(video) un: laurel

[lightinside]

[ The feed clicks on to reveal a blonde woman with green eyes staring into the camera. It takes a few moments before she adjusts the angle to give a better view of her face, one that it isn't so close up. She gives a warm smile. ]

Sorry about that! Still, getting used to this, uh, device.

[ Her accent is unmistakenly American. ]

Anyway. I'm Laurel Lance and I've been here for a little over a week now. Not going to lie, it's been a lot to take in, but I think I'm getting there. I just have a couple of questions for people.

Firstly, where has the best coffee?

Secondly, is there a gym or something like it around?

Last but not least, I'm wondering if there's a need for legal advice in this place. I'm a lawyer back home.

Thank you for taking the time to listen.

[ With that, Laurel ends the feed. ]

Comments

[thinkfirst]

Ah, please, don't worry about us. Before Yuri and I woke up here, we were managing... well, we were managing. We'd gotten walls up around all the major cities, and unexpectedly, the Imperial Knights and the Union were actually working quite well together under so much pressure.

[ Wait, that doesn't answer her question at all. Flynn pauses, and then fiddles with the Omni for a moment. ]

Yuri! Can you—oh, yes, thank you. Come here a moment?

[ A shadow crosses the frame, and then Flynn pulls a much paler hand than his own into view. Around this unknown person's wrist is a gold cuff, chunky and secure, inlaid with a bright red gem. ]

This is a blastia. Well, it was. It doesn't function anymore, of course, but it's technology that, prior to us... destroying everything, helped control and direct the flow of aer to various ends, depending on the formula used with it. The combination of machinery plus core was called a blastia.

[ Flynn turns Yuri's hand over a bit, letting the gem flash, and then releases his wrist with a grateful squeeze, looking up at him as he returns the Omni to its rightful place. ]

Thank you, Yuri. It's too hard to explain otherwise.

[lightinside]

[ Belatedly, Laurel realises that she has heard a lot from him about his own world and she hasn’t shared much about her own. But she is interested to learn more which is why she asked about it in the first place.

She watches the feed with interest, taking a close look at the cuff (which Laurel thinks would make a nice statement piece) but she knows that wasn't the purpose of the demonstration. ]

Before you showed me that, I wasn't expecting to see something that looks a lot like a piece of jewelry. Thanks for taking the time to explain it to me. I think having a visual aid also helped.

[thinkfirst]

Almost certainly. Blastia are complex even for people who grew up with them. There is a reason the Imperial blastia research department exists, after all, and why the empire employed so many mages to study them and aer.

[ Flynn shakes his head a moment later at something Yuri says off-screen and smiles quietly. ]

That is, I'm afraid, a great deal of words to throw at you to basically tell you that we nearly destroyed the world, but for the greater good, and that prior to coming here, we were doing alright. I can only hope that the systems we managed to set up will continue to function without us. How are you feeling about being here in this city?

[lightinside]

Hey, sometimes you need to explain something in a lot of words. I should know, given what I do back home. I don't mind having that amount of detail.

[ When he asks her that question, Laurel takes some time to consider her reply. ]

Honest answer? I'm a little anxious about it. Sure, I have people I know here and I'm glad for that, but there's responsiblities waiting for me back home. A career. Other friends and family. But I'm not going to let that get the best of me. I know I'll be fine.

[thinkfirst]

To be honest, I feel the same way. I'm trying to focus on making the best of things here, but it's hard not to worry about my home in the wake of everything. Harder still not to feel like I'm shirking my duty somehow, or that I should be trying harder to get home.

[lightinside]

There doesn't seem to be a way out of here so I think we're stuck until someone finds the doorway or portal that will get us all back to our homes. It's also normal to worry about home. You and me probably aren't the only ones who feel that way.

[ She gives him an encouraging look. ]

We can talk more about when we're training. I'm looking forward to that.

[thinkfirst]

Of course. It's a heavy topic for a device like this.

I'll see you in a few days?

[lightinside]

See you in a few days. Take care.

[With a smile, she ends the feed.]