MEANWHILE: New arrivals! [Video]

[learntofly]

[Or rather, one new arrival in particular. The video feed switches on to a dark-haired girl looking at something off screen with a look of confused amazement. The angle shifts to show a fairly generic looking set of storefronts and a glimpse of a hover-car driving past on the cross street—apparently the source of her distraction.

She looks back towards the camera, brows furrowing as she fiddles with the device. It takes several more long seconds before realization dawns on her and she actually looks at the camera.]

Oh— Oh! It's on? Well . . . [She trails off and takes another quick glance down the street, then back at the camera.]

Okay. Okay, I'm— I thought I was going to be asking about things like powers and registering and whether or not this is all a dream. [Another pause, this time to bite her lip and mutter something like "maybe it is" to herself.] But I think right now I just want to know . . . Is it normal for a whole city to be sealed off? They told me I'd be in Heropa, but now I've been sent somewhere completely different and it's all supposed to be temporary and I just—I . . . What is going on?

Comments

video

[akito]

[ ... of all the times to see a familiar face. please ignore the pig in the background of what looks to be a gymnasium. ]

...Nakayama?

[learntofly]

[Well this certainly wasn't who she expected to find here. Not that she's about to complain.]

A-Akito-kun?!

[akito]

You're not- [ you're not supposed to be here. ]

Where are you?

[learntofly]

I don't know. Some place called Nonah?

[akito]

I'm in Heropa - or, um... I mean, the place I stay is just outside of the city limits, so it's okay. Nonah should be safe for now. We can't go get you right now because we have obligations here... If you make it to Heropa, come to the Xavier School for imPorts, okay?

What's going on right now isn't normal and it's just temporary, but dangerous things happen here regularly. The powers aren't a joke, and the U.S. and the USSR are still in the Cold War for some reason.

Did they at least give you a place to stay? They didn't - You're not just left on the streets right now, are you?

[learntofly]

I . . . [Wow hang on a second. If this isn't a dream then a Cold War, even by itself, is a lot to take in. She takes a deep breath and nods.]

I've got a place, it's just in Heropa. What's going on over there? Are you okay?

[akito]

Un! Yeah, but you have a shelter while Heropa is inaccessible?

We're okay! We're just making sure everyone who doesn't have a home right now has a place to go, but we have to stay here to guard the school as well.

[learntofly]

Oh! Yeah, don't worry. There's some temporary housing for me to stay in for now.

[A beat.]

Okay, but . . . What are you guarding it from?

[akito]

A giant cursed cloud that another imPort made. If it spreads we'll be one of the last lines of defense for the Porter, which could let it spread to other cities around the U.S.

[learntofly]

[She stares blankly for a long moment.]

. . . That sounds like a crazy dream scenario.

[akito]

I have done a lot of research... And even though most of this is like a sci-fi fantasy shounen manga it is definitely not a crazy dream scenario.

If it was, there would definitely be more cute boys and better ice cream.

[learntofly]

It could be a nightmare.

[akito]

It's definitely not a nightmare! There's at least one cute boy here and he's my best friend, so that is too good for a nightmare.

2/2 SURPRISE

[akito]

...Also, me and Agito don't share dreams so that was our first big clue that it wasn't one.

Re: 2/2 SURPRISE

[learntofly]

This could still be my dream that you both just happen to be in. Maybe I fell asleep in history class.

[akito]

Ah... In that case you'll have to find clues for yourself.

[learntofly]

Unless I wake up first.

[akito]

Un! Yeah, that true.

[learntofly]

[Frowning down the street as another hover-car drives past.]

. . . But in case I'm in this dream for a while, what kind of curse is it?

[akito]

One where people forget themselves and kill others.

[ nnnnot going to mention peter pan did it, since that's not going to help with the whole 'not a dream' thing. ]

I'll send you all of my contact information, ne? And I might get my friend to check up on you! He can travel quickly through wireless connections. I'll send you a picture of him so you'll know what he looks like!

[ SENDS YOU ALL OF THIS, NAKAYAMA. ]

[learntofly]

Oh—your friend . . . ?

[She trails off and shifts her gaze down a little. The camera stays on, but it's fairly clear she's using the screen to look at the information Akito just sent over.]

What's his name?

[akito]

Hiro! Hamada Hiro-kun. He's from his world's California.

[learntofly]

[Her eyes snap back up to the camera.]

His—world's?

[akito]

U-Un..! Most of the other imPorts are all from different worlds... This one and ours aren't the only two, ne? His San Fransokyo is San Fransokyo... The Japanese immigrants helped rebuild the city better than ever after a very bad earthquake, so they renamed it that. My teacher is from there too, and some of Hiro-kun's friends from home, his big brother, and their auntie!

[learntofly]

. . . Okay. I will accept this weird dream information.