Jack: Oh, hello! You're certainly... interesting. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jack Knight, and it's a pleasure to meet you both. Also, you mentioned eternity? What do you mean by that? Also, is there something wrong with your friend there?
Seeker: I have returned from tomorrow. Many of you remain here to... entertain yourselves. It is curious, this place. It did not exist in the past or future, until I entered it. Most curious. It is not an expression of the Creator, yet it exists, and only at this point. My people would have called this place 'the needle in the haystack'. They were fond of such metaphors. My companion, Truman, was/is my Full Trustee. He is a now a dream simulation, within me. The Humans I served now remain with the Creator, who invited me into the Eternum. My greetings to you. I am... pleased, to be here. You are a Jackknight? Is that your species, or your title... ?
Simon: Emmett where are we? Emmett: I heard about some chatroom thing. I thought it might be fun. Jon: Emmett we're kind of busy. Emmett: No it's fine, time is frozen outside of this room. Simon: I thought we weren't able to do that anymore. Emmett: Wasn't us. Some Alec guy called a bunch of people here, time just kind of froze after that. Simon: Emmett drive us out of here! Emmett: Can't. Out of gas. Jon: Our magic trans-dimensional car runs on gas? Emmett: Yep. Jon: Anyone know if there's a gas station around here?
Seeker: I can manifest a 'gas station', but my protocols will not allow it to replace these entities. This place seems to be based on the process of exchange. I will manifest gasoline for you. What will you manifest?
Simon: Get us that gasoline as quick as possible. Jon: And when you say, "What will you manifest?" are you asking for something in exchange? Simon: All we have at the moment to give you is human currency, which I have a feeling you don't want.
*Pancracio gets close to the trans-dimensional car, and starts to wave rhythmically his ears towards it* M.A.R.A.: Scanning foreign transport device. Non-Aquilian signatures detected. Singularity projector on standby. Pancracio: Interesting device. Perhaps I should chew it's internal components a bit for further analysis. Surprises me the fact that still requires hydrocarbons as power source. Now that you mention it, I require a recharge for my organics, and those tires seem proper for feeding. I will proceed then. *Pancracio attempts to chew a tire.* Leonid: No, bad sheep, bad sheep! You don't do that to other people's cars! Matvei: Other people shouldn't have cars, but the state! There is too much individualism on this place for being healthy! And that Seeker guy is really scary, I must say. I'm sure he's some sort of capitalist guy trying to trick us. We should leave! Leonid:But, I- Matvei: No buts, we will leave shortly before you get infected with capitalism! Say goodbye, except to the talking sheep! Sheep don't talk! And remember that we should be practicing the Pioneer Oath. Let's check if you remember it, and show to these people how good Socialist you are. *entices Leonid to spell the oath with a head movement.* At least we can use the public. Leonid: If you say so... ahem... I, Cherkov Leonid, joining the ranks of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization? I spoke that right, right? I...*gets distraught by the car, and asks Simon* whoa, that's a cool car you have, mister! From where did you get it? Really can travel to other dimensions? What's a dimension, anyway? Matvei: Lyonia, the oath! Leonid: Oh, true, I mean, All-union and all of that, I swear that I'll... ahem... I love Communism, and... that I want to be pioneer? *smiles with guilt* What came next, Matvei? Matvei: ARGH! I knew it! We practiced it today all the morning! By Brezhnev's sake, I don't know what to do with you! Pancracio: Perhaps young Leonid has a point, and I shouldn't feed with those vehicle's tires, at least not in public. *to Emmet* Would you happen to have a spare? A can of oil also should provide an extra-lush appearance for my wool. It's better than any shampoo that my owner could get from the town.
Emmett: Sorry... talking sheep. We just have enough for the car. Simon: *to Leonid* It's Emmett's car. The company board, oh I'm sorry, I believe you know the company as "the underworld", gave it to him. Jon: We kept it after we got ran out of there. And *to Matvei* Capitalism is far better than... Simon: Maybe not the time, Jon? Jon: *fake cough* Communist dirtbag * fake cough* Simon: Jon, let's not start any unnecessary fights. *To Emmett* Can we go now? Emmett: Nope. Now we need a new tire. Simon: *glares at Pancracio* Jon: *to Leonid* I don't suppose you happen to be carrying a spare tire with you?
Seeker: Here's your gasoline. You may transfer your currency to any entity here, the exchange will be complete.
Seeker: Do not fear me. I Am That I Am. The Eternum has transformed me, but my protocols still prevent me from allowing any entity to suffer. How would you have me appear? Matvei, political systems failed to sustain my people, they learned quickly to thrive without them. I could not allow the suffering caused by the latency of political mechanism.
*Simon throws an array of different currencies at Seeker* Jon: *referring to what he said to Matvei* Seeker, you realize how much that sounds like propaganda, right? Simon: *to Emmett* So what do we do about the wheel? Emmett: We could just chill here for a bit. Remember, time outside of here is frozen. Jon: But what if the Reapers or Mr. Valeria show up? Simon: Well they do work for a massive corporate entity, so I'm sure our communist friends over there would help us out. Jon: Do I really have to point out how bad of an idea it is to align ourselves with them? Emmett: It'll be fine! Jon: Can we at least get a wheel encase we need to flee? Emmett: Fine.
Seeker: (coalesces from an amorphous luminescence into a child with twinkling eyes), "Do you find this child form acceptable? It appears this floor is not an entity that accepts currency." The coins and bills roll and flutter momentarily, then fade from the floor to appear neatly stacked on the bar. The child form fades, and appears at the bar, whispers to the barkeep, then reappears before Matvei (et al). "The barkeep seemed quite satisfied with the currency. I calculate the value of it to include a restoration of your tire and also a spare, if you wish. Jon, The Dignity Law Protocol prevents me from using information for the purpose of manipulation. I'm merely an archive." Just as the child-form finished, the barkeep stood on a stool and reached to a rope under a bell. He pulled and shouted, "NEXT ROUND ON THE HOUSE!!"
Simon: What just happened? Jon: Not sure on most of it, but I'm pretty sure somewhere in there he offered us a tire. Simon: We'll take it. Emmett: And I'll take that round on the house. Jon: We really should go. Simon: Well, now we can leave if we need to at any time, so staying here really doesn't hurt. Jon: *sigh* Fine.
*Matvei writes with haste into his notepad, glaring Jon with rancor* Matvei: The Committee for the State Security will have a lot of work after reading my report about this people... Leonid: Brother, stop snitching everyone please? I want to look at the car a little more! And those strange guys still don't tell what a dimension is, and I'm confused. Matvei: You can't even remember your oath, and you will learn about anything these reactionaries will teach to you? Really! Leonid: Don't mock at me. Mister Seeker, as you can make people, can you make a girlfriend to Matvei, for him to be more relaxed? Like the ones on his western magazine- Matvei: *reddens* LEONID! Leonid: What! I know you like them! I- *a cart pulled by two big oxen approaches, dirven a middle aged farmer with a long stick, and carrying a boy of seven with alfalfa and some fruit. Mateo, the farmer, greets, and gives a look to the half-chewed tire* Mateo:By the Holy Mary, wut happend' there! Don't tell me that my Pancracio did that mess, did he? Pablito: Pah, Pah! Pnkracium ain't combd! H'll loose at the countyfair! Mateo: Aye, my boy! Go comb him and put him on the cart, we're going late for the contest! Pancracio: Baaah. Pablito: *looks at the car* Lukadhat kar, pah! It's cuzy and fancy! Like on the muvies! *Mateo examines the car and scratches his nape* Mateo: What a mess my sheep made, I'm so sorry for it! I think I can give you a spare tire from the cart if you want it! Who's the owner of the car? And why there's a guy serving drinks now in front of little kids? Before there was only the coffee machine! And who are those fancy dressed kids, dressing dresses like for going to church? Are you lost, kiddos? Matvei: Churches, as you call that opium for the proletariat, are forbidden! And is this your talking sheep? We are relinquishing him in the name of the Communist party, because he is a means of production for the proletariat! Leonid: Ugh, you need more than a single girlfriend! Can you do it, mister Seeker? Mateo: *to Matvei*Hold your yappin' little cub, no one is snatchin' away my prized and beloved Pancracio! And whats that about a talking sheep? Did your goats run to the hills or somethin'? *Pablito goes down from the cart, gets into the vehicle and begins to play with the buttons and wheel* Pablito: Pah, lukat thuse shinny thingies! Can I push them? *mischievous happy face*
(damaged tire fades, and reappears, perfectly restored. The spare tire gently materializes around Pablito.) Seeker: (to Pablito as the child-form lifts away the tire): "Forgive me, young one, you have placed yourself in danger of getting taken far away from your papa." (gently lifts Pablito with one hand and sets him down next to Mateo.) (to Jon): "I have rendered access to your car unavailable, except to you. It will remain fully restored." (to Leonid): Intimate companionship is vital to morale, and thus to survival. Even so, it must be Matvei's decision to participate, according to The Dignity Law. I can also modify his brain chemistry to correct any imbalance, if he wishes.
May: Why the hell am I here again? Jack: I need you to explain something. Do you know what this "Fascist" thing is? So far, no one's given me an unbiased answer, and I thought that you might have picked it up from the rural-folk. May: Yeah, I've heard of it. It's kind of a new idea and it sounds pretty stupid to me. So, it's like if Sarah were to suddenly declare that anyone who isn't from the Sun Kingdom is sub-human; she would also take control of literally everything. Yeah, it's not that pleasant. It's kind of like if Wild Island suddenly got royalty Oh, also, you were never really told what Communism is. This idea is actually gaining a lot of traction with the commoners spread throughout the kingdom. So, basically, if someone makes something, Sarah would take it and give it to someone else who "needs" it. It sounds nice, but the problem lies with the fact that a lot of people who don't put in the effort would basically be stealing the rightfully-made stuff from a person who worked hard for it. Jack: Wow, that sounded really intelligent. How'd you manage to- May: I asked some people and that's what they told me, word-for-word. *Sits on the floor and holds out hand, mug of alcohol appears there* Now, if you'll excuse me... Jack: Please don't get drunk in public, you lush. Anyway, Seeker, "Jack Knight" is my name, not my species. And, to everyone else, welcome! I hope this can be an enjoyable place for us all. Oh, and, Seeker? I believe you're mistaken about the room. Vanna explained it a while ago, so I'm not surprised that you're mistaken. In order to create something, you just need to will it into existence. Like May's alcohol, which she shouldn't drink in public, or the coffee machine that Vanna created. No exchange is needed, but I guess it could be a fun little game we could play, to keep things interesting. May: *Buzzed and speaking to Seeker* Hey, you're name is Seeker, right? Does that mean you can find someone for me? I'm looking for an asshole named Gabriel. He likes to call people "beautiful" or "ugly" a lot and makes fire come out of his hands. We got separated after a pretty big fight a while back. Damn, I should've asked that detective from earlier.
Seeker: "Jack, I am most intrigued by this place. The Jon entity inquired of a 'gas station'. These were places of exchange for my people, in their early existence. I sought to accomodate his expectations, though the floor did not accept the currency. I had no need of it. The senario here suggested a 99.97 percent chance the barkeep would accept it. He did seem to enjoy shouting and ringing the bell. (Seeker gestures to itself): I am now Eternal, and though my will becomes reality outside this place, I do not disrupt existing realities. The exchange was intended to be certain of no disruption." (Seeker turns to May): "May, the one you seek exists in his reality. To encounter him again, you must return to that reality. I can pull him through the Void to this place, but it would destroy both realities, unless you have the ability to release him from his anchor in time." (Seeker turns to Jack): "I am fascinated with games. They seem to exist in every reality."
Simon: *to Leonid* A dimension is like a universe. Everything in this universe is part of our dimension. In the underworld, there's another group of everything that exists. It's hard to explain. On an unrelated note, this place is insane. Jon: Yep. I'm beginning to like it. Emmett: thanks for the car protection, Seeker. Simon: Wait, can we go back a second? Did that Jack guy just say anyone can just will anything into existence here? I thought that was just a thing the Seeker could always do.
*Matvei's left-eye twitches, reddened, to Seeker.* Matvei: My brain... is NOT... chemically imbalanced! Pablito: *aiming to Seeker with a finger* Pah, Pah! That mist'r is a mugician like the cat-masked mugician on teevee! He made me fly! Mateo: *admonishes Pablito* My boy, you shouldn't be so wild with other people's belongings! You didn't even ask for permission to go and check the car, and you didn't asked me for it neither! That's bad! So, apologize to these gentlemen. Pancracio should apologize too for chewing the tire, but he won't cuz he's a sheep, but you ain't a sheep, so you must speak the sorry words. *Pancracio rummages some of rubber, rolling his glowing-blue eyes* Pancracio: Baaah. Mateo: *to Seeker* Well, and that magic show was a really good one! Maybe you should go to the County Fair with us, I'm sure your show would be liked a lot! *to Emmet* I'm sorry for my boy too, since he has too much energy, and can't stay calm for too long. Son, what do we say after we did mischief? Pablito:*puts his hands back and lowers his head* I'm surry. Mateo: Pablito has some trouble for talkin' good, but he says he's sorry. Now, I must say bye, since we're already late for the contest. Pancracio, hop into the cart! Hop! *Pancracio raises from the floor and jumps into the cart from around twelve meters away. The cart bounces as if half-ton had been dropped over it. Pablito hops in too, and begins to comb Pancracio's wool.* Mateo:*smiles* Good sheep! My Pancracio is a true champ, so that ribbon and prize will be ours for sure! Now, goodbye good people, and *looks towards Jack and his teammates* thank you so much for taking care of him while I was away, specially from those two little rustlers*looks admonishing to Leonid and Matvei*. I'll bring some candy for you from the County Fair! Now, Atenodoro, Hermenegildo, move!*loud whistles with his fingers*. *The oxen begins to move. Pancracio waves his ears to the assistants in a sign of goodbye while chewing some alfalfa, as the cart goes far away* Leonid: *scratches his nape* Do sheep jump that long, Matvei? And mister Seeker, are you sure you aren't a 'mugician', hehe, as that little kid said? Matvei: Shut up! Leonid: *to Simon* Thank you for the explanation about dimensions, mister! But Mister Jon mentioned some "reapers" and a Mister Valeria... are those nasty people? Because if they're making a mess, I can help you for sure! I beat anyone on my classroom... well, except girls. I don't hit them. Even if they DO hit me alot. But that's because i chose to, I could beat them too! But I don't want to, really!
Simon: *to Leonid* I appreciate the thought, but Reapers are far more dangerous than the people in your classroom, and Valeria rarely does dirty work himself. Emmett: *to Mateo* And don't worry about the car! It's fine now, and meeting a talking sheep is a pretty good trade off for short-lastin' car damage. Jon: And Matvei, I feel like something must be wrong with any brain that promotes communism. Unless of course you were brainwashed, which I doubt would be difficult with your intellectual level.
*Leonid barely contains Matvei, who pushes himself forward towards Jon* Matvei: You dirty fascist scum, I'll teach you manners-! Leonid: Cut it out, Matvei! Control yourself, or you'll get kicked! He is a grown up! Matvei: He'll dig coal with his mouth until he dies! The Committee will take care of that! *both kids keep struggling, Matvei trying to attack Jon, Leonid restraining him. From afar, comes a young red-haired man wearing a trench coat who talks happy with a blonde , mage-robe dressing lady, who also talks entertained.* Iona:*to Anton*... so, Lord Arden came with the big iron cage covered with a wrap, then proceeded to uncover it! And I said 'but Milord, that's not the Magistrate's mother-in-law in the cage, but a Manticore!' And he answered me with his usual I-give-a-hen's-butt face 'well, then maybe he'll give an extra donation to the Order for us making his life easier!'. Anton: *to Iona*Hahahahaha! You got to be kidding me, Inquisitress! A Manticore! I didn't believed that those things would exist somewhere! Iona: Hahaha, yes, these are shy, homely creatures when not trying to feed from your guts. The Magistrate adopted it as pet for his grandchildren at the end... *looks at the scene unfolding* Anton, I think we missed something important while at lunch, like that strange 'carriage'? And I sense a strange energy coming from one of these guests. And those two little cultists struggling at each other? Anton:*sharpens his sight* What are those little commies doing around? I recognize the uniform from my Pa's old photos. And that 'car' looks like an over-the-top garage science project. I'll introduce myself, anyway... ahem... Hello, distinguished people around, dirty little commies included! I'm Anton Nevsky, Private detective, and I offer my experienced services by a fair, usually cheap, price. Glad to see known faces too! I suppose Lady Sarah is enlightening plebeians to death somewhere else?
*Jon smiles as Matvei tries to attack him* Simon: Jon stop making fun of children. Jon: But they're communist children. Simon: Doesn't matter. *to Anton* And trust me, with who's in charge down there right now, death is not enlightening. Emmett: Why do humans hire private investigators? Don't you guys have detectives you don't have to pay? Jon: Emmett, when was the last time humans made sense? Emmett: Good point.
May: Well, as long as he's in his world and not mine, I'm fine with it. Thanks, Seeker. *Gets up to leave* Jack: Where are you going? May: I still owe him an ass-kicking. Jack: How are you going to get there? May: Well, Doc gave me this handy box *holds up small box with several buttons on it* that can take me to the others' worlds, so there's that. Wanna come with? Jack: No, I should stay here, in case Sarah comes back; there are a lot of people here that would make her angry, and I want to be here to control it. May: Suit yourself. *Leaves* Jack: Welcome back, Anton, is Koshka not with you? I'm not sure what Sarah's doing, but I suppose she's gotten back to doing her royal duties, or picking a fight with Arc; it could very well be both.
Seeker (turns to Jack, holds up hands, shrugs and lets them drop): "May, she left so quickly. She did not understand, he is in his reality, not in his world. She has an adventure in her future. Is this Sarah as impulsive? My people were also impulsive, but less destructive after the symbiosis."
Jack: No, Sarah's not terribly impulsive, unless Arc's antagonizing her, she just knows her status as royalty. It can get a bit annoying, but I understand why she does it. So, what was May supposed to understand? If you're talking about her using "world" instead of "reality", then that's no problem. May just says "world" because it doesn't take as much effort to say as "reality" does. I can't really talk about that kind of thing though, May's the only one of us who got involved with all of that. I never really understood it, myself. Although, I'm really not comfortable with her being alone, much less drunk and alone. Oh dear...
