audio | @Kromer

[gripper]

( It's everyone's favorite person, Kromer!!! She whistles to announce herself, then more properly introduces herself— )

Been a while, hasn't it? For those who don't know me, the name's Kromer. Pleasure's mine. I posed some questions last time I posted here, but I won't bother repeating them for you—I got the picture the first time. ( She pauses, then laughs shortly. ) Actually, speaking of questions—

I'm sure you've seen them! The kiosks over at the tourist center in city hall. You can ask them questions and you can get mostly useless answers. They've got some interesting ones every so often, though, like how this isn't the first time this has happened.

( She's been thinking on that answer for a while, and now she's just casually dropping it into conversation. Whatever. )

I'm collecting questions and their resulting answers, so if you've posed any, let me know... or you can pass them along to Junpei instead, if you're familiar with him. We're partners. ( in a way. ) It's nice to be able to make sure we're not needlessly going in circles, right? And putting all the information in one place makes it easier to put the pieces together.

( ... )

That's all. Let's do our best to work together and find a way home, alright? Chin up, everyone.

Comments

[coolerjunpei]

I wouldn't say I'm happy...

[This is definitely one of those "being right sucks actually" moments, but he's still going to told-you-so about it.]

But I knew it. What exactly did it say about the last time this happened?

[gripper]

Just that success rates were better when people worked together, as if that's anything new. Most operations succeed when everyone isn't trying to kill each other.

( so nothing important. she'll get ahead of him also: )

They didn't say what the point of being here was, by the way, or what "success rates" referred to. ( mostly. he doesn't need to know that. ) Let's take our wins where we can get them though, huh?

[coolerjunpei]

So people did try to kill each other before. [A beat. Uh,] More than this time around.

[Give him another vindication point, he's earned it!!]

Well, I guess that means we need to find out what "operations" means next. Did you get anything interesting about that? Or about the people who were here who messed up?

[gripper]

( C'mon Junpei only two people have died, at least as far as most people know! That's not that many! )

Do you think it'd tell me that information even if I asked?

[coolerjunpei]

Pff, no. Maybe if you butter it up for a while.

[Flatter the kiosk... tell it its touchscreen looks very cute and luminous...]

[gripper]

I'm not in the habit of flirting with screens, so I'll have to pass.

( ew........ imagine. complimenting technology like that. )

I bet we've got at least one technophile around here, though.

[coolerjunpei]

[......So, Wrench,]

...Yeah, probably. You really think it'd know if you were just making it up, though? It's a screen.

[gripper]

( would pay to see wrench tell a screen it's pretty ngl )

I don't mess around with people I'm not planning on getting serious with. ( she's a pure catholic girl... ) It doesn't really matter if it knows or not.

( it's, like. her principles, or whatever. )

[coolerjunpei]

Hang on, are you serious? That's... [silly? kind of endearing, until she does a wildly mean thing again?] surprising, I guess. I didn't think you'd care so much about something like that. Lying to a kiosk, I mean.

[filing this away under Strange Kromer Facts...]

[gripper]

( she cant just be like "i hate machines actually so the thought makes me sick" that isn't normal people behavior... )

You and I don't know each that well! You said that yourself. ( haha... ) I'm sure I'll surprise you plenty in the future too, Junpei, and you to me as well. That's just how it is between coworkers, isn't it.

[coolerjunpei]

Yeah, about that... Does this really count as "coworkers"?

[in his opinion you have to get paid and have a mutual boss to be coworkers, and also, why does he keep getting Assigned Jobs by intense women--]

[gripper]

( because he's bullyable. )

Well, we aren't friends, and I wouldn't say we're acquaintances either. ( that's such a friendly word, acquaintances. waiting to be something more. ) Companions, partners—too sentimental. "People working together" is too long, but "coworkers" has the same basic definition, doesn't it?

[coolerjunpei]

[this is true]

You called me your partner to the whole city... [is this also bullying!!]

[gripper]

Business partners. I thought that was obvious? ( yes this is also bullying, especially by the way she laughs. ) Or maybe... Are you thinking of something else? I hate to turn you down and break your heart, Junpei, but...

[coolerjunpei]

Not really sure it's "business partners," either... "Investigation partners," maybe, if you really have to.

[stop being weird, it's important to get the terminology correct!!]

[gripper]

( "stop being weird" the most requested act of kromer she never listens to... )

And what would you label us as? Putting aside my partners label.

[coolerjunpei]

[girlie you are weird and offputting....]

How about... associates.