Video - Grasshopper 2

[adregem]

[ Broadcasting from the Dressing Carriage, a young man dressed in a purple shirt and coat comes onscreen. Though this might be his first time showing his face on the ICP for all to see, he carries himself with a practiced ease that can only come from years of televised experience. He may even come across as a little too stiff and serious, shoulders back and chin up, voice sure and certain. ]

[ From time to time, those watching this broadcast might even see a certain Spider dart in and out of the ICP's periphery, eyes shining in the dim light. ]

Hello and good day to my fellow Voidtrecker passengers. I have already met some of you, but for those I have yet to introduce myself to, my name is Roland Crane. I ask only for a few moments of your time as I read to you the following statement on behalf of a proactive citiz - ah, member of the train. [ His eyes dart down from time to time as he reads from a piece of paper. ]



Friends, a day ago we saw the exit of more of those who once travelled with us. Among them was Yuffie, the Black Team's designated team lead. [ A pause. ] While we are by no means taking over the Black Team, there was a thought inspired by their goals which we would now like to pitch to the train at large. [ Another pause. ]

Your friendly Spider Seamstress would like to take this chance to offer interested parties a special black wristband. These are no ordinary accessories, as they will all be imbued with magic. What they would allow her to do is locate the wearer so that during missions, she can open teleportation gates to their precise location. This means that those on-ground would not be confined to one team, but could go to where their skills and talents will most likely be needed. These people would then form the newly decided upon Black Squad. [ He's not pausing for dramatic effect, you are! ]

This arrangement would be voluntary, but has the power to greatly increase our collective response time, give bolstering to any team that needed it, and to better allocate our resources. [ Roland turns to the ICP, and goes off-script. ] Speaking for myself, I think it's a great initiative given that we need to spread backup and recon depending on the severity of our task. This sort of reminds me of something from home. When there's danger afoot, or you need immediate help, we would call the appropriate offices to respond first on the scene.

[ He turns back to the final part of the script. ] If you have any questions, please contact Misa or Roland in the Dressing Carriage.

[ Roland's eyes dart to the side, as if silently communicating with someone off-screen. He nods with a smile. ] Thank you for listening, and have a pleasant Grasshopper day ahead.

(OOC: kumoko / misa will most likely threadjack or respond to comments here as well!)

Comments

[blitzcheer]

[ Teleporting all over the place?? oh heck yeah Tidus is 100% down for black team squad now. ]

Sign me up! This is a great idea!

[adregem]

[ He's happy to see the enthusiasm. ]

You got it. I agree, which is why I was onboard with the idea so fast. It pays to have that kind of flexibility especially when every world we'll visit will be unique. We won't have the luxury of time to scope it out properly.

[ That's at least one new recruit down! Roland turns to Kumoko with a glint in his eye. Success. ]

[blitzcheer]

Sure! And if one team's desperate, I'd want to be there to help out. This'll help Blue and Red team especially.

[ Poor, poor tiny teams. ]

So, we hoping that the SCA's are gonna let us communicate between each other again? Or does Webweaver have a talent for keeping us in contact too?

[ It's an affectionate nickname, promise. ]

[adregem]

Exactly. I suppose this extends to helping out the citizens of any nation in peril, on whatever world we're sent to, as well. I think that matters too. [ Because at the end of the day, Roland still wants to save; save people, save his world. That's not going to change just because he's on a magic train. ]

Webweaver...? She wasn't kidding when she told me I had a list of names to choose from. [ Roland speaks as if said Spider Friend wasn't in the same room. He jests! ] Let's...hope the language barrier fiasco doesn't make a repeat on the field. That might call for a total regroup or retreat.

[blitzcheer]

That's part of the package, hey? Last mission, Blue was defending an entire island, and Red had to jump into rock pools where people were getting dragged in. I don't think any of the teams had an easy job.

[ Save in how much support they had. ]

But geez, I don't want to think about the translators getting cut off in the middle of a mission. Wouldn't be too bad if we're just fighting, but...

[ Not all the work will be like that. ]

[adregem]

[ He looks away, again, filing details away for later perusal. Roland didn't think the world-saving business would be easy, but to have such a huge responsibility thrust upon each team without any chance of backup from other teams if they failed...He's more than relieved he took Kumoko up on the wristband offer. ]

...Then let's work together to make sure nobody gets left behind, or has too much on their plate. [ His determination is strong. He's just about ready to get out of the train soon. He even momentarily forgets that saving worlds was just a means to an end. He genuinely wishes to help these people. ]

[ Roland has an idea pop into his mind almost instantly. ] Why don't we explore non-verbal communication? Are you familiar with morse code, or maybe even sign language?

[blitzcheer]

[ A curious look crosses his face. ]

I know sign language. Or-- I've heard about it. Never learnt it myself.

[ He's got the idea of where Roland is going with this, but he wants to hear if there's anything more he has to say for it himself. ]

[adregem]

[ Big Brain Time! Now that Roland thinks about it, sign language might be good for on-ground teams to learn, and if they're too remote or need to get information out in a quick burst, morse code could be used over the SCA which only has remote functions and no video...He's falling into his natural state, thinking of a strategy to better suit their needs, hand under his chin and eyes looking away in thought. ]

[ He knows morse better than sign language, but he could request books from the train couldn't he? ]

I might be able to propose a contingency plan in the event we all stop speaking and hearing the same language again. It'll take time, but if I can brush up on my morse code and get better at sign, we could pull this off. [ On that at least, Roland is confident. And you get the feeling he'll do whatever it takes to make sure it's a solid plan. ]

[blitzcheer]

[ Someone has got BIG PROTAG ENERGY over there! Big smart protag energy, even.

And Tidus doesn't see a problem enough to be against whatever's ticking in Roland's head. ]

Good luck with that! Long as it's not too complicated, maybe it'll work. Though, we'll need to keep everyone up to date on it, with people coming and going.

[ It'd be a challenge, but... ]

[adregem]

[ Nah fam, he's just the Backup Protag. Wait till you meet the Real Protag! That kingliness! That aura! Roland's so proud of his king!! Not that he wishes he had company on the train from his world. Oh no. They had a job to do, and Evan was the most important piece of that puzzle.

Roland smirks. Challenge accepted. More than anything, it was having a goal that could benefit a lot of people that motivates him to work even harder. This was a good talk, Tidus. Damn good talk. ]

I'm willing to teach anyone who wanted to learn. I'll just need to master the lesson, first.

[blitzcheer]

You got enough to get what you need? You were saving up for something, weren't you?

[ Does he need...books? ...Books would be easier to get than anything like video. ]

[adregem]

No. Twenty-three points isn't going to get me either of the things I need. I'll prioritize asking for a higgledy, first. Then I'll save up more for resources. [ It's a solid plan! He might even ask people for their chores! ]

If I'm lucky and get enough work done on and off the train, I might even earn more points than what I aimed for. Then I could purchase both at the same time. Cross your fingers.

[blitzcheer]

[ ...HMMMM... ]

Sure, I'll cross them all for you! [ Here, you want to see them? He'll even do it right now on screen, easy. But also, just a beat after: ] By the way, what's the name of the world you're from?

[ Totally normal question Roland, just answer, don't think! ]

[adregem]

Heh. Thanks. That's a whole lot of luck you just sent my way.

[ Roland can play along. He smiles actually, there's a lot of good energy coming off of Tidus and he appreciates that. But he cocks an eyebrow up at that next bit. The...name of the world...? ]

[ His intrigue immediately devolves into frustration. It shows when his brows furrow and his eyes break away from the ICP in the dressing carriage. Roland is deep in thought, and you have to wonder why for such a relatively simple question. ]

...

[ Dear friend, the reason Roland can't answer you is because he doesn't know. He knows he came from Earth first. He ruled a country there. He was president there. But after the...event...When he was whisked away to Evan's bedchambers on their first meeting...No, not a single tome he's ever read in the Grand Library of Goldpaw mentioned the name of their world. He just knows it's another version of his own. ]

[ He turns back to the ICP with a shake of his head. He can't really lie his way out of this one. ] To be frank with you, I don't know. I don't even know if there's a name for it.

[blitzcheer]

[ Oh. Well.

That went places. Places Tidus didn't mean for them to go, and is anything safe to ask in regards to one's world in this place? Everything is leading to doubtful in Tidus's growing experience.

Though the guy answers seemingly composed enough, Tidus can't help but feel bad for possibly dredging up anything unsavoury. ]

Oh. [ Just. Oh. ] Sorry... there's a lot of worlds out there, so it helps to put a name down so you get what you're looking for, you know?

But don't worry about that! You'll get what you're looking for!

[ Optimism! ]

[adregem]

No, don't apologize. It's just...something I never really thought about before. [ He looks a little wistful. ] I know it as the second world.

But what I can tell you in confidence is the kingdom I hail from.

[ And confidence indeed. Roland's pride rolls off of him in waves, even from beyond the screen. He could have answered Earth. He could have said he was from the United States of Aremica. But no, no his new home is quite clear in his mind. He knows where he's from. He helped build it. ] I'm from Evermore.

[blitzcheer]

[ Ah! ]

A kingdom's good! A kingdom might work! [ And he said something about a second world-- Tidus had been curious when he heard it, but he'll put aside asking about it for now to ask instead: ]

Does that place have sign language and morse code and all that? Wait--it should.

[ That last part is more to himself. Maybe the second world is just like home for him, and they're still the same planet. ]

[adregem]

[ He cocks his eyebrow at him again. ]

Wait, hold on a second. [ Roland puts his finger under his chin. ] 'A kingdom might work', for what?

[blitzcheer]

You wanna go off the sign language you know, right? I talked to people a while back about where they're from, what their worlds are called. There's a lot of 'earths'.

So if you just put in for a sign language book, who knows if what you get is one for a eight-handed planet?

[adregem]

[ That makes sense. The spell that saved his life and sent him to an alternate version of his own world is proof of that. The Dimensional Doors, the labs that researched alternate planes of existence...Roland should have asked Leander more about this when he still had the chance. ]

...I see. Then in that case, it's the first world then. The world where I was born. Evermore is my new home, but if I'm going to refine the idea of non-verbal communication, I might as well start from where I learned it first.

[ A sad thought passes through his mind like a shooting star in the night sky. If the first world is still around, that is. Ah. Anyway. No time to think about that. ]

[blitzcheer]

[ His new home. ...if Tidus had the chance to, he might've been able to see a new 'world' like that. But still, there's something oddly relatable to it, or some similar feeling. ]

Alright then. [ It makes his voice wistful for a moment, before he goes on- ] The name of the planet, or-- some place there. You know any names?

[ When he thinks about it- ] A friend got a book with pictures of her home, but she didn't know the name of the planet, so that isn't as important.

[ Maybe he's just being overly cautious. ...maybe he has a reason to be. ]

[adregem]

[ Roland too, follows suit with the change in tone. It almost seems like another lifetime ago, as if Evermore and his adventures there was the true reality and he had no home to return to. For a time, he believed he didn't. But after defeating Doloran, maybe...

And William, he was waiting wasn't he? Back home, where they needed him. Even though he failed them, they still needed their king. ]

Earth. I came from a planet called Earth, and I was from a country called the United States of Aremica. [ The words feel heavy on his tongue. He hasn't had to say that in so long. But there's something about Tidus that allows Roland to be a bit more open. He feels a kindred spirit in him, like he can understand what it's like to be pushed and pulled from one world to another. ] Heh. And now, here I am. On a void train, a million miles south of nowhere. It's been a journey for everyone, huh?

[blitzcheer]

Sure, but it sounds like there's plenty of Earths to go around. [ He lets the amusement roll off his tongue easy, a joke to what he said earlier. One more Earth on the list. ]

Alright then, how about we see what comes up? You gimme a second. [ Any deeper or personal questions than that can wait. ] Be back!

[ Bwip--give him some minutes, someone is going shopping. ]

[adregem]

[ Roland...blinks and lets him off, arms crossed over his chest again. What in the world just happened? Where was he going? Though he does stay true to the silent agreement and stays put, waiting for Tidus to return. In the meantime, more respondents show up to the Black Squad sign-ups, and he's happy to jot down their names for the Spider Seamstress later on. ]

1/2

[blitzcheer]

[ For reasons, and to see if it works, Tidus first takes a detour to the passenger list to get the spelling of Roland's name, and see what happens if he sticks it in when ordering a book.

So, of course he gets to whisper to himself when he squints and sees a particular piece of information: ]

He's old...?

[ Ugh. Why is everyone always older than they look? ]