Conversation Space II.

[powersthatbe]

As Thorne shared with the network, Travelers who vanish find themselves alone in a small room. But it doesn’t look quite as described last time. Paper lanterns hang in the corners, and a lemniscate of live, spicily scented blue roses traces a figure eight on the floor. A little marble plinth sits beside the looping roses, with a champagne flute balanced on it, pink, fizzy liquid quietly effervescing within. In place of the throne that was there before, each half of the loop holds a brown leather sphere - a yoga meditation-ball chair. They’re a little tricky to balance on.


The walls, floors, and ceiling are tiled, a prismatic fade from one color to another, each tile unique, just slightly different in hue than those around it, each colored line giving a sense that it belongs to a bigger pattern, but never revealing enough to allow anyone certainty about what that pattern might be. It is only a glimpse of a larger world… in this small, quiet space.

Comments

[swinglow]

"What do you want?" Chariot asks. "At the end of this?"

[truerevelation]

That's got Kanji a little stunned. "You ... you really want to - no, you're not the sort who's gonna ask questions for the hell of it. Man. Just ... give me a moment here, okay?"

Since when does it care about these kind of things? he wonders.

[swinglow]

The Chariot keeps bouncing on its meditation ball. "Cannot guarantee anything. But if I win."

[truerevelation]

"'Course. Yeah." His tone's still a little bit thrown off balance. (At least his actual balance wasn't.)

[swinglow]

The Chariot bounces along silently.

[truerevelation]

It's a while before he manages to speak. He feels like he should be saying 'I want to go home', but ... the words aren't coming out. Something just doesn't sound right about it. In the end, he settles for -
"I ... want to know my my friends safe and well. And I ... damn. There's a lot that Travelling's done for me. I don't wanna lose that. Other than that ... this is kinda tough."

[swinglow]

The Chariot bounces along. Finally it says, "Time still to decide. May ask again later."

[truerevelation]

"Thanks," he says, before laughing and feeling a little guilty that he's doing so. He shouldn't be happy about things here! a part of his brain is yelling. "Some of us have gotta think these big things over, y'know?"

[swinglow]

"I know," the Chariot echoes.

[truerevelation]

"Wouldn'ta expected you to give a damn," he says after a little thought. "Wasn't lying when I said Travelling's done a lot for me. Wouldn't go back on that. But it's ... it's hurt a lot of us."

[swinglow]

The Chariot nods slowly, in time to its bouncing. "Not all give damns. Did not always give damn. Some give damns. Others care only for game. Still others in between. Children. Tools. Dollies. Wild cards. Many different ways to see you. Viewpoints evolve. Can realize children grew up. Can be stuck with Father Knows Best."

[truerevelation]

"If that's who I think it is..." Kanji snorts. No matter what the rest of his feelings are on the matter... he thinks he dodged a bullet still.
"But you ... you didn't have to tell me that. You've told me a lot you didn't have to."

He shakes his head and sighs. "Viewpoints evolve. Yeah. ...I wanna be angry at you still. I wanna hate you. But you're ... tryin' to work with me here. You're ... I guess 'moving along with us' kinda fits. And that's more than even a lot of us do."

[swinglow]

There is a sort of pleased air to the Chariot now. "That one does give half damn. Just believes Father Knows Best. Yes. Want to work with you. Suited to each other. Motion is imperative. Keep moving. Keep Traveling. Until goal is reached. After that we shall see."

[truerevelation]

"Heh." Kanji scratches his head. "I mean. We don't call this thing a journey for nothin'. Okay... coupla last things, I guess, but ..."

But he couldn't hate Izanami once he'd taken her down, especially when he'd seen what part of her could become, and this mess is all feeling a lot like that again. Still, he's feeling a whole lot more confident about at least part of this situation than he was.

[swinglow]

The Chariot bounces on the ball, waiting.

[truerevelation]

...It's hard for him not to nod along with the motion as he thinks of ways to put his thoughts.

"First ... you said 'we might talk later'. How much do you ... y'know, listen in on what we're doin' anyway at all? And second..."

He lets out a brief laugh. "I-is there anythin' else you call yourself? I know some'f you do. Or is it just, well..." A slight swallow, and he rubs his arm. "Chariot?"

[swinglow]

"More than some think. Less than others. My personal name is 'Cairbre.' You may call me that. Or Chariot. Or Charioteer. All the same to me."

It seems to be pronounced like Car Bra.

[truerevelation]

Not being spied on all the time, then. That's... something, again.

"Cairbre..." He stumbles over the pronunciation a bit. "Alright. Thanks." It's strange having a name to put to this individual he's wondered about for so long. But then again, what hasn't been strange today?

[swinglow]

Cairbre inclines its head in acknowledgement.

[truerevelation]

Kanji regards it for a moment, just thinking about the situation. "Actually. Got another question, if you're still answering 'em. When you're pickin' up Travellers from their worlds. Why do you pick who you do?"

[swinglow]

"Random," Cairbre says. Then, "Partly. Filtered for people who matter. Luck too, lots of it. Fortune's parameters."

[truerevelation]

"...You're talkin' about Fortune as in 'Wheel Of', right?" he asks, frowning again. "But huh. You guys can wave a hand and grab a bunch of people from wherever, but it all just comes down to... luck in the end who gets pulled from where?"

[swinglow]

"Wheel of Fortune. Fortuna. Yes. Ensured that it would be lucky. That is right. That is how."

Cairbre bounces a bit faster. "Miss Fortune," it admits.

[truerevelation]

"You..."

Kanji scratches his head. "Were you two friends?" he asks, his tone a little softer. A wheel keeps moving... it makes sense, he guesses, but it's still strange to think about.

[swinglow]

"Yes."