avalononline | video, un: ardenbury

Greetings, fellow outworlders. You may address me as Miss Ardenbury, if we are not yet acquainted, thank you.

[Cecelia is seated facing the camera, within one of those ever-so-similar rooms folks have been initially shacked up in, neither a dirt-covered ballgown disaster nor a puffed-up and pissed-off masquerader. still, she sits in a bit of a regal, this-is-business kind of fashion; this is not an off-the-cuff query or network bungle.]

While the good king is abroad on political business, I would like to bring to attention a happening that may be of value to some -- by which I mean to speak to those of the more skeptical variety, such as myself.

It is wise to test and doubt, especially when details are given only second- and third-hand, yes? That is wisdom that has done me quite well over my years, and it goes to follow here, as well. With that said, after a frank meeting with the aforementioned king, I have been elected to a new role on behalf of this wayward, fluctuating community.

[she pauses briefly, going over what she's rehearsed one last, quick time before speaking once more.]

I have been granted the means to witness the calamity affecting our worlds firsthand. It is neither simple, nor sustainable for much longer than a day at a time, and it is certainly not safe. It is, however...real. It can be seen and felt with your own senses.

With that being said, I am now the acting ambassador for this particular issue -- that is, the matter of providing the tactile proof of the king's claims of our shared plight. May it serve as assurance...and, perhaps, to those with the knowhow with multi-planar disasters, some insight on how to better mitigate this and even resolve it outright.

Others shall be given this task in the future, as they are deemed fit and worthy. For now... [exhale. she lifts her chin a bit higher.]

If you wish to see it, you will speak to me. And we will see about getting there so you may become one of many witnesses...and may this reminder continue to linger, as...distractions crop up and throw you off-balance.

[a beat.]

Hailing me from this device, under this handle, is acceptable. Encountering me within the confines of Camelot, too, will suffice. Know that I cannot accommodate every single person at once, for the strain is...substantial, and the destination a risk in of itself. I must be discerning in who I can ferry, you understand.

With that said... Any questions?

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What sort of discernments do you intend to make with regards to who gets to view this calamity, as you're calling it?

[A hello might have been polite, but Klaudia's particularly intrigued, and she's skipping the niceties.]

[her eyebrow arches just a bit. tiefling? or something adjacent? hm. not one for propriety, in any case...

with an airier note than her total-business demeanor:] I'll be relying on intuition to discern if I'm to find myself in danger with the company who requests my service, of course. I won't be bullied or ordered around, because that's only indicative of fouler features of one's character.

As for the rest...I'm not here to show an oddity at a fairground; I'll need to believe that the one who comes to me, does so with an earnest intent to learn and help solve this problem.

Not the most clear-cut or standardized of rubrics, but who among us is so clear-cut, mm?

[By this point, she should be used to the expressions that she gets from others, but there's still a bit of a pull to her mouth as she presses her lips together. She really just doesn't want to bother with it right now, but the video is already on and there's nothing to be done about that.]

I wouldn't say it's a rubric at all so much as a demand for people to vie for your favor. Not a very becoming introduction for an ambassador, but so be it.

What sort of proof are you looking for that someone is interested in learning and problem solving?

[with a gentle shake of her head:] Oh, don't anticipate prework. Such a waste of time in this case. And besides, those sorts of things become rather apparent more often than not when brought face-to-face. Deceptions easier to insight, earnestness easier to perceive...that sort of thing.

So long as I'm not suddenly harried by some other nonsense, one really has little to lose in asking.

Ohh, brave of you to rely fully on intuition and nothing else~ [She definitely sounds like she's teasing here, but only for that moment.]

I honestly don't see the point. What person is going to bother deceiving you about something so particular in nature? And what person is going to stand about and gawk at something rather than want to find a way back to the places we're from? I haven't met a person like that yet that would go to those lengths and put in the effort for absolutely no reason other than personal fancy.

That said, how do we end up on this list of yours? Is that the asking that you're referring to? Should I add a Pretty Please and a May I to my request to see this calamity you've been given governance over?

[mildly:] There are very many different kinds of people in the world, to speak nothing of all worlds. You'd be surprised how many are more apt to gawk and nothing more, letting chance and fate blow over them like wind. [these people are effectively farts in the wind themselves, but that is crude, and Cecelia is not in a mood to be crude. not a crude mood!!!!

in any case, back to business-speak:] You ask. I take your name, I plan a timing and meeting point that's amenable to both parties -- subject to change given the precarious nature of things here, naturally. And then we go.

[with a slight lifting of her chin:] If kindness is truly too much to ask, you need not force yourself to sardonic and false displays of it, so long as you know that while I am obliged to assist in this way, it does not mean I am to be subjected to abuse because of it.

[Klaudia tilts her head a little at the screen. Cecelia isn't far from the mark about her sardonicism, though she delivers it with a faint smile and an air of matter-of-factness. Just now, though, she looks more curious than anything.]

Are you... expecting abuse? You've warned of that twice now. Once, I could understand a certain level of paranoia, but twice is a bit much.

I'd like to formally request an appointment. No abuse necessary. If you need my name, it's Klaudia. Time isn't an issue for me--just fit me in wherever you can, I'll make the time for it. Soon would be nice, but I wouldn't want to rush you~

[of course she's expecting abuse! how could she not?? granted, she's predisposed to being on the defensive as it is, but...c'mon. c'mon!!!

in any case, she doesn't address it, simply lifting her hands from their resting position under the table to pick up her quill and bring it to an open, blank page set before her and the phone.]

Klaudia, then. Once I've finished with the others who have spoken up previously, I can contact you. This username, yes?

[It's rude to ignore a question, Cecelia. Klaudia will... probably not bother remembering that, but it's still rude nonetheless!]

Yes, this username.

Are we able to bring things with us? To document what we find there? [There's a pause in both her thoughts and her words as she considers something.]

Did you take any notes on what you saw?

You can, yes. And I encourage it. More perspectives will paint a clearer picture than just my shorthand -- which I am still laying out into place, myself. Doubtless there'll be more to consider upon revisiting.

Hmm.

[Well, it would have been nice to see some notes ahead of time, but she'll just have to make sure that she's stocked up on notebooks.]

Any points of interest that you want to relay ahead of time? Other than... [She waves her hand to make circular gestures in the air.] All the stuff you've said already.

[she looks askance in reflection for a moment.

then:] The brink is still part of Avalon, and behind it is a deserted expanse. It was perhaps something more before, but is now barren. I was advised there is little to gain in attempting to traverse it, but...I wager as time goes by, and the powers we collectively cultivate grow, there may be something to it.

[There's a slight furrow of her brow at that, her lips pressing tight for a moment.]

And who told you that it was ill-advised to explore this expanse? Has anyone actually tried to explore it, or are they simply cowards?

The information comes from the King and accounts of his countrymen making attempts. What few who crawled back alive are the ones he claims the testimonies are from. [but she hasn't met them face to face, so she can't account for their truthfulness -- nor does she try to.]

With what limited resources I have, I'm not yet inclined to test my luck out there regardless.

[There's a brief moment that she doesn't quite guard--an aside tilt of her head that might register as a barely restrained eye-roll, if she had visible pupils to roll. It's anyone's guess what evokes that response, but she adjusts her posture and moves past it quickly.]

Well, I guess I'll simply have to wait and see. [A pause.] This calamity; not if I can explore it. I won't cause any additional trouble beyond needing your escort.

[She's curious, but she's not stupid. ...Most days.]

Very well. I'll be in contact, then.

video, un: ardenbury

video; un: selcouth

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