Video | Day 93

[buckleupforsafety]

Kore. Mr. Kore? [Wait, he's a villain with his own land mass.] Kore the Great?

I know Section 12 Subsection E Paragraph mrmrm [24 mumbles this because he doesn't actually remember the number.] of the Guild handbook states that any kidnapped henchman should be allowed to record a tearful message pleading with his boss to have mercy and save his worthless life within 48 hours of his capture, but can we hurry it up?

If The Monarch thinks I'm dead and not being being held prisoner, they're going to give away my room in the cocoon. I'll have to sleep in the basement with the new recruits. Do you know how many of them have nightmares? I'll never get a good night's sleep again!

Comments

[hung_garian]

The basement? Pssh. You should be so lucky. King Kore's not very pleased with you, pal. Try thinking more along the lines of 'cellar'. Or, you know... dungeon.

[buckleupforsafety]

Tell your boss I'm impressed.

Come on. Have some sympathy. Henchman to henchman. Seriously. I'm on a timeline here. T-4 hours before they clear out my locker and toss my stuff into the lost and found bin.

[hung_garian]

Well, I don't know... I could get in a lot of trouble if the boss finds out. Taking pity doesn't really gel with the whole 'evil minion' deal, y'know?

[buckleupforsafety]

I'm not asking you to set me free. I just need someone to speed up the process.

What is he doing right now, anyway? Sitting on his evil throne?

( video )

[mentis]

[ He is completely baffled. It takes him a minute, a slow pause to actually figure out a respond. ]

I'm afraid you won't be able to contact whoever it is you're trying to reach.

( video )

[buckleupforsafety]

The first guy was screwing up "talk the hostage down" too much?

Or are you going to hit me with some good cop/bad cop?

( video )

[mentis]

Neither of those. [ He offers a smile. ] I'm afraid you've got this whole situation wrong.

( video )

[buckleupforsafety]

I'm imagining that I've been taken hostage?

audio

[venatical]

Was that English? [ It was English enough that Dean's intrigued. ]

audio

[buckleupforsafety]

Yeah. [He taps the device on his wrist a few times.] Am I breaking up over this communicator?

[venatical]

No, I just don't have a clue about what you just said. You live in a cocoon, dude? And you get kidnapped enough that there's a handbook with rules about it?

[buckleupforsafety]

Not just any cocoon. A flying base of operations for The Fluttering Horde. [Except when it crashes into things.] The Monarch goes all out with the whole butterfly thing.

It's not just kidnapping. The Guild has rules and regulations for everything. Medical treatment for hostages. Arching rights. License renewal. You know, the usual super-villain stuff.

[blackmagus]

There's no Guild here, darling.

[Just a few groups for farming, hunting... Fortescue's tone is gentle enough, though she can't keep the amusement out of her expression. It must be awfully colorful, where this one is from.]

You're also here for the long haul. Unless you get lucky and they decide to send you home early. So no tearful messages, unless you'd like to show the rest of us your theatrical side.

[buckleupforsafety]

No thanks. My friend is the podcaster. Podcast-ee? Whatever you call it.

Do you work for this Not Guild or did you get the "This is your new home" message, too?

[blackmagus]

I received it, yes. Very mysterious, isn't it?

[And irritating. And alarming. Actually, she'd threatened to burn the whole town down. But she'd thought it to be a Nazi camp.]

The Cape is a... place of scientific experiments. We're the guinea pigs.

[buckleupforsafety]

Great. The super-scientists are getting in on this now?

How many of us are there?

[burnburnburn]

[That's a different enough approach to catch Dilandau's attention. He's covered with some yellowing bruises from a battering, but that hasn't suppressed his tendency to snap orders]

This place hasn't played by anyone's rules yet. If it plays by yours, make sure you announce it.

[Not that he expects it to, but you never know. He smirks]

You'll be longing for those recruits once you've met some of the people here.

[buckleupforsafety]

[He's not someone who feels overly concerned by bruising. It just adds to his impression that this is some kind of villain's lair.]

I'm not talking about my rules. I'm talking about the Guild of Calamitous Intent. They keep them in books big enough to break your foot if you dropped one.

I'll take any of them over a grown man crying for his mommy.

[burnburnburn]

I've not seen a book like that in the library. [Not that he looked hard, after the first dozen titles bored him stiff] Wherever we are, we're out of reach of your world and mine.

[Speaking of which, he's still lacking some basic information about what this man is. He straightens and barks out a few questions]

What's your name? Where are you from? What's the name of your world?

(video)

[zen_navigator]

[Dirk is okay with this level of weird. He's more interested in just where this guy thinks he is.]

More like Kore-the-place. This isn't a boss and henchman situation. More...mad scientist and subjects. If what I've gathered is correct, which I suspect strongly that it is, we are stuck here until we can escape or until the experiment has concluded.

Who are you?

(video)

[buckleupforsafety]

I know a guy who might count as a mad scientist, too, but we're usually the ones trying to do something to him.

I'm 24. Who are you?

Re: (video)

[zen_navigator]

Dirk Gently.

24 is your name? That's very...unique.

[enchangement]

A handbook. [ River sounds and seems fairly impressed. ] So it is a business, a matter of clans and associations and rules.

None of those are here, really. Will you keep the mask on?

[buckleupforsafety]

Exactly! [Someone who understands! Except for maybe the clans part. That's a little weird sounding.] Even if the rules are a pain in the ass sometimes.

It's just part of the costume. It's not like I have a secret identity or anything.

[enchangement]

You're gonna need clothes, and they're not gonna fit, because they're all fourth-hand here.