synnet | text/video/audio/hologram; @onestepforward

Entry tags:

text/video/audio/hologram; @onestepforward

[ ... there's actually going to be a cycle of the different communication methods going on here, but it'll end on hologram i promise--

first up is text, which she's most familiar with using anyway: ]

Hello, world! I'm gonna be testing a few things, so I'd like your participation! o(〃＾▽＾〃)o I also have a few questions for everyone, since I'm still sorta getting my feet on the ground.

[ ...

okay, so, there's going to be a video dropped in on here. it's just of some of the feral cats by the hot springs rolling around, but their ears flick up towards the video's source after a moment and dart off; there's a soft, disappointed sigh before it ends. ]

Is there any way to befriend these furballs? They're sooooooo cute, but they keep running away when I try! ╥﹏╥ And I've tried food before anyone asks, they just don't seem to trust me too much... (ﾉ´ｰ`)ﾉ

[ the next bit she has to psyche herself up for just a bit, but once she activates the audio function she's good to go. ]

So! I picked up a camera, and I've been taking pictures of a lot of things... they're all pretty amateurish, I guess? But it's been really fun too! [ thanks march ] Has anyone else picked up photography as a hobby? What do you take pictures of? Maybe we could make a group of it?

[ she sure is excited. to meet people and do things. anyway, last up is... malkuth's really working out what she likes best (so far, it's text, she likes the faces she can insert), and this is including putting out a hologram of herself: she's 163cm, or 5'4" those off the metric system, and she's wearing just the basic outfit of some pants and a longer sleeved shirt for the cold.

... this one she won't know if she likes actually but that's fine! that's fine. she'll learn. we'll all learn. replacing the book she might have held tight in her hand is, in fact, a disposable camera she'd bought with most of the money given to her, and the hologram makes similar motions as she takes pictures of her surroundings. ]

Actually, I could use a new hobby or two in general... You could say work really ate up my time, so I never really had any to spare for things like that. Any recs? Oh, you can reply however you want, I'll match!

[ okay, that's the end of it, promise, she isn't sorry for. all that. she's definitely digging text most she misses her little faces. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ wow, so dependable. malkuth's read that you should stay where you are if you're lost, and even though she definitely is not lost she does decide to take a little rest on some rubble while awaiting kaito's "few minute" rescue. the call startles her and she whips her head around at it, searching for his name as she stands. ]

Kain! [ yeah. yeah? yeah. weird, but she'll get used to it. ] Who else would it be?

[ dummy. but she is more relieved than she wants to let on, though there's little mistaking the way her face lights up. ]

You're not a half bad detective if you managed to find me on that little info.

I dunno, a ghost?

[ Smartassery even as he jogs over... Kaito slips his hands in his pockets and offers a triumphant smirk when she praises (or half-praises) his skills. ]

In this case, it's less being a detective and more being a bloodhound. I'm pretty good at tracking down people I'm familiar with.

Were you satisfied with the photos you took?

[ she's definitely sticking that bloodhound piece of info into her back pocket. sounds like it could be useful... or a terror. ]

I'll come back tomorrow if I'm not. As long as there's nothing crazy going on, anyway.

[ ... weird to have some amount of free time. sure, the more hands they got at the library the more time she got to have to herself, but the whole place did go into lockdown mode when they received guests. ]

But I think so! I think the people who lived here would be happy to see them still standing too, if they're even around anymore. The structural integrity of these buildings isn't too shabby.

[ Both, probably. ]

Gotta admit, being out here makes me want to go exploring, too. Especially if there are more cats.

[ Poking his tongue out, Kaito shuts his eyes. He seems to concentrate for a bit... and by the time they open again, his golds take on a brilliant cerulean hue. A short gate similar to the torii from earlier manifests behind him, made completely out of water. The portal between the posts shifts and churns before producing an image of the main base's entrance. ]

The teleporters around town are nice, but this is how I prefer to get around.

When you're ready, step on through.

[ oh. so he's not a ghost with how fast he got back to the main base and here. it's just that he's a total-- ]

Cheater. [ skill issue her butt. ] I don't mind if you tag along next time though, you're good company.

[ nice to talk to, for most of a conversation... but she doesn't really mind his teases either. but malkuth'll step through after a readying inhale, wondering briefly if she'll come out soggy since it's water and all, but he hadn't seemed any wetter for wear so maybe not. ]

Sounds like something a sore loser would say. —The cheater bit, not the rest. Now get on in.

[ Luckily for all parties involved, this portal (while not the same as the PSL portal) did not, in fact, make its travelers wet. Kaito follows Malkuth through, and the gate closes once he's cleared it. ]

You're also good company, for the record. A little high-energy, but not too much so.

[ she turns as soon as she makes it through to watch him... and the portal close. huh. just like that color. ]

I used to be a sore loser, thank you! You just didn't lay out all of your cards on the table!

[ cheater!!! swindler!!! other names. still...... she'll exhale softly, smiling up at him. ]

But... really, thanks for the quick way back. That's a pretty handy skill you've got, Kaito, I'd be here a lot later if it wasn't for you. I'll try not to get too ahead of myself next time I'm out and about like that.

As it should be. You never show all your tricks in the opening hand.

[ Kaito smiles in turn, looking down. ]

You're welcome. It wasn't your fault at all, though. Not like you were in any actual danger, y'know? I'm just a chef of convenience.

[ He lingers there, maybe for a beat too long—and then It's off to the kitchen. ]

Search up a soup recipe, yeah? The kitchen should have enough ingredients for whatever you want. If I had to make any recommendations... How about a plain ol' vegetable soup?

Extra spicy, if you're brave.

[ a chef of convenience...

she'll tag after for now. and look up a simple, spicy vegetable recipe... she wants to try something spicy. surprisingly, she'd have a taste for it, but she'll learn that. ]

Well, I'm not a coward! It can't be too hard to make something that'll make you regret saying I'd burn water.

[ ... but on that note, she's gonna push him off course a bit. back towards their hall. there's no way malkuth's letting him backseat chef her. ]

So just wait for me, okay? I'll swing by when I'm done.

—Ack!

[ Kaito is promptly redirected back towards their dorms. There's a brief, blink and you'll miss it moment where he actually puffs his cheek and twists his lips into a pout.

Nice. ]

Tch! Fine, fine. I didn't wanna watch you anyway...

[ The pout is gone but his tone remains mildly salty. He points to the Everlight halls. ]

I'm in room 9. Knock once you're done, okay? I'll be reading a book or something.

Got it! You'd better be prepared to eat your words as an appetizer about my chefy basics, Kaito.

[ and she'll give him a little wave as she goes off... okay. okay! it's just a soup, how hard can it be? she can find an easy recipe... under an hour total time...

... though like, with how she takes care in prepping it'll be longer than that, but it's probably okay. read a book, take a nap, call her. she only said he couldn't be there. ]

[ To her credit, he gives her a solid 90 minutes before butting his holographic head in.

A projection of the empath laying in bed appears a few feet in front of Malkuth's vision. ]

Hi. It's been an hour and a half.

Are you on fire?

[ carmen h christ

it's fine she has to accept the invite for a one on one but still. fine. she'll video. enjoy her staring at a pot. not into it she's clearly sitting and waiting. ]

Wow, how time flies! I'm fine, thanks. I just wanted to make sure everything cooked evenly, so I took my time chopping stuff.

[ it's her first time using a knife this way too... she'll hold up a hand with a couple of bandages on her fingers. ]

And myself. [ haha. laugh. please laugh. ] I just need to wait for the potatoes to... tenderize. I think. Didja find anything to read?

[ Taskmaster of the Library, meet Taskmaster of the Kitchen.

Kaito tilts his head to get a better glance at her video feed, but the process makes his hologram self look like he's staring into the distance. He looks more amused than anything at the sight of the bandages.

One (1) laugh for her efforts. Good job. ]

That's a normal number of nicks, I'd say. I can't even count how many times I've slashed my fingers open on the job or at home...

The library upstairs has a bunch of random fiction books. Sadly there's nothing relevant about the world. It's as if everything was curated to be useless outside of cultural information. —That said, I'm reading a 23rd century retelling of Death of a Salesman, but everyone's a farm animal. Crazy stuff.

[ fiction... hod would be interested in seeing the differences between this world's and theirs. video tilts as her head does, feet kicking. interesting. maybe she'll pick it up to see what it's about. ]

Literature is more of my coworker's area, but anything with animals sounds fun! I can't say I'm really surprised to hear there's nothing "useful" there, but the kinds of books people write tells a story itself. For example, there's not actually a lot of "fun" ones in my world, but there are plenty that have a lesson in them.

[ fairytales and such... ]

And myths, of course. But they're more about explaining the world than like what you're reading.

Fun is what you make of it, ne? Back home, folktales and myths are used as entertainment and warnings in equal measure.

[ Kaito's hologram rolls onto his back, making it look like he's hovering just an inch above the stock pot. He's cookin'. ]

I'd suggest some of the more gratifying stories if you don't have a lot of 'fun' titles back home. Sometimes it's nice to indulge in a no-frills power fantasy. 'Least, I think so.

[ he's part of the soup... she's going to lower his hologram into the pot. get cooking good looking!!! ]

Who's the librarian here, huh? [ maybe he should work in one. ] I'll keep it in mind when I swing up there.

[ it'll be... homey. ]

I'll trade you one story for another! Ever heard The Tale of the Black Forest?

[ And down goes his hologram, with him none the wiser! Glub glub.

Hilariously, his voice resonates from within the pot, sounding like it's being filtered underwater. ]

In another lifetime, I think I would have traded my stove for a ledger. Most of my childhood was spent with books over people, anyway.

[ He perks up at her question—not that she can see it. ]

Maybe I have. The title sounds a little generic. Is it a fairytale? I wanna hear.

[ she is doing so much to not laugh. give her a moment, let her clear her throat. she's okay. she's fine. and tucking that fun fact ]

S-Sort of. [ hemhem!!! okay. okay. she's good. ] It's fairly popular in certain parts of the City, about three birds.

[ it doesn't end that happily either. malkuth takes an even breath and recites the story penned down by others long, long ago. ]

Once upon a time, the three happy birds lived in a warm and lush forest...

[ because i'm not typing the story out but thankfully it comes up in cute story book form in game. enjoy that. ]

[ Kaito closes his eyes, focusing on Malkuth's voice as (he simmers) she recounts the tale. By the end of it, he's not sure whether he's smiling or frowning. But he feels...

Hm. ]

Good intentions marred by paranoia and a lack of proper balance. A cautionary tale as old as time.

[ Then, softer—enough that the bubbling of the stew almost drowns it out: ] I'll do better.

[ ... hm. she lifts him out of the soup so she can actually check the doneness of the potatoes, so she doesn't miss any other words near-drowned by the simmering liquid, and scrounges for a ladle to get them two bowls. ]

It's a tale that hits pretty close to home. A lot of them tend to be that way, actually -- good intentions, just... too much, or in the wrong way. But do you wanna know what I take from it, Kaito?

[ Kaito looks up, completely oblivious to the fact that he's fork-tender right now. ]

No, actually, I don't.

[ Hm. Who put the spices in early? A soft smile follows. ]

Kidding. Of course I do.

[ ... his hologram form ceases descending back into soup and she doesn't reply immediately, though it's obvious she's still fixing their food. jerk. his smile is nice, though. does he know he has one? ]

People always want to do their best to help others, to better the world around them, even if their efforts make things worse. Especially then, because they felt that strongly about what they were doing for the sake of others.

[ just like them. the video cuts to just audio, she has to... put the leftover soup on an off burner to cool. store it later. ]

I feel sorry for them. Maybe if the other creatures of the forest had lent them a hand, then things wouldn't have turned out so badly.

[ It's quite possible that he doesn't. ]

...Same as me, then. No matter how much cruelty I see, both in my world and in others, I still cling to the belief that people want good things, and to do things that result in good. Someone has to play the other extreme of the world-weary cynic, after all.

[ He looks up to meet her gaze. Uncanny all over again—except less so, since he's told her the secret by now. ]

Power inspires awe and fear in equal measure. It's almost a lose-lose situation. Should the creatures of the forest bridged the gap between them and the birds, or should the birds have sought the counsel of their lessers?

We'll never truly know. But that is a story's purpose, is it not? To guide those who follow.

[ should they have tried to understand angela before everything came to ruin? or should angela have sought the counsel of malkuth and the others before the same?

it's in the past, and they're all working together to try something better. or at least, malkuth hopes her mind is changing that way. no one can tell with their head librarian.

even if kaito can't see it, the smile comes through her words. ]

I think you'd make a great librarian, Kaito.

[ she'd like to work beside him, anyway. capitalized or not. ]

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