(IC) Lost In Dreams [Peter]

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

( I was thinking of administration for how he is learning about how these cities and organizations work and planning improvements for the Thuroman deals rather than the current context...)

Administration is a workhorse of a skill in some campaigns!

Peter continues to conduct himself as though they will straighten this out and let him walk through a portal if he wishes (any minute now) and explains he is looking to access these files when he shows up on the other side of the country through another portal. He explains a memory stick is no good.

This confuses them. Why would he end up in a portal again. After Peter presses, and they look at his file again, they start work on some process... which seems more of a way for him to verify that his records are the same than to get him a good location on the cloud, but it does seem like a first step.

He is starting to get impatient again and asks after the discussion of his diplomatic status... Is anything happening, or does he feel they are just giving him the runaround?

They say its "working its way through the command chain". That might be the runaround... but it also might just be good old American bureaucracy. Previously, he's worked with high priests and gods directly.

If I'm tracking that right, that means it's December 9th back home... What is the date in this America?

looking at the previous visit, it looks like its a similar time of year... checking the date, he finds that this one is at December 2nd, 2013.

[the_matrix_walker]

If they won't let him leave, I guess we're in "routine mode" until they let him go or he manages to dream his way out of here.

He continues to impress upon them that this could create a problem with the other world if they find out they are holding their Emissary.

Peter gives his book some more thought and plays with title ideas. the one he currently likes is...

"Scout's Guide to the Multiverse"

In his alone time, Peter will practice conjuring smoke puffs, trying to make them bigger and be able to make them more frequently. He will also experiment and see if he can make a grain of sand.

[ericthered]

Peter spends his time doing schoolwork, writing, and practicing breaking the laws of physics. And occasionally annoying the bureaucracy.

His work at making a grain of sand is pretty exhausting, and tends to make smoke, but he thinks the smoke shows up more reliably. At the end of the day, he thinks he managed to make ash, or perhaps very fine dust.*

Lunch is in a cafeteria. Someone walks up to him and thanks him for getting them out of Thuroma. Then another someone. And another. Heads start turning to listen. These are people he's never met, only that he helped to get out of Thuroma. It seems they're almost all still here. And glad to be here. Several people tell him if there is anything they can do for him, let him know.

He goes to sleep without anyone getting back to him about his requests, and wakes up in the morning again. He gets an email: General Thurmond, whoever that is, wants to meet with him tomorrow at 11am.

*this practice is going towards increasing his ER pool, as well as expanding his creation capabilities.

[the_matrix_walker]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Peter spends his time doing schoolwork, writing, and practicing breaking the laws of physics. And occasionally annoying the bureaucracy.

It's kind of standard operating procedure, but he also performs his daily exercises with Goliath for both of their best health!

If there are soldiers around, he will fish for being taken to the shooting range or being taught self defense (or anything else he can think of that associates with a merit badge he doesn't have).

Originally Posted by ericthered

His work at making a grain of sand is pretty exhausting, and tends to make smoke, but he thinks the smoke shows up more reliably. At the end of the day, he thinks he managed to make ash, or perhaps very fine dust.*

He laughs and plays as he does this, imagining the grain he is trying to create is a tiny world, but getting dust instead is a universe bursting forth in a little big bang.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Lunch is in a cafeteria. Someone walks up to him and thanks him for getting them out of Thuroma. Then another someone. And another. Heads start turning to listen. These are people he's never met, only that he helped to get out of Thuroma. It seems they're almost all still here. And glad to be here. Several people tell him if there is anything they can do for him, let him know.

While Peter may have been boastful to the officials, he shys to this recognition in gen-pop.

"You're welcome. I was just doing what anyone would in my position. Are you okay? How are things now? Is the government taking care of all your needs? Have they let anyone go home?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

He goes to sleep without anyone getting back to him about his requests, and wakes up in the morning again. He gets an email: General Thurmond, whoever that is, wants to meet with him tomorrow at 11am.

Peter shakes his head in disbelief while reading this. Tomorrow will be day 4 here. He wonders... Is this some kind of power play? Bureaucracy? Incompetence? Peter, in his naiveté, thinks he should have had a call from the President of the Untied States or the UN days ago.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

If there are soldiers around, he will fish for being taken to the shooting range or being taught self defense (or anything else he can think of that associates with a merit badge he doesn't have).

The soldiers are sparse, and can't teach him, but they do point him to self-defense classes... it seems a lot of people here are suddenly into self defense. Both firearms and martial arts are offered, though the age range on firearms excludes Peter.

"You're welcome. I was just doing what anyone would in my position. Are you okay? How are things now? Is the government taking care of all your needs? Have they let anyone go home?"

"They've let a handful of people go home. No one from the Thuroma captives yet. They're taking good care of us though. You just have to remember they're being careful. Its easier to get new people in here than to get people out."

Peter shakes his head in disbelief while reading this. Tomorrow will be day 4 here. He wonders... Is this some kind of power play? Bureaucracy? Incompetence? Peter, in his naiveté, thinks he should have had a call from the President of the Untied States or the UN days ago.

Peter's dreams that night are... incoherent and uncontrollable. Were those even dreams? he doesn't remember anything clearly.



General Thurmond receives Peter in his office. "Sit son." The General looks at some paper. "I'm not sure how much I believe of your story, but at least some of it is verifiable."


He shuffles some more papers.


"When you say the pledge of allegiance, do you think of your America on your world, or this one as well?"

[the_matrix_walker]

Originally Posted by ericthered

The soldiers are sparse, and can't teach him, but they do point him to self-defense classes... it seems a lot of people here are suddenly into self defense. Both firearms and martial arts are offered, though the age range on firearms excludes Peter.

Peter will attend the self defence classes.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Peter's dreams that night are... incoherent and uncontrollable. Were those even dreams? he doesn't remember anything clearly.

That is most troubling...

When he awakens, can he sense any magic besides the portals in the vicinity? He will produce a puff of smoke and see if it is any more difficult than usual.

He will try meditation before he goes to bed next.

Originally Posted by ericthered

General Thurmond receives Peter in his office. "Sit son." The General looks at some paper. "I'm not sure how much I believe of your story, but at least some of it is verifiable."


He shuffles some more papers.


"When you say the pledge of allegiance, do you think of your America on your world, or this one as well?"

Peter is utterly confused and unconsciously tilts his head slightly changing the angle of his view as if it would impart a new perspective that would make the actions of this military make some kind of sense. What possible relevance could his answer carry, and why would they believe it... He opens his mouth and no sound comes at first.

((OOC: Successfully resisted Impulsiveness))

He holds his tongue from an abrupt response... This man is a General, and deserves more respect than the first thing that jumped to Peter's mind.

"Hello Sir. You can rest assured that I have spoken only the truth. I think of America as an idea of justice and opportunity, and my pledge is to those ideals, to what the flag stands for. Ultimately if we are talking where I am from versus where I am, I would have to be honest and say my first loyalty would be to where I am from. I don't see how that could cause a conflict though. My goal here is to be as impartial as possible and cultivate a mutually beneficial relationship fo all involved... Sir."

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

Peter will attend the self defence classes.

Its a fairly intense class: the people here seem very committed. Peter is in an odd situation for practice: he's so large for his age.

When he awakens, can he sense any magic besides the portals in the vicinity? He will produce a puff of smoke and see if it is any more difficult than usual.

There isn't any magic beyond the portals. His magic works well: its not more difficult.

"Hello Sir. You can rest assured that I have spoken only the truth. I think of America as an idea of justice and opportunity, and my pledge is to those ideals, to what the flag stands for. Ultimately if we are talking where I am from versus where I am, I would have to be honest and say my first loyalty would be to where I am from. I don't see how that could cause a conflict though. My goal here is to be as impartial as possible and cultivate a mutually beneficial relationship for all involved... Sir."

General Thurmond: "I can work with that. we're still processing everything you claim. Especially the part about meeting their gods. And being from a different earth that's still quite similar."


"Your ability to find gates is very interesting. you mentioned being willing to find them for us for a fee. I'd like to take you up on that offer. Its... somewhat difficult, given your status as a foreign minor. Would you be willing to designate someone to handle your affairs here? I can pay you $1,000 a day for finding portals, at least for the first month. You also wanted a more... portable information solution. If all you want is to store personal data, I can arrange that as well."

What possible relevance could his answer carry, and why would they believe it...

He's eliminated the possibility for one kind of trust in exchange for a different kind of trust.

He will try meditation before he goes to bed next.

He doesn't have meditation... which I suppose doesn't preclude him trying, and Karana magic has something similar to it, at least superficially.

[the_matrix_walker]

Spoiler:  

Originally Posted by ericthered

Its a fairly intense class: the people here seem very committed. Peter is in an odd situation for practice: he's so large for his age.

So large? Average Height for a male at age 14 is from 59 to 69.5 inches, at 5'4" peter is 64 inches tall and ST 9 on track for an adult ST 11-13 (which may be low with his level of activity), so he is pretty much exactly average.

Originally Posted by ericthered

General Thurmond: "I can work with that. we're still processing everything you claim. Especially the part about meeting their gods. And being from a different earth that's still quite similar."


"Your ability to find gates is very interesting. you mentioned being willing to find them for us for a fee. I'd like to take you up on that offer. Its... somewhat difficult, given your status as a foreign minor. Would you be willing to designate someone to handle your affairs here? I can pay you $1,000 a day for finding portals, at least for the first month. You also wanted a more... portable information solution. If all you want is to store personal data, I can arrange that as well."

Peter is making an effort to be respectful in addressing a general, and if it is a bit clumsy, his tone and demeanor are in ernest.


"Sir, I was joking, Sir. If there is food for Goliath and I and a place to sleep, I am willing to help you whenever time permits, Sir. As I may show up in different parts of the country, I would like a way to access my schoolwork and personal notes from wherever I may be, Sir.

I think it best I should be recognised as Thuroma's Ambassador to the United States, or Earth, and we can call a space their 'Embassy', since I am recognised in their religious/political hierarchy as their Emissary already, Sir.

I think you will agree that I have been cooperative and brought you a great deal of highly valuable intelligence and assets as well as the potential for opening diplomatic avenues. I hope I have garnered some trust here, Sir. I need to be able to return to Thuroma to continue my duties as Emissary or there may be repercussions to both worlds, Sir. I would like to go back with your permission. I will return, most likely within the week... Sir!

____________________________________________

He will attempt a default meditation roll before bed and try and clear his thoughts... if the disjointed experience returns, he will try and focus and make sense of the experience.

[ericthered]

I think it best I should be recognised as Thuroma's Ambassador to the United States, or Earth, and we can call a space their 'Embassy', since I am recognised in their religious/political hierarchy as their Emissary already, Sir.

General Thurmond: "That's much more than I can do. And "Ambassador" is a title that from what I understand Thuroma might not warrant. You'd need the secretary of state to agree to that sort of thing."

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

"Sir, I was joking, Sir. If there is food for Goliath and I and a place to sleep, I am willing to help you whenever time permits, Sir. As I may show up in different parts of the country, I would like a way to access my schoolwork and personal notes from wherever I may be, Sir.

"Are you sure you don't want money? I'd want to at least pay you for a day's work. Though you might think of that cloud account as payment enough already."

I think you will agree that I have been cooperative and brought you a great deal of highly valuable intelligence and assets as well as the potential for opening diplomatic avenues. I hope I have garnered some trust here, Sir. I need to be able to return to Thuroma to continue my duties as Emissary or there may be repercussions to both worlds, Sir. I would like to go back with your permission. I will return, most likely within the week... Sir!

"You've garnered some trust. You really want to go back through? My associates are unsure about allowing that. Mostly for intelligence reasons. They're worried you'll tell them about us, and frankly, it sounds like you will, if the title you use is 'emissary'. I don't think you've seen any military secrets, but the military likes its secrets. If you want I can push to let you go. You just want to talk with their gods again? I can see why that sounds attractive. If we can send messages with you when we do it it might sweeten the deal. I'll see what I can talk them into. It might take a while. Or it might not."


"You've brought some good intelligence. How would you feel about gathering more? Like numeric strength of the forces specific cities have? That would give me a lot more to work with."

He will attempt a default meditation roll before bed and try and clear his thoughts... if the disjointed experience returns, he will try and focus and make sense of the experience.

I feel like this needs to wait just a touch.

Spoiler:  

So large? Average Height for a male at age 14 is from 59 to 69.5 inches, at 5'4" peter is 64 inches tall and ST 9 on track for an adult ST 11-13 (which may be low with his level of activity), so he is pretty much exactly average.

Hmm, Peter was in my head as a pretty big kid. I wonder why.

[the_matrix_walker]

Originally Posted by ericthered

General Thurmond: "That's much more than I can do. And "Ambassador" is a title that from what I understand Thuroma might not warrant. You'd need the secretary of state to agree to that sort of thing."

"Envoy? Messenger? Titles aren't important, Sir."

Originally Posted by ericthered

"Are you sure you don't want money? I'd want to at least pay you for a day's work. Though you might think of that cloud account as payment enough already."

"Okay... If there is an account I can access it could come in handy, Sure."
Peter decides he can donate what he doesn't use...

Originally Posted by ericthered

"You've garnered some trust. You really want to go back through? My associates are unsure about allowing that. Mostly for intelligence reasons. They're worried you'll tell them about us, and frankly, it sounds like you will, if the title you use is 'emissary'. I don't think you've seen any military secrets, but the military likes its secrets. If you want I can push to let you go. You just want to talk with their gods again? I can see why that sounds attractive. If we can send messages with you when we do it it might sweeten the deal. I'll see what I can talk them into. It might take a while. Or it might not."


"You've brought some good intelligence. How would you feel about gathering more? Like numeric strength of the forces specific cities have? That would give me a lot more to work with."

"I can tell you lots of stuff, but I'm not working for either side to gain a tactical advantage. I am working for all sides to have a diplomatic understanding and come to peaceful solutions. I will not tell you or them anything you or they would consider treasonous or a betrayal. Sir."

Spoiler:  

Originally Posted by ericthered

I feel like this needs to wait just a touch.

As long as his soulless clone isn't screwing up his unique dream frequency, it should be fine.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Hmm, Peter was in my head as a pretty big kid. I wonder why.

Maybe because I have mentioned that I was... I was 6 feet tall and 200 pounds by Peters age. But Peter is average height and low average weight, contrasting with his ginormous companion, who I envision as big even for his breed.