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[combats]

Date & Time: Backdated to the week before the Uruguay mission, during timeswap.
Location: It's a whenever and wherever you want deal again!
Characters: Jacquese Foran & YOU
Summary: Jacquese is turned into his little acolyte self and is wandering around lost, come say hi.
Warnings: angry uncooperative mute child alert

[ In the compound and even outside of it, a young boy can be found walking around. A boy that might seem familiar to some. Jacquese, even without his horns and his monk robes, can still be quite recognizable. His hair is much shorter, but still long enough to be in a ponytail and the scar across his nose is still there too. The most notable differences were of course that he was much smaller and younger, looking to be about 15 years old, and the permanent scowl he was wearing on his face.

Waking up in a strange place and then being surrounded by people he'd never seen before with no familiar face in sight had been very disconcerting and it hadn't taken Jacquese long at all to decide he wanted out. He'd much rather be in the dreary Prontera Church than here, wherever 'here' was. With that in mind he'd set out to find a way out and regardless of what people told him, he kept looking. People, especially adults, couldn't be trusted after all. Father Remiel had said he'd always be there for him and where was he now? Not where Jacquese needed him, obviously.

So he sulkily keeps wandering around, getting lost and frankly not giving a shit about it. He has a mace if he gets anywhere where he needs to defend himself so he's sure he'll be just fine. ]

Comments

[whatsupcroc]

( Biting down on her lip to better concentrate, Collette ends up sighing in her own frustration. Her fingers twitch as he draws on her palm, ticklish and responding to the touch. This was stupidly distracting. )

That was either HOME or HONE, and this is starting to tickle! Okay, one moment, let me get something you can really write with.

( It's just her tablet, but she waits for him to relinquish her hand before twisting around to unzip her satchel and rummage through it. )

The way we get home is kind of unpredictable. We don't have direct control over it, but it happens for most people in a matter of days, or weeks, or months.

( So far it's not been able to be years. She tugs her tablet free, pressing the button to load the screen. A few taps brings her into a notepad program, keyboard visible on screen. )

This works like a slate, only you press the letters you want to make them show up right here. Want to try this out?

[combats]

[ Rolling his eyes in exasperation because that was very clearly an M, okay.

Jacquese drops her hand with a scowl and again is sorely tempted to just drop the issue and leave, but then she's finally answering the question ... and he's not liking that answer very much. Before he can show just how displeased he is though, she's produced the "something to write with" and it sufficiently distracts him.

He'd seen the device before in the room he'd woken up in, but he hadn't paid any attention to it then so he could only frown skeptically as she explained it. It wasn't like anything he'd ever seen before and he's still not entirely convinced when he reaches out to tap a random letter and see what it does. ]

[whatsupcroc]

( The letter itself manifests on the screen, showing in the upper left corner as a lone black mark, waiting for any others. )

The big long button with nothing on it works as a spacer.

( Collette says, holding two fingers up to indicate the rough size of the space bar. )

It lets you put the spaces between words like when we normally write.

[combats]

[ His frustration is momentarily forgotten as he stares at the device in bemused wonder. He only looks away when the movement of Collette's hand catches his attention and he squints at her fingers before glancing back to the device to find the button she was talking about it.

Once he finds it, he taps it to see for himself and since it works, he actually considers what to write with it. If the way back home was that unreliable, the only other thing he could ask about was the next best thing ... ]

father remiel

[whatsupcroc]

( Waiting to see what he writes, at first she doesn't understand. Was he asking after his father? No one she knew used that sort of language, except when talking about... what, a religious father?

She shakes her head. )

I haven't heard of a Father Remiel. Is he part of a church? We can search the tags for him, see if he's listed on network. Is there anyone else you want to look for at the same time?

[combats]

[ Jacquese watches her closely for her response. It wasn't a real surprise that she didn't know Father Remiel and he had no idea what 'tags' or 'network' actually meant, but as long as there was a way he could find him, he didn't care.

He shakes his head at the last question before tapping out the answers to the previous ones on the tablet. ]

prontera church must find

[whatsupcroc]

Prontera? Um... okay! We can ask around. But...

( She does look apologetic. )

What happens if we can't find it?

[combats]

[ Jacquese shakes his head again, irritably. That wasn't what he'd meant at all and he's aware it's because of how little he's tapping out on the device, but it's not the easiest way to write and it's annoying anyway.

He takes a breath and then actually takes more time to type out what he means. ]

father remiel from prontera church its home want to find father remiel

[whatsupcroc]

( SHe can nod for this, holding her hands out for the tablet. )

Right, sorry, I should have guessed! Let me look and see if I can find his name for you.

( There's always that chance. If she gets the tablet in return, she'll flick her fingers over the surface, bringing up the simple search interface.

It's not going to bring him news he'll like, so she searches the archives as well. )

I'm not seeing his name listed here.

[combats]

[ He hands her back the tablet and watches her do ... whatever it is she's doing with it.

The answer she gives him isn't actually all that surprising, but Jacquese remained rather visibly skeptical about the whole thing. How would the device even know who was here in the first place? Did it know he was here too and if so, how?

To convey the question, he points at it, then to the girl and himself before making a grand gesture to indicate their surroundings, or rather everyone in here, and he tilts his head questioningly with a frown. ]

[whatsupcroc]

It has a list of all of us. I can find your name here, if you tell me it. And I guarantee it'll be here.

( Collette bites down on her lower lip. How to convey this properly? )

Did you hear how we're brought here? ( Waiting for a nod or shake, confirmation or denial. )

[combats]

[ He shakes his head at the last question and then hesitates for a moment.

He doesn't particularly feel like telling anyone his name, but he did really want to know more about what the device knew.

So, after a small internal debate, he motions for her to hand the tablet to him. ]

[whatsupcroc]

( She hands her tablet back to him, wondering if he'd have anything in particular to ask. While he has her tablet, she gives him the short run-through on what mechanism brought them to Exsilium. )

We were all transported here from different places. We're not even on any of the same worlds that we used to be.

[combats]

[ Jacquese takes in the explanation as he slowly taps out his name. There's a pause after he's written it in which he's taken in the explanation fully and he squints at her before he adds a question after his name. ]

jacquese foran how

[whatsupcroc]

By transporter pads that reach for people in different dimensions and pull them here. It's some way advanced science! Okay, here, let me look up your name for you, see what we've got. That way I an show you the list of people brought here, too!

[combats]

[ Jacquese tilts his head in askance. Advanced science? That just sounded like magic to him. The same magic they were taught and priests used to teleport places.

But all the same, he hands her back the device before crossing his arms and watching her with a troubled frown. ]

[whatsupcroc]

( She repeats the process from earlier, though tilting the tablet his way to make it easier for him to watch what she did. Knowing he was who he was, and knowing he'd been here for several months, when she finds his name she points it out to him. )

See? There's your name. If you wanted to see if you'd written anything on a tablet like this, you could press on your name and it'd show you.

[combats]

[ Yeah, he's just gonna ... reach over and press his name right after she's said that without waiting on anything else she might say. The suspicious squint has been a constant, but it's even more pronounced as he reads what's popped up on the screen. He certainly doesn't recall ever writing that, but what catches his attention most ...

He simultaneously takes a step back as he mouths monk? in shock. ]

[whatsupcroc]

( Collette watches him, thinking she's caught the gist of that one word he mouths. )

Not the career path you though you were going to take, huh? You seem pretty happy about it. You know, when you're older. Ugh, look, I'm sorry, this isn't supposed to be the freak-you-out olympics! Some people are more okay learning about their future selves than others.

[combats]

[ It's all wrong. He hadn't told anyone and regardless of how horrible he was doing in classes and training due to his constant defiant behavior, he wanted to become a priest. A battle priest like Father Remiel had been. Being a monk ... their battle style might suit him, but it's not what he wanted.

He finds himself shaking his head fervently, stomping one foot down as he angrily mouths:

That's not me! ]

[whatsupcroc]

( Collette quirks up an eyebrow, settling her tablet in her lap and folding her hands over it. She has nothing to say, not really. )

Not right now, no. Look, you don't need to take my word, or this thing's word, since you've gotta believe what you've gotta believe. How about we forget this stuff, and focus on the thing that really is hard to ignore? We're on a different world, the person you want to see most isn't here, and -- well, I dunno, are you hungry? Have you eaten? A full stomach's best for thinking on.

[combats]

[ Jacquese was working himself up into a rage and he knows it, but that doesn't make it any easier to get himself to stop. Everything was confusing and the confusion fed into fear which in turn was fuel for anger. Lashing out was the only way he knew how to cope with fear after all.

All her questions are met with stubborn shaking of his head. He only wanted one thing and that was to go home and back to the church. Heck, he'd even rather be back on the streets of Prontera. At least things made sense there. Food seemed so trivial in comparison, how could she even be worried about that?

Home is his only silent, but still obviously angry reply. ]

[whatsupcroc]

If any of us knew how to get home, most of us wouldn't be here. I'm really sorry.

( For the first time she looks somewhat deflated. )

That's one thing no one here can do for you, is send you back on purpose.

( She wishes she could, but knew better than to rely on wishes and dreams and those particular hopes, as her own ran contrary to most all of them. Food was just the easier way to find something distracting and necessary. With him taking none of it, she doesn't really know what to do. Collette doesn't generally set people at ease. It's not who she is, or what she does. She's not that sort of caretaker, and sometimes it rubs her the wrong way, wondering what someone with the right mindset might do, how they'd make it better, or more acceptable, or at least lay someone else's worries to rest. )

[combats]

[ The way she deflates diffuses some of his anger a bit. She didn't seem to be lying, but that ultimately doesn't help him in the slightest and the annoyance at the situation doesn't go anywhere. Basically this means that no one could help and so he would just have to help himself.

He mouths a never mind before turning on his heel with every intention of storming off and continuing his futile search. ]

[whatsupcroc]

( Collette felt herself frowning and let her tablet sit in her lap when she propelled herself after him, reaching out to nab at his shirt. )

Hey, woah, be careful! If you're going to look, I can at least point you the right way.