[text] ; a few days after the breach is sealed

[shroudedsecrets]

Greetings.

The conditions outside of the barrier are extremely poor, confirming what had been indicated to us previously. The atmosphere is heavy, and full of toxins, and currently uninhabitable.

I have attached some images for those who may be curious.

Be aware, however, that for those of you who might have the ability to withstand such conditions in your previous universes, it will still pose a danger to you here.


... That is all.


[And as the text indicates, attached to this fairly open message are quite a few snapshotted images, and even a brief shaky video or two taken of the outside just beyond the breach, indicating the state of the wall from the outside just before the repairs were completed.

A few shots focus on the conditions of the broken and corroded buildings, ones that indicated that the city had once been larger. One of these shots even captures an odd looking small lizard, hiding among the rubble.

There's a few wider shots of the area, revealing some bleached bones of a large, unidentifiable creature among empty expanses of dry, cracked wasteland, a little further off.

Lastly there seem to be slightly blurred images of some of the monster activity, from further away.]

Comments

[shroudedsecrets]

there were no large flowers or thriving plant life in the vicinity.

signs of dried out ones... some stunted growth. the ground was mostly barren.

[pinkmin]

I see. Perhaps a different place then. Potentially a different time, as well. It sounded like a carnivorous species, but if there was nothing to eat, they may have died off.

I'm sorry, I should let you rest.




Could I get you anything? Do you like reading?

[shroudedsecrets]

that is possible. we do not know for certain how much time has passed, either. it is curious how little the known data reflects such things.

you need not apologize.

[Resting properly, what's that? Even though it does get harder to keep up with texts. She can take her time with them, at least.

She's still not used to these sorts of offerings from others, though.]

reading... is fine. why?

[pinkmin]

I could bring you some books to read, if reading would not be a strain.

[shroudedsecrets]

perhaps ...


if you are willing. it could be a distraction.

[Until the words start swimming, anyway.]

[pinkmin]

I can do this. Where would I bring them?

[shroudedsecrets]

where . . .

[Who the hell remembers how addresses work to have to tell other people this-]

my cat will be outside.

[pinkmin]

Alright. I will find them in a short while.

[She had to go pick out some books!

Once again, Vianca was a little frustrated by how little actually informative books remained on Havenwell's shelves, since... whomever this was seemed like she would lean more in that direction. But maybe lighter fare was just fine when you were under the weather.

Eventually she made her way back to the basic residential area, a fat stack of tablets in her hands crossing an array of genres. TIME TO FIND.... A CAT.]

[shroudedsecrets]

understood.

[At least now that there was no longer a spider attack it was safe for the cat to go outside again.

Well. It's not as though he really knows who he's keeping an eye out for, either. Feverish plans are often strange ones and Honerva's sort of. Forgotten about it even though she gives the cat the order.

He's intelligent enough to stay by the house having been told not to wander far, though occasionally he gets up to patrol the perimeter of the house, usually hanging out by a certain window ledge when he's not on the front steps. Sitting attentively with twitching tail and all.]

[pinkmin]

[She'd get there.... eventually!

Without any other idea of where to start, and not wanting to overly bother someone who wasn't feeling well, Vianca had just started a weaving perimeter around all of the houses for any signs of a feline. That was all she really had to go on, since she didn't actually know who she had been talking to? Gosh, what a mystery. Luckily, carrying things around all over the place was a very pikmin thing to do. Here she goes, trying to live her best life and deliver books.

When she does catch wind of a feline presence, it's the sight of his tail slipping around a corner. Oho. Vianca followed after them, falling in single file.]

Hello?

[shroudedsecrets]

[Poor Vianca. Honerva's so bad at this, she hadn't even provided an image of the cat. At least the likelihood of pets being found wandering around are quite slim, and Kova was a pretty unique looking cat, all things considered.

A cat with sensitive hearing. Being followed...? There's no familiar scent to the air, so the cat stops, ears and tail alert as he turns, and waits, calling out a much louder, but still cautious, Mrow? at the timid follower.

At least patrolling around outside makes him feel important and also makes him think that his sick catmom isn't going to be trying to go places in her condition. He can hope.]

[pinkmin]

[The only other cats that Vianca had seen in Havenwell were Ohma's, so seeing one that was very distinctly not one of theirs was its own very strong clue.

Vianca stopped when the cat stopped, not wanting to intrude too much into their space.]

Hello. I am here to deliver some books. Were you the one waiting for me?

[She hoped that this was situation in that the cat could understand her.]

[shroudedsecrets]

[Space was good, for a person the cat had not met yet. Even if by now, he was getting used to the idea that he might be being used as a go-between, here. A good way to provide help when he wasn't trying to curl up for cuddles with anyone ailing inside.

As such, he was pretty good at picking up that if this person were wandering around near here seeming to look for him.

Mao!

Maybe if he calls out loud enough, someone will hear him from the open window if they are not. Dozing again.]

[pinkmin]

[That... seemed like a yes! Thank goodness! Vianca nodded, looking up towards the windowsill and then back at the cat.]

Is... this your house? I could leave these here at the window, if that is easier for everyone.

[Then no one would have to try to come to the door, and maybe this was! Really conveniently their room?! If they were sleeping now, they really ought to stay sleeping.]

[shroudedsecrets]

[Being half-dozed is not really asleep...

Either way, though, Kova meows again, gently nudging Vianca toward the window. Seems like he's got a plan there. There are curtains inside, but the sill isn't too out of reach, certainly enough room to slide objects onto.]

[pinkmin]

[Half-dozed was still resting and Vianca didn't want to interrupt that. So this window sneak plan worked just fine for her. Vianca moved a little closer to the window, bouncing up on her tip-toes to get a slightly better look-- yes, this would work just fine.

Setting the books down real quick, Vianca started making tiny stacks on the window sill.]

[shroudedsecrets]

[Vianca's so diligent. Although perhaps not as sneaky as she expects. And the amount of these books is... surprising. Even though no person appears at the window while the book stacking is in progress... whenever she finishes with her first couple of neat stacks, one of the stacks will slowly start to rise and float away from the sill, with a gentle glow of arcane energy.

Hopefully that's not alarming.]

[pinkmin]

[Mostly she was just trying not to be a bother. For a few moments there, she even thought that maybe she was a lot quieter than she had attempted. Maybe she'd be able to just deposit books and skedaddle before anyone was the wiser.

It was when she turned to put books on top of books that were no longer there that she realized This Was Incorrect. Vianca blinked, looking between the windowsill and the cat. Did you see that? Where'd they go? She blinked again, gingerly setting down the new stack of books, and waited.

And waited.

And-- Oh!! Vianca gasped softly. Magics. Or psychic powers. Or something. Something neat. Gosh. So useful.

Well. Here was the last of this impressively hefty pile of books for you, Mystery Magic User. She'd done her best to get a little bit of everything that the library had to offer genre-wise, even though the majority of it was admittedly... nothing very useful. The information sections were really lacking!]

[shroudedsecrets]

[And a good job well done, mystery book deliverer. She honestly had not been expecting that many, as limited as the selection truly was here.

Perhaps there'd be some insights onto past culture, even if she wasn't the best sort of person to be looking into those aspects. But it was... something else to do.

It takes a few moments more, perhaps whether waiting and determining if more of those little stacks would appear, but when they don't, Vianca will receive a new text not long after.]


thank you, for this kindness. this is a generous selection.

[pinkmin]

[Job complete, and assured that the books had been located, Vianca had found little other reason to stay by the window. They needed whatever kind of rest they were getting, after all! So she'd given her thank you's to the cat and been on her way.

At least until text messages!]

I hope they help ease some of the boredom. I can come by to pick them up when you are done, or if they are bad and you'd like different ones.

I have not gotten to read them all yet. Some may be bad.

[shroudedsecrets]

regardless of quality, they are what reflect the state of mind of the population at the moment it was written. that alone may be of some worth.

[She's had some experience with sitting through extremely bad "Earth" movies for her distraction, another planet's measure of such things would just be something else to get through.]

[pinkmin]

Yes, that is why I have been reading them. It is interesting to see how some concepts are handled now. Even the bad ones are still fascinating that way.

[shroudedsecrets]

we have little knowledge on who they had been when these stories were constructed. whether the written words themselves have been modified in any form.

[What had been left to find in the archives might not necessarily reflect what was offered for them in the library.]