citynet | Video + Voice

[ For a good while, all anyone's going to see is the cityscape of the second district. There's clear movement as the scene seems to move and shake with what seems to be the sounds of footsteps in the background. ]

Hello? Hi, my name is—oh no, the video is on backward, uh—

[ There is a small pause, and after much tinkering, the feed switches over to the front camera. Crisis adverted? On the screen is a teenage girl, looking barely legal with a strange hairstyle. She has on a pretty friendly smile, with all things considered, and doesn't seem entirely too distraught. ]

—there we go! Hello again, sorry for the trouble! My name is Usagi Tsukino and I'm new to the city. So far, I've found a place to live, I think, and I'm just trying to familiarize myself with the place so it's easier to navigate.

[ She looks pensive for a moment. ]

Or perhaps more information on the place? How do things work around here? Anything is fine. [ She pauses for a moment. ] Oh, maybe a place to get food? I haven't seen anywhere that resembles a restaurant where I am, but I'm not entirely sure.

Sorry for all the questions, and thank you for your time!

[ The video feed switches off, but it seems like she somehow didn't close the voice transmission along with the video. ]

Okay...where am I, ooooh, I could really go for a large banana split sundae right about now...where does a girl get some ice cream around here?

...wait, didn't I walk past that place earlier? Huh? Why is this still on? Oh no.....!

[ And the voice transmission cuts off here. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Okay, what...how could they do this to ice cream???? Cue a little panic. ]

WHAT
how could someone do this to ice cream like this

[ Now that she's properly read through the rest of the text, she manages to calm down, seeing—or rather, being told that not all ice cream is evil like this. Maybe that's why she was told that there are harmless ice cream shops. ]

Oh, uh, sorry, thank you for the information, I guess I'll look for a different ice cream place. Maybe I'll just eat at a regular diner or cafe for now.

[ Also souls? What souls? Are there ghosts??? Souls of the people who used to live here? Like in those horror movies? ]

Is this place haunted?

Oh you haven't even scratched the tip of the iceberg of what this place will ruin.

Wait, why would you think this place is haunted?

[ Does she want to know? Maybe not. ]

That doesn't sound very good...well, as long as they don't somehow ruin dessert then I think it's fine? [ Priorities, right?

And then, immediately: ]

But anyway, you said something about souls so I'm just a little worried that there are ghosts here...but there aren't any, right?

[ Please say there are no ghosts, please say there are no ghosts... ]

Word to the wise, if you want to avoid trouble, whenever something new pops up in the city, let others go explore it first. You'll usually hear back right quick if something's actually dangerous or not.

And my bad; it's a turn of phrase. Just means 'people', not disembodied lost spirits roaming about.

[ That's...actually good advice. Not that say that his advice from earlier isn't. But that being said, it would mean that someone else has to, right? Despite that not sitting really well with her, she's new, completely in uncharted waters, and probably needs to sort out herself before anything else. ]

I'll make sure to heed the advice, it's very kind of you, and I really appreciate it! Hopefully, nothing is ever too dangerous...

[ Those statues will say otherwise, though! Creepy place. But at least there are no ghosts, judging from what he writes. ]

Uh, no it's okay! I'm just confused, that's all. Good to know, though!

Not kind. Never kind. Pragmatic. Utilitarian even. Can't have newcomers diving headlong into trouble before they even know which way is up.

[Someone's feathers are in a ruffle.]

Don't sweat it. Confusion isn't uncommon here - most everyone is from different worlds or times so we're all bound to get a little mixed up along the way.

[ ...that's definitely fair. She blinks a couple of times and decides that maybe it's better to just...nod. He seems...pretty adamant. She'll make a note of this for future reference. ]

Oh, okay, I guess, realistic, then?

Anyway!
I'm glad I'm not the only one being out of my element here. Although...different worlds, huh? That makes sense. What kind of world did you come from, if you don't mind me asking?

[ Hopefully the question is not too personal. ]

Good, glad we have that sorted out.

Most people here are from some variant of Earth, falling within a forty-something year period between the 1980s to the 2020s with a scattering of people from a few decades or even centuries earlier or later. The rest are from other worlds entirely.

I'm personally from Earth ⇒ UK ⇒ London, around 2022ish.

I guess you've been here for a long time, huh? I mean, in the city, I mean. At least it's good to know that most people are from Earth...Wait, centuries? That's a pretty long time, huh?

Oh, London, huh? I think one of my friends from my world used to live there before she moved to Japan.

[ Would it be too early to ask whether he knows someone by the name of Sailor V? Maybe. Speaking of which... ]

Oh, right, would it be possible to get your name? Just in case, you know, we can do private messages on these things, right? I mean, if I have any more questions or something...

Relatively speaking? Sure, five months is a while. Long enough to see some patterns, know what to expect.

Name's Crowley, and yeah, we can. Got an inbox right here. Always happy to answer whatever questions people toss my way.

And hey, I know the whole 'trapped in another world' might seem daunting, but just take things one step at a time, alright? Most of the people here are alright - odds are most are happy to help you if you ask.

Well, five months is better than 3 days, right? That's, uh, hundreds of times longer.

[ She's trying. ]

Regardless, I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Crowley! I'll just... [ She's going to try. ]

Yes sir! I'll do that! Taking it easy is my specialty! I can lounge around all day, you know? It beats crying over spilled milk, right?

Thanks, Mr. Crowley!

That is, as the kids these days say, a mood. Nothing better than slacking off.

And no problem. Stay safe out there, alright?

Hehe, that is definitely a mood! Too bad I had to do schoolwork back in my world...

Yes, sir! I will keep out of trouble!

Will you bail me out of trouble if I do, though?
Hehe, I'm kidding!

Well, there's a university if you don't want to treat this as an extended break and actually keep up with said studies.

And sure; wouldn't be the first time I bailed someone out of prison.

Noooooo anything but school!!! I was so happy to finally be out of school... [ Cue massive panic.

Aww, Usagi feels super happy to know that people are willing to bail her out of trouble. ]

Hehe, thank you! I was mostly thinking about being lost or something... [ ...or eating entirely too much that there is a food shortage...welp. ]

What, you don't like being squished into a pseudo prison for eight hours a day where you're expected to conform to a rigid curriculum that sucks all the actual joy out of learning because schools aren't actually institutions for education, but rather for indoctrinating good little worker bees who do as their told?

I never would have guessed.

[Crowley has Opinions about schools, okay.]

Fair enough. Jail isn't really a thing here, but getting lost absolutely is.

...it's kind of...soul-sucking, to be honest. [ Like creepy youma-level energy-sucking lemures crossed with death busters. ]

Wait—that was sarcasm, right? [ It's got to be, otherwise, she'd think he loves school as much as Ami does, and as much as she loves her, school is a source of headaches for her... ]

Anyway, school definitely does not teach you to get un-lost, or whatever, so I'll be needing a really, really good map, you know?

Edited 2023-12-01 02:35 (UTC)

Video + Voice | UN: Serenity

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