[video]

[beastofasister]

[When the video begins, Manaka is seated, hands folded neatly in her lap. Her appearance is pristine and tidy, without even a drop of blood on the cloth covering her chest, because why would there be? Her smile seems vaguely tense, though, and where they rest in her lap, her fingers fidget here and there. All in all, she looks...like a young girl who has been thrust into an unfamiliar situation, alone, and is nervous about it.]

Um... Pardon me! My name is Manaka Sajou. I was told I can talk to other people like this, and I have some questions for...the populace at large.

[She hesitates briefly, seeming unsure, then starts to speak again.]

We're supposed to be heroes, right? They even branded us to say so. [She lifts one arm, her fingers curled into a loose fist, at the elbow. It's bright enough that the tattoo can't actually be seen, of course, but she taps the place where the words had glowed with the tip of her index finger.] But I've always thought a hero was a special person who had done special things! I can't really claim to have done anything like that, so I don't know if they should be calling me that at all.

I guess what I want to know is, are there others here who feel the same way I do? Or... How many people think they are heroes? [Abruptly, she giggles, sounding a bit sheepish.] And if you do think you've earned the title, would you tell me your secret? If they're going to call me that, I want to deserve it, too!

And... Oh, one other thing! [Again, she lifts her hands, fingertip indicating the inside of her pale wrist.] I was wondering about these, too. They don't really seem like regular tattoos, do they? So I was wondering if anyone has a good idea of how they work. [She follows that question up with another light, uncertain laugh.] I guess I was just curious about what would happen if our skin was damaged there, if anything!

[She really, really does not like having her body marked like this, after all—not that her expression gives as much away.]

Mm! That's all, though, I think. Thank you for your time, and have a good afternoon!

[Alternately, if anyone would rather interact with Manaka in person, she can be found exploring Heropa during the afternoon. Notable activities include: standing uncertainly outside buildings and wandering in circles, looking lost; scoping out the church she has been assigned to work at; and staring sullenly at Valentine's displays in stores.]

Comments

video;

[swordedpast]

Don't tell me you're thinking of lopping your hand off. That'd go badly.

[ His tone is bored; he's just trying to freak her out, rather than actually guessing at her intentions. ]

[beastofasister]

[Jeez, it's not like she'd have to take off the whole hand to try removing it!!]

[At that answer, she starts slightly, and her smile fades, leaving only the uncertainty of her expression behind. Her fingers curl more tightly in her lap.]

Ah, but... It's a real concern, isn't it? Even if it's just a hypothetical right now.

[swordedpast]

Yeah, it is troubling that they've marked us so this time.

[ Idly touching his own wrist. ]

You're concerned about that, and concerned about being a hero, huh?

video.

[selfequipped]

That's a lot of questions. I'll start with the easiest one: I do hero business back home. I think it's all about dedication. You define it. No one else.

[That's how she feels on the matter, at any rate. She feels strongly about that, too.]

[beastofasister]

Ah, is it? I'm sorry! [She offers an apologetic smile along with her words.] I guess this is just really different from what I'm used to...

[With the rest of the answer given, though, Manaka sits a little straighter, abruptly very attentive. She takes a moment to soak in those words, and then:]

Hm, so... It's up to me to decide what my goal is, and then pursue it. Is that right?

[Well, she's no stranger to that.]

[selfequipped]

It's fine. The situation calls for a lot of them. [Her voice is warm when she speaks; the last thing Kate does is blame anyone for having a lot of questions about this very questionable situation.]

And that's the idea. Most people choose to take up the hero-ing gig, though. [And then she realizes her phrasing.] Rather than having it ... suggested to them like this.

[thanatophobias]

You don't have to be a hero if you don't want to.

[beastofasister]

Hm... But there's someone really special to me that's a hero! [She brightens some as she says this, the unease in her smile melting away at the mention of whoever this "someone special" is.] I thought, since that's what we were brought here for, it'd make him proud if I did my best.

[thanatophobias]

Why do you want to make him proud?

[gandere]

[ Geez, what's with this girl? She's talking about heroes and what might happen if her skin is damaged? Children her age should be sobbing hysterics or shell-shocked, yet she's polite about her abduction. ]

You should be careful. I'm pretty sure they pick up stray children and assign them guardians here.

[beastofasister]

Ah, is that so? [She blinks, seeming taken aback. Well, she can hardly say she isn't a child, so—] I can take care of myself, though! My mom isn't around anymore, so I'm used to taking care of things around the house...

[gandere]

[ Saying things like that... It pisses her off on a level that's too personal to share with strangers. Her tone grows more curt as the look in her eyes displays the same sternness. ]

Even so, there are laws in this country that are likely different than the ones you're used to. Whether you agree to it or not, there are social workers and the sort.

... Well, there used to be. We're kind of getting used to how things are run all over again.

voice;

[slightlyoffchilt]

It's shocking to me, when someone polite addresses the Network like this.

permavideo

[beastofasister]

Is it? I just don't see any reason to be rude...

[slightlyoffchilt]

Nor do I, honestly, but some individuals don't seem to give it a second thought.

Perhaps they are merely unthinking?

video

[boobwindow]

[ ID reads Karen Starr.

A blond woman in a casual T-shirt and light jogging pants appears on the feed, seated in her appointed housing complex. She furrows her brows at the entire post. ]

Before I answer anything, when did you arrive, kiddo?

[beastofasister]

Yesterday. [She answers promptly.] Why?

text

[guiloteen]

the tattoo cannot be removed.

permavideo

[beastofasister]

I see. Have you tested it?

ACTION

[toolongdidntrejoice]

[ Kirei has yet to fully familiarize himself with the church in this new world. There has been other priorities taking his attention, and this isn't even the job that is assigned to him. However, he is content to take his time. He was quite comfortable in the City, and he can surely rebuild that easily enough.

The church is a remarkably similar structure to the one from the City, but before he can even examine it too closely, something strange stands out to him. All at once, his false heart seems to hum, pumping with something that is more dark magic than blood, and that is when he finds her.

He doesn't recognize her from the City, and she is certainly not a native -- not with that appearance, and not with the way the remnant of the Grail reacts from his chest. ]

May I help you?

[beastofasister]

[For someone who has been submerged in the Grail for almost a decade, the absence of that connection is perhaps more jarring than anything else about this situation. That lack of feeling weighs on her as heavily as the loss of any of her more mundane senses would, disorienting and unsettling her.]

[So when a feeling more familiar than not buzzes through her, no matter how unexpected the location, of course she immediately moves toward its source.]

Ah.

[She sucks in a tiny breath of a gasp, and for just a moment, she stares up at him in surprise. When that moment passes, though, she bows shortly, the movement graceful and polite.]

Yes, excuse me. Good afternoon. [As she straightens again, she speaks like there's nothing remarkable about this situation—though her voice doesn't seem particularly childish in tone or diction now.] I was told I've been assigned to help with the Sunday school classes here, so I wanted familiarize myself with the premises beforehand.

video

[enabeled]

They're curious things, aren't they? [ He means the tattoos, given the way he peers at his own wrist disinterestedly. ] More a measure of encouragement, I think, than accomplishment. A person can be led in any direction. Whether or not they take to it... different matter altogether. "Hero's" a term of broad definition.

[beastofasister]

Hm, but if you broaden it too much, it won't mean anything anymore. [Which is to say, she doesn't particularly care for the definitions people have applied to the word outside of her own scope.] Besides, it'd all be pointless if they just grabbed a bunch of people who won't take, right?

video;

[glowsferatu]

[ kanaya comes onscreen looking at her own wrist, though the tattoo's more visible against her dark skin. unlike manaka's, it already says "REGISTERED HERO". which is probably why she's frowning. ]

Usually best not to think about it. They've always had a very particular definition of the word that doesn't really fit any kind of objective consideration. In this case, it seems to be shorthand for "on our side."

[beastofasister]

Ah, I guess it's true that everyone is the good guy in their own mind...

[That's the first answer Manaka has received that has left her looking concerned. She hadn't swallowed what that woman had said about being the good guys, precisely, but by the same token, she hadn't stopped to think that there could be a better side to choose. Her brow frowns.]