spellbinders | [WORLD TWO

Entry tags:

[WORLD TWO | INTRO LOG]

Who: All coven members
Where: In and around the new world’s apartment building where the coven is staying
When: Day (the calendar isn’t syncing for me hELP)
Open/Closed: Open to All

You’re in a room. It’s pretty bright — blindingly so, even. There’s something very stark and very clean about the place, and also the person you’re sitting in front of. You’re sitting? You’re sitting. There’s also a pane of very powerful plexiglass separating you from the uniform-clad person who is now speaking to you.

It’s impossible to transcribe what they say verbatim, but here’s the gist of it:

- You’re being welcomed to a city called Shehui. Depending on who you are, the level of technology may be light years ahead of you or child’s play.
- There’s a very strict policy about magic. While there are measures put in place to prevent magic from happening, this is still something that they reiterate over and over. They don’t want to take chances.
- Crime is also frowned upon. Small infractions will result in credit deductions, while major crimes will get you banned. Antisocial behavior is also looked down upon. You’re locked in the city for your initial eight weeks. You can leave afterwards, but trying to break out of the city or cause social unrest will result in monitoring and a potential ban.
- This city is supposed to be somewhat relaxing. Is it a free pleasure cruise? No. Is it a self-contained society that runs on community and indulgence? Yes.
- You’re being given an allotment of credits in order to stay in the city, which is what the economy there runs on. This goes on for quite some time.
- You’re being moved to a housing location. Despite the slotted speaker in the middle of the plexiglass, the only time you have a chance to ask questions is when a small slit opens in the bottom and a package is slid towards you.
- What’s in the package? There’s a credit card-like apparatus that has apparently taken a picture of you. It contains a place to write your name, an identification number and barcode. It also has a thin strip near the top that has scrolling script floating by. It states “WELCOME TO SHEHUI. YOUR ID WILL UPDATE WITH COMMUNITY NOTICES AND PERSONAL PINGS FOR JOBS AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES RELATED TO YOUR INTEREST.” It’s a lot to take in, but that’s the long and short of it.

Have questions? The person will reiterate a few times that there are information desks around the city. That’s all for now…now you’ll be traveling to your next destination: your new home.

The floor slowly lowers as if you’ve been in an elevator the whole time. It connects to several other glass containers, much like your own, all suddenly clanking together in a chain. After a short wait, the chain begins to move — quickly. Faster, maybe, than you’ve ever gone before. It’s hard to even make out the scenery when you’re zipping past everything so quickly.

Where does this trip lead you? The ground floor of your new apartment building. The plexiglass cases open up and you’re in a hotel lobby. There’s a flashing board on the wall — NEW ARRIVALS, COME HERE.

The apartment building is locked up tight for three hours in order to let new arrivals get their bearings. After that, the ground floor lobby doors open into the city of Shehui. There’s a lot to take in, but let’s cover the biggest bases:

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[ His hands covered in tickets, Noctis happens to be passing by because of course, he'd spend half his time (and half his money) here. Where else would he be? What he hadn't expected to find was one very astute android, doing his best to enrage his opponent through the sheer power of dance. It's rather mesmerizing in a way Noctis can't even describe to himself, just openly gaping before he realizes it probably looks odd to stare this much and for little reason outside of sheer awe.

His face quickly turns away, eyes flickering to the scoreboard instead before murmuring- ]

Never seen a perfect score in this before...

[ Then again, he's never seen an android playing this game either. It stands to reason he'd be able to do it without breaking a sweat what with being inhuman and all. That must really take the fun out of it, though. ]

Maybe you should just tell him you're-

[ -an android. But sticking out in this place might not work out so well. Noctis hasn't seen a whole lot of robots walking around, so there's no telling if they're cool with that or if they'd just be afraid. It would definitely be better not to stand out. ]

Edited 2017-11-27 03:11 (UTC)

[9S on the other hand sees no problem with stating he's an android, although it hasn't occurred to him to do so. He's meant to protect and serve mankind, but on the other hand, he doesn't exactly trust aliens any further than he can throw them. Actually he can probably throw them further than he's willing to trust them.

But Noctis provides him with an easy way out of this situation all the same, and 9S smiles cheerfully as he hops down from the platform]

Hey, Noctis! [Sunny as you please] I'm late to spend some time with you, right? Sorry about that.

[He's been working on generating excuses in a pinch. It might not spare him from being asked how babies are made by persistent machine children larger than himself, but in this case, he sees an opening and seizes on it. Alas, he missed the awestruck look on a certain royal's face]

You ar-?

[ Oh, is he supposed to be acting here? Because he's pretty sure he'd remember if they promised to meet up at some point for arcade fun times. Probably. His mind tries to rewind through their last conversation before making certain that nope, this wasn't discussed. Which means he's being used as a scapegoat. Time to bust out his acting chops. Get ready to be dazzled at his awkward laugh. ]

Uh, yeah, sure. We were going to do ...a thing. Over there.

[ He points in an arbitrary direction which happens to have a booth for taking photos in. ~~You have chosen poorly.~~ His own expression grows stricken, but it's too late to back down now. He's committed himself to this bad idea. ]

Can't be late for that.

[ It's hard to muster any sort of enthusiasm as taking pictures with an android isn't how he imagined this afternoon to go, but he does want to pull him out of a potentially awkward situation and away from an aggravated gamer. That alone encourages him along as he starts to shuffle away miserably and stuff his tickets into his shopping bag. ]

[9S studies the way Noctis' expression changes. First he's confused, and then he stiffly tries to play along, all of which is pretty interesting to observe. At the same time, his programmed deference toward mankind assures that he feels a pang of guilt for having imposed on the man, and he privately resolves to make up for it later somehow.

In the interim, he follows at Noctis' heels, peering around him curiously at the odd box they're approaching. He hasn't seen anything like it before, and the shuffling approach suggests to him that it isn't something of particular interest to Noctis himself, but even so he wonders—]

What's that thing for, anyway?

[He asks, glancing up at Noctis when they're close enough to the booth, and out of the alien's earshot. Well, assuming that the species has senses comparable to machines, humans, o androids. There's no way for him to be entirely sure]

[ In all the futuristic sci-fi stuff in this guy's world, he's surprised photo booths didn't make the cut. It doesn't seem like they're worth destroying or getting rid of -though maybe there's a different, better alternative. What does he know?

Fortunately, it's safer in there than it is anywhere else, dragging 9S inside and tugging the curtain shut so they can breathe a sigh of relief. Well, mostly Noctis doing the sighing, a fact that remains ever present as he sinks down into the bench and hopes the angry gamer will find something else to feel belittled about. ]

It's where you take pics and you can draw on them, add backgrounds and stuff. You've really never seen one of these before? Prompto used to drag me into them all the time.

[ Much to his friend's delight and to his own horror. He's never been a fan of having his picture taken, let alone having sparkles and butterflies added to it. ]

We don't have to or anything. Just figured it'd be safer in here.

[ Is it obvious he'd very much prefer not to? ]

[It's a snug little box to sit in, but fortunately 9S isn't a terribly bulky unit by anyone's standards. He observes the panel in front of them, controls and instructions as well as a screen, before he looks back up to Noctis.

He looks far from comfortable where they are, and even the tone of his voice bespeaks the same lack of enthusiasm for this photobooth thing. Whether they use it or not isn't very important, where he's already imposing on him. Maybe later he can see if Jude would try this thing out, or get more data from Prompto]

Nothing like this exists anymore, where I'm from. I've seen amusement park rides, but it's not really the same thing.

[Since this is a box that they just sit in, apparently]

So you don't like stuff like this?

They're all right. Just more of a- ...girls and kids like it type of thing.

[ His fingers wander over the tiny screen just to show him, taking a quick picture, which manages to only blind one of them in this booth -himself. Noctis' eyes blink fast after, trying to recover his sight as the picture slowly appears on screen. A few more follow, the light exploding in rapid succession until it's all over, and Noctis is left to cringe at how terrible he appears in all of them -the very inelegant visage of a gaping fish. By contrast, 9S looks significantly less harrowed by the whole adventure.

He uses the touch screen to start adding all sorts of things to the photos, sparkles, comically wide eyes, horns, rainbow backdrops. ]

Then the booth prints them out and you keep it or toss it.

[ He'd rather toss all evidence of this personally and kind of hopes 9S does the same. This is too sad to pass for an endearing keepsake, especially for an android who probably has no concept of sentimentality. Why would he even want to remember a stranger from another universe? ]

[9S isn't sure about all the weird alterations to the images, especially since they seem to distract from what's really there. Does Noctis think these sorts of things look good on pictures? He can only wonder about that, observing each successive, strange addition to the pictures.

He's recording this data, of course, for further examination later]

Wouldn't it be a waste, throwing things like that away?

[Why make something only to scrap it?

...Nevermind the parallels to the YoRHa project, they're supposed to be having some kind of dubious fun right here]

Not a lot of people actuall do. Some like to hold onto the memories, especially ...if they don't think they'll last long.

[ Suddenly, this got a bit deep, thinking about Prompto's own obsession with photography. Even now, Noctis is wondering if he's going to meet all the people he's run into this world again or if they'll have any lasting impression of him and vice versa. How would even cope knowing all this is out there and so untouchable? Maybe these photos might be the only proof he has and the photos he knows his best friend has taken all over the place.

His fingers suddenly erase all the corny decorations from the screen before printing out a normal set of images -just the two of them. No glitter or fanfare. It's a weird memory to hold onto, but he has the sudden feeling that so many experiences around him and so many people are ephemeral. He never knows how long any of it's going to last, so he tears the strip in two and gives 9S one half. ]

Do androids even hold on to things like that? What if you crash or something?

[ Would he even want his old memories back? Or even care? It probably doesn't matter, and it's clear Noctis is the one overthinking all of this. ]

[Before Noctis even finishes talking, 9S accepts the pictures that are offered to him. And it's an all but automatic process for him to turn his pack around so that he can open it and place the photographs inside with the other keepsakes he's collected. Among these, Noctis might spot some faintly luminous white flowers, dried and preserved.

He looks up only once the pictures are safely nestled away, regarding the man in curious silence for a beat before he responds]

Why wouldn't I want something like this?

[It's something a human gave him, for starters, and the mark of an interesting experience for another. Now he can tell 2B all about the photo booth and show her what the pictures look like, and there's something better about a tangible version rather t than projected visual data]

I'm not sure what you mean by crash, but...we keep pets, and mementos, and things like that.

[ His eyes briefly catch sight of the flowers, wondering what that's about. He feels like it'd be too awkward to pry into more, even though he has to keep reminding himself 9S isn't a normal person with normal responses and emotions. He probably wouldn't hold back if Noctis wanted any kind of information from him, but at the same time, he finds it hard to treat the android the same he would his cell phone or any other device -mostly because his cell phone doesn't possess the same level of insight and intellect as 9S does.

He finally shrugs at his question, doing his best to mask his awkwardness at the situation. He's never really sent anyone outside of Luna and his friends pictures of himself. ]

Don't know. Didn't think you'd be into that.

[ Maybe there's something more complex going on underneath all that synthetic skin and wiring. ]

And crash is kind of ...when something stops working out of nowhere. Don't you guys ever break down?

[ He can't imagine a future where laptops don't brick, and cell phones don't randomly die on them when they need them the most. ]

There are things I like to keep.

[Mementos have a certain personal value, all the more after he's lost his memory so many, many times. The forces at play that placed him under such circumstances are far from here and may no longer exist, but 9S nevertheless understands sentimental value. And that seems reason enough to keep things like a flower Emil once gave him, and the wreath that Jude had made, and now pictures taken with Noctis]

Maintenance is kind of my thing, so I'm not likely to just break down like that. Maybe there's some data corruption or I take on some physical damage, but those are things I'm designed to fix. Parts get replaced, that sort of thing.

[He knows from seeing Noctis' phone that the level of technology he's accustomed to is vastly different than what's standard for 9S. So it's not surprising that he'd have these sort of expectations. But parts could be changed out and replaced easily enough; he could even replace a limb with a newer one just by jamming it into place if he needed to.

But as it stands this body is in new condition, and he doesn't think he has too much to worry about for the moment]

So you guys are basically indestructible.

[ It's kind of scary to think of that, and he's suddenly glad MTs can't repair themselves. Only a little bashing or magic can take them out pretty well. The future suddenly feels a lot more terrifying, especially if androids ever get it in their heads that they're tired of being abused by their creators. Say what you will about MTs. At least, their intellect and agency have limits.

He gives 9s an uncertain nod of understanding before pocketing his half of the photos. ]

Guess I'll remember that in case I need a new shield.

[ -considering his current one is in another world, and his other other one is inaccessible, though he'd rather not actually put 9s at risk like that in case they end up somewhere else without electricity again. He might very well be Noctis' only chance at charging his phone. ]

At least, the coast looks clear. You should be able to hang around without being bothered now.

Edited 2017-12-28 02:37 (UTC)

I wouldn't say that. Actually...a Scanner like me isn't made for melee combat to start with.

[And so he sustains heavy damage far too easily and far too often. Some people don't have the sense to stay at a range even when they'd really be better off if they did. ~~Looking at you too Prompto...~~ Organic opponents haven't been a problem for him so far, if the Uvi were anything to go by.

Still, 9S knows to exercise some level of caution when replacement bodies aren't a factor and he'd be unable to do anything at all for 2B if he were damaged too severely]

My memory though, that part could be, with the right measures in place.

[And it's the most essential part of him, the part that truly matters]

That guy was really persistent. [He huffs out a long-suffering sigh] Thanks for the help. And if you want me to make you a shield, it's not like I'd mind or anything.

[ Noctis' eyes light up at the prospect of a shield as he regards the android. ]

Really? You've already done so much.

[ He can always use weapons even if he can't store all of them in his handy dandy armiger anymore. It'll be too hard to lug around that many on his person, but he could have a shield on his back. It would make him feel like a cool paladin, at least -plus, generally just be handy for keeping things from hitting him. ]

At least, let me repay you somehow. Do you need oil for your joints or maybe a cooling fan when you overheat?

[ He can't imagine what else he would need given the state of his body. Maybe Noctis can try and get Prompto to take a few nice photos around the city to give to 9s as keepsakes or even better... a gift idea pops into his head. The problem is getting the money for it, and that means actually saving and managing his earnings, a feat better conjured up than actually executed. ]

[If he wasn't sure before, seeing Noctis look excited about it only leaves him eager for the project now. His core programming ensures a desire to be helpful and meet with the approval of mankind, but there's a more personal stake in it too.

After a world that was populated by lizard-people wielding some kind of inborn magic, a place like this enables him to truly use his skills as a Scanner. He can maintenance equipment or modify it, or himself for that matter.

So it's something he's simply pleased to do, though a pale frown tugs at his lips with the suggestion that Noctis should repay him]

If it helps, I'm happy to do it. I don't need anything. [Now if it was some machine expecting him to tear across creation beating up other machines for parts as some kind of annoying, repetitive task, then he expects a reward. But serving mankind is what he was made for] But my shorts are actually designed to vent heat, so you don't have to worry about stuff like that.

[It's nice enough of Noctis to offer, but he's just doing what should be expected of an android]

[ His eyes can't help but dart to 9s' shorts, checking to see if they're some kind of robotic shorts as opposed to regular shorts. Maybe he just means the fabric is breathable? it doesn't look like there's a fan anywhere in there or any fancy modifications, and he's not about to crouch down to take a closer look, especially not in public. ]

I'll take your word for it.

[ Lest he draw some unwanted attention their way, but he's at least happy to have some kind of weaponsmith on hand to help him out. His ultima blade can't carry him forever, especially with all the abuse it had suffered already on the island. ]

Might hand you my sword too while I'm at it. Think you can fix that up, too?

[ At least sharpen up the blade and make it look somewhat presentable again so Cid doesn't give him an earful when he returns. It's not his fault he was spirited away and left to survive with the one weapon he had on hands. He's starting to feel he's very much cursed at this rate -a feeling he already carried through most of his childhood. ]

[Half his face may be covered, but there's no mistaking the eagerness in his voice, and even in the way his posture straightens, perking up at the prospect]

I can handle something like that. Equipment's equipment, after all.

[9S has generally gathered parts and turned them over to androids who worked exclusively with weaponry, but a sword is simple enough. He's modified himself and a flight unit before, so a sword's not going to be the thing that thwarts this Scanner. He's too proud to let that happen.

Not to mention, the idea of being of further use has an undeniable appeal to any android. Putting his skills to use is an incredibly fulfilling thing by design, and he's well aware of needing a sense of purpose.

Machines had that in common with them, much as such commonalities disquiet him]

I've made weapons for a few people here before, although they wanted firearms.

Could throw those in, though they're more of Prompto's thing, but I won't say no to an extra gun or two.

[ It would probably be more convenient than lugging a sword around for protection, especially when he can no longer warp strike with it. He might as well have a weapon he can conceal that doesn't make him stick out rather starkly in public... more than he already does anyway.

He flashes 9S a small smile himself before holding his hand out. ]

So that's a deal?

[ He'll clearly have to work a bit harder to repay him for this even if 9S insists on helping him just because he's human. It still feels weird to get something like custom-made weapons from a futuristic android for free. That only happens in video games. In real life, some old guy sends you on a bunch of quests for parts. ]

[9S watches Noctis' outstretched hand for a beat before he responds. While he's been taught a proper handshake now, he thinks to try something else. Rather than take Noctis' hand, he gently bumps his fist against the back of it. They're on friendly terms after all, right?]

Yeah, I'm happy to give you a hand.

[And a weapon or a dozen, whatever he might need. What he is might at times seem to confuse Noctis, but he and Prompto both seem like nice guys, beyond the simple fact that they're human. He'll do what he can to keep them safe. And he thinks, like Flynn, Noctis would use that equipment to protect others too]

You can leave it to me.

[ The fist bump takes him by surprise, having expected more of a formal handshake, but this isn't bad at all. It's actually kind of mystifying 9S knows about them, not having thought it'd be a pertinent ritual humans would have taught him. Maybe he got it off one of the other coven members. Who knows?

It does manage to draw a small smile from his lips after as he withdraws his hand and meets 9s' 'eyes'. ]

Thanks. Just give me a mental text when they're finished.

[ He taps his temple as though it would take some level of genius to figure out what he means. He keeps forgetting the android is probably way smarter than him. ]

Until then, I guess.

[ A half-wave because he's sure his job here is done. Rescued the android, got a convenient weapon drop (sort of), time for a victory lunch and his fanfare music. ]

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[WORLD TWO | INTRO LOG]

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