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So I was wondering...

Has anyone here been to a world that's not their own before? Or been to a place like this, with people from a lot of different worlds?

Also hands up if you've died before, I'm kind of curious. Since death's supposedly not permanent in this place, I was wondering. Bonus points if you've died in one of those worlds that brings in people from multiple worlds.

(Points are not going to actually be awarded, before you even ask.)

Also for the record my answers are yes, yes, and yes - five times.

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'Just following orders'.

[He's not sure if he likes that. Orders can change. And people can go against orders, obviously. He wants to believe him, but... well. Experience has taught him to never believe that kind of thing at first glance. Not anymore.]

I'll keep an eye on him, but if he hasn't been malicious so far... any idea how long people have been here?

[Is 'keeping an eye' like... speciesist or something? He has no idea.]

... I'm not... trying to be difficult. The Tower was just... bad. I don't want something like that happening again.

[ Yeah, probably not the best choice of words, but Sans doesn't feel like going through the effort of persuading him when time and experience can do it with a whole lot less effort on his part. He's watching him, though, assessing how he responds. Interesting to see him try to puzzle through it.

What's more interesting is how a kid that young came to be so guarded. ]

Kid, I really don't mean any insult, but I don't care.

[ At least this time he bothers to explain himself, shrugging. ]

We're in the middle of a war between the forces of light and darkness, however bad a time you had? Come to terms with that quick, because the Queen ain't gonna pull her punches because you're still smarting from the place you came from.

[... Honesty. Blunt and simple honesty. That... gets a sigh from him, and a small chuckle. He tugs his legs into his chest, looking... well. More like a kid.]

You're right. And I know you are. So...

['Sorry' isn't the right word here.]

I'll do what I can to... try to separate it.

[Not 'come to terms'. That's impossible. Separate it, focus on the now rather than the then. People come back from the dead here. This Ozuma guy hasn't shown an ugly face yet. He'll separate it. There's no Jason, no Ruana. None of them.]

[Small fingers curl around a book that's too large for them, and dig into its spine. Small movements. Ones that mean too much. Move away from the sorest part of the topic before it gets too bad. Don't prod it.]

At least I can be helpful with that fight. Onee of my skill is light-based, and the Shadows here seem to be pretty weak to it. So you can at least count on me to help with clearing things out.

[ Sans sees those little motions, sees the kid and all the LOVE a life like his has to offer, or something, and decides that this isn't his circus, and Ken isn't his monkey. Which, uh, in hindsight, is probably a little rude. ]

Try getting in Zuko's good graces, she tends to organize most of the exploration missions.

Might not let ya come along because you're a kid, and frankly? Heh. I don't blame her.

[ There's a story there, and an unpleasant one at that, something Sans is quick to move on from before he can act on any kind of curiosity. ] But... She might reconsider, if you've really got some light-based magic up your sleeve.

As for these guys? Maybe seven months? I've been here for, uh. Beats me. Five of those? Just about, anyway.

[ As if Sans doesn't have a battered notepad full of marks, ticking off the days it's been since the barrier fell and there's been no sudden unraveling of all that's happened. No Reset. ]

Zuko can give you more about that. [ Or point him in another direction. ]

[He stiffens at the words 'because you're a kid'. He's heard those words too much, but he lets Sans finish. Seven months. Five months. Enough to know. Enough to be reasonably sure.]

... You don't seem like the kind of person who would lie about that. So... I'll believe you on that.

[Or he'll try to. Another person, along time ago, who deflected things with puns... but he'd never seemed genuine. This guy... he is. Probably.]

It's... even if the situation is bad here, at least there's that. And I've got more than just light-based magic. My spear can make injuries that can't be healed. I don't know if it'll work on the Shadows, but it might.

Nnnnnnno, probably not, but uh...

[ A slippered foot just shuffled backwards, away from Ken, on reflex. Who in the hell gave a kid this young such a dangerous weapon?

It's a good thing that grin is so permanent, else he'd have probably worn an entirely less pleasant expression. ]

Don't nick anybody with that, capiche? Last thing we need is to use up our supplies and magic trying to heal something that never patches up.

...

Figure out somewhere to put that where nobody, not even you, can get your hands on it in case the Queen gets in your head. She's done that, y'know.

It's only active when I want it to be active. But... you have a point.

[Even if people could just die and come back better... probably not a great idea to risk it.]

What happened, the last time she did that?

[He sits up a bit straighter, curious. Curious and... wary. Get in their heads... like Ruana liked to do.]

Now that's a better question for everybody than a death count, ain't it?

[ Morale is a major resource. How do you think the 'light's heroes' are going to do against an overwhelmingly powerful opponent if they've got to worry about threats from within as well as without?

It's why there's contingencies in place for dealing with those... liabilities, in a semi-permanent manner. Except it takes a lotta work and a lot of convincing, and Sans prefers the path of least resistance. ]

But let's just say there's some people nobody wants to be caught alone with anymore.

[Aka 'I'm not going to tell you details'. Fine. He can deal with that.]

Mm. When did she pull that, the last time? It's not... a regular occurrence, is it?

[ Yyyyyyyup. Do your own homework, kid. It was before his time, anyway, there's no point in trying if he'll miss some important detail, right? ]

I wouldn't call five months a sufficient sample for any real pattern to emerge, 'cept--

[ There is one... ]

It's been a while since her last big push. Could mean she's preparing something big.

Or we've been seizing enough territory to upset her influence. Either way, she's probably real mad.

... Probably. It could be both. I guess I'll step up my training, just in case.

[It couldn't hurt. And... uh. One other thing he has to ask.]

The food here doesn't... disappear or stop showing up, does it?

[It gets there via magic, it can stop being there via magic.]

Hasn't yet, don't sweat it, kid.

[ If something were to happen to Ozuma, though... there goes their ticket home AND the means they have to see to their subsistence. Even if someone like Rob or Colin could come up with the means to create some kind of agricultural system there, it's doubtful they could grow enough food on short notice for everyone.

And, uh, there's the matter of a distinct lack of magical food sufficient for monster needs, too.

But he isn't going to load Ken down with that, let him figure it out on his own.

If he was going to be totally honest, though, it's less about him and more about how little Sans wants to deal with a blow-up over it. ]

That's good.

[Maybe he can stop hoarding food, then. For it to go this long without disappearing is a good sign.]

... Look, I... nn.

[He glances down, looking like the lost for words kid he is.]

... I just don't want to see more people hurt. So I'm trying to be prepared, to learn stuff. But it's not... what I'm good at. So... maybe I messed up with the message a little.

Listen, kiddo. The most helpful thing you can do?

...Is try to keep people looking forward to tomorrow, you get me?

[ Be careful with what you do and say, because they're all dancing on the edge of a knife to the piping of forces they only barely understand, and a big enough drop of morale could see more than a few dropping off into the abyss. ]

Hope is what's gonna keep us alive as much as our ability to push the shadows back.

Anyway, all this talking tuckered me out. I'm gonna go take a nap. See ya around.

... Yeah.

[Being positive has never been his strongest point, but he can... try.]

I'll... see you around, I guess.

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