entranceway | 001 Video

[That voice.

That voice.

Dan bolts up out of bed as if someone just ran a few thousand volts through him, or like he'd just been caught dozing in the middle of a feral ghoul den, and fumbles with his own communicator while he calls out something to a certain young woman who may not actually be there.]

Evelyn! It's--... Arcade! Hell to the truth, when did you sneak in here without me noticin'?

[The courier hasn't been sleeping well, but it doesn't really show. He's far too excited by this sudden development.]

Where are y'-- The library? [Of course.] Sit tight, 'm gonna be right there.

[Because he needs to see for himself that Arcade is real, and not some sleep-deprivation hallucination...]

[Arcade isn't quite as shocked as Dan, but he is mildly upset. The last he'd seen of the courier was his retreating backside when he'd told the doctor he didn't need him to follow him into the divide. Here Arcade was worried about him and the man was sitting pretty in a seemingly safe place.]

You know me, I did my best. I just so happened to have learned a thing or two from the folks in Jacobstown about sneaking.

[Would he be anywhere else? All this knowledge at his disposal.]

I'm glued to the chair.

I don't think it counts when you're wearing a stealth-boy, 'Cade.

[He is moving, and quickly, taking a path to the library so well-known that it might as well have its own series of map markers. It takes until he reaches the door for him to realise that he doesn't really need to still be connected via his communicator, and the line goes dead as the door thumps shut behind him.

Dan pauses in the library foyer, confused, oddly excited and several other feelings that he hasn't yet paused to examine too closely. For a moment, he listens carefully, then heads off on a quick tour of likely places to find the now displaced doctor.

The grin when he finds him is one unmatched by any of his returns from lengthy forays into the irradiated wilderness. The way his steps swallow the distance between them couldn't be matched for speed by any other occasion. He grips Arcade's arm and then hugs him, in what has to be a startling display of affection.]

Hope y' weren't bein' too literal about the glue. Wouldn't ask, but.. this place. Y'll get the idea.

I’m insulted you’d come to that conclusion. I’ve been taking quiet lessons from Boone since you wandered off, Dan.

[Arcade offers a smile before the feed cuts out. He had intended on meeting him halfway, but before he could take another step away from his chair, Dan was already on him. He returns the embrace, genuinely happy that he appeared no worse for wear.

The doctor held him back at arm’s length to look him over, matching the grin on the courier’s face. It wasn’t long lived. Arcade didn’t have much reason to smile lately. He’d buried himself in work and isolation.]

Ignotum per ignotius. Daisy gave me the book as a gift when I was a child, surprisingly never read it. Odd to be in such a place.

[Better than the wasteland. Anything would be preferable to that. He steps back to adjust his glasses, looking him over] You… seem healthy. You mean I’ve been worried about you all this time and you’re being wined and dined in Wonderland of all places.

[His health is something he has always taken little notice of, as Arcade very well knows. How many times had the doctor needed to drag him back to have the rads flushed out of his system before he racked up enough to make himself sick? More than Dan could count. Here, though, the lack of radiation along with clean water, uncontaminated food, good sleep and a gorgeous woman who he had somehow got to fall in love with him had definitely made a lot of things better.]

Wouldn't exactly call it a vacation, [He says, noting the way that the other man checks him over. It occurs to him to wonder exactly when Arcade might have come from, the question not quite answered in Arcade's voiced concern. Dan 'wandering off' isn't that much of an unusual occurrence.

He pulls out a chair and sits, indicating for Arcade to do the same. This could take a minute.]

So, where was I wanderin' off to when y' saw me last? Time gets kinda messed up here.

You know, I asked? Never got a reply. From what I gathered, you weren’t in a hurry to do whatever it is you needed to do. Dragging your feet and all.

[Arcade grabbed the chair opposite of Dan, making a grab for the book he’d been reading before it disappeared on him like the other one had earlier. Strange place.] Craig wanted to track you, but I mentioned that it was probably best to let you do whatever it is you needed to do. I’m fairly sure he’s back in Novac. I’ve been helping out at the Fort again, it’s a pleasant change. Though… I have been thinking of heading east before this happened.

[Same old boring Arcade. His life hasn’t gotten any more exciting. He spends most days treating common ailments and removing splinters.]

I asked around the caravans, but no one’s heard a thing about the mysterious Courier Six.

Oh.

[Just from that description, he can guess well enough at exactly where he was going. His expression sours, the memories of it still fresh despite fifteen months of separation. He can still hear Ulysses' voice when he thinks about it, still see the entire Divide laid to waste in front of him. Still see the suffering that he caused and can never do anything to erase or earn forgiveness for.]

'm sorry. [He says it on a sigh, rubbing one hand over his hair (thick, not falling out in small patches when he touches it too roughly).] Where I was goin'... It was up t' the north. A place called the Divide. Y've heard of it, right?

[Arcade must have. Arcade is smart, and everyone who has travelled even a little has heard of the Divide.]

What happened--... What happened there. What made it like that. It was me, Arcade. I did that. That's why I was goin'. I had t'.. [Sigh.] I had t' know. I didn't remember.

[Ah. The Divide. Arcade makes no indication as to whether he’s heard of it or not. Hellacious mess, that. He wasn’t surprised in the least that Dan took part in those events. Their future had already been shaped by those very same hands.

He clears his throat, not entirely sure what to say to that. He could see why Dan would want to keep something like that to himself. Arcade hadn’t been forthcoming about his own past. The enclave and all.
Everyone had something to hide.]

Auribus teneo lupum. I’m not one to judge, you don’t have to explain your reasons to me. I was just worried you’d gone off and gotten yourself killed. How has this place treated you? I mean, you look well. No radiation sickness, you’re clearly getting enough to eat.

[He does have a way of taking the world in both hands and shaking it up, even if he doesn't realise what he's doing at the time. Some would call him dangerous for being able to do what he does with such ease, and he couldn't explain if asked just how he manages to take the threads of Fate and order them to his own will.

Arcade is more forgiving that he had expected, given what he had just revealed, and he smiles (weakly) in gratitude for the change of topic.]

Maybe I will, some time, not 'cuz I have to but 'cuz y' deserve t' know. [He'd run off without a word. Arcade had worried. He should know.] Place is treatin' me well. Food an' water here is clean. No rads. Not yet.

[Someone has to make the hard decisions. Arcade wasn't willing.]

Write me a letter, sometimes it's easier to- [Or not. Last he checked, Dan wasn't able to read- certainly not write.] But you don't have to explain your actions to me. You've done enough. I trust you. I stuck around, didn't I?

I'll have to check it out. A shower and a bed would be nice. Food wouldn't be bad either.

[He might just write him a letter, at that. It would give him some time to filter through everything he wanted to say and try to explain himself in the way that he wanted to.

It would also be a way of introducing Arcade to the fact that he could, in fact, read and write now. Time spent here had not been without its forays into personal improvement.]

Yeah. Yeah, y' stuck around. [They had always made the oddest pair. A scientist trawling around the Mojave with a mercenary who was always getting them both into more trouble than they could handle. Arcade hadn't been the kind of person he would have expected would make a good travelling companion, but he had never seen anyone use a plasma weapon the way that Arcade could.

He stands up and tilts his head towards the library doors, grinning slightly.]

Food first. Then y' can have a hot, radiation-free shower. C'mon.

[Arcade gave a curt nod before going to replace the book back onto the shelf. He falls into step behind him as if he were following him out into the Mojave for the first time on Dan's ridiculously impossible crusade.]

As long as you aren't doing the cooking. [Not to be rude or anything, but Boone's cooking was terrible. Don't get him started on Dan's.]

[It does remind him a little of that first time, when Arcade had followed him - still in his lab coat with a plasma pistol hidden underneath it - out into the wasteland. It hadn't taken long before he found better clothes. A coat and shirt will never be any good against a bullet.]

Did my cookin' keep us alive or not? [He challenges with a crooked grin. Sure, seared deathclaw meat is never going to be high on the wishlist of anyone when it comes to desired meals, but it sure tasted better than root vegetables day after day.]

Didn't see you steppin' up t' the plate, buddy. But don't worry, I ain't cookin'.

[Arcade kept his mouth shut for the sake of Dan's feelings, that deathclaw jerky was none to be desired. He still can't get the memory of the taste out of his mouth. Thank goodness he kept a stash of snack cakes in his pack.]

If I'd had the time. Between patching you and Craig up. [Those two ran into more ridiculous situations than anyone he knew.]

[It was never going to be good. Predator meat as a rule never tasted great and you only had to take one look at a deathclaw to know what you were getting into.

But he would point out until he was blue in the face that it was edible, in at least that it was not toxic.]

Y' enjoyed it. [He taunts, poking his elbow gently into Arcade's side. It had been so long now since he'd had to live on scraps and slim pickings that he had forgotten how tired it could make you look. Or.. maybe that was the overall lack of sleep.

Dan takes Arcade down to the kitchens - another marvel by Wasteland standards - and gestures to the room.]

Have a look.

[Not the ribs. Arcade hated when he elbowed him in the ribs. He subtly places a hand over the spot, shielding himself this time.]

Night stalker venom is not even reminiscent of peppers. [Never should be used as a seasoning.] All it does it numb your mouth. [Which was probably a blessing in the case of eating deathclaw-

that was the cleanest damn kitchen he'd ever laid eyes on.]

There's a catch. There has to be a catch.

[Skeptical as always. Arcade slowly moves away from Dan to explore the kitchen, eyeing the cupboards warily as if something was going to spring out at him. This place was odd.]

It is def'nitely reminiscent of peppers. If peppers made yer mouth numb.

[Dan grins. He can argue about the merit of his cooking for days, but it's still pretty awful.

While Arcade pokes around, the courier waits. He has a bag of potato chips in his hands before his friend can realise where he got them from and eats them as quietly as one can eat potato chips.]

There's a door, right there. [He gestures to it.] Think of anythin' you want, anythin' at all, an' open it.

It was certainly inventive, I'll give you that.

[Arcade eyes him a moment, wondering what he was eating. Potato crisps? No, no. If he was going to have anything, it was going to be an apple. Something fresh.

He pauses, wondering if Dan was setting him up for something. In the end, hunger wins out. There's an apple in the cupboard and he's not sure if it's luck or...]

This isn't normal, Dan. You realize that? There has to be some science behind this.

Tried it m'self first, didn't I? We waited a whole day t' see if I'd turn inside out or vomit m' lungs up.

[Such sacrifices he makes for you, Arcade, you don't even understand. He chuckles and makes a small 'go on, go on' gesture towards the apple.]

Sure, science, are y' gonna eat that or not? Y'no, they have real meat here. Beef.

I'd imagine. You aren't dead yet.

[Arcade is very, very careful. I mean, they both came from a world where the expiration date on a can of cram was a gamble.

He turns the apple over in his hands.]

A steak would be nice.

[But not the raw steak that was now sitting on the shelf in the cupboard.] Once I've gotten used to eating clean food.

Not yet.

[He walks over, putting his arm around the taller man's shoulders and looking at the apple. Yes, he might have a packet of chips in his hand but he didn't object to fruit and veg either. There were a few things he could already think of, that he would have to introduce Arcade to.

Chocolate.]

Yeah.. it'll play hell with y' at first, not gonna lie. But here-- here.

[Chips finished, he crumples the packet and grabs a glass, filling it with water from one of the taps. He holds it out to Arcade as condensation begins to bead on the outside.]

Try this. Taste it.

Great. [Something to ~~not~~look forward to. He bites into the apple very slowly, not sure what he was expecting. But it was good. Not at all what those packages of pre-war food promised.

He looks like he's died and gone to heaven. That was just an apple. He takes the glass without hesitation, marveling at it for a moment. Just one sip.

Cold water. Free of rads. Crystal clear.

A sad smile plays at his lips. If only the people of Freeside had such luxuries. He almost felt bad for the treatment he was receiving here and he hadn't even seen the dining room. Or the hot showers. Blankets.] What else does this place have to offer?

[It isn't something that had escaped Dan's mind. Arcade is more attuned to the suffering of those in Freeside - a soft heart, even if he'd find it hard to admit it - but he thinks about it less these days. After a year and a half, you have to let yourself stop being haunted by certain things... Especially things you can't do anything about.]

Clean beds, hot water on tap, an'-- fuckin'-- there's grass outside. Honest t' god grass, an' trees with leaves on, an' flowers, an'-- bees. Bees, an' they ain't the size a' yer face, they're like-- [He brings his thumb and forefinger together in the approximate size of a bumblebee.]

Normal bee size.

[He kind of likes bees.]

The whole truth versus lies thing is still a little murky since it's like pulling teeth to get straight answers from The Queen and her crew. I can try to answer questions, though. Been here for like 2 1/2 years, I'd like to think I know a thing or two.

[ ............Ish. Today is apparently just kinda troll the network without actually trolling while she drinks coffee to stay awake. ] Also, no deathclaws, I think... Not really sure what that is. More familiar with killer Dark Elves, myself.

Fantastic. I feel right at home. You've just answered my question.

Mutated Chameleons, spliced with other creatures I haven't a clue as to what. According to the documents I've read, they were meant to replace human soldiers. Nasty things. Claws, teeth, surprisingly quiet. Wouldn't think something that large could sneak up on you. Tamable... if you have the right resources.

[Pause.] ...killer dark elves?

Well, glad I could help. [ Whatever floats his boat on the whole answer thing, she's not one to judge. She listens, eyebrows raising a little. The lengths people would go to, seriously. It blows her mind some days. ]

Yeah, not exactly spliced animals... Although I'm sure there's someone somewhere back home who's toyed with that idea. They're super pale douche nozzles who tried to plunge the universe into darkness. It worked out fine. Between help from a God, Jane's thingamajigs, and the Convergence screwing with gravity so we could literally throw cars at them - we had it covered.

[Douche nozzles? Convergence?]

Ah, yes. Thingamajigs. Trusty... things.. to have around.

[He only understood about half of that.]

Plunging the universe into darkness seems infinitely more troublesome than men playing dress up to recreate ancient wars.

Totes magotes. [ Ah yes, the language of Darcy is a unique one that sometimes she doesn't even understand herself. Especially when she's tired or dealing with things she doesn't actually understand. ]

Yeah, I mean we also have people who dress up and act out old battles... But it's the non-murdery kind of battle, sometimes with foam swords. Or are you talking about people who actually dress up and re-fight old wars?

[ W H A T? ]

[Darcy-Latin. Arcade will have to write this down for later. Totes magotes.]

I mean we had a jackass who believed he was Caesar reincarnated and the idiots across the new Rubicon were the no good Roman senate. [He'd prefer the foam swords and non-murdery kind of battle.]

[ One day she'll write a dictionary for people when it comes to talking with her. Of course, that would take some of the fun out of it.

Her eyebrows raise as he talks, not sure she'd been ready for what he said. ] Holy shiitake mushrooms. And here I thought Loki was nuts. That's... wow. I mean we've had some weird things happen like Alien Invasions and that whole Dark Elf thing, but no one ever thought they were Caesar - at least not in this century.

Geez, that sounds rough.

There's not a lot of information fed, actually. At least, none that comes from those who control this realm. Most of the information you'll receive are from those trapped here.

[Unlike Arcade, the man he speaks with only has voice transmitting through the feed. He has no desire to show his face on these devices.]

It does want something from you in exchange for the luxuries though. From what I understand, it's memories.

[Memories? Is that all? Arcade can live with that.]

Well, that doesn't seem so bad. [The science behind extracting a memory has him puzzled.] No lobotomies, I hope?

Not from what I understand. I'm told the longer you stay, the more you forget - until you don't even remember you came from another land at all. The only one who has gotten that bad is Alice - the first one to fall down the hole.

[Considering where Arcade is from, it doesn't seem like such a bad idea. He could stand to lose a few memories.]

Astra inclinant, sed non obligant.

If that's the case, I may be one of the few who wouldn't mind in the least. Wonder what they're doing with all of these memories.

I can't say to what they're doing, but is it really not a concern to you? To borrow your tongue: historia vitae magistra.

[He only studied Latin in case he traveled to times where the language was still well used, so he may as well take advantage.]

Who are you without a history?

I can survive without memories or a history. Isn't that what life is about? Survival? This place is a cakewalk compared to slowly cooking alive in a radiation soaked environment.

[A pause. They can have all the memories, especially the ones of his old man.]

Vox nihili.

...A life solely about survival is a pitiful one. Life has much more to it than just that. Your world sounds sad if that's what you think the meaning to life is.

Information travels down the grapevine here. Starts at trial and error, till the next guy warns the next guy, and so it goes. As far as whether it's all actually truth or whether it's some fucked up game of telephone is anyone's guess. I take everything I'm told with a grain of salt, new dimension or no.

[It took her a couple hungry days to trust the mansion-produced food enough to actually put any of it in her mouth.]

But I wouldn't judge this place buy its cover. Shit gets real bad, real fast.

Disce quasi semper victurus vive quasi cras moriturus. You've been here a while?

[Arcade is still trying to figure that one out. The use of the word magic is foreign to him. He believes in hard facts and science. How the hell do you make food out of nothing?]

How bad are we talking?

[Evelyn usually finds that whenever people are expressing doubt in the library, she is more attuned to it than she is attuned to herself. Five years and-then-some is more than long enough to know every nook and cranny, every row, every shelf on an intimate level, and noticing newcomers is no exception.

Simpler, she thinks, to make introductions in person - all she got of the initial message was a quick address and some Latin before she switched the communicator off and set a course for the east wing reading area. Cui bono. Oh, that's very funny. She hates to disappoint.]

Arcade?

[A clipped English accent from around the corner and Evelyn - file folder in hand, as can be expected - smiles as she approaches.]

I saw your missive, I thought it more apropos to greet you in person.

[Apuleius. Arcade replaces the text on the shelf, moving on to the next volume. He'd never seen this many books- and intact. The Followers had a collection, but this was beyond what he could dream up. He’d only heard of Apuleius in mention, but one of his works was famous enough. Metamorphoses, specifically Apvlei Psyche Et Cvpido.

He was lost in the story as Evelyn approached him.]

Hmm? Oh, that. Thank you. It’s nice to see a person rather than a video.

[He’s not the best in social situations, but he can put on a smile. The doctor moves the book under his arm, extending a free hand for her to shake.] Arcade. Though I guess you already knew that from the recording. This is an incredible selection of books.

Evelyn.

[She returns the handshake - it's always quite funny that Americans enjoy it so much - and notes the book he's put up under his arm with rapt curiosity. Apuleius, which is no light reading, and his only remaining full work after Apologia.]

And it is, yes. I spend most of my time keeping them in good order, so I'm glad you've found the sort of texts you enjoy.

[Evelyn lofts an amused eyebrow.]

Is it the subject matter of The Golden Ass that you enjoy, or the author himself?

[The Evelyn? He heard that name earlier.] You wouldn't happen to be the one Dan was shouting about?

The author himself. [It wasn't that Arcade enjoyed reading ancient romance, romance was just an idea to him. It was different from the usual medical texts he poured over for research.] Didn't have time for vacuous reading before. It's a welcome change.

Well, I wouldn't call it vacuous.

[Now, Fitzgerald can be a bit vacuous.

But this isn't a book club and he didn't ask for assistance with literary analysis. It takes Evelyn an embarrassingly long moment to realize he's made a connexion with someone he shouldn't know unless he's been extremely diligent in his introductions.]

...you know Dan Palmer?

Not exactly old friends, but we traveled together for some time. I patched him up on several [Hundred. The word stubborn comes to mind.] occasions.

He's a good guy. His agenda fit my own. It didn't go quite as planned, but we ran the Legion and NCR out of New Vegas. Free the people and all. What people will do with freedom- what they won't do. They had no clue what to do with themselves. [A small disappointment.] He ran off some time after.

[Parts of this story are familiar to her, but Evelyn has to wonder if he's assumed that everyone in residence knows the intricate realpolitik of his world or if he's simply the sort of person to volunteer information about his associations and activities. New Vegas is only known to Evelyn because of her intimate conversations with Dan, the Legion and the NCR still shadowy entities because she can't really know their intentions without knowing them.

He ran off some time after.]

Yes, that sounds like him.

[With a wide world in front of him and no tether it stands to reason he'd wander again. Circumstances are different here.]

I'm glad you've come here, as awful a thing as that might be to say - but I'm certain Dan will be happy for the company of someone he knows, and I can assure you that the living arrangements are much better than whatever you might find in the Mojave.

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sorry for the delay!

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action; holidays got me like [forever screaming], hope you don't mind!

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