un: brightness_kholin; more questions to be answered

[veristitalian]

What language are you speaking? What language do you hear?

Do you speak other languages, and when you switch to them, do the people around you understand each other?

What script, glyphs, or alphabet do you write with? Do you see them on your communicator? Do other people see them as the icons you touch? [She means keys to type with, but doesn't quite have the turn of phrase.] If you write them by hand can the people around you read them?

I'm experimenting with written word. I'm in the bar drawing glyphs, if anyone volunteers to come try to read.

Comments

[bu773rfly]

Right.

[veristitalian]

Where were you, and what were you doing before you got here?

[She hasn't found a pattern yet, but she's going to keep looking.]

[bu773rfly]

[Some lies are easy. Like, "I'm fine". That's an easy lie.

"Where were you and what were you doing" is not an easy lie. It requires vaulting over the truth, and the truth is a fathomless, inky pit teeming with unknowable, paralyzing things. Erika makes the mistake of glancing down, and gets caught contemplating the truth while trying to find and trim off its edges into a tidy lie.

Eaters. Digitization. Deletion. What would even make sense to this woman? What wouldn't prod more questions? Erika doesn't want to think about the Eaters anymore, she'd sooner just stand up and walk away rudely, but the Legion and the Mother and the paradise would still be there, the sensation of it all haunting. It's already haunting. Nothing-feeling, bleeding away into the scenery, all into one and the one is hungry and anguished. She wants to go home. She wants to go somewhere that's not here.

Back in reality, Erika is stuck halfway through building another sentence on her communicator, idly tapping space, scrolling stoically through kanji options over and over and over. The silence is too long and painfully awkward.

Spooked by how long it's taken her to reply but still unable to build a working lie, Erika shakes her head tightly.]

[veristitalian]

[Ah. Jasnah, who isn't remotely maternal, and can't really be described as empathetic or delicate, just hesitates.]

Why don't we walk to the replicators? I haven't been able to find time to eat.

[bu773rfly]

[It's for the better, tbh. There's not much Erika hates more than being spoken down to.

She's a bit miffed already, recognizing the request as some kind of...attempt at consolation, rather than a genuine working need, but she also doesn't have much standing to complain from, after locking up like that. So she'll just go along with it, nodding and stepping out of the way and taking the time to unpeel her thoughts from...all of that.

As they start to walk:]

I haven't tried writing anything by hand here.

[veristitalian]

Finding writing supplies hasn't been easy, and the ones I have, I don't like to waste on tests.

[She agrees, leading the way.]

Finding anything, actually. This place is barren, where it isn't decaying.

[bu773rfly]

[Quiet nod.]

It raises a lot of questions, though, so it's good to be looking into it. Working auto-translation could indicate some kind of...

[She makes a vague, stiff gesture at and over her head, sort of indicating the brain.]

Things we don't know about that happened between coming here and waking up.

[veristitalian]

[A brief message pops up on Jasnah's communicator, which makes her ask;]

I know another young man who speaks Japanese. Would it be all right if I asked him to join us, and the two of you carried on a short conversation? I'd like to see if I can understand it.

It'd be useful- and he's pleasant enough company.

[bu773rfly]

[Mnrg.]

That's fine.

[Science demands sacrifice.]

[veristitalian]

Thank you.

[She says, and fires off a quick invitation for him to join them.]

How would you like me to introduce me? Do you go by Hudie?

[bu773rfly]

..."Erika Mishima". [Oof, she had not considered that people would say her username out loud. Fully considered, that is. Right in the heartmeats.] Who is it?

[veristitalian]

He lists himself as Tokumei.

[But she'll have to check, since she's learning other people haven't simply listed their title and name.]

[bu773rfly]

[..."Fake name"? Oh boy.]

That's a pseudonym. [She kind of figured they actually knew each other, for Jasnah to call him "pleasant company". But, whatevs.

Mess hall ahoy.]

[veristitalian]

Is it Japanese?

[She asks, interest immediately piqued. She hadn't been able to tell.]

What makes it a obvious pseudonym?

[bu773rfly]

It's just "fake name". The act of hiding your identity behind a name.

[hmm.]

If you understand what I say, why not his username?

[veristitalian]

Incredibly so, given that if you were speaking Japanese to me you'd say that word itself, and I'd have to understand it.

[Astonishing implications.]

It's almost as if it's reading intentions.

aight waves arms at neuralnet

[bu773rfly]

[That's absolutely what has to be happening. Because the distinction doesn't exist once the word is on the page - but the effect doesn't work only in person. It's almost as though the intention is encoded into the word at the time of writing or typing. What would have to be true for that to be possible?

Erika hates suspecting things that she can't confirm.]

Mm.

[Once they reach the mess hall, it occurs to Erika that she's not even hungry. Oh well.]

SORRY I'M THE SLOWEST

[neuralnet]

[ Not knowing that his VERY CLEVER username has been decoded already, Haruto makes his way to the mess hall. He's not entirely sure who to look for once he's there, but thankfully it's mostly empty, so there aren't many other people there to be confused by.

He'll be the guy standing in the doorway, looking for two people who look like they're waiting for someone. ]

no problem!

[veristitalian]

[Jasnah glances up when she sees him, and raises her freehand in a brief gesture.]

I think that's him.

[And, asking as she approaches;]

I didn't ask your name when we spoke last?

[Just about the explosion from the ceiling.]

[bu773rfly]

[....Erika just kind of trails behind and to Jasnah's side, using her as a buffer so she can have her acclimation moment and size this guy up.]

[neuralnet]

[ Haruto mimics the gesture, coming over to the pair of them. ] No, we didn't get a chance to properly introduce ourselves.

Please, call me Hideki. Hideki Matsukawa. [ He offers a small bow, continuing his trend of giving a fake name to everyone he meets.

Addressing Erika, he asks, ] I take it you are the other Japanese person?

[veristitalian]

Jasnah Kholin.

[She supplies, quietly, taking a half step to the side to encourage Erika to introduce herself, and answer. Jasnah is already listening closely, trying to hear any change in language.]

[bu773rfly]

[Erika doesn't directly answer that question, figuring that the answer is obvious from context + just looking at her.

Oh. She's being prompted. Ffff.]

-Erika Mishima. It's...nice to meet you, Matsukawa-san.

[...

She looks at Jasnah. HELP]

What subjects should we talk about?

[neuralnet]

Likewise, Mishima-san. Ms. Kholin.

[ He avoids using the honorific for Jasnah, as she is not Japanese. Though he too looks to her for guidance, as he's not sure what exactly they're meant to be doing here. ]

[veristitalian]

Please don't worry about the content. The point is whether or not I can grasp what you're saying when you choose to speak a language to each other that I don't.

Any pleasantries at all will do.

[Another step back, to leave them to really converse with each other, removing herself a little more.]

Complaining about the food is popular?