanted green canvas walls around him and the constant drumming of rain upon the cloth. Light from above suggests a lantern hung from the central support rod, and he's sipping from a steaming thermos, looking

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[Audio]

[roadstotheriver]

[Look at Lirael, branching out... but it's Ace. He's a friend. She can leave text behind for once. Besides, she's still a fuzzy-headed from pain-meds and the almost-concussion, and concentrating on typing is more than she wants to deal with. And since it's voice, one can at least kind of tell that she's smiling.]

Hello, Ace. You look like you've been busy.... [In fact, she's reminded of Coyote's little friends, and wonders briefly whatever happened to those animals and the karakasa keeping them dry.

But not for long. She drifts back to Ace's image on her computer screen, instead.] If you'd like to come someplace dry, there's room at the hospital. If you can find your way here.

[Permavideo]

[knight_of_heart]

[ Since he's just running a constant video feed, it's easy enough to see how his smile lights up at the sound of her voice. ]

Lirael!

[ He leans forward -- the snoozing tanuki in his lap snorts a little at being leaned over, but settles quickly -- and if he's disappointed that there's no picture along with her voice, it's just a flicker before he's back to smiling. ]

Oh it's not so bad out here! I'm up by the cliffs, so there's no flooding, at least! But everybody else sure seemed to have the same idea, too....

[ Which suggests he headed to higher ground on purpose. Which he rather did. Just don't ask how long it took him to actually find said higher ground again. ]

[Audio]

[roadstotheriver]

[Sorry, no video for Ace, which is probably a good thing given how she looks at the moment, but since she can still see him, Lirael can't help but blush a bit at the expression on his face. What a strange thing to look so happy about! But it does kind of make her feel good, that someone's that happy just to hear from her, irrational though it is.]

Oh, that's a good idea. The cliffs are pretty high up, so if they get flooded... well, we'll all be in trouble, I suppose. You'll probably be fine. How have you been? Well? No, um. Not too cold or getting sick from all the wet, I hope?

[She knows what it's like to sleep outside in pouring rain. She'd done that for three days, herself-- without even a tent, just sleeping under a tree in the mud. So he's probably doing just fine, since he's quite healthier and in better shape than she was at the time, but she has to ask. Just to be sure.]

[knight_of_heart]

Aw, are you worried about me? You're so nice! [ Coming from anyone else's mouth, that sort of phrasing might sound facetious or condescending. But Ace? Means it like he says it. He's happy to be worried about. ] I feel the same as I always do! So I'm probably not sick, right?

[roadstotheriver]

[Very thankful that he cann't see her, Lirael blushes and puts her hand to her cheek, as if she needs to hide it. There's no one in her office to see her, though, just Elle, and Elle's asleep. One hand doesn't do much to hide anything, anyway.]

Yes, you're probably just fine. Being sick usually makes you feel-- worse. Tired, with your nose sniffly or your throat scratchy, sometimes too hot or shivery. You might sneeze or cough. But if you feel the same as you always do, you're probably not sick.

[And she's glad. Yup. Not to mention skipping over the part about being worried about him. She wasn't, really, after all. Just... asking. It's her duty as the healer, right?]

[knight_of_heart]

Well then yep, I feel fine, so you don't have to worry! It's just been me and-- whoop!

[ There is a squirrel diving into his pocket. He wrestles it out, laughing, and rescues most of a hardtack biscuit from it. The lucky critter bounds off-screen again with what portion it was able to steal. ]

Haha! Just me and all the other forest creatures, as you can see!

[roadstotheriver]

[Smiling as she watches, her chin resting on her hand, Lirael answers,] At least you aren't lonely, with all of them there. [Because animals are much better company than people, aren't they? She sure thinks so. Animals don't ask anything of you but food and affection, they can't make you feel stupid or like you weren't as good as anyone else.]

[knight_of_heart]

Getting to talk to you is even better company, even over these boxes. [ Said completely blithely and naturally, without a pause to think up the words, nor before he moves on to ask: ] You're doing okay, too?

[roadstotheriver]

[Charter take it, is he trying too embarrass her? It's working. Lirael is blushing again, half-hiding behind her hand, not that he can see her, or anything. She briefly considers telling Ace what happened, about her head, but she doesn't want him to worry....

So:] I'm fine. [Only not really. Her head still throbs in time with her heart, and she gets dizzy easily. Hence the sitting down, and the lack of typing.] Just... staying dry and studying, I suppose. I hope this rain stops soon, I'm getting very tired of either being drenched, or stuck in the hospital.

[knight_of_heart]

It makes it hard to explore, too! And I have completely no idea how to keep track of your time changes any more with the sky all covered, haha! But it's sure been going on a long time, hasn't it? I don't think we ever saw rain like this back home.

[roadstotheriver]

I don't think it ever rained like this where I come from, either. Not anywhere I've seen, anyway. But there is still a difference between night and day, even when it's raining and you can't see the sun. During the day, everything looks gray and you can still kind of see. At night, everything looks black and it's much harder to see.

[It's strange to be explaining differences in light to someone... who wouldn't be able to just know these things? What is his world like, that he doesn't know them? She's suddenly curious.]

What's your home like?

[knight_of_heart]

Oh, nothing special. I don't miss it, and I like it here much better. But I do wish I could have brought Julius along with me. He's my best friend. He's probably mad at me for being gone so long.

[roadstotheriver]

He might not even notice. I've heard things about-- when we go back. That we might not even remember here, or no one missed us when we go back. Or both, even. [Lirael isn't sure what the latter suggestion might mean for her, stuck in Death indefinitely, quite possibly stunned and send down the River. She's trying not to think about it.]

[knight_of_heart]

When we go back?

[ Ace is quiet for a much longer moment than he usually falls into when thinking, and his expression subtly darkens. ]

What if we don't want to go back?

[roadstotheriver]

[Lirael blinks at the screen and lifts her head up, confused and a little worried by his expression.] Um. I don't know about if you don't want to-- I mean, there's been people here for months, but also people who've disappeared and gone back.... I don't think we have much say....

[knight_of_heart]

[ His expression remains, well... definitely not his usual. Even though her image isn't onscreen for him to see, Ace had remained looking towards the sound of her voice, at least. Only now does he look off, unsmilingly thoughtful. ]

I don't want to go back.