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-does this do? What about this? Helllooo?

[The video feed begins with a close-up of a gauntleted thumb and then twists nauseatingly around until there's a giant eyeball... that gradually diminishes in size as its owner pulls back from the device. Once it's farther away it reveals a large man in heavy armour with a sword at his hip and a shield on his back, looking rather put out. Alistair frowns down at the thing for a moment then shrugs and begins to speak.]

I heard I can use this thing to talk to people. People far away. I don't know if I believe it, I've never heard of magic like that. But this way it doesn't look like I'm crazy and talking to myself. Maybe.

I don't talk to myself normally of course. That would be crazy. But I do talk to myself - and little... boxes - when I get lost and wind up in a strange place I've never seen before. Especially when I'm supposed to be somewhere else doing something important. Then I might talk to myself.

[But only because he hasn't found anyone else to talk to yet and he's still trying to figure out what's going on. He isn't buying anything he's heard so far so he's reduced to thinking out loud at a little box.]

Well, I think I know what's going on here. This is the Fade, is it? I'm stuck in the Fade again.

What do you think box? Am I right? [His voice turns high pitched and squeaky and the video judders about as the device is waggled back and forth.] 'I think you are Alistair, you handsome fiend you, you must be in the Fade! Now we just have to go find the eeevil demon that trapped us here and make it let you go!'

[And back to a normal voice, the video steadying again.] I'm glad you agree and I am looking rather handsome today, aren't I? Now, let's go find that demon!

[And, companion... box in hand - and still broadcasting - he strides boldly off in search of something that looks like a demon, keeping up a running commentary until someone decides to interrupt him.]

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—Demon, [ she sputters, still unaccustomed to hearing such things. Clarke had met a woman with pink skin, and yet she still struggles to accept demons as reality. ]

Alistair, was it? I'm Clarke. [ Under other circumstances, she might have given a small wave, but she's still shaken by the thought of demons. ] This isn't the Fade.

[ Truly, she has no idea what the Fade even is, but Clarke is certain that it isn't here. ]

Welcome to Wonderland. I can't promise there aren't any demons, but I haven't met any yet.

That's not reassuring you know. [Demons popping up unexpectedly were even worse than demons you saw coming.]

I'd really like it if this was the Fade though, not some place I've never even heard of. [He knows how to escape the Fade. Mostly. Find the demon, kill the demon, go home. Simple. Dangerous but simple.] Are you sure you might just not know that that's what this place is? Demons can be tricky.

[He's honestly not sounding too hopeful there but it's worth a shot, isn't it?]

[ Clarke raises an eyebrow; she can tell already that it won't be easy to convince him of anything. (Honestly, if she came from a world with real demons rather than just terrible people, she'd likely be thinking the same.) She pauses for a moment, thoughtful, before speaking. ]

Okay, well, think of it this way. You'd rather this be the Fade, right?

[ She doesn't wait for an answer. ]

In my experience, things are never the best case scenario. It's like Murphy's Law: whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.

I- That's a miserable way of looking a things.

[Also pretty accurate. His luck has always been terrible so sadly, she's probably right. Sighing, Alistair deflates, looking chagrined.]

You could have let me believe it for a little while you know. It would have been nice.

[Bringing the talking-box up closer to his face to get a better look at her he offers a wry smile.]

Well, Clarke. I'd like to say it's nice to meet you but. You know. [Strange place, not where he's supposed to be and so on.] I don't suppose you know how I get out of here, do you? I'm supposed to be somewhere.

[Not that he's in a hurry to maybe become king of an entire country but it was important and not the sort of thing that will wait.]

Trust me — if I knew, I wouldn't be here. [ She'd have clawed and scratched her way back out that rabbit hole, just as she'd done escaping Mount Weather. ] My people are in the middle of a war.

[ Clarke can't tell if she's supposed to be leading them to war or not anymore, though. So much has changed since the rest of the Ark came down; she isn't at all ungrateful to see her mother alive, but everything she knows has been uprooted once again. They aren't the 100 anymore. They aren't even the 48 they ended up as. They're a whole camp now, not just a ragtag group trying to make it in the untamed wilderness. ]

If I find a way out, you'll be the first one I tell. Sound good? Until then, you should probably try to make the best of things.

[There's a flicker of sympathy when she mentions a war - he knows exactly what that's like, having spent almost a year struggling to raise an army to defend Ferelden from the Blight - but it's quickly forced away to be replaced by a smile. If he's really trapped then there's nothing he can do about the Blight or Loghain until he gets back.]

Deal! And if I figure it out first then I'll do the same.

[Not particularly likely but it could happen. Maybe. By accident.]

So, make the best of things huh? Just make myself at home and do... what do you do around here? When you're not talking to people who aren't there?

Honestly?

[ She smiles sheepishly; she'd been acting like a seasoned veteran when she, too, is fresh meat. ]

I'm not totally sure. I'm actually pretty new around here, too.

[ Still, people must have found some way to pass the time. Clarke had wandered the woods several times now, taken plenty of walks to the beach, but even the novelty of that had begun to wear off. ]

Ever played chess?

[It's actually kind of reassuring to hear that he's not the only one new to this place and feeling out of his depth. It's always nice to be lost with someone else. OK, nice may not be the right word but it's better than being the odd one out while everyone else laughs.]

Oh sure, one of the recruits taught me during training. I'm not very good- [Strategy being something he'd never excelled at.] But I know how to play. Is that how you pass the time? Sitting around quietly playing chess? While trying to think of ways to get home?

[Because boring. Especially the quiet part. Less so the trying to get home part but still.]

Hey. [ She raises an eyebrow, her tone mildly offended. ] Chess can be interesting, if you've got a smart enough opponent. I used to play it all the time with my best friend, before—

[ Well. Before a lot of things. She shakes her head; Clarke doesn't have enough time in the world to recount her story. Instead, she pauses, thoughtful. ]

I don't know. Like I said, I'm not exactly a veteran. Surely there are ways to have some fun. What did you do to pass the time, where you come from?

Well you might have some trouble there. I'm having a good day if I remember which way my boots go on. [He's exaggerating. Honestly. He really is.

Alistair tilts his head curiously when she cuts off speaking but decides against pushing for now. They've only just met and it seems like something she might not like to talk about.]

When I actually had free time? [And he wasn't hiking half-way across the country or fighting or recovering from fighting.] Normal things - cards or telling stories around the campfire or I'd do practice drills. [The latter sometimes being considerably less serious than it sounded. Not that he was going to admit to that.] Or tend my armour. That kind of thing.

( so sorry for the wait! i burned out a bit. it's totally okay to drop this if it's been too long. ♥ )

No one's stopping you from taking care of your armor here, I guess. Although it seems like the closets will just give you brand new armor if you need it.

[ She pauses, though — cards, stories, none of these are bad ways to pass the time. ]

You can definitely still do those things here. We used to do them, too, where I come from. But a lot of the time, there was moonshine involved.

Oh, there was that for us too! Not always moonshine - usually something that tasted even worse if you can believe it.

[He grins fondly at the memories.]

I usually lost no matter what we played. [Or how much he'd had to drink.] Good times. Maybe we should look at organising something here?

[If they were stuck they may as well make the best of it.]

A club, of sorts? Or just a get-together?

[ It's an interesting idea, certainly; they'd only ever done it informally back at camp, but with so many people here in the mansion, that could prove difficult. ]

That's a good idea. It's not too hard to reach everyone, either, so you could just announce it here.

Maybe just a get-together. The only club I've ever really had anything to do with is the kind you hit people with.... Not that I'm some kind of barbarian. Just. I didn't really have the opportunity for that sort of thing.

[Also it sounds like responsibility which he'd rather avoid thanks.]

Would doing that mean I'm in charge? Because that's a bad idea, believe me!

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