Conversation Space: The Ultimate

[powersthatbe]

You feel as if you've stepped through a door.

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[adastraea]

"You," a voice says from the judge's bench. There is a woman there, blindfolded and wrapped in a voluminous cloak.

"I am Justice," she says by way of introduction. "who by our reckoning is the eleventh Arcana. I have taken on the personal name of Astræa, which you may use if you so choose. Welcome, Leo Allen, called Earendil, to my conversation space."

[pretentiouself]

Leo takes a sharp step back, the colour draining from his face. "How the fuck do you know my name?" It's not so much the first, or the second: it's the fact that she knows both. He keeps those two aspects of his life separate for very good reason, and as far as he knows he's always been very careful with it. Using them together? It's almost a threat.

[adastraea]

"We review your lives when we claim you," she says. "It is how we best decide who should Choose who."

[pretentiouself]

"And who asked you to do that?" Leo snaps. "Some of that is private!" Yes, he's angry and annoyed (and also a little concerned because how dare they look into the things that no one should know about).

[adastraea]

"If we did not, it would be much more difficult to sort between you," she says reasonably. "We cannot rely on how you act as Travelers as we did before Phase Three, for we must claim you now as soon as you become Travelers."

[pretentiouself]

"I have no idea what Phase Three is, and I don't particularly care. Nor do I particularly care to be claimed." He's calming down from his initial reaction at least, his voice turning icy cold as he watches her intently. He's still not happy about this at all but at least he has his reaction under control.

[adastraea]

"Be that as it may, all Travelers must be once Phase Three commences," she says.

She purses her lips and suddenly there is a whiteboard behind her. She picks up a piece of chalk and uses it to draw what looks like tournament brackets in red-purple light. The brackets are indicated with numbers instead of names.

"Phase Three is the final phase of Synodiporia. It is more colloquially called the World Series."

[pretentiouself]

Normally he would assume that the whiteboard has been generated as an augmented reality object, but here, who knows? Either way, it's here now, and he looks at what she draws, but to be honest it doesn't mean a lot to him.

"Right, and that's what's about to start?" He rolls his eyes. "So we're all just player pieces? Great. Good to know. Want to tell me any thing more about what's going to happen? If I have no choice it would be nice to at least know what's going on."

[adastraea]

"It has been in motion for some time now," she says. "I cannot tell you the exact length, unfortunately. SAGE is the timekeeper, not I. You are indeed our pieces, although like pawns of chess, you may in time be promoted to a more powerful one than you currently are. There are, however, a finite number of matches left. Four more in this bracket. Four in the next bracket. Then two. Then the final. And then it will be possible to return you to your world of origin."