01 ♦ video

[unelven]

[ The feed opens after Teagan attempted to pin the numbers he's been scratching down repeatedly since his encounter with Julien into google search. If this is some new google function he doesn't like it, but it doesn't have any of that useless flash that tends to come with one of their unnecessary add-ons. He sits there for a moment, brow furrowed, frowning, thinking, with his chin in his palm and his finger tips tapping his lips. ]

Alright, this is obviously some sort of video feed. If there's anyone there who can hear me, let me know what this is about or I'm going to close out.

[ It's a damn good thing his servers are security protected, or else he'd have closed out right away. ]

Comments

[Voice]

[espigeonage]

- ah, my mistake. I'd assumed you were on the network already when we spoke before. Suil, by the way! You're in the Numbers Club, unfortunately. I'm Julien!

Re: [Voice]

[unelven]

[ Oh he recognizes that voice. It's that nut from the park. He's been on a wild goose chase because of you, searching the internet for things that simply don't exist. At least, not in the world as he knows it at present. ]

The Numbers Club. You really are proving to be invaluable when it comes to explaining mysteries, Julien.

[ sarcasm, he has it. That would be a nudge to explain it better. ]

[espigeonage]

[Julien is not oblivious to sarcasm, but he can seem like it.]

Thanks! Yeah, sorry, I'd have explained the other day ago, but it looks like there's a chance now!

[all right, business.]

Okay. This looks like some kind of weird joke or whatever. It's not. No one could actually set something like this up. Go scribble your number - everyone's got one - on like a piece of paper. Our numbers hook us up to this, the Network. No one without a number can hear or see the Network.

Everyone gets their number with their first pulse. That's this weird feeling like you're hollowed out and your heart's beating hard. When one of those happens, things change. Your body changes, or you remember something, or there's some kind of item you don't remember getting, or you can do something you couldn't.

[unelven]

[ Well, that was a surprisingly succinct explanation. Color Teagan slightly more impressed. Not quite impressed enough though, not yet. ]

The question, of course, is why. Why the changes and why the memories, assuming what you're saying is true.

[espigeonage]

Why is something I really wish I knew. All I've got is speculation. Some people say it's reincarnation - I don't like that. I prefer... I guess the idea that these are other people and we're connected to them, but they are not us. There's no evidence for one or the other. And if you do something involving Thunderco, or the rock snakes or something, or if you end up doing something like whatever the other you did, you get pulses.

Be careful around the police - if you believe nothing else, believe this: They killed a boy in cold blood for going to them. He's not the only one who's been murdered. I'm sure there are plenty of cops who're fine, but we don't know who isn't.

[unelven]

Reincarnation.

[ Reincarnation is, oddly enough, not that hard for him to believe in. Being connected to another person doesn't quite resonate as well for him, having never in his life found connection to others all that important. No, Reincarnation makes far more sense to him. He listens, expression stern as he takes this in. ]

Let me see if I understand. I'm expected to believe that I've been reincarnated, and am going to starting remembering a whole other life. On top of that, with all of these reincarnated beings running around, no one has been able to stop cops from killing innocent people.

[espigeonage]

If that's what you want to call it, sure. Someone else's life will start to come to you, bit by bit, and a lot of it will probably be pointless. Like with me, I haven't cut my hair in months because the other Julien isn't human, and I pulsed back hair that doesn't grow.

[kinda resigned, there.]

Pretty much the whole network can back up what I'm saying. If I was joking around, I'd pick a topic that's not this depressing.

[unelven]

Alright, I believe you. By all logic I shouldn't, but I trust my instincts. That language had to do with this, correct?

[espigeonage]

[A lot of people start in denial about this and some just keep to that for far too long. Kind of gratifying!]

Thanks.

Yeah, it did. I never pulsed back Sindarin, but one of my friends did. He taught me... wait. Did you have a number before we met, there? Some kind of earlier pulse?

[unelven]

...No, I didn't. The numbers came to me on my way back to my office. You'll have to excuse that I was thoroughly distracted by the whole thing.

Sindarin. [He's trying it on his tongue, and it feels comfortable.]

[espigeonage]

...ah. Shit. So if I'd kept to English you'd probably still be free of this.

[unelven]

That is entirely possible.

Now if we could stay on topic? I can understand a language, what do you think that means? I would keep the line of questioning to myself but you seem to have some experience in these things.

[espigeonage]

[He fakes a chuckle. Has to - Julien's incapable of normal laughing anymore.]

All right, as you wish. All I can say for sure is that the other you must know Sindarin. That could be for any reason, it's too soon to tell. Or it could be like with me. I understand it better than I should, even dialects Aaron hasn't taught me, but that wasn't a pulse.

[animals understand it. Very little of Julien is human anymore.]

[unelven]

In other words, you've exceeded your usefulness and don't know the answer.

[espigeonage]

[Another laugh. He takes a moment to formulate the phrase and then, a little playfully-]

If so you want to say it! [yeah okay that's still a little awkward, but understandable.] Unless you really do want my speculations.

By the way, man i eneth gîn? ['What's your name?' hmm. Julien revises that and adds "What name do you prefer to be called?"]

[unelven]

Teagan.

[ Oh yes, still strange that he can understand what he was asked. ]

I did ask for what you thought. That implies that I'm interested in hearing your speculations. Now though, I'm not so sure I'd deem them worth anything.

[espigeonage]

First-name basis, huh? Cool! [he's usually inclined to call thirties-and-up adults by their last names.] So I shouldn't be shy then, huh? All right.

Possibilities. My friend's memories were of a human man who traveled with an elf. He probably learned it to relate to them better. That could be the case with your guy, too.

Or, he is an elf. My friend described the one he saw as human-sized and graceful. Could be worse. Apparently they have a liking for poetry, I know part of this epic ballad he pulsed back.

There's also the idea that the other you picked it up through study or was taught by non-elves, and the language was more of a curiosity or to have a language most people don't understand. Like for me. If nothing else it's good for taming animals and talking about things most people won't get.

[unelven]

[ Giving a first name then was a mistake. It was better in his case to do so, given that his family name carried weight, but to be give this nut a reason to be even more forward with him?

This was going to be a trial, for sure.

Still, hearing Julien go through the possibilities does something. It's not that hollowness again, not anything distinct and unlikely a real pulse. There is simply a familiarity, one he shouldn't have given the situation. As if everything he was suggesting wasn't entirely surreal. ]

I'll think about it. And don't get too comfortable, giving you my first name wasn't an attempt to be friendly.

[espigeonage]

Good! This is something only you'll be able to figure out, in the end. And that's all right, I'm friendly enough on my own.