victory_road | Video/Action 001: Cherrygrove

[When the broadcast first starts, the camera is faced toward a wall, crooked and out of focus. From off screen, there is a soft sound of muttering, likely in an unfamiliar language. Anyone nearby would see him fussing over the device, confusion plain on his face. The Snivy, though not visible on the screen, fixed passersby with contemptuous look. Same old same old.]

[After a moment, and provided there are no interruptions from observers, the camera is righted and a face appears on screen. For some people, the man may look familiar . Others might be won over by the crooked smile that he has directed at the screen.]

Greetings, strange world. It seems we've met again. [He let out a small chortle.] The strangest thing happened to me. I was here, and then I wasn't. I was back home, in the damp, unpleasant woods of the Arbor Wilds. I... doubt any of you are familiar with that name. We gallivanted about for a day, slept again, and here we are.

[He shook his head. Internally, Dorian was more than a little troubled in regards to his in and out appearance. At the very least, he hadn't been bounced out a second time, giving him plenty of time to wander about in an entirely different sort of wilds.]

[Externally, on the other hand, Dorian was just as sly and untroubled as ever.]

I do apologize for the radio silence. I couldn't say for certain I would be here in the morning, and I wouldn't want to break any more hearts by disappearing. [He clapped his hands together.] But fear not. It would seem that I am here for good now. Please, do not hesitate to vocalize your exultation.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Thanks.

And "Thedas" is your planet?

Continent. Though whether or not there is more to our "planet" as you put it has yet to be discovered. One of the many mysteries of my beloved home.

Yet to be discovered?

You don't know how much there is to your world yet?

[Sorry, Dorian, that's a foreign concept to this space boy.]

Is that so hard to believe?

[Dorian had been doing pretty well with adjusting to the "future," or at least that was what he kept telling himself. But there were certain things that were still beyond him.]

For me? Yeah.

Where I'm from, we've known what our planet, and a few others, have looked like for a long time now.

Others? [Color his scholarly brain curious.] You have been able to view other planets? How did you manage such a thing?

Quite a few, now.

Space probes, at first. Machines that could take pictures and scans of the planets nearest Earth. Then we started going there ourselves.

You've been to other planets?

This is some sort of joke, yes? You are having a laugh at my expense?

Hey, I don't joke about space.

[For a lot of reasons.]

We started with landing on Earth's moon, and went outward from there. I was -- I was the pilot on a mission like that. Going further out than anyone had before.

You?

[Dorian hadn't ever been particularly taken with the stars themselves. But being able to travel to them was a breakthrough unlike any he had ever heard of (and he'd been the one to help discover time magic).]

Tell me, what was it like?

Yeah, me. I always wanted to be a pilot.

[And then he was one. He got the chance of his life and...]

Incredible. It's so big -- there's so much out there we didn't know. I wish I had better words for it.

You are... certainly an incredible man.

[For once, it wasn't idle flirtation. Dorian's words were genuine, awestruck even.]

That's a fine way of explaining it. You're doing a fine job, ser. It... sounds amazing if I am being honest. And eliciting honesty from myself if an impossible feat.

Not all that incredible. There's plenty of pilots still around back home. One of my team is probably even better than I am.

[Hahaha what, him? Accept praise about himself? Naaaaaaaaaaah bruh.]

You should see if there's a way to see it for yourself, here. A telescope or something.

It's more amazing in person.

[See there he goes again.]

Your pilot team isn't here for me to praise. You are. I suggest you get used to it.

[Dorian does not compute. How can one simply... not accept compliments? How does this poor man function.]

You shall have to show me then. Through this "telescope" or by other means.

That's a pretty tall order. I'll do my best.

[How does he function? That is a good question.]

I'll see if anyone's ever had one. Someone here has to.