( one. ) voice • scientia potestas est [ id: nightingale ]

[ettersberg]

[ thomas nightingale does, in fact, know how to use a smartphone. he's owned one for quite a while before the end of the world; google maps in particular has always struck him as rather useful. the knowledge of how to operate such a device comes in handy now as well, though he's not entirely sure yet why he's bothering.

(the answer is peter; peter would want to know and nightingale would hate not to have any answers at all by the time his apprentice wakes up. because peter will wake up, surely. eventually.)

so there is no fumbling, no pauses when the device clicks on except deliberate ones, and a smooth, very british and posh-sounding voice inquiring: ]

It seems magic is not out of the ordinary, here. Someone has already inquired about those who believe in or practice magic, but I'd be interested to hear how magic was regulated, if at all, in your worlds. That, and whether there were particular ill-effects to it.

[ here, there is one of the aforementioned deliberate pauses. ] I'd also appreciate hearing of your experiences with employment.

Thank you.

Comments

[ettersberg]

Most of the galaxy. That must be quite the number of planets. Who did the colonising?

[saucius]

Way too many people of different races over thousands of years.
The moment a race becomes spacefaring they tend to go exploring too.

[ettersberg]

That does sound familiar, admittedly.

[saucius]

You're familiar with spaceships and the like?
I've realized not many here are.

[ettersberg]

I am not. But last I heard, the United States and various other nations were talking on sending manned flights to Mars and unmanned ones further beyond the reaches of our solar system.

That, and the principle holds equally for seafaring and exploring — and colonising — other parts of one world.

[saucius]

It's a valid point. Interplanetary travel is easy,
but you need to develop the faster-than-light travel methods to really move around.
I guess you guys are still a ways from it.

[ettersberg]

To the best of my knowledge, yes.

[ though nightingale is hardly an expert on modern technologies, he does try to at least stay informed so he can decide what is useful and what is not. ]

[saucius]

Anyway, this all feels pretty inconsequential,
all things considered.

[ettersberg]

Given our present location, I have to agree.

[saucius]

And I can't really help on the magic department,
either.

Any luck with finding work?

[ettersberg]

I have at least narrowed down my prospects.

[saucius]

Such as?

[ettersberg]

The Guard is looking more likely than the red light district.

[ if he'd said this out loud, his tone would have been utterly bland. ]

[saucius]

Maybe you're selling yourself short, you know?

[ She's not lying per se, is she now. ]

[ettersberg]

My own preferences do play a role in the choice as well.

[saucius]

Hey, we all have talents.

[ettersberg]

I wouldn't want to dispute that.

[saucius]

So what are you good at? Considering your preference in jobs.

[ettersberg]

I have experience as a police officer. And with combat.