ein himmelfahrendes und eins, das fällt

[apaintingdarkly]

I'm sure you're all excited about this return to normalcy, if that's what it is, but I still have one question for our new lord and master.

Worlds like this one don't revive on their own, not from the inside. The power has to come from somewhere - usually someone. Someone human, in the real world.

So: Who rejuvenated this one?

Comments

Private, <3

[apaintingdarkly]

Yeah, once or twice.

Private

[darknessb4me]

When?

Private

[apaintingdarkly]

Once a few months ago, a couple of times in the last four centuries.

Private

[darknessb4me]

What were they? How did you find them?

Private

[apaintingdarkly]

The old fashioned way. All of them were created by a man called Hikari.

[ He doesn't even mean to be unhelpful, he's just never had to explain what he does. ]

Private

[darknessb4me]

What the hell is the "old fashioned way"? You were swimming around in space and bumped into a ship?

Private

[apaintingdarkly]

Research. Artworks that function as portals to artificial worlds are usually those created by the Hikaris. All I have to do is find them.

Private

[darknessb4me]

Artwork?

[well that's a theory out of left field.]

You think we're in one of these artificial worlds. If that's true, how did we get here?

Private

[apaintingdarkly]

It sucked you in at the moment of your death, probably.

[ Its actually a pretty reasonable theory. ]

Private

[darknessb4me]

Across worlds? That can happen?

Private

[apaintingdarkly]

Easier than taking people alive, and this is one powerful world.

Private

[darknessb4me]

Why? What's its motivation?

Private

[apaintingdarkly]

If it's like the works I've seen, it's feeding on the life of its prisoners. Could be anything, though. Could be the Admiral is exactly what he says he is.

Private

[darknessb4me]

And how do we tell whether we're in an artificial world?

Private

[apaintingdarkly]

Look around you - it seems pretty obvious to me.

Private

[darknessb4me]

I don't visit other worlds. What are the characteristics?

Private

[apaintingdarkly]

It's a sense. The weight of the air, or the sound of near-silence.

Private

[darknessb4me]

Nothing you can prove.

[Arthas isn't accusing, exactly, just frustrated.]

Private man some gmail apps are just black holes for tags

[apaintingdarkly]

Nothing like that, no.

Private

[darknessb4me]

Is there a way to prove it?

Private

[apaintingdarkly]

Dunno. I don't really spend much time proving things in my line of work.

Private

[darknessb4me]

I'll work with you on this, but not if you're mistaken. Or lying.

Private

[apaintingdarkly]

Hey, hey, what reason could I possibly have to lie about this?

Private

[darknessb4me]

Hell if I know, but we just met. I'm not going to take your word for it on something as big as the nature of the Barge.

Private

[apaintingdarkly]

It'd be pretty pointless, is all I'm saying. Nothing to gain from lying to a guy like you about something that affects me too.