TLV 1 - Video

[bodilesswarrior]

[Barbara is sitting in her wheelchair, hands folded in her lap as she smiles wryly at the camera.]

Hey there, Barge. You've got another Warden. My name is Barbara.

Nice to meet all of you.

[Her smile fades as she leans forward, just slightly.]

I know a lot of you aren't here by choice. If it were up to me – [she shakes her head] - but it's not. We're all working with what we have.

That's no reason not to take the chance now that you've got it. A lot of people don't. And I'm here to help with that, if you'll let me.

[She leans back again, arching her eyebrows.]

So – these headaches. Is this a normal thing around here?

((Hell yes she's affected.))

Comments

[psychic_hotline]

[.......huh.]

Sounds like you're up to speed on the flood situation, so there's not much else for me to do right now besides welcome you to the Barge.

My name's Sara Pezzini; I've been a Warden around five months. Good to have you on board, Barbara.

[Also I'm dating your ex and I probably know more about you than you'd like me to? Maybe work up to that later. Muuuuuch later.]

[bodilesswarrior]

Thanks, Sara.

How's it been, being a Warden?

[psychic_hotline]

Well, my Inmate is the Norse god of mischief, so let's start with 'not really what I expected'. I'm a detective with the NYPD back home -

[As a lifelong New York native her slight accent gives the NY part away, and she's been told she has a bit of a cop affect even at ease, so none of this may come as a surprise to Barbara]

- so this is a step along in the justice process I was only familiar with in passing. The floods are a pain in the ass, as you've heard, but they're a pain in the ass equally.

[bodilesswarrior]

[It's definitely a confirmation, more than anything, but her smile deepens at it.]

Must be a bit difficult, trying to see them as patients instead of criminals.

Especially - is he really Loki? [She has some experience with gods, but it's not really her forte, and she's not going to go around advertising it regardless.]

[psychic_hotline]

Really Loki. To say he's kind of a dick is putting it lightly, but he's charming with it. Silver tongue and all, it's all part of the myth. [No filtering here because she knows perfectly well Loki would agree with this assessment.]

To be honest with you, I don't really see Inmates as either any more. They aren't all criminals, for one - best I can tell, it's at least as much about why or how you've done what you've done, so much as what you actually did. And I don't think 'patients' really hits it either. You just have to make individual assessments as you go as to how you're going to treat people. Inmates and Wardens.

[bodilesswarrior]

I can imagine. [Her expression is openly intrigued. It's probably a bit reckless to want to get to know the god of mischief, but there you are.

Her expression turns thoughtful as Sara continues, and her nod is earnest.]

Sounds like a good philosophy.

[psychic_hotline]

Yeah. For somewhere that cuts the population in half and labels each half with some pretty loaded words, it's all about gray areas here.

[bodilesswarrior]

It usually is. [There's an edge of weariness, in her voice. Things just seem to get more and more complicated as the years go by.]

[psychic_hotline]

You got that right.

[This is normally the point where she'd ask someone new what they did before coming here, but she knows that, and she's not going to pretend she doesn't.]

So you know about floods. Have you been told that the Barge can make stops? Every other month or so.

[bodilesswarrior]

I have, yes - and that they range from pleasant to horrific.

Sounds like my usual vacations. [Back when she took vacations.]

[psychic_hotline]

That's about the size of it. Plus the risk of becoming a native of the world we land on, though that doesn't always happen.

[bodilesswarrior]

[A wry murmur.] Because we needed more identity issues.

Has it ever happened to you?

[psychic_hotline]

Last month. The person I turned into was running...I don't know, I guess you'd call it a refugee camp, on an alien planet. I still remember bits and pieces of her life but it's mostly just a blur now. Still a little disconcerting.

[bodilesswarrior]

[Barbara's brow furrows as she takes that in, grimly pensive.]

I can imagine. Do you know if - are they people we could have been, or just lives we happen to fall into?

[psychic_hotline]

I wish I could tell you for sure. The way you're slotted into a niche that's already there, though? I'd say the latter.

[bodilesswarrior]

[Barbara nods.] And then you're just - pulled back into yourself, when the barge leaves.

I'm trying to figure out how this could work but multiversal mechanics aren't really my forte.

Maybe there are some books on it.