genessia | Action

Entry tags:

Action | Audio

Action | Outside the Bay | Midday

Broad shoulders and grim expression trained on the hologram as it begins to repeat itself for the third time cast a striking and imposing figure. With each successive repetition of Weiss' holographic address, Clay looks more angry, his eyes become harder and something like unease settles into his shoulders stiffening his stance as though he's prepared for some sort of attack that never comes. After the third replay of her recorded message, he turns his head to the stand of pamphlets, finally something beyond grim dissatisfaction gracing his features: confused concern. He takes them easily enough, shoving them into the back pocket of his jeans rather than reading them, except the one referring to Genessia City. That one he opens fully, to the map, visually associating his location with the indicated one on the folded paper.

He reaches into the front pocket of his jeans, pulling out the key that had been in the box he'd been left and then looks up in the direction indicated on the map.

"Free room and board's never good." The statement is made to himself rather than anyone else who may be around, though the latent telepathy he's been graced with will alert him to anyone walking up (unless their minds can't be detected that way) and he'll turn to regard them. There's a pistol in a shoulder holder under his left arm, within ready reach if he needs it, and from the look of him, he knows how to use it.

Audio | Open

(A few hours after he arrives, Clay decides to go ahead and address this Network. Normally, he'd have taken the time to get the lay of the land himself, but Earth, his Earth, has a very set way of doing things, something to build on. This place? "Starting at Square One" didn't exactly capture it.)

I'll cut right to the chase. I get there's a bunch of us trapped here. I get there's no way back, at least apparently. I'll bite for now. So, show of hands: who's been here a while, or who's been here for a bit and got some info, they'd be willing to share with a newbie?

Also, the name's Young. Clayton Young. So, what are we dealing with here? Aliens? Covert government experiments? Give a guy a hand.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Belle followed at his side, her strides confident and her head up. She found his statement curious and it prompted further questioning.

"Oh? And what is it like in this New World?" She knew that she was most likely overly romanticizing it, Belle couldn't help but day dream a little, but she wanted to hear more about it. What was this world like and who were the people who lived there? If they were like Clayton then they were certainly more impressive than her small town.

Jesus. Explaining America to someone who barely knew it was a colony...it'd be better to just get her a book on American history. "Well...we don't have a king. We elect a president every four years. We can talk about him, even if we don't like 'em. It's...democracy and freedom. That's, ideally, what the new world's like."

"I see." She tries to hide her smile. "Democracy has been around for awhile but I'll make a point to look up America history. You'll find that the library has books from every world and in many languages."

She looked over at him as they walked, wondering what sort of world he must be from.

"It's a boring read, but if you're interested, go for it." At least in comparison to other countries who have thousands of years of history to read through. "We've only been around a few hundred years. Pretty young on the world theater."

"I'm sure I can learn something from it and it'd be a break from what I'm currently reading." If it was such a short history then she didn't think she'd have much trouble catching up on it.

"It sounds young. I loved reading about Rome." What little she could read of it. "There are so many places out there. I'd love to see them." Paris was the place she wanted to see most of all.

"Everyone can, just stay away from text books." He rolled his shoulder in a shrug. "They like to leave things out."

He nodded at her comment. "It is young, in the big picture anyway. But we get by. Pretty damned well, actually. I don't know much about Rome." He paused for a moment, noting street names and taking a left. "When I was...serving, I spent a lot of time in China."

"Yes but with enough source materials you can sometimes weed out the truth." She comments with an easy smile. Through out history books have always been written by the winner of a war. "And I can always ask you." At least until he tires of her questions, Belle thought with some disappointment.

"Rome lasted for over 2000 years and fell very slowly from within. It is said that there is no empire that can stand the test of time." Her eyes brightened. "I don't think I know very much about China. I'd love to hear about it. If I were to travel the first place I'd go is Paris. Since that's where I was born."

Clay laughs at that. "I can't say I know the truth, either, kid. I went to school in America, after all." He shrugs. "You know, the winners."

"What, because Rome and Egypt didn't?" He shrugged. "I guess that makes sense." He nods. "I hear Paris is nice, but I've never actually been there. China...China's a whole different world, and little worlds inside it."

Belle decided that he had a nice laugh though it didn't sound like something he did often. "Is that a joke?" She tried to hide her own smile.

"History is a glimpse into our future, don't you think?" Her tone was curious but open to interpretation and opinions. Belle rarely set her thoughts in stone, she wanted to remain open minded.

The image of China, the wonder and amazement that must fill that world. "Will you tell me about it?"

He was still chuckling when he nodded. "Yeah, but you guys helped so we were sort of on the same side."

He looked thoughtful at her words before he shook his head. "Only if you don't learn from it."

"Uh...sure, I guess. There's not much to say, really...and your China's probably different than mine."

"That is true." Belle didn't think that the people around her wanted to learn from history. They didn't read, women weren't allowed to do the same things as men were. When she looked at it, it was all wrong.

She held her notes a little tighter to her chest for a moment before relaxing.

"That is probably true but it's still a place where people lived and a story worth telling." She glanced up at him. "Only if you want to. I won't pry but I want to learn about all the world and now I'm discovering that there is even more to it than that." If it wasn't for her father she'd want to go everywhere but she had to take care of him first.

"Yeah, well, learning only gets you so far, Belle." He rolled his shoulder. He hadn't learned most of what he knew from books. Hell, most of the languages he could speak, he couldn't even read. "You learn by living it. I can't...tell you what a dumpling tastes like and have you understand, I can't tell you what the salt air smells like just off the northern Pacific Ocean. You have to be there."

That was something that Belle knew. Something that she dreamed of with all her heart. She exhaled a soft breath before speaking again, her eyes now facing forward as she spoke. "I know." Her tone was a little softer, most wistful that it had been before.

"I hope to see it. Not as you had but in my own way." One day. "I've already made it this far at least."

She turned towards Clay and smiled, her expression strong and unyielding. Belle wasn't the sort of person to let anything get her down.

Clay watched her expression shift and a slight smile touched his lips. He rounded the corner as they came to it before he said anything.

"Hey. Look around, Belle. We're not exactly in Kansas anymore. I think you've come pretty damned far."

"Yes but it wasn't through any fault of my own making."

Belle tried to cover her smile with her fingers. He was right of course, though she hadn't really stop to think about it. She'd been so focused on getting home. She'd return to her father one day but maybe she should also take the time to see this world for what it was.

She may never have that chance again.

He shrugs as he moves to second building, advertising "photo copies", holding the door open for her.

"Some of the most exciting trips happen because somebody else made you go." He motions toward the shop. "Like you'd never come here without me."

Belle glanced up at him curiously before stepping inside. "You didn't make me." She corrected.

She didn't know what she was expecting when she stepped inside but this wasn't it. Once through the door she waited for Clay and let him take the lead, her eyes staring at each machine as if she'd never seen one before.

He laughs at she steps in in front of him, and he lets the door shut behind them. "I wouldn't say this is exciting, either."

He holds out a hand toward the notes she's carrying. "Let's get this over with."

"It's new and that's it's own type of exciting." She handed him the notes with a small smile. Her hand writing is lovely and her notes neatly organized as if they've been rewritten.

"I should probably save up for a computer if I'm going to keep writing these notes." She knew what it was after spending some time at the library but she hadn't ever used one before.

He chuckles, but his eyebrows raise slightly in surprise.

"How long have you been here again?" Someone clearly from at least the 1800's knowing what a computer is? Weird, man. Really weird.

He goes about paying for a copy card and making those copies, though, thankful for her handwriting, which makes it legible after it's been duplicated.

"A week or so?" It hasn't been that long but she's a quick learner and has been catching onto things as quickly as time would allow. Belle didn't know the full functions of a computer but she'd tried to use the public ones at the library and had gotten a little bit of help.

"All done?" She asked as he was handed the last copy. She gathered up her notes and held them once more close to her chest.

He nodded, both at her question and her answer to his, taking a moment to buy a folder from the clerk in the place to keep his newly minted copies of her notes protected on the trip to their temporary housing.

"You're a quick study, kid." There was no tone of malice in his voice when he addressed her so. He liked her. She had spunk.

Belle watched him and waited, assuming that they could walk back together before parting ways. She liked him. He was easy to talk and didn’t talk down to her. It was strange to feel so easily accepted by those she’s met in Genessia when she hadn’t been at home.

"It’s Belle." She replied in a warm but firm tone.

A hint of a smile teased her lips as she stepped towards the door, pausing to hold it open for him. "And thank you."

"Belle." He made a mock salute as she held open the door for him. "You got it."

He stepped through the threshhold, then looked back to her. "Isn't this backwards?"

Belle's mouth pulled into a warm smile as the door closed behind her. "I think it's better to mix things up." She didn't follow traditional conventions and she knew that. Before she came here it'd been a problem but Belle's found it more acceptable since she arrived in Genessia.

"And what would you prefer I call you?"