etraya | un: jaycetalis

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un: jaycetalis | video

[If anyone hasn’t seen Jayce within the past few months, he looks quite a bit different. His hair is longer, he has a beard, and doesn’t seem quite as full of energy as he might have in the past. He’s also not dressing as uptight as he used to— a lack of vest and tie, exchanged for just a simple button up shirt. The background is once again S.T.A.R. labs, although he’s not trying to hide it this time.]

Hey, Etrayans. For those new to this whole thing, welcome. I’m Jayce Talis. For those who came from Pollux, also welcome. I can say with full confidence Aurora’s better at this than Castor is.

[Aurora probably won’t appreciate that comment, but whatever. He stands by it. But that aside…]

I’m putting out a call for fellow scientists to come together and work collaboratively on research involving what we know about Etraya, and more importantly, what we don’t know. This could also include strategizing developments to improve our lives here, and solving problems with our understanding in our respective fields.  

Something that we have here that we lack in our own worlds is the variety of perspectives. In my world, some of our greatest achievements are beyond what’s possible in other worlds, but we don’t have plastics or microwaves. Think of this as an opportunity for all of us to better ourselves, in this… transient existence we’re all stuck in.

Meetings would be here, in S.T.A.R. labs, every Thursday morning. No requirements if you want to participate other than an open mind, and a good attitude. No shooting down suggestions without hearing things out, and if you happen to have some sort of grudge against any of the participants here, you leave it at the door when you come in, or you’re not coming in.

[OOC: Feel free to threadjack around if you'd like!]

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You think I'm overreacting, don't you?

[He sighs, exhausted, running a hand through his hair to try and shake it off.]

Maybe I am. Maybe it's time I finally get Robert to give me something for anxiety.

[the other ear goes back.]

Iiiiiiiif...if something like me says you're overracting, is it, uh. I mean, I guess it'd seem insane, yeah?

[but the abject fear of everything this place stands for is in contention with refusing to do as they're told; it's the shittiest tug-of-war to ever tug and it's Knife's alone!]

[He's quiet for a second.]

I think we'd actually make a pretty good team of seeing each other's blind spots. Your concerns versus my own. There's balance in having a second opinion. And if we both decide something's off, then we'd be a lot more sure of it.

Heheh... So I get to be the dirty wise hermit in the wilderness you trek to for advice?

I'm not trekking out here in the cold more than I already have today, so you'll see me in the summer time if you're going to insist I visit you.

Wow! [she feigns insult, injury, clutching at her chest.] So much for my valuable input! The heck am I supposed to do? Trek around on these little legs? [leggy wiggle.] Even if I did, I don't know where you haunt, so I'd be at risk to hooligans!

Hooligans, Jayce.

You're the closest thing we have to a hooligan, Short-stack.

And you could just, you know. Ask where I go. I have a schedule.

[against her will, the tail wags. a little.]

I'm not gonna get crap for askin'?

Why would I give you a hard time about that?

I, I dunno! You got like, thirteen Viktors and a zillion friends, right? Busy, smart, fixit kinda guy here!

I have ten friends, and you're one of them. There's only two Viktors, and one is barely on speaking terms with me. Ask away.

[wag, wag.]

Ten? That's like a thousand in ghost town terms, ain't it? There's only like thirty people in this joint, yeah?

Closer to fifty or sixty, I think.

Are you waiting for me to just tell you? Squirming out of asking yourself?

Edited 2026-02-06 22:14 (UTC)

Look, even if you told me I wouldn't really get it. 'Cuz that's just a name and not a place in my head! [and it's not about the illiteracy!!] Just send me pictures of it! That's easier, yeah? Do that!

Give me a pen and paper. I'll draw it.

[Antigone half-squints at him for a beat, juuuust in case he was kidding. which he wasn't, but. conditioning, okay?

she climbs to her feet and tromps through the frost into her tent, rummaging a bit and returning with a hardcover book, some loose sheets of mostly-blank paper, and coloring markers. the partly-not-blank parts are some slapdash little etchings of...something. shapes. squiggles. doodles.

she sets all that on his lap.] Could prolly just have the ghost take pictures of it, right? I mean, she did that for the bar... But drawing's fine, too. [albeit surprising; it's the kinda low-tech approach she expects to be offering, rather than being offered.]

If I sent you a picture, you'd have to use your communicator to see it again, and you prefer drawings, right?

[He takes the book and the thinnest marker of the bunch. With a practiced hand, he starts drawing the Kiramman Mansion, although it's very blueprint style- all straight lines and architecturally correct.]

This is- was... Caitlyn's mansion, in Mollymarin. She let me and Viktor live there. It's big, a lot of empty rooms. I'm there from 10pm to 8am on most days.

[there's not but a little ear flick at the remark on considering her preferences externally, but internally Antigone does feel a little bubbly. best to keep her eyes on the work being etched out.

Shit, how's this guy drawing straight-ass lines? On his lap? Why am I surrounded by mind-numbingly competent people all the time?!]

So it'd be sneaky night visits, huh... No one's gonna freak out if I sneak in and try to kill me?

Only Viktor, but I don't think he's going to do that. Doesn't have to be sneaky, either. We have a front door. You can do this thing called "knocking" or "ringing the bell."

[He finishes up the drawing, and then turns to the next page, drawing next his forge.]

I'm here, every other day, from 11am to 4pm. It can be noisy, so you're going to have to be loud when you come in. Don't surprise me in there, because there's a lot of molten hot materials.

[she makes a dry, har-har look at the knock-ring comment. look, she's not used to being a welcome invitee!

though the expression shifts to mild confusion at first.]

Wait-- you live in two places depending on the time? Are they next to each other or am I hiking around the bubble?

I don't live at the forge, but I work out of there sometimes. Making things, keeping it maintained. It's in Ochreward, so. Not that close. The trolley stops nearby though.

Ohhhh. [it's a fooorrrrrge. okay.

...

...

If he's that itchy to make me a sink, think he'd make me some knives?

...Where's Ochrewood.

her expression goes on a journey as she ponders that before blinking rapidly back to the present, an ear flicking.]

Right. Rightrightrightright. Okay. I--yeah. I, yuh, I guess I'll...make the trek. At some point. In the...future...

You don't have to, I'm giving you options in case you don't want to find me in the dead of night. Otherwise, I'm at Corinne's cafe, or getting dinner somewhere else.

[He turns a new page, and then pauses. Taps the marker to the page like he's trying to decide if he wants to reveal the Third Location.]

[while he's considering that, Antigone's picking up an orange marker and hastily scribbling a shabby dot on the forge page, then setting that aside and making a scribble in blue on the first page. just in the corners, quick little marks, don't mind her.

absently:] Saves me the trouble of havin'ta take up a stalking routine I guess.

[He decides against it. It's probably one of those things Antigone wouldn't want to know, anyway. He closes the book and hands it back over.]

You can always call me and ask where I am if you want to hang out, too.

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rudelanguage - 2026-02-10 02:30 (UTC) - Expand

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