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[Daneca has spent the first few hours going through the posts to the network. She...]

[...doesn't know how to feel about any of this so far. People going missing and others turning up dead. Zombies, vampires. And Cassel. Realistically speaking, Daneca knows she should probably be more anxious over a potential serial killer running around than the prospect of speaking to Cassel again, but that's what gives her more pause than anything. (At least she's not totally surprised by the idea of a serial killer on the Barge, she figures. Still in the realm of sanity for now.) She thinks maybe she should send him a private message or try to find him and speak one-on-one, in private. But that seems like too much even for her right now.]

[So, she settles for just introducing herself to everyone else. If he wants to talk to her, he can. If not...]

[Well, he doesn't have to. It's not like Cassel owes her anything anyway.]

[With that resolved, she can go back to being properly more anxious about people turning up dead, zombies, and vampires. And apparently also werewolves being real as well.]

[Daneca appears a little stiff and tense. Being on camera and broadcasting like this makes her a little nervous in ways that are harder to cover up than other things that make her nervous or uncomfortable. But it doesn't paralyze her or make her smile seem like a disingenous cover for nerves that ends up looking more scary than pleasant. Daneca is not someone who can lie very well. It's nervous and small, but her smile is no less sincere. She's trying desperately to channel her mother right now.]

I know I'm coming in at a really bad time, but I thought I should probably introduce myself anyway. My name is Daneca and I'm new. [She flushes a little and says a little softer:] Obviously.

[She shifts a little uncomfortably and finds the strength in her voice again.]

I'm a warden for anyone that might matter to.

[She's sure it does especially to some of the inmates. She'll lie about other parts about herself anyway. Might as well be honest about some things that might make people uncomfortable.]

Anyway, I guess I'm just looking for a tour. Or advice. Whatever anybody can spare.

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[Lark's basically walking around without any pants or underwear without gloves to Daneca, so. Fair.]

Memory workers start to lose memories, emotion workers get erratic and extreme mood swings, parts of death workers die; it depends on the work.

[Most of that sounds familiar enough that he can just nod it off, but the bit about death workers...]

...Hands and feet fall off?

Sorta. It's like the tip of your finger will die and then more and more of it until your whole finger is dead. That kind of thing.

...Horrifying. There's adequate psychological help for those people, I hope? [Given what he's seen from Cassel, he may sound like he's joking, but he's not. He's really not.]

You only know you're a worker if you've committed a crime.

[So, no. There's really not much by way of resources.]

Have you ever committed a crime?

[Which gives her an out, sure, but also poses the question: what are you?]

Not directly, no. I mean, I've helped Cassel with things I probably shouldn't have gotten in the middle of, but no.

[It's a big fat lie. But Daneca doesn't tell anyone she's a worker.]

[He chuckles, because Lord, Cassel and Chris are good at getting people to shirk good judgment.]

How did he manage to talk you into that?

You know, he didn't really have to do much talking.

[Of course, the first time she helped him, she thought she was just picking up a cat for him and it would be no big deal. But that was far from the case. And it's not like he told her everything every time he asked for help either.]

He was a friend and he was in trouble. I couldn't exactly turn a blind eye to that.

No, you could have. From what I know about the place you're from, no one would have blamed you if you had.

[Most worlds, in fact, have a high tolerance for betrayal.]

I would have.

What you know about the place I'm from, you know from Cassel, Lark. That's not exactly a normal upbringing even for a worker.

[Ah, now this is something he's very curious about.]

What is it normally like? Why did he get such a rough time?

Cassel's family's been really close to the Zacharov family and worked under them for generations now. Cassel was being used by his brothers to try and take the family over. They'd use him to transform someone into inanimate objects, killing them, and then change his memory so he wouldn't remember what he did. They even had him transform Lila Zacharov into a cat to get her out of the way.

It's screwed up, but in a way they were protecting him by altering his memory. Transformation workers are the rarest kind of worker. If word got out he could do it? There's no telling how many people would be after him or what they would do to him to get him on their side.

And his mother isn't much better.

[Daneca makes a slight face at that. It's hard for her not to. She's an emotion worker herself and she could never imagine being like Shandra. Not in a million years.]

She's an emotion worker and has zero problem using working someone to get what she wants. Cassel doesn't talk about it a whole lot, but it wouldn't surprise me if she'd worked her own kids a few times. She pretty much groomed them to be pathological, ambitious liars. Though, I don't think she got to Cassel that much. Not like his brothers, anyway. He seems to actually have a moral compass. But Barron and Philip?

[She shakes her head. There's just no way to put it with those two.]

Really, Cassel wasn't exactly destined to have a normal life with his family. It's a wonder he came out of it okay or alive.

...From what I know, he's come a long way here on the Barge. I don't know who he was in your world, but I think you'll find he's not that same person here. I have to protect the member of my pack he's involved with, you see...and as protective as I am, I trust Cassel. It doesn't come easily, but he has earned it.

Did you know about his family when you met him?

[She shakes her head.]

Like I said, he and I really didn't get all that close until I started helping him out.

I hope you will here, too, then. The payoff is potentially greater.

What do you mean?

It's not just about the wishes that Wardens get. I've had more opportunities here than I had at home--and I went to an Ivy League law school, I worked in a prestigious law firm. [He was set to take over the west coast in the United States...]

I'm not doubting you, but what kind of opportunities have you had here that you couldn't get back home?

Well, at home I'm being hunted. I can't trust anyone, my friends are dead...that's the most obvious opportunity I think.

Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know... [Daneca frowns a little and shakes her head.] You can trust people here though, right?

[That's what he's trying to decide. But...there are a few he'd bet his life on.]

Yes. Several. The trouble is that every now and then, things happen to us here that make us different. Not ourselves. Sometimes you forget who you even are, and I don't mean metaphorically.

Floods, right?

And certain ports. You go over and forget it all...some people don't make it back. The strength of a bond doesn't seem to matter here. But then, where does it ever?

I... I couldn't say.

[A little while ago and she might have said differently.]

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ukan - 2013-12-02 16:24 (UTC) - Expand

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❥ 001 video

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