Video 001 | Rosa Martelli

[investigations]

[[The video comes on, briefly revealing a pale, worried-looking woman. Her hair is tangled and there is a smear of blood on one cheek. She doesn't seem to realize the communicator is also a camera; the view swings wildly as she moves her arm to brush her hair out of her face.]]

Mina? Brie? Veronica?

[[She sounds slightly panicky. She turns in a circle; anyone prone to motion sickness is probably feeling pretty queasy as the camera spins with her.

She takes an audible breath. The camera is now relatively still; it gives a good (if sideways) view of a darkened window. A singed-looking moth flutters weakly across the screen.]]

My name is Rosa Martelli. [[Her voice is strong and nearly firm; it trembles just a bit at the end. She seems to be addressing the air around her; she also doesn't seem to realize the thing on her wrist is a communicator at all.]] I... is this Arcadia? Are there any other survivors of Chicago?

Comments

[andifeelfine]

[ Brightly: ] Well, I'm not really sure where Arcadia is in relation to here, but it certainly doesn't look like SoCal at all here. I'm guessing this might be more like the east coast based on the geography? Although the last time I was there was over a decade ago, anyway, so, like, who knows what it looks like now?

So what happened in Chicago, anyway? I'm Linnaea, by the way.

[investigations]

[The camera jerks as Rosa jumps in surprise.]

S... SoCal? [The voice is coming from the thing on her wrist. Rosa's face comes into view as she squints at the communicator.]

We're in America, then? Not Arcadia? And you're not a fae. [The relief in her voice is obvious.]

[andifeelfine]

Well, really I have no idea where we are! I guess we could be in Canada, or something, but someone has at least tried to make it look kinda familiar. If circa, like, fifty years ago or something. And, no, not a fairy, at least last I checked! Are there a lot of fairies in Chicago?

[investigations]

Oh, good. There were only four, I think, but four fae are five too many.

[She takes a quick look around. Some of the things in the room look almost like the equipment Dr. Brown was slinging around.] I'm sorry, but you said this place looks fifty years old?

[andifeelfine]

I wouldn't know! I've never met any fairies. I did meet a woman once who said she'd had experience with them, but she didn't seem to want to talk much about it.

I think it's about fifty or sixty years old, anyway! Maybe give or take ten years. I mean, it's not like I ever experienced the fifties! Or sixties. Or whenever.

[VOICE]

[primogen_vampirate]

[Despite the less than kind words, it's quite obvious from Mina's tone that she's incredibly pleased by this little turn of events.]

Rosa, where the bloody hell are you?

Re: [VOICE]

[investigations]

Mina! Oh, thank god you're here! I'm... I honestly don't know. One minute we're in Waukegan, then there was a light, and now... [She waves her arm at the wall; the camera spins dizzyingly] ...well, now I'm here.

[VOICE]

[primogen_vampirate]

Anna, Jones, and I have been here nearly a month. No explanation.

[She pauses, glancing down at Rosa's other conversation.]

Tell Pendragon that you're my friend and he should leave you be.

[horrible, motion sickness-inducing video]

[investigations]

So, were we or weren't we stolen by fairies? Have the Queen or the Baron showed up?

[The camera swings again, this time on a close-up of Rosa's mouth -- she's holding it maybe six inches away from her face and is talking pretty much directly into the camera. She winces.]

I really shouldn't have snapped at him.

[primogen_vampirate]

I'll deal with it, darling.

And no. No sign of the Baron or the Queen.

[hung_garian]

'Survivors'? C'mon, Chicago wasn't that bad. 'All That Jazz' and 'Razzle Dazzle' are great numbers.

[investigations]

What? I... no, I mean the city, not Miss Watkins' play.

I apologize, I was a little confused. [And still a vampire, and therefore still responsible for upholding the Masquerade, especially since they seem to be in North America. Bringing up the fae is probably a bad idea.]

I thought I had been kidnapped by... other people, and taken somewhere else. I'm a little surprised to be here. [She still hasn't figured out the camera. She waves her arm, and the view of the room spins.]

[hung_garian]

Surprised to be here? Wow! What a shocking twist in this tale. None of us were expecting to be pulled out of our lives and dumped in this place, sugar, 'surprised' goes without saying. I take it someone caught you up on our situation?

[investigations]

Excuse me? No, nobody has caught me up on our situation, I have no idea where I am or where my friends are, and as far as I know, I'm about to be turned into a sad little meatpuppet for the Fae queen, [her voice is rising in volume] so there's really no call to be rude!

[There's a very faint popping sound. A second later, an enormous Luna moth flutters by.]

[hung_garian]

Honey, there's always call for being rude. As for where you are, it's called Cape Kore, no one knows where it is buuuuut it does seem not to have any Fae. At least, if you're going by the definition I think you are.

[wandandsickle]

Goodness, is that you, Ms. Martelli? I see Mina's already found you and explained a bit; I imagine she's already told you you're the fourth of our lot to turn up here. Are you all right?

[investigations]

Jones! [This is mostly a good thing!] I'm... well, I'm a little shaken, but I'm fine. I thought we were going to Arcadia, not here.

[wandandsickle]

It seems we've taken a bit of a wrong turn. I'm still not entirely sure if that's for better or for worse.

[investigations]

Why, is there anything as unpleasant as the Baron here? [She sounds genuinely distressed.]

[wandandsickle]

No, not at all—that I've met, in any case. Largely, what troubles me is that we have very little idea of what's going on here. Whosoever is in charge of this place has yet to make him- or herself known, and their purposes are so far equally obscure. One begins to miss the devil one knows.

[ Video ]

[goodluckkobra]

Rosie, you're not in Kansas anymore. Or Chicago. Whatever. What the fuck is Arcadia, though? Might be there.

I'm Kobra, by the way. Kobra Kid. 'M kinda in charge around here.

[investigations]

Arcadia is...

[There's a short pause. "A supernatural land where supremely powerful not-people with absolutely no moral compunctions about anything capture people and vampires for god knows what reason?"]

...difficult to explain. This probably isn't Arcadia, though.

You're in charge? Is there a government or ruling body in place? Do I need to declare myself or be recognized?

[goodluckkobra]

Uh, I mean I'm The Barron. There's this guy with pink hair, Party. He's my jester and Kenzi is my second in command.

There're rebels, 'course, but they're bad news. They're lead by someone called Sharon Carter. She's not like Sarah Connor, despite the name similarities. Way lamer. Don't trust her. She's bad news.

[investigations]

[There is a long pause. When Rosa speaks again, her voice is notably colder.]

I will take that information under advisement, Baron.

[goodluckkobra]

[ Lucky for only him, Kobra is well-practiced in not picking up on shit, so he'll just keep on keeping on right up in here. ]

Oh and if you're lookin' for a good time, my door is always open for a pretty lady, if you know what I mean. [ And, yes, he isn't locking this message, because he's not in a relationship. He doesn't do those. And if certain red-heads happen to see him publicly hitting on other people, well that's just fine, because he doesn't owe her anything, especially not if she's all goo-goo eyed over someone else. He clears his throat, adding helpfully ] But don't sleep with the tatted dude, Ghoul. He has the herp.