avalononline | video; un: j.porter

[Jane appears to be sitting in the middle of the woods. It's raining, though not terribly hard, and she doesn't appear too bothered by it as she shelters under a tree with an irritated-looking bird fluffed up on her shoulder.]

I've been thinking about something... and indulge me, because sitting out here waiting for the rain to stop is terribly dull.

[She doesn't use the network too often and rarely for a casual query, but she is bored.]

There are a good many people here from other worlds, yet I often notice that most seem to be... hmm, heroes of some kind, I suppose? Or people who were already powerful in magical ways, or people of high political influence. Some are gods, even. [A little shrug follows this, and she hums thoughtfully.]

So I wondered, then, just how many are not. How many were pulled into this from perfectly ordinary lives where nothing magical or horribly dangerous really happened to them, and they were certainly never anticipating having to halt some multiverse-ending calamity.

[A fat raindrop hits the top of her head and she flinches, looking up and then shuffling further back against the tree.] I'm sure I'm not the only one who often wonders which capricious higher power thought they had the skill set for this.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

....Probably should. Mayhaps start of with...getting a job. Then we could go on and chase animals or whatever it is zoologists do.

[ And he means a good solid paying job. ]

That shouldn't be too difficult, right?

[Careful Jane, your privilege is showing.]

What are you good at?

[ He surprisingly has an easy time getting a job, just not the kind that is stable. ]

Well, like I said, I'm a courier by trade so I'm good at that. Not sure if this place needs something that though since - A - I don't know the lay of the land yet, and - B - I don't have any wheels to get around. So that's gonna make things a bit difficult.

Ah, well, I might be able to help you with the 'lay of the land'.

[She has been around a while and has done a fair bit of exploring, making rudimentary maps where she needed to.]

As for... wheels... are you talking about motorised vehicles? [A damn shame they don't have those here, when Jane had just learned how to drive one in the last world she was in.]

Oh I can make sense of the directions meself, no offense. I'm pretty good with terrain.

[ Being a scout and cartographer for a time would do that. ]

But aye, motorised vehicles is a way to put it. I mean, I'm gonna need other things as well, like capital for one, but having something to get me from A to B quickly would be fantastic.

Hmm. I've seen several different kinds of mounts being used by people here. [Not just horses, and she's been a little excited to perhaps try to acquire one herself... at some point.]

Perhaps one of the ones with wings would be useful to you?

[They... have those, she thinks?]

At least when it comes to surveying the area.

[ He tilts his head in confusion. ]

I don't follow. How is an animal with wings gonna help me?

[ Then it hits him and his eyes go wide as saucers. ]

You mean ride them? An animal??? Are you serious????

[ Hell to the No. ]

[Jane can't help it - she lets out a little 'pfffffffff' of laughter and covers her mouth with her hand as she smiles. Oh, dear.]

Of course I'm serious!

[Is their selection of animals really so small that they have nothing large enough to use as a mount?] What ever did people do before motor cars? Oh, you simply must let me take you out riding. Perhaps something on the ground to start with.

Riding. Riding an animal.

[ Do you see how much he's bothered by this? His people just pulled the damn carts, it was faster and literally more efficient. ]

Wait, you ride them?

[ She's gotten really pretyt with how excited she is, but he also at the same feels nothing but the urge to stay very far away from her. ]

Me? I learned to ride when I was a little girl.

[She does see how much he's bothered by it but it doesn't really click in her mind exactly why he would find the idea so disturbing.]

Daddy insisted, and I've always found it to be a terribly attractive quality in other people.

....

[ He can't even picture it. What in the world would she even ride? All that comes to mind is his motorbike and truck, how he misses them so suddenly. He's never forgotten how lucky he is to have them but boy does he want them to be there now. ]

...You're yanking me chain.

I most certainly am not!

[Jane does get the impression she's missing something here. Some link in the chain that she isn't seeing... or that just isn't there. But once she sets her mind on something it's really hard to divert her away from it.]

Don't you think this would be a terribly odd thing to, uhm... yank someone's chain about?

Yes! Riding animals, I've never heard of such a thing! Like, do you ride a dog?? Or a cat???

[ Certainly since he arrived he's seen odd creatures, some actually big enough to ride on. But still...it's so strange to him. ]

How'd you even tell it where to go? The stupid dogs around me neighborhood only listen to "git" and "scram", don't think they'd understand left from right.

Do you remember the animals in the stables at the bay? The ones that pull carriages? You can ride those!

[He kept having a weird reaction to her saying the name of them, so she doesn't say it again.]

You put a saddle on their back and sit in it, and tell them where to go by guiding their head with a halter and reins.

video; un: j.porter

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject