001 | ( VIDEO. ) | JULY 30th

[pubertytwice]

_{[ The feed clicks on and shows a kid appearing no older than 13 seated back in a chair, curled knuckles against his face. His eyes look tired and expression rather thin. He's wearing a uniform of some sort, though pieces of it look tattered or stained. One of his legs bounces in his seat (aren't his shorts cute?) but after a moment of mulling over what to say, he leans forward, hands folding together neatly. ]}

I already lack faith in gathering information from anyone here, and yet, here I am with inquiries. Serious responses only.

_{[ What could this boy possibly be asking for?? Where is the best place to get ice cream? Hardly so. ]}

Has anyone has ever even attempted hacking into any confidential files that could be in the government's system that operates here? Alternatively, if anyone has ever attempted to assassinate the Queen?

_{[ Oh.. what.. ]}

If not, is there any place on this goddamn planet that serves coffee? Decent coffee. Every place here is a shit hole.

_{[ That's it. No thanks for your time or anything. ]}

Comments

[distort]

[ Of course he does. But she tolerates it, relaxing again slightly when he's gone back. Believe it or not, this standoffish lady doesn't enjoy invasions of her personal space.

She considers him for a few long seconds with his question, folding her arms over her chest. Then: ]

Your name?

[pubertytwice]

I'm called Number Five. Guess I never thought of a typical name to call myself.
_{[ That's a lie. It's crossed his mind. A lot. ]}

[pubertytwice]

Not really.
I just know how to kill.

_{[ That's a lie. He's learned some things in the apocalypse, but, yeah, for the most part that's what he's best at. ]}

[pubertytwice]

Yeah. That's exactly what happened to me, only I couldn't get back. God, I was so young and naive back then..
_{[ ???? ]}

My old man was right, but I guess I wanted to prove to him something. He always acted like none of us were good enough for anything.

[mylawn]

As opposed to now?

[76 takes a slow sip from his glass with an eyebrow raised. Apparently he can't resist getting one last jab in there, even if Five's assertion that he is an old man trapped in a teenage body is starting to seem not so crazy.]

I thought we were here to talk about overthrowing the government, not your daddy issues.

[pubertytwice]

More like reflecting on my youthful mistakes. Surely a seasoned person like yourself has plenty of regrets.

_{[ He's got a Feeling, okay. ]}

In any case, I won't hesitant to use any of my skills to do what needs to get done. I'm a new arrival, though, so I was hoping there was at least and idea for a starting point.

[pubertytwice]

Who introduced you to coffee?

[purport]

That would be Lucifer, if you're acquainted.

Where we come from, he created coffee.

[mylawn]

A few.

[Not any he’s going to voice out loud to a stranger, that’s for sure.

But 76 has similar frustrations about lack of progress. Still, what is it they’re supposed to do? They’re in a bad position to make any moves.]

Seems to me that these people will only be interested in us for as long as we’re useful to them. After that, well, there’s no reason to keep us around.

[So, death. Probably.]

[regelkonform]

Perhaps you should consider developing new skills now that you're in a different setting.

I'm sure that you'll find something to counter with, but I can't see that you'd really need that particular skill set here. Things might get a little strange, but nothing that I could see someone requiring the services of an assassin.

[pidgeypidge]

Kinda hoping that never happens, if I'm being completely honest. [But knowing her luck, someone would probably get it into their head that it'd be a good idea.]

That's fair. Coffee doesn't tend to go missing on you, or say something ridiculous. [Those are both oddly specific examples. Hmm.]

[infiltrar]

"I'm an old mature sensible man I don't make friends." Blah blah okay scrooge whatever.

There's a library in the Lunar Scientia headquarters. That's where I've been starting off my work. Meet me there. I'm not hard to miss.

( TEXT → PERMA ACTION. )

[pubertytwice]

Not so much that as to be cautious to who to befriend.

_{[ Shut up, Five. It's absolutely that. He's not sure why that word is purple, but maybe it's her favorite color, and maybe 'miss' means she's a woman he's looking for. Five enjoys puzzles as much as the next person, but between Sombra and Hisoka, sometimes he wishes people would just cut to the chase.. kind of like what he did on the network just now. ]}

I hope you don't run late.

_{[ He'll show up there, though, and the second he enters the door, it's very obvious he's looking for somebody. ]}

[pubertytwice]

Does she talk much in regards to us? Or is it the same kind of praise we get from everyone else here for our assistance as Chroma-giving slaves?

_{[ wait.. ]}

That's a bit harsh, isn't it?

_{[ He meant to say that, honestly. ]}

[pubertytwice]

Like what?
Knitting?

_{[ He's being sarcastic, but maybe Germany will take him seriously. ]}

[pubertytwice]

They'll have a hell of a time making any use out of me. I'm not really for all of this Chroma-shit they're asking. No offense if that's your thing, though. I can use other skills to get myself some money.

_{[ Only problem is, his only marketable skill is killing people and spatial jumping, so that's an issue. ]}

I take it nobody here has been threatened to conform to the rules here yet?

[pubertytwice]

Lucifer.. like the Satan guy?

[pidgeypidge]

Y'know. I'm not sure. I haven't really heard much either way.

[But to be fair, Pidge hasn't really been paying a lot of attention to her, specifically.]

Maybe a bit, but it's fine. I've probably heard worse. People have probably said worse, for that matter.

[distort]

[ Alright, that's a name she wasn't expecting. Probably because it's not a name. She looks like she may comment on it ... but shrugs, seems to accept it. ]

I am Widowmaker. [ She says it flatly, complete with an arched brow. Number Five, she expects, has as little to say about her name as she has about his. ] It suits me, I have never looked for another name.

[purport]

What? [ He must not have heard that right, because it sure sounds like nonsense. ] Lucifer is an archangel, not a lesser beast like Satan.

[ Welcome to Granblue Fantasy. ]

[mylawn]

[Yeah, 76 is not a big Chroma-producer either, and he’s not keen on finding out what happens if the Prismals decide that everyone needs to be contributing. Suffice to say, his thoughts line up with Five’s almost exactly.]

If they have, I haven’t heard about it. Wouldn’t put it past them, though.

[The Moon Knights keep asking for their help on missions—that’s not necessarily Chroma production, but 76 is certain it’s just a ploy to use them as a scapegoat if something goes wrong.]

[pubertytwice]

With a name like that which "suits you" I can only imagine what you could have done to be given such a.. lovely name.

_{[ He's not being sarcastic. It is a nice name.. for someone as skilled as she is, he thinks. ]}

How long you been in this kind of business?

[regelkonform]

Knitting wasn't exactly the first thing that popped into my head, but it's a decent example.

Even skills that you can develop through a hobby would be an excellent starting point.

[pubertytwice]

What sort of skills do you have?
_{[ Be his teacher, Germany. ]}

[pubertytwice]

A harmless way to rebel is to go on a Chroma strike and refuse to fuel what they encourage. Though, this placed seems to be filled with a lot of hormonal youth— that might be asking too much to get everyone to cooperate.

You know what I mean? It would be worth a shot to at least see how they react, though.