queenofheartsrp | First Light [Action; accidental video; video]

[A bright, blinding light fills the gardens, emanating from the new arrivals' clearing. It is strong enough to hurt one's eyes, but it has no other ill effects. After the initial flash, the Vine starts recording, so the mirrors, too, fill up with the light as it shines and then fades.

When it has grown dim enough, a figure is revealed, lying on the ground, dressed in the familiar white shift of a newcomer. She stirs at once, leaping up. Her eyes are wide, her face distorted with alarm and confusion as she cries out.]

Wassily--!

[She is about to say something else, but the light flares again, and the Vine takes this as a sign to stop recording.

A few minutes pass, and the woman reappears, facing the mirror, dressed plainly in black. The light from before is no longer in evidence, and she can be seen clearly. She is perhaps in her early thirties, with long blond hair. She is much calmer, and smiling, though she still shows signs of strain. She seems to have become aware of her surroundings and the situation, and her concern now is for those she is addressing as she speaks in a quiet voice.]

Hello--all of you. My name is Epsilon. Are there many of you here? Are you all right?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yes. People don't react well to the unfamiliar.

[ Clare looks a little concerned, briefly. ] Most of the people here are more helpful than you might expect. If you need assistance, you'll find it.

No, I suppose they don't, do they? I can understand that. I only hoped I might be able to help them in some small way.

[She considers the woman's words, smiling at the kindness in them.] There is one thing that would help me a great deal. Do you know if there's any way to learn what is happening back in my world? I'm very concerned about those I left behind.

Oh--and I don't know your name.

... No. [ This is something that's been bothering Clare, too. There's a large part of her that's undeniably happy to be here, reunited with someone important, but the rest of her is torn between anger and frustration that she's left her comrades and their mission behind. ] This place doesn't obey logic. The dead are brought back to life... people aren't as you know them. But if there's a way, I don't intend to leave it undiscovered.

[ A beat. ] Clare.

[She's crestfallen at this news, although it doesn't surprise her.] That is too bad. Yes, I've already had a little experience with the unusual characteristics of this place. I'd be interested in discovering a means of finding out about home, too. If there's any way I can help-- [Her voice sounds hopeful.] Please let me know.

It's very nice to meet you, Clare.

If there is a way, by all means.

Thank you. I'll also look for a way and tell you if I find anything.

[She considers Clare. As they are speaking over the Vine and not in person, she can only sense certain things about the woman, but that is enough for her to tell that there is something unusual about her.]

Have you been here long, Clare?

Not very long. It's been twenty four days.

Twenty-four days sounds like a long time to be kept here, away from your home.

[She pauses, thoughtful.] You're very different from the humans of my world. Your eyes are beautiful.

I'm not entirely human.

[ There's an obvious pause before she responds again. The fact that none of the people who've seen her have reacted with fear or alarm is a little unsettling; she's still adjusting to it. ]

Though you're quite different from the humans I'm used to, yourself. My eyes are usually a source of unease.

[That explains her readings, then.] I see. We don't have any people who are only partly human in my world. Except for those with cybernetic prosthetics.

I'm not human at all. I'm a robot. Why would anyone be afraid of your eyes?

They mark me out as something that humans call a "silver-eyed slayer", or a Claymore... someone who has taken on monster flesh as a way of slaying those same monsters. We frighten them.

... What is a "robot"?

[The circumstances Clare describes are strange to her, but she does feel some empathy. There are those who fear robots, too. She nods.] I'm sorry that they fear you.

[She's talked to enough people here that she's not surprised someone might not know what a robot is.] A robot is a mechanical person. I was made by a human, and my intelligence is humanlike, but artificial. In my world, robots are sometimes made to fight for humans, too.

Made by a human... what are you made of?

[It's a difficult question to answer, when speaking to someone who is unfamiliar with the very notion of a robot. It's likely Clare wouldn't know the names of the specific materials that were used in her construction, so she simplifies the truth.]

I'm a machine. I'm partly made of metal, but also of plastic and other synthetic materials.

[ Synthetic materials? Clare glances briefly at her sword. This isn't really something she knows much about, so she won't pry beyond the simplified explanation. ]

I see. Did you fight?

They wanted me to, but I refused.

[She hesitates, as that isn't entirely true.] I did fight, in the end, to defend those I loved, but I took no life. I would not destroy.

[ The smallest of smiles. ]

That's good to hear.

First Light [Action; accidental video; video]

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