un: aphrodite ;; text ;; 001 <- "first post"

[wingstosee]

so i'm not really sure how this works?
it doesn't look like anyone else has posted yet.
but uhhhh no time like the present, right?
so
my... bracelet? watch?
i guess it's kind of a smartwatch.
anyway it said something new just now.

"we made it work. attempt number six was successful. it worked, everyone!"
"wait, there's a problem, we're not where we..."

does this sound familiar to anyone?
there might have been more but i was in the cafeteria
or well. am, i guess

also, first post?
i think you're supposed to say that.

wow i have no idea where to end this.
i hope you're all having a good day?
even with the kidnapping and everything.
okay bye

wait jk jk
jupiter, if you see this
let me know, okay?
this is venus. though i guess that's pretty obvious.
i'm really worried :(
that was probably obvious too

okay bye for real this time?
maybe??
yeah.

Comments

[wingstosee]

i mean. maybe??
i don't know much about anything past radios. haha. :)
sorry if i'm not much use here.

oh!
a black box, got it. that makes sense.
although it'd be kind of weird for that to get sent out to some of the smartwatches?

[uragiru]

No need to apologise.
We're all in the same sinking ship, aren't we?

Hmm. Considering how advanced some of this technology is, I wouldn't be surprised if the CVR was in some sort of cloud storage.
Perhaps your smartwatch somehow downloaded it?

[wingstosee]

i mean, i guess?
but that just seems like more of a reason to apologize.
if you're all on the sinking ship, and one person can't do anything to help, then doesn't it make sense to throw them off first?

oh, cloud storage, that's probably it
that's probably where our smartwatch posts are kept too, right?
i don't really know much about server management, but i'm pretty sure things have to be stored somewhere.

[uragiru]

That's rather morbid!
Putting aside the fact that it's quite unethical to throw someone overboard just because they aren't useful to you...
Wouldn't you keep them around for when there's something they might be more helpful with?
Perhaps they can't get the engine running, but they know how to steer, so to speak.

It seems that neither of us know very much about it, haha.
We'll have to see if anyone on the station is an expert.
Otherwise the two of us will be coming up with nothing but conjecture.

[wingstosee]

well, i mean... probably?
i wouldn't know. i'm the person who would get thrown off most of the time.
and just saying it's unethical doesn't stop you from drowning :)

besides, if you're really asking me...
i think it's a stupid question to begin with.
why should we have to throw anyone off?
if anyone, we should be throwing off the guy who suggested it first.
haha.

and not even him.
even if it's kind of nice to think about.

[uragiru]

There's certainly no harm in thinking about it.
But you're right, we wouldn't want to start a mutiny.
An eye for an eye tends to get a little out of hand.

In any case, I think we're letting this analogy get away from us.
My point is that in a situation like this, there's absolutely no benefit to getting rid of someone because they don't hold a particular skillet.
We're "all hands on deck" out here. :)

[wingstosee]

hahaha.
okay, but.
i totally win any "eye for eye" fights now?
at least, as long as it's literal.
that's amazing. i never even thought about that until now.

anyway
i agree. for sure
we all got brought here. i'm sure we can all work together
even if we're low on skillets ;)

[uragiru]

I take it to mean that you have some kind of advantage in that area, then?

Ahaha!
I did mean to type skillset, but that works too.
I'm glad to hear you feel the same, though. I'm sure it's going to be important that we work together.
You don't need to be a tech genius or a superhero for that.

[wingstosee]

yeah!
like. um. sixty advantages.
i actually haven't tried counting yet? maybe i should do that.

also the advantages are eyes.
since. eye for an eye. you know?
what i'm saying is i have a LOT of eyes to spare.
not that i really want to??
that sounds really painful actually

also oh my god.
i'm sorry? i didn't actually realize what you meant.
i thought it was like...
a cooking metaphor?
i just kind of figured i didn't get it.

[uragiru]

I... see.
Well!
That's certainly an advantage, but yes, let's hope it doesn't come to that.

That's quite alright!
You still understood what I was trying to say, so there's nothing to apologise for.

[wingstosee]

not as well as me
:)
okay i'll stop with the stupid eye jokes

and i guess??
it's still kind of embarrassing.
actually, it's really embarrassing.
but i guess only for me, so.
it's not as bad as it could be?

[uragiru]

Oh, no, they're actually charming!

You only read what I had typed, that's hardly embarrassing.
But here: why don't we put that accident behind us and start fresh, then.
My name is Akechi. It's a pleasure to meet you.

[wingstosee]

haha. if you say so?
i always think that when people say "charming," what they really mean is...
it's weird, but in a way they can't call someone weird for?
i don't really know if that makes any sense. hm.

either way, starting fresh sounds nice. :)
i'm venus. it's nice to meet you, akechi.

[uragiru]

It does make sense.
But I'll make myself quite clear, then.
When I say charming, I mean that I find it makes you likable.
You're funny, Venus-san.

[wingstosee]

[ sorry, she's going to take a few minutes before she can respond to that. mainly to walk around, and cover her mouth, and bite her lip a little. she's a little flustered!! people don't really call her charming in a nice way!! ]

aww. haha
you're sweet!
people don't really say that very often.

[ she really can't say much more than that. so she just... doesn't. ]

[uragiru]

I'm sorry to hear that!
Too many people are unkind to those that don't conform.

[wingstosee]

haha, right?
my mom says it's because people are afraid of what they don't understand.
but people hurt even the ones they know best, don't they?
it's kind of a stupid thing to say.

[uragiru]

You're absolutely right.
Even if a person understands completely, they dislike what doesn't conform to their own expectations.
The only way to succeed in the world is to be what society desires of you.
It's a terrible thing.

[wingstosee]

hmm...
i'm not so sure of that?
after all, that's only true if you need them to succeed, right?
people's expectations...
their rules and laws...
if they're hurting you, isn't it better to ignore them?
if people try to build walls around you, wouldn't it be easier to just tear all of it down?

isn't that kind of nice to think about?
i think it's nice. :)

[uragiru]

It is nice to think about. I can't deny that.
But so are a lot of fantasies, aren't they?
They're nice to think about because they're impossible.
Not everyone can survive alone without acceptance. Without love.

[wingstosee]

what if it's not a fantasy?
it doesn't have to be.
and it absolutely, definitely doesn't have to be alone.

[ she looks at the communicator for a few moments, thinking over her words before she types again. ]

do you want to meet up somewhere?
you seem like a good person to know. :)
it'd be nice to be able to find you, you know?

[uragiru]

Yes, that sounds like a good idea. :)
We're sure to be working together sooner or later, after all, and familiar faces will certainly help.
Did you have anywhere in mind?

-> action?

[wingstosee]

hmm.
if you're free right now...
can you meet me outside the bar?
i've been trying to do something but it's kind of tough alone.

i can help with something back if you've got anything in mind!

action!!

[uragiru]

Of course. I'll be there shortly.

[ his room is on the same floor as the bar, and he's already made an effort to memorise the layout of the station as best he can, so when he says shortly, he means it. he wasn't lying about it being good to have familiar faces around here; this is the best way to cement a reputation for himself, to be someone that isn't easily discarded. it's building that necessary safety net for his survival from the ground up again, fresh for the first time since he was fifteen.

he looks— maybe not well-rested, and there's a faded bloodstain on the stomach of his jumpsuit that looks like it might have come from a rather dire situation. but his body language is all very careful, deliberate, and his voice is soft when he calls out to her from the end of the corridor as he approaches: ]

Venus-san, isn't it?

action!!

[wingstosee]

[ she turns to face him, and a lot of things happen in rapid succession.

she notices the boy at the end of the hallway. he seems nice! he seems pleasant. his voice is about what she expected, which is weird to say? but she feels... safe around him. if a little sad, given their earlier conversation.

she moves to wave.

she realizes just why waving was a bad idea, as two of the bottles of alcohol balanced in her arms violently shift. her focus snaps downwards; she brings one wing in around her contraband, trying desperately to keep it together without dropping anything. her vision of akechi is only blocked for a moment; eyes open on the other side of the wing, and just like that she can see him again.

she resumes her earlier wave, this time with a full-on wing. it's unmistakably a wing, but like this - covered with eyes, slowly squatting down to the ground - it looks bizarre.

the penultimate action. she manages to set down the bottles, and the wings slowly return to their initial positions. she breathes a sigh of relief. ]

Yeah! Yeah, that's me. [ she gives a second wave, this time with her hand. she doesn't exactly want to scare him off after- well, all of that. ] You're- Akechi, right? It's really nice to-

[ and finally, her many eyes finish processing just what they're seeing. her voice cuts off midway through calling out to him; she reaches up with both hands, covering her mouth in shock. ]

Oh my god. [ she doesn't waste any more time - the bottles are left on the floor, and she uses her hands to stabilize herself on the walls of the corridor while quickly making her way towards him. ] Oh my god?? You're hurt! You're- what happened?