[TLV] IC Inbox

[palissant]

[No response can be gained via comms. He isn't interested in making himself available that way.

If you want him, come find him.]

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[palissant]

This is where being intentionally vague raises more questions than not, so he isn't. He also isn't entirely truthful.

"Yeah, I am."

Because it's technically true. He is from Earth, just a markedly different one than most other people. And... well, he can't answer the question about when television was created either.

[inthebiblicalsense]

Ethan waits a moment, letting it stretch for almost too long when Verso doesn't follow up with what he thought was an implied question.

"Um, what year? I'm from the twenty-sixth century, so it makes it a little harder to relate when most people I know are hundreds of years in my past."

[palissant]

A small shift in place. He does actually have to think for a moment about that, but,

"It's 1906."

... More or less. It isn't as if time has moved much at all within the Canvas. Gustave or Maelle would give a different answer, just to add to potential confusion, but somehow he isn't expecting that to come up.

"So, unrelatable, I suppose."

[inthebiblicalsense]

He isn't really aware of them as far as in relation to Verso, so not at all.

But despite him not knowing much about the turn of the century, it might surprise him that Ethan seems to sit up more and is quite interested.

"Could you tell me what that's like?"

[palissant]

"What it's like?"

It doesn't surprise him that Ethan is suddenly so interested, really. But the question is so naively phrased that-- well, no, he isn't actually surprised by that either.

"I don't have anything to compare it to." Being here doesn't count. "I just lived there."

[inthebiblicalsense]

"You dont have to compare it to anything. I mean, how was a usual day? Did you ride a horse, take a train to commute? I dont think cars were being mass produced until the 1910s, right?" He has to think about it, knows the approximate year of the first combustion engine anyways.

[palissant]

"I wouldn't know."

He briefly rubs two fingertips into his temple.

"I had an apartment in the city centre. Days were just what they were. I went about my business, worked, went out for meals occasionally, just like anybody else."

Sixty-seven years ago, anyway.

[inthebiblicalsense]

"You know, you can change the subject." Ethan has been asking questions, but its more to keep the conversation going and his own interest in the past.

He can tell it doesn't seem to be his favorite subject, or perhaps its because he doesn't want to be here, but is because what else is he going to do?

[palissant]

"Yes, I know."

But to what? There isn't anything he feels a pressing need to talk about that won't inevitably lead to something he doesn't. Because that just tends to be the way these things go.

"As soon as I can think of one I want to delve into, you'll be the first to know."

The absolutely thudding headache and persistent rolling nausea he's been dealing with certainly isn't helping matters.

[inthebiblicalsense]

Ethan pauses a moment, before he decides, well? He can change the subject too he supposes.

"Are you going to find it as off putting as the bread if I offer to go get us some tea?" You know, for something pleasant to drink, "when I had my first toll, I didn't realize I would have to relive just waking up from a week long coma. The headache was terrible on top of everything else but something hot to drink was at least nice."

[palissant]

"If you like."

He doesn't actually like tea that much but the tea in the dining hall is better than the coffee, for how low a bar that is. Like drinking dish water with coffee grounds in it.

He's allowed to be a snob about one thing.

"I'll be here."

[inthebiblicalsense]

"Do you want any honey, sugar or milk in it?" The tea on offer is probably nicer than what's in the dining hall given what he usually has is what ever Norton or Fitz drinks and he feels like they probably have a decent authority on what's good given how much of it they consume.

But, he will get up and go to grab them both a cup of something nice as soon as he gives his answer.

[palissant]

The answer is just a shake of his head. If anything would save the taste he would add it, but the tea from the dining hall truly is unsalvageable.

Ethan might wonder if Verso will take the opportunity to simply leave while he's gone, but he won't.

[inthebiblicalsense]

It's actually quicker to go to his own cabin to grab tea, so if it smells better than what's in the dining hall, that's probably why. He's added some honey to his own, but when he comes back, he sets a cup in front of Verso and settles back down, blowing on his cup before taking a sip.

"I'm not a tea snob, but this is good enough for Norton and he drinks tea almost as much as he breathes, so hopefully you like it."

[palissant]

He glances to the cup as it's set down but doesn't move to pick it up, just watching the steam rising from it for a minute. As for Norton... well, he has no idea who Norton is.

"Mm."

Verso just lets the silence hang, no topics coming to mind to raise even if he wanted to talk about something. His thoughts just wander. Rarely to anywhere good.

[inthebiblicalsense]

Ethan is quiet for a few short minutes, warming his hands on his cup. His mind wanders too, though more for topics, things he could ask or talk about.

"Do you have any interests? Maybe we have something in common?" Not that it was a requirement, but it certainly would make it more awkward, "I like to tinker, Red gave me a clock building kit last christmas, though he left out the instructions, so that was interesting...more like a puzzle with a functional clock at the end.