taxonomites | [holo] oh how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way

[Mattie feels the ground give way under her feet, panic closing off her throat as she begins to fall, scrabbling uselessly at dirt and brush-]

The holo feed shows a small figure dressed in too-large, old-fashioned clothes appear in mid-air, then fall to the ground with a hard thump that knocks the wind out of her for a moment. She lies still, gaping up at what should be a blue sky or at least the darkness of earth over her head, and then hesitantly brushes the fingers of one hand against the unyielding surface of the floor.

“Mr. LaBoeuf?” Her voice is embarrassingly weak, and she takes a deep breath and tries again, more loudly. “Mr. LaBoeuf!”

There’s no answer, of course, and common sense tells Mattie that although she doesn’t rightly know where she is, it’s obvious where she is not, and she shouldn’t expect any response. That realization urges her to sit up, the hat falling off her head as she slowly pushes herself to her feet and looks uncertainly around.

“Hello? Can anyone hear me?” She approaches the nearest wall and runs her hand along it, then turns her head to take in the others, just as blank as this one. Raising her arm, she pounds her fist against it, voice taking on a more forceful (but also more desperate) tone. “Whoever’s out there, open up this minute! You have no right to hold me against my will, I’ve embarked on no wrong-doing.. I have a good lawyer, and I will write him and you will hear how the law looks on the incarceration of innocent children!”

When the wall doesn’t give way and door doesn’t appear, Mattie steps back with a sigh. “Papa, I believe I have found some trouble for myself.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"If you lift the tablet -- the communication device -- and bring it with you, a door will open. It will lead you to the stairs into the Sanctuary. From there, you have your choice of where you might go. There are temporary rooms to be found in the Sanctuary, or in hotels. You may claim an empty house if you please, but you may wish to wait until you're more familiar with your surroundings."

There are many more things to explain, such as the bracelet and how currency works, or the hatches, and he has every intention of getting to them in time. A place to settle simply seems the most important to finding one's feet, and he's fully prepared for Mattie's shock when she sees the very eclectic -- but at least partially modern -- city of Taxon.

Mattie considers this information, along with what she's gleaning from others talking to her, and begins to formulate a plan of how to proceed. Of course, she's sure there will obstacles (including the other residents of this place, some of whom seem to have very set ideas on how she should proceed), but Mattie tends to get her own way in the end.

"A gentleman has proposed to meet me outside, I suspect because he feels I am not capable of finding my own way. But I suppose it will be helpful for someone to point me in the direction I may best proceed." She pauses, and lets some of that (slightly defensive) pride slip away. "Perhaps I may seek your guidance as well, on occasion?"

"Certainly, you may. I am always available through the tablet, you simply need call. It's quite intuitive to operate." He has faith that she'll figure it out. She's still young, and capable of learning and adapting easily.

Even if Mattie can't figure it out, she'll find someone to browbeat into showing her, which amounts to same the thing. "Is this how folk here keep in touch with one another? By speaking through a tablet?"

It seems odd, to someone used to communicating only face to face or in writing, and to whom the telegraph is a marvel of modern invention.

[holo] oh how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way

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