resort_link | 02 - Public / Video

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02 - Public / Video

[Linda comes onto the network today actually dressed casually rather than in her patrol uniform; she's wearing a red T-shirt under a gray sweater jacket over jeans and boots. her hair is pulled back in a braid, and the ever-present engagement ring is on her hand. today of all days, she wants to be wearing it. because despite the dome and her relocation, she's still counted the days, and she knows that if none of that had happened, this would be it--this would be her wedding day. and having realized that, it's a thought she can't get out of her head]

Hey, is anybody free today? [her tone is casual, but there's something a little anxious in the way she's standing. she has her hands in front of her and is unthinkingly playing with the ring as well] I'm off, and I don't want to spend the day sitting around alone. I'll take you to lunch--my treat. Or...I don't know, a walk in the gardens, or even some games in the arcade? Maybe a drink at Pugsy's tonight. Sound good to anybody?

[she smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. still, despite the feelings she's fighting, she's determined not to spend today moping. she's going to distract herself with new friends and fun instead]

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[Una's been there a little while already, contemplating how she has probably jeopardised her standing as a Travel Agent for the sake of her own wounded pride and a rough sense of justice—but she hasn't got much in the way of regrets. She's just hoping the inevitable dressing-down gets overwith quickly.

She glances up and sees Linda, and waves.]

Hello there!

[Linda herself is rather hoping that Belloq hasn't had to suffer frontier justice because of Niko's refusal to have him arrested. she isn't the sort of person to confront him herself--she might have for an explanation, but she doesn't know him well enough to distinguish lies from the truth even if she did--so she's left it alone]

[she waves back at Una, going over to join her with a smile] Hey. Hope you haven't been waiting too long. [she checks to see if Una has a drink because if not, she'll buy her one. that was part of her offer, after all]

[There's only a glass of water and a bowl of peanuts—or something as near to peanuts as to make no real difference—in front of Una. She hadn't quite decided what she wanted to drink yet.]

Not at all. Thank you for suggesting this—I rather needed to get out a bit.

[curious, she asks:] Does your job usually keep you busy? [but then she gestures at the glass of water] What would you like to drink?

Ah—Bushmill's, neat. Thanks. As for work— [she makes a "comme ci, comme ça" gesture with her hand] it comes and goes. Sometimes we get an influx of work, and then sometimes there's dead periods of not much to do at all. But no, my problems have less to do with work than ... other things.

[Linda turns to the bartender to order Una her whiskey and herself a beer. Una's answer is interesting, but she's missing one very important piece of information for Linda] What kind of work do you do?

[but she frowns at Una's comment about the "other things" she wants to get away from] Yeah, things haven't exactly been quiet lately... [she's not sure if Niko's betrayal and the surrounding events are what Una means or not, but she doesn't want to pry when they've only just met either]

Oh, I never did say, did I? [Una shakes her head, bemused at her own negligence.] I'm on the Travel Agency. You would have met one of my co-workers just before you came here.

[She's not quite going to offer more details about her recent adventures, not until she has a better sense of who Linda is.]

Oh. [that's actually a surprise, and it shows for a second on her face; it didn't occur to Linda that non-natives would work in that area]

[the bartender offers their drinks just then, and Linda accepts hers, taking the brief pause to debate whether to ask the question she's thinking of--before she decides it can't hurt] So with that job, you know a lot about how those teleporters work, right?

[Una catches that moment of surprise.]

Let's just say I have some unique qualifications. And yes, I've had a fair amount of training and some experience on them. I imagine it won't be too long before I log some more.

[Linda takes Una's word for it, her surprise less about questioning her qualifications and more just because the idea of one of the imports being in that position hadn't occurred to her]

Can I ask you something--about how they work?

[Una's somewhat surprised to not get questions about those "qualifications", since that's usually where people go first, but she doesn't mind. Variety is nice.]

Go ahead. I'll try to answer as best I can.

How accurate is their...timing? [Linda's not quite sure how to ask what she wants--trying to consider different universes and time being relative frankly makes her head spin, but she tries] I've heard you can go back to right when you left your home. But could you go back, like, an hour or two later than that, if you wanted? Do they work like that?

Returning to the exact point of departure is easiest; the coordinates are more certain. There's a brief margin of error—going forward only, though. Arriving before you left is both inadvisable and, with the current transporters, extremely unlikely to happen. You might arrive up to a few minutes after, though, even if you're aiming for the original point. [As she talks, Una traces out a rough sort of diagram on the bar counter, using some condensation that has puddled near her water glass.] Deliberately targeting a different point—it can be done. But the margins of error become trickier.

So if you try it, there's just more chance that the timing wouldn't be what you were hoping for?

[she looks relieved by that response. after all, as long as she arrives after the missile hits, the exact timing doesn't matter that much. sooner would be better, but she knows that even if it were off a few days, it shouldn't make much difference in the long run. she sips her drink, turning over the possibilities in her head]

[Una nods.] That's right. That sort of temporal targeting is best done generally. You're less likely to be disappointed. [It's said with a twinkle, but it's not really a joke.]

I can only guess you have practical reasons for asking this, but I won't pry.

[Linda gives her a smile, appreciating that. she's trying to keep her spirits up today, so she'd rather not get into the whole story--particularly with someone she doesn't really know yet] Ah...let's just say it would be dangerous to return exactly when I left. But later should be possible, even if it's not exact.

[hoping to open up more avenues of conversation, she adds:] So what kind of place are you from?

[Una catches the conversational ball neatly and runs with it.]

Most recently, London. Twentieth century. I travel quite a lot, however; though London is what I generally call home.

Oh, so not that far off. I mean...relatively speaking.

[a couple of months ago, London wouldn't have sounded "close" to her at all, but now she's both surprised and glad to hear that Una is, as far as she can tell so far, from her world. she's still struggling to get her head around some of the very different places people at Blackway are from, so she's glad to have a little familiarity in this case. and thankfully Bertie's situation at least started to get her used to the idea that people might be from her past]

I'm from Earth, too. Chester's Mill--in the U.S. But from the twenty-first century, and...I've never actually been overseas.

[Una is holding off on diving into the fact that the twentieth century London she last inhabited is probably not the one that exists in Linda's world. A little at a time.]

I've been to America several times—I've a dear friend who lives in central Texas. I don't suppose Chester's Mill is anywhere near there?

[this is probably wise as Linda is still very overwhelmed by the shattering of her worldview. but at Una's question, she gives a short laugh]

Not exactly. Chester's Mill is in Maine--in the northeast. But we're just a small town out in the country, so I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it.

[not since she assumes Una is from the past. she wonders if, because of the dome, the whole world might know the name of Chester's Mill now--now from her point of view, at any rate]

Ah, New England. No, I'm not familiar with that area at all—closest I've been is Canada. I was in Toronto some time back—politics, essentially.

[To wit: trying to negotiate with her old friend Nestor Makhno after the Ukrainian invasion of Canada.]

Ohh. Well, if you ever get the chance, it's a nice place! There are beautiful woods and lakes nearby. I'm not really sure what you'd think of it if you're used to cities, though. We're one of those small places where everybody knows everybody else. I think some of the residents would be surprised just to meet somebody from England!

[she looks amused at the thought, resolutely forcing herself not to think about her present, when the residents of Chester's Mill are about to cease to exist]

Oh, I like the countryside. [Mostly. The people in it can be a problem, in some parts.] It sounds lovely. If you're ever in England, you should visit Yorkshire. Dales and vales and the most wonderfully dramatic scenery. Especially if you're keen on hiking.

[the people are certainly a problem sometimes--a fact Linda herself would know well if she weren't so intent on seeing the best in people even when proved otherwise]

I like hiking, yeah. That sounds like it would be beautiful. [she pauses to take a drink, smiling at the thought] Gotta admit, I don't have a lot of travel experience. The closest I've come to leaving the country is visiting family in Puerto Rico, and even that's still part of the U.S.

Now I've never been there, myself. [A pause; something just occurred to her.] You know, I never did ask you what it is you do here. Or did back home.

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