To all Pleroma

[goldendeceiver]

[ The sensation that a message has been sent should be hitting every person aligned with the Pleroma right... about... now!

Though whether a character figures out that they can detach their shard and see the message is another matter entirely. ]

So tell me, did any of you figure out we could do this yet?

[ Ernesto can't really take credit. A Kenoma friend reaching out to him was what tipped him off to this particular ability. ]

Comments

[goldendeceiver]

[ Look, Dokja. Ernesto had to go through the same thing when Makoto reached out to him. ]

I'm not sure that would have done much good, Mr. Dokja.

[ Though technically Dokja is at least close enough that he could have told him in person. ]

[salvageable]

[ The frustration is here to stay and it bleeds through on his end. He's not normally the sort to have tech difficulties, but then again, this isn't really tech...

He's got a lot of questions. ]

What is this?

[goldendeceiver]

[ Shhh, be soothed by Ernesto's always mellow vibe, friend. ]

Apparently a quick form of communication, though there's no telling who might be listening in on it, so we probably want to be careful with what kind of information we relay across it.

[salvageable]

[ Oh no, it's like using the internet in the 90s and early 2000s all over again and being warned not to share personal information with online strangers.

But he's a millennial, so. ]

And you just discovered this on your own?

[goldendeceiver]

Haha...

Not exactly. Someone might have reached across the divide to tip me off.

[salvageable]

[ Wow, he doesn't like how vague that answer is, and Ernesto will be able to tell just how much he doesn't like it through their shared connection. ]

And this someone is...?

[goldendeceiver]

[ Not that Erensto can blame Dokja for that all things considered. ]

Someone with a good head on his shoulders, and an understanding that we couldn't exactly swap much information with each other.

I'll give you a name next time I see you in person.

[salvageable]

[ He has to assume that means this is someone Ernesto wants to protect. And considering that this mystery person had reached out first and taught Ernesto about this ability...

Wow, making connections. Or being fooled? Hm, hm. Some of that earlier frustration does finally subside, though, replaced with... concern? ]

Your willingness to get along with others is going to be the end of you, you know.

[goldendeceiver]

[ You have to trust people in the first place to get duped. (Taps temple knowingly) ]

You think so? So far that tendency has worked out in my favor.

[salvageable]

[ Consider... not trusting people at all?

Or only trusting in a very select few while throwing the rest to the wolves. ]

It's luck. It always runs out eventually.

[goldendeceiver]

[ What if instead going off of pure gut instinct on who he arbitrarily decides is probably a good person, and only trusting them?

That's... definitely not gonna bite him in the ass. ]

Something you're drawing from personal experience, Mr. Dokja?

[salvageable]

[ The real shitty part of this communion is the empathetic connection, because the heavy weight of guilt will suddenly befall both of them at the question.

Not bitterness, not betrayal, but an all-consuming remorse.

Fuck, he's so helpless without the Fourth Wall. ]

Just be careful with who you're talking to.

[goldendeceiver]

[ Woah, buddy...

It is at least enough to make Ernesto not feel right about prying any more. ]

I'm smarter than I look. Don't worry too much about me.

[salvageable]

[ Man gets stabbed in the back and says not to worry about him, alright.

No, really. Alright! Dokja can absolutely pretend like he doesn't care. But we all know the truth, don't we. ]

Right. Back to this. We can just do this to anyone? At any time?

[goldendeceiver]

[ Those are extenuating circumstances that had nothing to do with his trust level! 😭 ]

I can't say I know all of the limitations of it. This is only my second time testing it out.

[salvageable]

You're right that it doesn't feel very secure.

[ Dokja... kind of doesn't like it at all. ]

The person who contacted you was able to reach you with no problem?

[goldendeceiver]

Mmhm. It's handy, but we probably want to be careful with it for now.

Maybe? I can't imagine he had any more trouble than I did, and it seems like the people they left with actually gave them an explanation about how this works.

He was the one to warn me that he didn't know if those same people were able to listen in on the conversations or not though.

[salvageable]

Did he now...

[ This stranger is sounding more and more suspicious. A warning like that? When they were apparently given an explanation on how it worked? What an odd and important thing to leave out during a lesson... ]

Let's talk in person soon.

[goldendeceiver]

[ Dokja please, he's too old for a lecture. ]

Sure, but Mr. Dokja? You sound kind of skeptical of my judgement here, so consider this...

It doesn't really benefit anyone who wants to spy on us to tip us off that they might be able to. If the intention was just to keep us from using it to pass on sensitive information conveniently, well... to be completely frank, I'd still be uncomfortable doing that even if I hadn't had that idea "planted" in my mind. I don't know enough about this form of communication to fully trust it.

Still seemed handy enough to be worth mentioning to others though.

[salvageable]

[ WHO'S LECTURING WHO ]

I'm just a suspicious person by nature, Ernesto.

[goldendeceiver]

[ Shhhh. Let him be a hypocrite. ]

I can't pretend that I'm always much better...

[salvageable]

[ When he learns Makoto is a demon, it's going to be game over anyway. ]

I do appreciate it being brought to our attention. We'll figure it out.

[goldendeceiver]

[ Whomp whomp.... ]

Right. Not like we don't have some time on our hands now.