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Voice: Un: Diggs

[It had been nearly a week, and Oscar was becoming worried.

Lessons he has learned on the other side of the Dream had taught him that sitting in the worry and letting it overcome him did no one any good-- least of all himself. Knowing this, Oscar tentatively turned on the Audio function of his new device and, with an obvious case of awkward nerves, started talking.]

Um... Hi.

I'm Oscar Pine and... I'm sure some of you know me already, but some of you don't and that's okay.

There was just a couple of things I wanted to say.

First: I know that things have been stressful lately and that we all need something to do, so I'm willing to teach people how to garden if they want a hobby that lasts a little longer than baking all the time. I'm a farmhand... And I did the baking thing. Growing and taking care of your own vegetables helps a little more, for a longer time.

And-- you can share your extra zucchini with your friends and loved ones. Isn't that cool?

I managed to bring along some seeds to get started. Just... Contact me if you're interested.

... and thanks, Mako, for the idea.

Second: is anyone else having trouble sleeping since they got here? I know being nervous makes sleeping hard, but this feels different. Anyone have any ideas about why this is happening, or how to help?

Last: ... I don't know about everyone else, but there's still some people I'm looking for that haven't come ashore yet. Can people just...chime in to let everyone know that they're safe? And let us know if there's anyone else you're looking for?

Maybe we can make everything a little easier if we work together. I don't know...

I'm just kinda worried, and some of you all probably are too.

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...We know each other.

( Said like some mix of a statement and question: affirming it to be true, yet hesitant around the edges. He's... not sure how he knows the voice of this young man; his mind was already prone to forgetting so many things, even before what this place did to it. His mind is not his own.

But.... it's there, somewhere. There's some odd sense of relief that this boy — Oscar — remembers him. )

Waking up from being unconscious... I know what that feeling's like. ( Peter sighs, empathetic. )

It almost makes you feel more tired than you were before, doesn't it? ( It's something of a frequent state for him, but there are specific reasons for that. This, though? It sounds like something is definitely affecting people around here, and that's... that's really worrisome. All of the vast unknowns. )

Um...

[Oscar offered Peter a sheepish look. He understood how memories were still fuzzy-- there were moments when Trench felt unreal for him still, after all. But...]

We met each other once or twice. In the fall and winter, we talked about the lake monsters and the jackalopes a little. I totally get it if things aren't clear for you. but...

[He sighed. There was no point in trying to keep the brave mask on for someone who saw through his ploy.]

You're right, it does make you feel more tired. I've never had to deal with this kinda thing before... I never really had this much trouble going to sleep.

( Peter's mind slowly conjures images to go along with the description. A lake... something that looked like a monster, but the younger boy wasn't afraid of it. He... helped Peter pet the creature. He was kind, and soft — but there was something strangely mature to him, too. (Two people stood in front of a lake, with something ancient and Other inside of them.) Peter worried whether the boy would get home safely or not. He couldn't help worrying. )

I think I remember.... I'm glad you're— ( He hesitates, unsure of which word to even use. Glad you're "okay"? The boy clearly isn't. But he's glad he's... safe. Here and safe. Peter wasn't sure what stepping through that Door would mean, but it seems like it brought them all to the same place, and that's.... good. )

I'm glad to talk to you again. ( He offers quietly, a slight smile in his tone, before giving a soft sigh. )

It's hard... Can make you feel like you're going crazy. ( The hours bleeding together, a fever-dream feeling. Oh, he knows that so well. )

The girl I'm living with knows how to make things. Like.. like sleeping draughts. It isn't a lasting solution, but it's helped me from time to time when I'm getting desperate. If you want one, I know she wouldn't mind. She's the nicest.

...Really?

[Oscar knew many people who had made the jump from Deerington to Trench, but he didn't nearly know everyone-- or know them as well as he would have liked. Peter was among them; anyone so awkward and introverted had their reasons, and Oscar wanted to be someone who offered a friendly hand.

But, there was no denying the truth in Peter's words. The hours did bleed together, and before long any sleep that took him was fitful and utterly dark. He maintained no memory, and thus determined that he probably wasn't dreaming...]

If your roommate has any extra, I'd be willing to offer a trade if she wanted it.

[He wasn't going to accept help for free, not when he knew resources were limited and he had a few items and skills of value-- even under the dampers of this apparent insomnia.]

And, if that doesn't work? Uhm... we can talk some together if you're having trouble sleeping, too. Even hearing someone else's voice is helpful after dark, you know?

[It was stabilizing, grounding.]

That way, we can talk again more often after this. I'm sorry for not checking up on you before.

I'll definitely ask her. I know it takes certain ingredients to make, so I can check to see if she has everything she'd need here.

( He hesitates, unsure if he should add on that Luna is a witch or not. It's certainly nothing she keeps secret, but Peter's just... cautious. Some people might not react well to it — and then there's the fact some people might not be comfortable taking something made with magic involved. He should at least let Oscar know. So after a moment, he switches his feed to private. )

She's— she's a witch. My roommate. Well, my girlfriend, actually. ( He flushes slightly, words a little awkward. He's still quite new to saying it aloud. ) But everything she makes for other people is totally safe.

( The offer gives him pause; it's a very familiar concept for him. He and Luna have done the same: keeping each other company through lonely, sleepless nights back in Deerington. It was a comfort, a security. The soft smile returns to Peter's face. )

I'd really like that. And you can hit me up any time, no matter how late it is. ( But he's quickly shaking his head, a flicker of guilt nudging against his stomach. Oscar shouldn't be the one apologising. )

I should have. Checked up on you after. I— So much happened, back in Deerington. I was... lost, a lot of the time? Just really weird and lost.

( He frowns, glancing down at his lap for a moment. There are a lot of people he should have checked on... tried to help keep safe. He'd hidden away, not let himself get too close. Afraid to hurt others, or afraid to be hurt... maybe both. But it's not too late. He can start trying to do better, for the people that are still here. )

Oh, she's a Witch? That's all?

[Oscar had been curious about the sudden filter-- and, even now, didn't fully get the reasons behind it. His own experiences with the various kinds of magic had left him biased in a different way...]

You know I live with Ruby, right? Two of our housemates are witches, and our Mentor and I are kiiiiinda wizards. I guess. Your girlfriend being a witch is actually really cool, so you don't need to worry about that.

[The fact actually piqued his interest, as he was currently exploring the various ways their different methods of magic interacted with Trench and the larger scale of the world. He was by far the least experienced in his house, but he was being observant and trying to fill in the gaps.]

Don't worry about what happened in Deerington either, okay? [Young as he was-- he was serious about this.] The way everything fell apart at the end was hard on everyone, but we can both make up for lost time here.

...We kinda are starting too right now. Don't you think so?

( The majority of people Peter's gotten to know over his time in Deerington had been used to or okay with supernatural things — many of them even being distressingly accepting of his situation — but it's still hard for him to shed his own fears about it. He's visibly surprised by the younger boy's reaction, though there's a relief that's slowly pooling inwards. "Witch" could be a bad word for some people, so it's always good to hear when it isn't. )

I knew Ruby was from a world with.... all kinds of supernatural type stuff, but I didn't know you were a— a wizard. ( Peter says the word like it's still kind of strange for him, because it is. The demonically possessed guy who is, by many standards, a horrifying thing.... is nervous of the supernatural. There must be layers of irony to this. )

I'm— glad, though. That there's other witches, wizards around. I think it's been... lonely for her, being away from people like her. She uh, used to go to a whole school for magic people.

( His expression softens again, though, at that. Yes, it's all coming back to him... the way this boy had reassured him back during their first meeting. It felt a lot like this. And there's that same odd guilt in Peter that he should be the one doing the reassuring, but wanting to lean into what the boy is offering to him all the same. )

Thank you. And yeah... yeah, I guess you're right about that. ( Peter lets his smile grow a little, shyly brushing a hand back through locks of unkempt curls. Checking in on one another: now's certainly a good time for it. They're somewhere new and strange. ) So where are you living, here? Is it a pretty good area? —Safe, I mean.

'Wizard' is just the easiest way I know how to explain it.

[A shrug accompanied Oscar's reply, not entirely certain how to elaborate further. Such matters tended to be easier in person...]

Remnant has a lot problems and related circumstances that some people here call 'supernatural', but magic isn't really one of them. My... situation is kinda unique, and it doesn't really compare to too many others who can use complicated magic.

[Not for the first time, Oscar wondered if he shouldn't explain the details to someone earlier or later in their interactions, but a part of him still feared the outcome. Too many had already become angered over it-- particularly in directing their anger at Ozpin, who had as little control over their fate as Oscar did.

Guilt bit at him, and pushed him into a corner of indecision. Not knowing what to do, he let the subject pass by without further elaboration.]

An entire school of magic people sounds really cool, though. I can't imagine what that's like... or how lonely Luna must feel. Everyone's magic might be different, but there's a few of us living in the house with Ruby who can use it.

We're in Gaze, by the academy. It's very safe. And I'm sure no one would mind if either of you wanted to drop in and say Hi.

Ruby's told me a little about the kinds of things found in your world. I guess it's no wonder you weren't scared off by... that creature in the water. The one you were petting.

( There's a little smile, almost fond. It reminds him of Luna, actually — a gentleness, a lack of fear of things that Peter would automatically be terrified of.

But there's certainly an irony here that Peter would say he feels the same: that certain details of himself, his own situation, should perhaps have been explained earlier... he still doesn't know how to handle that; he's still sorting it out. It's... so very strange, having something that's such an intrinsic part of his identity now, but feeling just as discomforted by the thought of sharing it as he is by the thought of keeping it hidden. It's a constant guilt, carried like an extra organ, a palpable weight.

He should tell people; that's the thought he's had as of late. Keeping it hidden has meant that people have gotten... scared, hurt by him, before. And besides, shouldn't people have the choice whether they want to be around him or not? They deserve to know what's wrong with him.

But this isn't about him right now, and Peter doesn't want to risk frightening the younger boy. Not now, not yet; he's... only just found him again, after all. )

Oh man, that would be great. I think she'd really, really like meeting anyone else with magic — any kind. She's always looking to learn about other types... see what other people use, and how. She has a whole potions' room full of stuff to work with, too.

( Luna could certainly use more magical teamup, and maybe this place will allow for more of that to actually happen. )

We're in Gaze too. We're both actually going to the uh, the academy, so we've probably passed by you guys' place before. We'll definitely have to come hang out sometime. ( It's still such a strange thought, "hanging out" with other Fellow Young People. But it'd be nice, and Peter offers a little smile again. )

You mean Nessie? She was really sweet-- I hope she found her way out of the Dream, too.

[He knew the odds weren't likely, as she was just as much a part of the dream as everything else within Deerington. Oscar found comfort in believing that she did find a way to live on in the Waking World, even in part.

It was too sad to think about otherwise.]

If the both of you are in Gaze, we should definitely make plans. And... I probably should enroll in the academy. With everything happening, and everyone in the house being older than me, I... kinda forgot.

[He chuckled. School just didn't seem terribly important at that point, but Oscar knew that it would be a boon in learning more about Trench.]

Luna sounds really cool, and you sound very happy to be with her. That's great! We should all make a study group together, and help each other with the magic here.

Oh yeah... Nessie. ( Fuck, that's right... She was the literal Loch Ness Monster! And Peter got to pet her! )

Where I'm from, she's actually been around for a long, long time. She's survived all kinds of things, so I bet... I bet she survived there, too. ( He hopes to reassure the younger boy. Never mind that there's no definitive proof that she's a real thing, in his world. Clearly, she's real in some capacity. )

Oh dude, for sure— if you end up going, we should all hang out there. It's... pretty different from the kinds of schools in my world, but I don't think you'd have any trouble adjusting. ( It seems a lot like the kind of thing Oscar might be used to — at least according to Ruby. )

Yeah! I'm totally down. Studying's not exactly my strong suit, so I'll take all the help I can get. Luna's usually having to help drag me through this stuff. ( There's an almost dopey little grin at that, something more relaxed that peeks through. )

Let me know if you decide to enroll, and we can help you find classes and stuff like that.

[Oscar's experience and Ruby's experience with schools bore little resemblance, despite hailing from the same world. Their lives before their paths had connected had been far too different, and becoming a Huntsman had been nowhere on Oscar's agenda.

He had been destined to run the family farm when the time came... and he hoped to possibly write in the future. Neither had anything to do with the grand dream of protecting society from the monsters that plagued it.

Instead; he had dreamed of something smaller, more humble, but just as necessary.]

Thanks. I'll definitely look into getting everything set up as soon as possible. There's a lot about this world I want to learn about... and meeting others who feel the same will be super cool.

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Voice: Un: Diggs

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