VIDEO • un: (empty)

[fujita]

[ when the video starts, it's to a close-up of a young woman squinting at the screen like she's not entirely sure whether what she's doing is working. after a second or two, her expression brightens, though, and she holds the device a little further away from her face. ]

Hi. Can anyone see this? Is anyone watching? I'm Dorothy. [ the camera swings around, showing albus dumbledore for a moment, though it's dorothy's voice that continues: ] And this is Albus, apparently. We've just met and we have no idea what's going on here, so if anyone has a clue, mind filling us in?

[ the camera swings back around to dorothy only long enough for her to shut off the feed. ]

Comments

[fujita]

[ at least he seems to understand how this comms device works. not entirely clueless, then. ]

If you figure out where to find t-shirts for our clubs, I'm in.

[spideys]

Probably gotta custom-make them. I doubt there's a place for that here.

[ He's used to cell phones. He's had one for years now, back home.

God.

Home.

Who even knows how far away from New York he is now. ]

[fujita]

Who knows. Maybe the things that spit out food can also make something like a t-shirt.

[ tip #1 from someone who's travelled to another world before: don't think too hard about it. ]

[spideys]

Wait.

[ THIS IS IMPORTANT ]

There's a thing that spits out food? Like, a vending machine?

[fujita]

Don't get too excited. It's pretty disgusting. But yeah.

[spideys]

Okay, okay. Curbing my enthusiasm.

[ Well, kind of.

Vending machines are normal. Vending machines are familiar. They're not weird and space-y.

(That's what he thinks.)

He narrows his eyes a little. ]

'Disgusting' how?

[fujita]

[ it's not a vending machine. it's a machine that poops out food and drink. it's very space-y and weird. ]

Everything I've tried so far just doesn't taste good.

[spideys]

Aw, man. So no chips? Soda? Hot dogs with extra mustard and ketchup?

[ A guy can dream ... ]

[fujita]

Water, coffee and some slime that might have been oatmeal.

[spideys]

[ Peter groans in disgust.

Yep.

That is, indeed, the definition of disgusting. ]

And, maybe, t-shirts. If we can find the right button.

[fujita]

[ exactly... ]

None of them taste right, either. Even the water's stale. [ now that she thinks about it: ] The shirts would probably be deformed even if we did find the right button.

[spideys]

Maybe they'd be like all the most disgusting colours. Some of them might have like, three arm-holes.

Or they're made of burlap and mouse-hair.

[ Active imagination? Yep. ]

Where'd you find this vending machine?

[fujita]

That's worse than I wanted to imagine.

[ thanks for that... ]

There's a mess hall on Deck 2.

[spideys]

Sorry.

[ Whoops.

Peter laughs, apologetic. ]

Ah, okay. Anything else interesting up there? Does it have a kitchen? Maybe some eggs stocked up in a fridge?

[fujita]

I didn't see a fridge. Or eggs.

[spideys]

You're just a regular bearer of sunshine and rainbows, aren't you?

[fujita]

Have you seen this place? Not much sunshine and rainbows around, either.

[ still better than oz, maybe? except now dorothy kind of misses oz. or some of the people there. her mother, mostly. she wants to get to know her mother.

sylvie, too. and lucas, or the way things used to be with him. ]

[spideys]

Okay, okay - that's fair.

[ He breathes out a sigh in exasperation. ]

So, you and this Albus guy. You seen anyone else here so far? How many of us are there?

[fujita]

There's you, there's three more people I ran into while exploring, there's Lucas, there's Albus and me, and three people who've replied to this. So eight at least.

[spideys]

There's also my girlfriend, Mary Jane. That makes a pretty decent-sized group so far.

You think we were all sent here for some reason? Or is this purely some really crappy luck?

[fujita]

I have no idea. Last time I ended up somewhere not my world, it was because of a tornado.

[spideys]

A tornado?

Must be some tornado if it's got the ability to - uh. Send you somewhere that far.

[ Weirdly enough, it's probably not the weirdest thing he's heard at this point.

Weird tends to be the theme of his life these days. ]

[fujita]

It was pretty bad.

[ but tornadoes still don't usually do that kind of thing. ] It was magic, too, I think.

[spideys]

A magical tornado? You're not just pulling my leg now, are you?

[fujita]

I wish I were.