woofus

[bisouled]

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Week 1, Tuesday

[soulus]

[At some point during his regular exploration, he revisits the VR Room—only, this time, Fiora is there. Has she conjured a scenario, and if so what is he seeing upon walking inside? Regardless of whether or not she's tinkering with the system, he regards her coolly with his hands in his pockets.]

Shall we exchange memories?

[bisouled]

[ she has, although it's more just a reflection of what she's thinking about than a purposeful projection - he'll find himself outdoors, in a town situated above a lake in a large circular valley. There's an odd mixture of high technology and low, with enormous white cannons arcing over a town that looks more like it's made of rubble and scrap metal. High up in the sky, past the clouds, there's somehow even more land arching far, far above the town, continuing up and up until it's out of view, like an enormous tower.

... Of course, all those details are pretty blurry, since she's not focusing. The immediate scenery is a house in said town. Fiora's sitting on top of one of those barrels in front, looking at her PHS, when Rufus comes in. ]

Rufus? [ a beat; then she frowns, although she looks a little amused nonetheless. ] Don't I even get a "hello?"

[soulus]

[It's a sprawling landscape—one that looks like an odd mixture of something old and something new. He appraises what enters his line of sight, but his primary attention is on Fiora as he approaches the barrels.]

It's a bit late for that, isn't it?

[bisouled]

You just got here, of course not! Go on.

[ she's waiting for his manners!! in the meantime, she puts her PHS away in her one empty sword sheath so she can focus on him, sliding off the barrel and dusting herself off. ]

[soulus]

. . . I will do it if you share something unique.

[He'll greet her, provided that she make it worth his time, because that's how it works.]

[bisouled]

[ he really is all about this business stuff. Fiora folds her arms, looking up at him expectantly. ]

Okay, but you have to say it first. It's a greeting, after all.

[soulus]

[Immediately:]

Hello.

[bisouled]

[ this is too much power......... she giggles. ]

Hello to you, too, Rufus. [ Fiora grins, then gestures around them. ] Isn't this place amazing? I was just thinking about home, and all of a sudden, I'm there! It's so wild.

[soulus]

[He does glance around when she gestures to the town, committing what details he can visually grab to his own memory.]

Is the memory you intend to share about your home?

[bisouled]

Oh... Hmm. I don't know yet. There's a lot to choose from.

[ what does she actually want to share - that's the bigger question. There's a lot, yes, but a lot of it, she'd rather bury. Not that it shows on her face; she's still looking carefree as she taps a finger on her chin. ]

Well, are you curious about anything? I'll try to answer your request... within reason. A girl's got to have her secrets.

[soulus]

As long as it remains our secret, I have no preference.

[Exclusive rights make a piece of information that much more valuable. Surely she understands this.]

[bisouled]

Yeah, I thought you'd say that.

[ Dryly. Rufus is no fun. ]

I suppose I can share some memories of my home. We're already here, after all. This was my house, [ she says, gesturing to the building. ] I lived here with my big brother, Dunban. Our parents died when we were young, so it was just the two of us -- but we got by all right. Everyone else in the Colony looked out for us, too. We did have to rebuild the house a few times because of the Mechon attacks... and other things.

[ she smiles to herself, a little sheepishly. ]

I definitely broke that window once when I was little.

[soulus]

[That's nice, Fiora.

But he doesn't treat her memory all too lightly. It's information she's sharing with him, so he looks when she gestures and listens when she speaks. He looks at the window in question, too.]

You mentioned the Bionis and Telethia.

[Not the Mechon, though.]

[bisouled]

[ nodding! ]

We're on the Bionis right now - or my memory of it, I guess. Colony 9's a bit behind its knee. See up there? That's the Bionis's upper leg. [ gesturing to the huge pillar of land above them in the clouds. ] And the Telethia are... a sort of monster. They've got nothing to do with the colony, though.

[ she's not picking up that he's indirectly asking about the Mechon. ]

[soulus]

[The art of subtlety is lost on this one.

It's curious, though—all of this.]

What about the Mechon?

[bisouled]

Oh! Right, I guess I didn't mention them to you.

[ well, she doesn't have many good memories of them, but... ]

They're a race of machines that were at war with us for a long time. It should be over now, but they terrorized all us on the Bionis for ages.

[ as she thinks about them, the skies darken as if storm clouds are rolling in, obviously not on purpose. But when she thinks about the Mechon and Colony 9, her thoughts can't help but drift back to that day. Which she is definitely not talking about!! She shakes her head. ]

[soulus]

[He watches her, saying nothing for a good few beats.]

Which part of this do the other participants know?

[They won't talk about it, then.]

[bisouled]

All of it, if they wanted to. It's not like it's a secret.

[ he's somewhat hard to read; she can't tell if he's bored with her or if he's actually listening intently. She hopes it's the latter, but she'd sooner bet on the former. ]

... Is that what you want to hear? Something I won't tell other people?

[soulus]

Yes.

I believe business and private matters should be kept separate, but the rule demands otherwise. In this case, I would prefer to learn something of value based on its uniqueness.

[bisouled]

[ ugh. she doesn't want to talk about it, but it seems like the obvious choice. Fiora looks very clearly hesitant. ]

... Then you have to tell me a secret memory, too. That's the rule - we're sharing.

[soulus]

. . . Of course. That's our agreement, after all.

[bisouled]

[ on the bright side, even if he's hard to read, he is unfalteringly straightforward - if nothing else. She's quiet for a moment, biting her lip, and then sighs, resigned, as she points across the lake, where another portion of the town is visible. ]

Over there... The last time the Mechon attacked Colony 9, I went to stop them. That's where I died.

[soulus]

[In other words, that's where she hurtled toward certain death. He follows her point to the part of town where Fiora is said to have perished.

He doesn't look back right away. He's busy trying to fit the pieces together.]

You died . . . and they revived you as one of them.

[bisouled]

[ a nod. It's odd to talk about it with someone outside of her immediate circle of friends - everyone back home knew already what had happened to her. In the moment, she finds herself grateful that Rufus isn't the type to get emotional or start pitying her. ]

Something like that. Parts of me are still Homs, but I'm mostly Mechon now. For a while, I had no control over my body at all. [ Fiora pauses, a little awkwardly. ] Don't tell the others, okay? I don't want people to feel more sorry for me than they already do. I'm all right now.

[soulus]

[The fact that she asks is ridiculous, if understandable. Rufus turns back to Fiora. Her body makes more sense now, and it doesn't change much of anything for him.

Pity is a waste of time and energy. He refuses to encourage or otherwise engage in it.]

Not to worry. This is our exchange. I have no interest in gossip, either.