VIDEO. UN: LOKI

[selfimage]

[ the sound of the wind storm hollows dully against the cave walls. Loki's squidge, Bacon, can half be seen crawling in the confines of his tacky green jacket and over his knee from where he sits, sometimes ducking and squeaking when a particularly large gust hits. to keep it from screaming, Loki offers his fingers absently, which the little squidge pulls on with its pudgy arms before ducking low again. ]

Hello there, it seems like we'll be waiting this out for some time considering the weather-type circumstances. While we're all rotting away, etcetera etcetera, I thought we could amuse ourselves with a game. A little bit of team bonding funtimes, so to say. [ he twists a dark nailed hand in the air, gesturing. ]

Soo—oo ... it's called Two Truths and a Lie. How do you play? Glad you asked, it's simple! Give two true statements about yourself and add a lie to the mix, shake it up then toss it out there and see if your team members know you well enough to spot the lie.

Usually this is done with copious amounts of alcohol, but we're lacking at the moment. [ pause. ] But—ah—you could always enjoy the satisfaction of being right. It's not like we're doing much else.

NOTE | Feel free to threadjack if that's your thing!! :****

Comments

[ex_adept136]

It all worked out then. I think being a high achiever is impressive in its own right, even if you're not in the top spot.

[evantuality]

Well, I mean, school's kind my thing back home. I honestly can't think of anything I like better than mastering a tough subject, you know? Doing well in school opens doors, and in a way it's its own reward.

[He laughs, though this time it doesn't quite translate to his eyes.] And then I end up somewhere like here, where, honestly, who knows or cares about network architecture? Or theoretical mathematics? Turns out I should have paid more attention in gym class after all.

[Though with their training he's been doing better, the frustration of physical learning has been a real uphill battle for Evan. He may be dogged, but he's not naturally talented.]

[ex_adept136]

[Ah, Evan...]

You don't suppose that some of it might come in handy? Not everything is about fighting your way out of it.

[Really, he's entirely too hard on himself, in Haise's opinion]

Besides which, you've been making good strides there. I don't see why it should be bad to be an academic at heart.

[evantuality]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge learning something new. I just...

[But he's getting increasingly self-conscious about having brought it up at all. He frowns, shrugs like he's shaking something off.]

Sorry. Sour grapes. Listen, if we ever do end up somewhere where knowing the ins and outs of twentieth-century earth network infrastructure saves our bacon, you can bet I'll be suitably pleased about the situation. And I mean, I get it, there's collateral gains in things like pattern recognition and problem solving. I'm not saying my particular background is a bad thing, I just...

Well, you know. There's no denying I'm out of my depth here sometimes. I mean, that's why we're doing the training at all, isn't it?

[ex_adept136]

[He listens carefully to what Evan has to say about it, and much as he might want to give him a lengthy response, the thought that comes to mind is, first, quite simple]

Aren't we all a little out of our depth, around here?

[Not said with any despondency, however]

But the fact that we're all so different and have out own areas of expertise means we can help each other. We've all got training to do, I think.

[evantuality]

[Evan, who for a moment seems primed to protest in the same way he has been, slows himself enough to think for a moment. To think of the training Haise has been so kind to offer, and in fact to think of the help he's offered Riza, and the learning he's just started to exchange with Serene. He smiles, despite himself, and shrugs.]

I suppose you're right.

I wonder, sometimes, how much we'd all gain if we could just... spend six months holed up in Oska, exchanging information. There are so many worlds represented here, forget just skillsets. The amount of learning we could do... I wonder if ALASTAIR has a research division?

[ex_adept136]

I can imagine we'd learn a great deal, since our backgrounds are so diverse. During the time spent between missions, I had quite a bit of help learning about how magic works...though it doesn't seem entirely universal.

[He wishes there were universal principles, because it'd be easier for him to nail down, but all that he learns will contribute to being more adaptable]

It seems like they'd have to have some sort of research or intelligence branch, for these sorts of operations.

[evantuality]

[Evan sighs, there being almost a wistfulness to it.]

I know what you mean. We've got too many single examples of different kinds of magic -- not enough for a proper study by any means, not without some serious margins of error. Any overarching theories anyone could come up with here would be little more than proofs of concept.

What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall in the ALASTAIR research department. I'm sure they have a better handle on the questions we can only just begin to pick at here.

[ex_adept136]

It has seemed that way. I've been trying to research how magic works, exactly, but I've run into that problem.

[The inconsistencies and sometimes contradictions don't give the clearest image, but any knowledge is better than none]

Maybe there's a way we can communicate with them, back in Oska.