Video;

[ibalsamina]

[The Grumpearl projects an image: a long-furred Yungoos seated primly on a wooden Canopy platform. Her grin is restrained, showing only a sliver of her sharp fangs, and her surroundings are awash with color: the greens of lush foliage and the vibrant blossoms of various flowers, both growing naturally in the trees and collected for display around the edges of the platform.]

Hello, everyone. I hope you are all faring well, in spite of the extraordinary circumstances. I am still familiarizing myself with this "Grumpearl" device, so I also hope you can forgive me for any technical difficulties that may arise.

[Observing her in this moment, it's hard to imagine that there even could be any such technical difficulties. She is perfectly framed and her thoughts are silent—almost eerily so. Try as she might to make it all seem effortless, it seems she is trying very hard, in fact, to keep them focused and to herself. Not a single stray thought allowed.]

My name is Lusamine Mendel, and I was very recently recruited into the Cheri Guild. Although I am still new to this world, I intend to do everything I can to be of assistance to you all. If there is ever anything I might be able to help you with, please do not hesitate to ask.

[The dark green gem fastened around her neck gleams as she tilts her head.]

Now, I have a simple question for recent arrivals and longtime residents of Bottlecap Bay alike, if you wouldn't mind indulging me. What is the last thing you recall happening before you were transported into this world?

Comments

[ibalsamina]

Oh. You only sounded so... wistful, speaking of him. I thought you might want to reminisce.

[...]

You needn't tell me—or answer my questions at all—if you would prefer not to. I am not plotting anything, I assure you.

[quirkynote]

All I ever want to do is reminisce... He's all I ever think about.

But I don't trust you. Not with my precious memories. You can't have him.

[ibalsamina]

I see. Rest assured, I wouldn't dream of taking him from you.

What would you like to talk about, Mrs. A.B.A?

[quirkynote]

[Wouldn't dream of taking him? She's not sure how much she believes that.]

I want to talk about why you require this information from everyone. You're collecting data, aren't you? Are you testing a theory? I wonder...

[Maybe it's just the science experiment in her, but she knows researching when she sees it.]

[ibalsamina]

In a manner of speaking. As I said, my aim is to identify any common threads between our arrivals in this world—if there is a specific thing we all saw, or something we all did that might have sent us here, for example.

If I could identify something specific, then perhaps it could give us a clue as to why we've all been brought to this world... As well as how we might leave it.