ONE | AUDIO

[deathline]

[If there is one thing Shiki isn't very all that crazy about, it's this new technology. She's not totally in the dark though and at least the escort was kind enough to explain how the new communicator worked in the simplest terms possible. Finding out that she can't make certain calls? Definitely not as fun and it made it seem even more useless.

A deep, but feminine voice brusquely leaves a message on the network, clearly not busting her chops with long questions.]

So who do I have to talk to to get a plane back to Japan?

Alternatively, who do we have to get rid of to go back at all?

[A beat. She lets out a short sigh and decides she might as well introduce herself.]

Ryougi Shiki. I'm new.

[Great at this social thing isn't she?]

Comments

[assassinat]

[ It's cool, this one is used to talking to the social ones. ]

Don't think that's how it works.

[fingerbang]

Whatever you're looking for, I can promise you won't find it there.

[deathline]

It never how one wants it to work.

What's the use of a fancy cell phone if it can't even make calls outside the continent?

[deathline]

[And oh how dryly she replies]

Well, aside from a plane back, if I'm gonna stay here, a shop where I can get a new kimono would be nice.

[assassinat]

Even if it could, the number won't work. It's likely it will belong to someone else entirely.

[ Bearer of bad news here. ]

[deathline]

And apparently it's 2014... Yeah, that's one hell of a bind everyone's caught into isn't it?

[assassinat]

Is the future everything you thought it'd be? [ Mock teasing. ]

A nuisance, but one easy to work around. Don't suppose you know how to work that thing to find answers, do you?

[deathline]

I thought I'd be older, for one.

And not at all. I don't intend to use this all that much, but thought it seemed like it'd be better to get some answers in a bigger pool of people than from those who brought me here.

[assassinat]

People often tend to be misinformed with their interest of the world in their own vision and nothing more. Quite the gamble from what could be seen as more reliable sources.

Unless your questions are the kind no one jots down on pen and paper.

[fingerbang]

I'll defer to someone else's expertise on that one. You might have to go a way -- this isn't much of a city -- but when it comes to travel within the country, our hosts are all too accommodating.

The second question you asked is another matter entirely.

voice;

[godly]

"Get rid of"?

[Said in a rather unimpressed tone. He's not sure he likes the implication.]

[deathline]

Well, if that's the answer I'm gonna get...

[It's a "yes" or "no" question c'mon.]

[deathline]

Well, this is America apparently. It's a big place so maybe I'll find something.

Can my second question be answered or not?

[godly]

What answer do you really expect to receive, given the implication?

[I mean come on now.]

Unless you were, in fact, joking.

[fingerbang]

Only with more questions. But even that should be preferable to complete ignorance.

[deathline]

A "yes" or "no" would have been satisfactory.

[deathline]

I don't think it's any more or less reliable than a person.

[Meaning, both kind of suck to deal with.]

[deathline]

Basically, everyone's in the dark then? That's unhelpful.

[godly]

[Dubiously:] A "yes" or "no" to whether or not murder would solve our current problems?

[fingerbang]

That's also not what I said. You asked a simple question, but it can't be resolved with a simple answer.

[deathline]

[Ah, murder. Such a great word. Although it does occur to Shiki that maybe her question was still vague although to her it was straightforward enough.]

If there's no one, than that's that. On other hand, I'm still curious if there's a mastermind behind this whole plan pf having "heroes" from other worlds protect a place not everyone is invested in.

[Cause she sure as hell not invested in anything.]

[godly]

Most people here have their doubts about this place; you'd have to be fairly naive to think otherwise. Even so, if there was a grand mastermind behind all of this, I doubt the solution would be as simple as what you suggested.

Of course, you're new, like you said. It is difficult to come to terms with one's arrival here, so I can't blame you for any misconceptions about this place.

[Just as long as he's cleared up that first bullet point up there.]

[deathline]

[GOOD ENOUGH. Still, she's amused that she was called "naive" by this unknown person.]

The transition into moving here wasn't too bad though. Any misconceptions I had, I cleared up myself.

[Shiki has checked and rechecked with her eyes; everyone and everything had their own lines and not too much looked out of place.]

[godly]

So you've already done your research on the matter?

[That question is less dubious and more genuine. He'll not doubt anyone's ability to scour the network for answers upon their arrival; that's what he did, after all.]

[deathline]

Still unhelpful. An "I don't know," or "People are still figuring it out," would have been more acceptable.

[Shiki's kind of a jerk!]