video| 001

[magnets]

Aw, come on. Come on.

[ Outside the fountain, there's a guy wrestling with the communicator on his wrist, pressing buttons until something happens. ] You got a bug on this, huh? This a phone? Are ya listenin'? What the hell is this? [ He pauses a beat to wet his lips, leaning back from the camera. ] Huh?

[ There's a plethora of emotions crossing Jesse's face, one after the other, but then again he's pretty sure that he's alone enough for no one to see it - anger, frustration, some worry knitting at his eyebrows. ] Hey, I'm talkin' to you. I thought I did good. Right?

[ And he groans in frustration, the camera going haywire as he swipes his hands up and over his head, fingers itching into his hair. ] I thought I did good.

Comments

[audio]

[facilitated]

[ There's a voice, and it's coming from her wrist. Coming from a device on her wrist, but her wrist nonetheless. A video attached too, but she hasn't paid much attention to that yet. She can't even to pretend that what is being said now makes any more sense than the robotic voice that she first heard, but this one at least sounds human. ]

Hey uh, guy?

[ Good start there. She pauses a beat, but continues on anyway. ] You know what the hell is going on here?

[video]

[magnets]

[ Seeing as Jesse can't figure out how to switch around functions on this blasted little thing yet, he's gonna keep right where he is. That is, extravagantly confused and more than a little snippy about it. ]

Yeah, uh, I think I took a wrong turn somewhere past Satan's Asshole and ended up in Pleasantville. What the hell is this?

[audio]

[facilitated]

[ She on the other hand, hasn't figured out how to switch on video. Aren't they great? ] Your guess is as good as mine right now, alright?

[ Waking up in some strange town was not really on her list of priorities, especially not when it came with cameras, wrist devices and eerie robotic voices. ]

Honestly, if it weren't for these things [ It comes with a motion to the communicator - she doesn't know he can't see her. ] I'd say this was some kind of Back to the Future crap.

[video]

[magnets]

[ Together they are the tech twins, completely ready to fight crime together. ]

Look, lady -

[ One of Jesse's hands scrubs over his head again, a long sigh escaping his teeth as he rolls his eyes back over to the communicator. ] Real cool atmosphere and effort and all, but cut whatever crap they told you you oughta be doin'? Because I'm not buyin'.

[audio]

[facilitated]

[ No camera will stand a chance. ]

Lady? Wow, dude, wouldn't kill you to ask for a name. [ Which is obviously the biggest issue at hand here, and she's definitely not picking a thing to latch onto so she doesn't have to deal with the panic. Names are important, you know. ]

I've been told exactly the same as you, I'm willing to bet. Creepy robot voice? 'We cannot guarantee your safety'?

[video]

[magnets]

Uhm, you are a lady, and it's not like I heard you asking for one either. [ He gives an overzealous shrug of 'so what?' ]

[ 'Course, all that's ringing true to him so far too, and he actually hesitates a half a second, not sure what to buy and what not to right now. ] So what you're sayin' is- you just showed up here too.

[audio]

[facilitated]

Well it's Laura since you didn't ask so nicely. [ It's important. So important that it hasn't occurred to her yet that maybe blabbing her name around isn't a great idea, just in case. After all, anyone could be listening, right?

She hasn't had to deal with other people in a while, she's still rusty. ]

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. This thing on my wrist, nothing but the clothes on my back. Sound familiar?

[video]

[magnets]

And it's Jesse since you didn't exactly ask at all. [ He, on the other hand, doesn't really feel much to hide right now. If they've got him, they probably already know what his name is, right? ]

[ Of course, there's no excuse for his own rudeness. He's just a little shit. ]

So how's that work out? The hell do you'n me have in common that they're takin' us, again?

[audio]

[facilitated]

Sorry I got distracted by how rude you're being.

[ ...And turning into a bratty kid is going to help them how, exactly? She sighs audibly, but she's done with the cat fights at least. ]

I don't know. There's gotta be something though, right? Like people don't just pick at random for fun all round, there's always an M.O.

[video]

[andifeelfine]

Hi there! Are you okay? If it's this whole thing with the communicators and the little town and stuff, don't worry, it'll probably be okay, but you sound like you've got something else on your mind. Do you want someone to talk to about it?

—of course, I guess it's kind of strange to just talk to a stranger out of the blue. My name's Linnaea! So now we're not strangers. What's your name?

[video]

[magnets]

[ Whew, that's an introduction. Jesse's squinting at his wrist and all her words, but he does garner one apparently important thing out of it: ] Ain't nothin' on my damn mind, alright?

[ But she's giving him a name at least, and he does have a manner or two in his back pocket when he so feels like it. ] Why? Who wants to know?

[ or maybe that was a lie ]

[video]

[andifeelfine]

That's fine, then! Oh, and it's Linnaea, I don't know if you heard me before. Linnaea Ito! I'm just in the same boat as you, like everyone else here. All of us here with the communicators just ended up here suddenly, I guess. Like, bam! So we should all get to know each other, right?

[video]

[magnets]

I ain't deaf either.

[ He fixes Linnaea with a long look, wrinkled nose and all, like he's reassessing this whole situation. This had to be a- a work thing, right? This wasn't some whole other freakish set of circumstances that he was not at all equipped for right now? ]

It's Jesse. [ Beat. ] Waddya mean 'all of us'?

[video]

[andifeelfine]

Oh, you know, like—oh, right, you don't know! You probably just got here and are like "what the hell is this, where am I," amirite? 'Cause, like, from what I hear, everyone here was somewhere else and then suddenly found themselves here with the communicator thing and a house assignment. Weird, huh?

[video]

[magnets]

...Yo, Linnaea Ito, you got, like- way too many words for that big'a space to talk.

[ But she's got it pretty spot-on, at least. ]

Look, I already got a house. I don't need no damn other house. I just wanna get outta here, get outta your hair, and get on back to my own business. How'm I doin' that?

[video]

[andifeelfine]

Dunno! There are some guys trying to figure it out, though obviously since we're all still here no one's done it yet. It's apparently a lot harder than it looks to get out of here!

[video]

[magnets]

[ Jesse blinks and, ]

It's just a town. You walk yourself on out, it ain't hard.

[ACTIONOMGWHAT]

[onteamdyson]

[And it's somewhere during this lame internal conflict that something goes crashing into Jesse's back and falls on top of him with a heavy thud. There's a tiny, pale-as-fuck hand covering his mouth and a lot of SHHHshing going on.]

Dude... I just saved your life.

[ACTIONFOREVER GET OFF ME]

[magnets]

Sunuva-

[ She comes out of nowhere, like a tiny wood nymph sneaking through the trees or some shit. All of a sudden, Jesse's sprawled on the ground, there's a hand clamped over his mouth, and he has the space of mind to look fucking terrified for about a second before he figures out just what's going on. ]

[ So he mumbles into her fingers, still splayed flat: ]

What the hell, yo?

[onteamdyson]

Shhhhhhhhhh. She can hear you. [Fucking cameras everywhere. Mirrors. The FOUNTAIN! Always watching-- she can feel it. There's no other explanation.] Come on.

[Kenzi stands up, pulling the poor guy up by the arm, trying to get him to go with her.] Way too close to the fountain, man. Do you want wrinkly old hands to come up and GRAB you? Not fun.

[magnets]

Then she can hear you too! What are you, like, crazy?

[ Only now she's actually trying to make him follow her, and Jesse stumbles to his feet, actually totters after her for a step or two before he starts yanking his arm free. ] Lady, the only damn hands on me right now are yours, so step off, wouldja?

[onteamdyson]

I know she can hear me! She's been listening for forever. Dammit, dude just-- [Ha, what. Step off? She smiles in disbelief, letting go but not stepping back.] Do you have a death wish, guy? She's in there. I fucking saw it. Sorry for trying to save your fresh-meat ass. Won't try it again.

[magnets]

[ If there's anything Jesse knows, it's meth-heads. He's got plenty of firsthand experience, and this chick? Is acting like she's taken some of his pretty grade-A shit. It's either that or she's some whacko who's gonna pull some gun out of God only knows where, and so Jesse's holding up both hands in a universal sign of innocence. ]

Alright, alright, you saw her! [ Whoever that is. ] Just cool it and we'll figger it out. She in the fountain?

[onteamdyson]

[Kenzi frowns. She's not sure if this guy believes her. Why would he? No one knows about the fae. Loki knows, but he's not here. This guy has nooooo idea whats out there. Unless he's fae. Unless he was sent by her. She takes a step back.]

Yeah. Fountain. Mirrors! Anywhere smooth and ... mirror-y. You can see her. Not if you look at it directly, just... shadows. I know it's her!

[magnets]

[ Why is she backing up? Jesse's looking increasingly wary in her direction, giving her a glance up and down. She's seeing people in mirrors so, hey, the backing up isn't the worst thing that's happened to him, but there's also this corner of his mind that needs to get to the bottom of this. ]

You wanna lend me in to whoever the hell 'her' is?