transmit | inbox / purgastory.

Sometimes, an apple doesn't always sound a-peel-ing.

[ Sticks tongue out briefly with their casual shrug. The amusement is clear to see, which is exactly why their lips remain curled up in reflected amusement. Though the inquiry comes and their head tilts. Curious. ]

..Not really. [ (Despite having.. time now, you're actually not doing much with it.) ] Test.. with the mirror?

That's the core issue! You gotta force yourself to eat and do things to stay healthy. I bet you didn't seed that coming.

[ help

They can move on… ]

Anyway, my real line of work has to do with something similar to these things, which is why I'm annoyed I didn't notice what they were earlier. What's their range? Are they affected by interference? If someone's tapping in, can we tell? Hi, by the way, if you're out there! These things are important to figure out to establish their reliability and use cases.

[ HELP

The puns unfortunately get to them. Their eye crinkling with mirth, laughing at the jokes that are so terrible but that's what makes them good!! It helps loosen some of the tension in their shoulders too. Weak to terrible puns. The temptation is there to keep the puns going but Elysium moves on so Siffrin lets it go. ]

..I can't say I'm familiar with something like this. [ Siffrin listens along to the ramble, the spur of conversation patiently and without need to interrupt, but by the end of it they do put that out.

(..Wait, could someone else really be listening along..?)

(Still, you could try to help. Be at least somewhat useful.) A pause. ] Well, there was a craft I could use with someone where I could hear their voice long distance. But it wouldn't work when I went too far and high up.

[ Being stupid is how you ignore your real problems like being stuck in "purgatory" and the fact that there seem to be so many things trying to kill them if they aren't already dead. And all the teenagers. There are too many teenagers. It's fine, he's fine. They focus on what they can do.

Sorry. Siffrin's just been dragged into his hyperspecialisation and now they're going to have to go through it with him. Congrats on employment! (Without pay… the most hellish of scenarios.) ]

Usually there's gotta be some kind of infrastructure in place for communications like this to work. I say usually, since… I have something that can get around it too, with the same stipulations as yours. But I haven't really seen any of that here. Better to figure out the exact parameters now rather than be caught off guard later, yeah?

I joked about a physical, but I did want to see if it'd work from one boundary to another on the opposite side.

[ Being stupid and bottling up your feelings. True and totally smart examples to avoiding facing the reality of your problems. Even if the amount of teenagers is alarming. Who did this.

But wow, employment without pay... it's what he always wanted. Not really but also Siffrin seems okay to go along with it because look, he's being useful SOMEWAY. Right? ...Right..?? There's natural silence from them, however they do nod now and then. If to show they're still listening to the man. ]

Mm, makes sense. [ What if something comes up and only then they realize their only means of communication doesn't work? As new and different as this is, and chances are they're bound to forget it exists - it's worth checking out. Given they seem to be standing up, heading for the door - ] Okay.

Which direction are you heading in? I'll go the other way. If the line cuts short, I'll come to where you are. Can't discount the possibility of other variables interfering with the experiment…

[ Hmm. Suddenly rocked with worry that something could happen. Thinks about his maze run… ]

If you notice anything weird at all, abort.

Hmm.. I was thinking towards the lake?

[ It at least seems distantly far out. Though, there's also a chance he just ends up stopping at the shore but... maybe they could test some swimming too? A pause at that last comment. ]

I'll be fine. I'm quick on my feet so, if needed I can put distance.

[ swimming in this environment is WILD. siffrin… you could get eaten… you are just a lil guy. ]

Make it a promise?

[ He holds a pinky out to the mirror. ]

I can head south.

[ It's fine, it's fine. Something something grew up on island. What's a lil swim? ]

..I'll do one better. [ It takes a moment to register, the familiarity of it making them smile, holding up their own pinky. ] I super duper promise.

[ A nod. South.. so they should aim more north then. ]

Super duper…

[ There's a short snort of laughter, and he instinctively hooks his pinky to seal the deal with a little shake. Conversation always has made things less mundane; having someone else's voice fills the space beside you, even if they aren't physically there. ]

You'll have to enlighten me on the difference. What happens if you break it?

[ maybe ask that before you shake on it. too late! ]

Just means I'll try super duper hard not to break it.

[ Pinky shake to the mirror. Which feels SO silly. But.. even something like this is better than being left alone with their thoughts. Giving them something to focus on. ]

I think when Bonnie would have me make a super duper promise, they'd say they would punch me if I broke it. Which.. I guess makes sense with a preteen.

Oh, like reinforcing it with an extra little oomph. Okay.

[ Continues to play along. Things can always get sillier. ]

I don't know about punching you, but here's to hoping I won't have to come up with an alternative. Are you a lot older than your Bonnie friend?

Yeah.

[ Basically. It's how they understood it anyway. ..Wait. A squint. ]

..Yes? Considering Bonnie is a preteen and I'm an adult.

[ Are you calling them a child. ]

[ HELP

The squint makes him look away. This will get worse if they meet each other in person, probably. Dwarves exist… it's fine… ]

Woah, is that a bird…? First time I've seen one of those here! Or——maybe not? What a trick of the leaves!

[ COUGHS!!! ]

Anything interesting on your end?

[ Listen, they wear heeled boots... it's notably taller than a preteen height. /copium

Continues to stare hard at the mirror... ]

..Nothing that I can see.

[ From what they can see, peering around. The lake looks.. so far normal? No trick of the leaves here. Maybe. ]

There's fish here.

[ The way he can't even gauge height over the mirror so the judgement had been made purely based on vibes. It's the nyaa… and the fluffy hair… i'm in fuckin tears

But he pointedly ignores the sharp, needling feeling coming from the mirror. Another trick of the environment, surely… he whistles… until he's brought back to attention by Siffrin's commentary. ]

Fish? Really? How do they look? Normal? —Seems like our line's still stable, too.

[ FROWS UP the size difference continues to be insane.

A gloved hand raises up to tilt their hat a little, adjusting the mirror in their other hand as they crouch by the water, hmm.. ]

All the same Shade. Dark, almost lightless... all in various sizes. [ Blinking a few and.. ah. Right. The "connection." Peers back at the mirror. ] Sounds and looks clear still.

[ Shades, huh? Black and white fish…? Not the strangest colouration, but not exactly the most common. 'Lightless' is an odd way of describing it, but he'll attribute that to regional differences more than anything else. He nods, thoughtful. ]

Here I thought we'd be the only signs of life… [ He mumbles, then returns to his regular volume. ] I was hoping it'd be a more unreliable so we could just write it off, but I guess there's nothing wrong with keeping it around for casual conversation.

[ What's a little spying? Especially when whatever dragged them here already seems to know everything it needs to about them. ]

The real trial would be during an actual incident, but that's not exactly a situation I'm eager to test. Oh well, go figure. Being indoors in any capacity doesn't seem to interfere with it, either, by the by. I appreciate the cooperation.

[ In reality, these are just ruby-colored fish but as far as Siffrin can tell, they're just very dark-shaded. Which isn't a surprising Shade to them. It's pretty normal, as far as they can tell. Even though there are various sizes. Is that weird..? ]

—What if the connection is over? Is it still possible for someone else to eavesdrop? [ Elysium at least seems to have a better understanding of something like this so. It's worth to ask. ] I guess, we could leave it behind in our rooms if worried..

[ Of course, that means remembering to leave it behind instead of hoarding it with the rest of their things in their pockets. Glancing back at the appreciation, they tuck their hat a little down. Shy.. ]

..It's no problem. [ (...) ] Was there anything else to test?

I doubt this place operates on conventional logic and standard technology, is the thing… [ He trails off, running a hand through his bangs and letting himself look mildly uncomfortable. So it's a 'yes, but…' situation. ] I don't know about you, but I've already been in enough situations where someone clearly wanted to hear certain things from me. I'm sure they would've gotten that, with or without the compact on my person.

[ He lets out a light sigh, sliding the same hand to rub the back of his neck. Then, as if to move the conversation along, he smiles and straightens his posture. ]

But not particularly. How about I show my gratitude to my helper in person now?

[ As he talks, Siffrin watches him closely, taking note of that expression as they listen. Considering his words. To have someone trying to undercover things from another. Gathering information without your knowing. ..No, Siffrin does not think he's been in situations like that.

(It would be more accurate to say you're the one who wants to hear certain things. Chasing after the script.) ]

... [ Their silence continues, brows pinched a little, until his expression lightens in response to that sigh before to something curious. Show gratitude? It wasn't as if they did much... ] If you want. I figured I'd stay at the lake for a bit.

[ With the boring part of the conversation finally behind them, and tension still clinging to their demeanours, it feels like the perfect moment to loosen up. He gives the mirror a playful tap tap tap, followed by an exaggerated wave, as if really trying to get their attention. stupid. ]

Give me ten minutes and I'll swing around.

[ is siffrin going to say goodbye to the compact? elysium certainly isn't going to know how to. my third curse this week, yippee. tears up. ]

[ Blinks a bit at the sudden tap tap. Hey, he was still listening! ..Even if zoning out. Nods a bit more.. alright, sure. ]

Okay.

[ ELYSIUM, YOUR CURSES. IM IN TEARS and no Siffrin is stupid and wouldn't know to say goodbye to it. He's just going to awkwardly wave at the compact and probably tuck the compact away. idiods ]

[ THEIR CURSES NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are looking at the eepiest peanut to ever eepy. It could've been so much worse.

He shows up and starts to feel… oddly tired. He'd been planning a peekaboo guess who kind of scenario, but instead, he just collapses onto Siffrin and tries to nuzzle into their arm. Okay. This is the closest he's going to get to a blanket. ]

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