video;

[thecourier]

Red Queen said somethin' t' me a while ago.

[He starts the video like it's an afterthought, like stepping into the middle of a conversation that started a few minutes ago. It was a while, a few months in fact, but time does pass so strangely here and he's had other things on his mind.

Dan's sitting on a bench in the gym, after running himself to near-exhaustion not for the first time. It's a habit now, not necessarily a good one, almost like a kind of self-flagellation for one reason or another. He rubs the back of his wrist across his forehead and clears his throat.]

B'fore that chess game. [He thinks. Almost sure of that.] Tried t' get some info outta her 'bout how this place works. Didn't get much, but she did tell me, we only see 'two sides to this place'.

[His accent slips as he enunciates carefully, glancing away from the camera for a moment.]

May be more sides we don't see, an' there might be answers there. Been tryin' t' figure it out, but I ain't got a head on me for riddles an' she tells worse ones than the psyker kid at 188 Tradin' Post back home. Know some people here 've dug deeper into this shit than I ever did. What y' all thinkin'?

Comments

[thecourier]

Rumours don't come outta nowhere, Snow. Where'd y' hear somethin' like that?

[spiritofgoodness]

Only through all of the ways people talk and speculate. It sounds reasonable to me, possibly because of how much it relates to home. That doesn't make it accurate, though.

[thecourier]

Mm... I guess complete accuracy ain't what we're really goin' fer. If y' throw enough dynamite yer bound t' hit somethin', even in the Wasteland. Jus' gotta keep on this, yeah?

[spiritofgoodness]

I think you're right. We keep going until something sticks. It's worth following threads and breadcrumbs, I think.

[ Maybe not many others do, but she gets what Dan is doing. ]

[thecourier]

Sure is, when trails an' breadcrumbs 're all we get. I ain't ever really got m'self involved in it all before... mebbe it's high time I did.

[spiritofgoodness]

Then I'm glad you are. If you ever think there's something I can help with, or you just want to bounce ideas off of someone, let me know? I'm happy to.

[thecourier]

[He nods.]

Sure thing, Snow. 'll keep it in mind. Just hopin' this doesn't end up bein' another one a' those dead ends.

[spiritofgoodness]

I think that here, everything is worth pursuing. A random hint could turn into something bigger than you ever expected.

[thecourier]

[Dan grimaces slightly, rubbing one hand around the back of his neck.]

Yeah... that's what 'm halfway afraid of.

[spiritofgoodness]

[ Snow ponders this for a moment. ]

So, you want answers, but you're afraid of them possibly being...too big?

[ She can understand if so, she just wants to make sure she does understand what he's saying, first. ]

[thecourier]

I... I dunno. Not exactly. [He looks awkward for a moment.]

'M used t' gettin' caught up in big things. Usually half-way t' my neck in 'em b'fore I even realise what 'm gettin' into. Y'd be surprised how much it happens.

[But she's forcing him to think about why he's shying away from this. Dan sighs.]

I guess doin' it on purpose is... different.

[spiritofgoodness]

Maybe doing it with a friend who's willing to stick by you and work through complicated matters is a little different, too?

[ She smiles gently; he doesn't have to do any of this alone, she means. ]

[thecourier]

[The smile he gives her in return is small and wry.]

Had that. Been real recent far as back home's concerned, but 've had it. Things to get a li'l diff'rent when y' got someone stickin' it out with y'.

[spiritofgoodness]

[ Snow smiles just a little in return. ]

I hope you find what you're looking for, and that you know what to do with it when you do.