handwritten

[wastingtime]

[the number here may or may not be familiar to some, but its pen taps the paper for some time, as if trying to decide how to start. finally;]

How best do you convince the taximan (and whatever police he threatens to summon) that you did not, in fact, pack a greatsword with your luggage and the fact that there is one in there now is completely out of your hands?

And for that matter, am I allowed to keep said greatsword if I insist it was some sort of prank? It was my luggage, and if something saw fit to give it back to me I believe I should very well keep the damn thing. (Especially after it ruined my best shirts.)

Lyall, I hope you'll read this before you reach our meeting place. I believe I may be delayed for some time.

To the rest of you- if we've already met, I do apologize for these months of forgetfulness but I consider this headache my due punishment. If we haven't - my name is Elian, and I will be pleased to meet you once I am done convincing this poor man I'm as much a victim in this little debacle as he.

Comments

[Texted]

[espigeonage]

Wow. Been a long time.

Just tell him you're numbered. He might get mad anyway, sorry, but you should know we're mainstream-ish now.

[wastingtime]

Perhaps, but it's downright strange how familiar all this is even with the...absence.

Do you think he'll be less upset if I tip well?

[espigeonage]

It's never happened to me! Should I say welcome back?

Can't hurt. Where are you?

[wastingtime]

I certainly wouldn't correct you.

That said, I flew in to the Las Vegas Airport. I was taking a taxi south towards that lovely mountain, and then we pulled over because we both nearly had a heart attack at my luggage exploding.

[espigeonage]

Consider it said, then. What've you been up to anyway?

lol, oops. Well that's better than being known numbered in Locke rn anyway.

[wastingtime]

Teaching, though I've finished up my class for this semester and declined to set up another.

Has the situation gotten so bad? [he doesn't doubt, but he's worried]

[espigeonage]

Yep. Armed bands of slightly mutant thugs get ignored by the police while they go after us or our families. They've murdered people.

Most everyone there will turn away if they don't outright hate us. I barely go there now. All of the above + being a seven foot feathery thing with hollow bones and no flashy magic powers equals cause for concern.

[wastingtime]

[god above. Elian doesn't respond for a long few moments, rubbing his face with his hands as he takes it in. he knew of things, vaguely, but partially through his own fears and reluctance and partially from simply being on the outside he didn't know like /this/.

his own troubles seem all too petty in comparison, really.

when he finally answers, he decides to get straight to the point]

What do you need?

[espigeonage]

Me? I'm fine I just don't go there anymore. Sucks, I have friends in Locke, but it's better if they're not associated with me.

[wastingtime]

Are they of us, or...?

[espigeonage]

Some. Some have never been numbered, and some were once but aren't now.

[wastingtime]

I suppose all any of us can do for them is to wish them the best, for now. And do what we can to protect them while still protecting ourselves.

[stay safe, kid.]

You mentioned feathers?

[espigeonage]

Yeah.

I'm famous now! They'd call me the Locke City Harpy. Before Locke turned against us I was in tourism mags, I modeled some too. Might as well make some money off this, right?

[wastingtime]

[that

is a thing]

Well, I suppose it never hurts. Though I can't say I'd be interested in becoming the Illustrated Man.

[espigeonage]

It was weird. I don't really wanna take that up again but I do miss some of the people!

Bradbury?

[wastingtime]

I enjoy his works, though I dare say I doubt he could have come up with this sort of thing.

To be fair, my markings don't quite move. But I suspect they may tell a story in their own right, given time.

[espigeonage]

Idk he had some pretty out there things! I think. Been a while, I'm more into fantasy besides. Or spy fiction.

I think I remember hearing about those. Been a while there too, though!

[wastingtime]

Well, I'm utterly certain I didn't have these yesterday. I think they must have reformed when I started to have those itches as we drove but then, well, the aforementioned sword.

On a purely scientific note, it's fascinating. I wonder what sort of fluctuation could cause such things to appear, disappear, then reappear so specifically.

[espigeonage]

These days if you're numbered and outside one of the zones you still have your pulses, just really diluted. Like me, I go mostly human but my hands and feet are kinda weird and my arms are furry. This might be the first time someone's gone on-network while out there!

lol, yeah. I'm glad of it though.

[wastingtime]

From what I understand, Las Vegas is 'in', no? At least, where I am now. This all didn't start (again?) until we'd gone under the freeway, really.

[espigeonage]

That's right! Locke City, Las Vegas, and this swath of Germany-Austria. Presumably there's a giant monster in this third place too and after it's killed there will be a fourth.

[wastingtime]

What part of Germany, did you say?

[espigeonage]

Bavaria! There's a city called Fussen which had this stupidly huge tower thing appear in fields. There's also a really cute castle, Neuschwanstein.

[wastingtime]

[no names he really recognizes.

good.]

It seems a long way for an old man to travel. I think I shall have to make do with here, for now.

[espigeonage]

We've got a way now to go between the three locations no trouble! well no trouble *now*, it was kinda nasty when it started up.

Take your time though.