Time Ticks Ever Onward

Whitley had been against participating in this. It screamed danger, and not at all suited for his skill set- which was, of course, entirely lacking in combat skills of any kind. He hugs his arms around himself, looking around the space they’d been transported to.  But… well, Oscar had been going in, and the boy beside him had been about to only person from his own world he’d seen. There was a level of familiarity here, and familiarity was something he was sorely lacking in this world.  He just… hoped the other boy would keep him safe. He travelled around with his sister and her crew, so he had to have some kind of heart of gold like the rest of them, right..?  “A town,” he repeated, looking around. He might actually be useful in a town. Towns had people to talk to, and Whitley was good at talking. “That… sounds good,” he agreed. He shuffled closer to Oscar, eyes still darting around. He didn’t want to admit he was scared, but… He’d never been out in the wild like this, even if it wasn’t real. 

Actually being able to search for things by asking people sounds like such a nice idea - no secrets and no half-truths. It may only be temporary, but it’s still a nice change of pace. Oscar taps Whitley’s should absentmindedly when the boy shuffles closer “Hopefully one’s not too far.” He turns back around to start walking. 

   “ what was i doing? ”   coco echoes the question as if she were asking it herself.  technically speaking, she is.   how exactly does she go about answering a question like that?   “ i was just testing my concentration. ”

that’ll do…  right?  maybe not.  a bit more explanation would help, but coco’s not really sure how to sound convincing enough without revealing anything…

   “ um, magic can be pretty unruly sometimes.  casting it right requires some precision, but not everywhere it’s needed will be as quiet as your study room, you know? ”   a more populated area like this begets a need for even more focus.  a good witch works in spite of what might try to divide their attention.  coco isn’t quite there yet, but there’s no shame in her putting in the practice now.  she’s not lying outright.  they’re more half-truths.  she can work with this.

   “ if you think about it that way, it’s a good thing you bumped into me! ”   oscar was an additional challenge–  that’s one way she tries to spin it at least,   “ it’s, uh, also good my magic is pretty weak here.  the spell probably wouldn’t have cast right…  who knows how that could’ve turned out! ”

Testing...concentration? There’s all sorts of things someone could concentrate on. He wonders if she struggles with that? That could be why she’s practicing? He thinks a bit of Nora, who seems to be simultaneously everywhere and nowhere, popping out when you least expect her. He doubts she’d be able to focus on anything that isn’t imperative - but she’s still reliable. ...He hopes she’s alright in Vacuo. 

When Oscar got the text that they’re testing things to potentially implement into a defense system for the city - he hardly had to think at all on his own participation in this. If he can do anything to help, he’ll do it. Being useful as himself, and not any role another is to hold. When he looked through the terminals, some of them seemed easy enough. He just ended up going with something familiar - searching for mystical items. This time the whole world isn’t at stake and there’s not anyone nearly as terrifying as Salem racing against him. 

What Oscar didn’t understand at the time, but surely does now, is the concept this is virtual. He didn’t even know people could be put inside screens! He’d never seen anything like it, Atlas’ technology doesn’t come close to this. Nor had he been expecting Whitley to tag along, but he’s glad for it nonetheless. He knows so little about the other, but there’s comraderie to be found in how they both ended up dragged into the mess back home - though he has yet to see how the youngest Schnee will act, but he has faith. With how readily he was to save Mantle, Oscar doesn’t doubt his own faith. 

all it takes is a slight nudge to send her pen reeling off her palm quire.  ah, even if the rest of her magic worked, there’s no way the spell would cast now.  she doesn’t let it bother her though.  this was, after all, practice.  to draw without looking was an invaluable skill.  her hands tucked away under her cloak, pen and notebook in hand, hidden so that none can see.  of course, without the aid of sight, spells can be messier.  coco’s spells are anyway.  so fumbling as she has isn’t surprising.  what is, however, is that it wasn’t directly her fault this time.  er…  maybe it was.  she wasn’t paying all that much attention to her surroundings.  before an apology of her own can slip past her lips, she hears one from someone else.

   “ oh! ”   so he must’ve bumped into her?  he certainly looked sorry, a bit confused too.   “ it’s okay, no trouble! ”   coco carefully slips her pen and palm quire back on her belt, revealing her hands at last to wave in assurance of her claims.

   “ i’m coco, and, well…  i haven’t been here long, but it has been pretty weird, huh… ”   she admits with a rather nervous laugh, her expression turning a bit crooked.  it doesn’t seem like he’s been here very long either, or so she assumes.   “ are you new too? ”

A breath of relief quickly escapes his mouth, gladdened from how easily she moves past it. As she introduces herself, he wonders if she does like Cocoa - or if her name is a spin on irony. As she nervously laughs he gets the sense this just feels...awkward. Or perhaps it’s normal - and over such a small period of time his definition of such has become skewed. He’s not certain and that does not help with Not feeling unnerved a bit. 

Oscar is tired with decisions being made for him. He never asked for any of this, never wanted to get possessed by an immortal, important person - to trade a hoe for a staff, rigid but safe schedule from dawn to rise to not knowing how many will make it to next dawn. He’s gotten more and more used to the charted path before him, trying to grasp it for his own before who ‘he’ is gets far too muddled for his friends to know who he is anymore. 

Yet he’s gotten to the point he cannot fight back. He cannot deny the inevitability of one’s circumstances. 

That includes this! Wherever Radiale is, he can tell this isn’t Remnant. He doesn’t recognize anything here, even with subconscious access to Oz’s memories. Then again...only some of them. Or...does he? Back in Atlas he certainly did but right now seems...hazy. He can’t help but wonder what that could mean. Unease rises within him quickly and he reaches for the staff that calms-

Ah. Right. It’s...wooden now. It’s not the staff he’d grown used to. What else is missing, his breathing speeds for a moment before he remembers. Deep breaths, look around, try to analyze. He needs to look in control, with Oz’s role hanging over his head. Patience. The place he was ushered to upon arrival looks like a place to stay. Is it his? Is there someone to... double check with? Having a stable roof over his head is nice, and leads him to wonder if anyone from RWBY or JNR are here. They must be, he just has to find them again. If he can be pulled from Atlas - so can they.