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

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

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.]

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it is interesting... if this was the original form of the planet before they had arrived or if something else changed it, later. did something strike you as familiar?

[Seemed about right, for him. Though she's not certain what to think about all the inquiries she's received about her actual condition.]

the venture did lead to illness.

Illness, huh . . . I don't suppose it's the same kind of fading away illness I've been hearing about?

[Curious, but with just a hint of actual concern, too. He likes her. He wouldn't want someone he actually likes to fade out. On the other hand, if she does have it, it's a chance to get some information on it from the source . . . ]

And as for the lovely scenery, I grew up on a planet that looks a little like this, that's all. Halcandra wasn't quite this bad, but it's nowhere you'd want to vacation! Like this place, it's been industrialized and stripped of whatever natural beauty it once had, and fallen into ruin here and there. That's all.

... that is... no. perhaps it is different.

despite the discomfort of this condition i have remained... corporeal.

[And that's really putting it all too lightly. Bad enough that she's struggling as she is to keep up with the device as all, even if there are considerable pauses between some replies. It's straining.]

the natural beauty of a world seems as though it can be taken for granted among planets. perhaps that is the very nature of such progress. to advance at the cost of all else.

Mmmhmmm . . .

[He stares at the text for a long moment, considering. Which, since he's on video, looks kind of odd, but it's probably at least obvious what he's doing. At last he looks back at the camera and tilts his head:]

Say, about this illness. Have you tried, you know, hugging it out yet?

[To be fair, in her condition, she's honestly... not paying too much attention to the video itself.]

contact helps ease some of the symptoms. however it does not alleviate the ailments in their entirety.

Tch, I thought I might have something there! I was even going to offer my services. Well, I still will, but you make it sound like you've got it covered over there.

you were not wrong with your line of thought. given what we have witnessed. it is good to note that there seem no obvious cures for such toxins.
a sign of the imbalance that lives in this world.

perhaps another time. . . for your offer.

[Nothing against him of course, but she's vulnerable enough as it is to not want to risk visitors. Even if it's somewhat evident with how slow and so painstakingly careful her responses are, that she's unwell. so much difficulty in condensing her wordy ways.]

Another time! Well, thanks for going out of your way so we didn't have to. You really took one for the team . . . I'd been thinking about slipping out myself once I noticed you were doing it.

[Boy is he glad he didn't now.]

[It's as odd to receive praise as it is to be scolded, information was ever meant to be - neutral.]

it is good you did not. it was a risk. one that may have been too tempting for others to avail themselves of. without being prepared.

There're sure to be a few idiots who give it a try even after your warning, but that's on them! But maybe there's a way to cooperate with the natives in the future. We know they went out there on expeditions even after whatever happened happened, so they must have some way to manage it.

[He'd compiled the information people had shared from the library, and at least one of those definitely implied some exploration of the wasteland was going on at some point.]

[It's true, she can't really account for what anyone else might do. After all, she had gone out there herself to ascertain her own proof rather than relying on what they had been told.]

perhaps. with the city nearly being compromised, they must understand, now, that we cannot be left wholly in the dark.

unless their goal is only to protect us as resources.

It might be! But if it is, they're going to have a hard time convincing us to behave, so I've got a feeling it'll turn out the same either way.

that is fair. already, they seem compelled to bribe us into solving their issues. we will only continue to encounter more.

Right? How shameless do they think we are?

[He laughs, waving his hand, in full confidence that he is absolutely the most easily bribed person here and has absolutely no shame.]

[Well, nothing wrong with some self-awareness.]

perhaps the positive reinforcement only serves their cause.

You mean they're training us to do their bidding? . . . That's a little on the nose. I hate to think about it, but it's probably true.

considering much of the unpleasant situations we have encountered, they have to double their efforts at placating. seeking to make their cause our own.

Mmmhmm. A situation like this isn't going to be sustainable forever. Not even for very long, at this rate. So maybe we can pry them into being a little more honest with us and giving us some freedom.

if their need to control the situation does not outweigh all else with them.

given their behavior during the attack, however, they may have little choice but to explain something of it. if any have yet inquired such a thing.

[Given her condition, she had not made any such inquiries.]

I haven't, but I'm working on it. Every time I think I've got my notes sorted, something else comes up along with the rest. You know about the "vanishing illness"? I just found out about that a couple days ago! I'm not about to let that slip past me. Maybe I ought to just throw something out there for people the way I did last time . . .

[He takes a note on that too, frowning at his screen. That's a plan, at least.]

I had heard mention of it but not the full details.

[she'd had her own illness to consider.]

it seems there are still a lot of considerations to compare. however, it would not do to go with them with such a large list at once, either. it will take away their focus from the immediately desired information.

You're not wrong about that, so I'll have to prioritize. Maybe I'll start by looking into how likely it is for that breach to open up again anytime soon. The illness sounds like it could strike anyone at any time, but at least it's an individual issue.

it is a concerning issue. perhaps one they have little control over.

the barrier, however, is something they have to maintain, and apparently is breakable by outside forces. so they must know more about it than they have shared.

They were definitely preparing long before it was obvious to any of us it was going to happen, so you must be right. Hehehe . . . you're an observant sort. I'll know to come to you in the future!

indeed. as the situation stands, we do not truly know the scope of what assails them here. it is something... to keep in mind.

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

text;

it's gonna keep being video

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