estoria | [open]

Entry tags:

[open]

Who: Hiro + open
When: 2/12-14 (IC)/8/1-3 (OOC)
Where: Shopping district, CERES game center, various?
What: Event shenanigans
Rating/Warning: N/A

Shopping District

[So. Things are still super weird. Everything about this colony and everything he’s learned over the last couple of days has been very strange to him, not to mention stressful.

Initially when he woke up a few days later shivering he had assumed maybe he was sick. Not that that had mattered. He burrowed further in his blankets and that was that…except that it wasn’t. Everything felt cold, even Baymax activating his internal heater did nothing for him.

So he left. He took off, taking his robot on the train with him and headed for the shopping district. Over the course of the day he’s wandering with Baymax, occasionally burying himself further and further into piles of clothing. Sorry if he startles you by being there.

On the other hand, taking Baymax anywhere is always a hassle. When Hiro’s not trying to warm up, he’s chasing after the robot, occasionally bumping into people.]

Baymax! Wait! [Baymax might not be fast, but it’s easy to get separated from him. Heads up, he’s not at all watching where he’s running. He might just run right into you…or through you. Or through a building. Well that’s not normal, is it? Who knows where he’ll end up.]

CERES Game Center

[Being nearly invisible is kinda bad. He’s almost completely faded by the time he makes his way to the CERES game center with Baymax at his side. The robot and invisible-boy are blocking the entrance to ViViD today due to the fact that Hiro’s sitting just outside of it scowling at it, moving around the system to try and figure it out without going inside. If he sees someone passing by though or even approaching to play, he’ll catch their attention, trying to grab them by the arm and phasing right through.]

Hey, I have a question for you.

Wildcard

[Random scenario time! Hit me with a prompt of your own, or send me a message and I’ll write something specific for you!]

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[He's mildly offended by the idea of being called a spirit, but then again...how else can he explain what's happened. The expression doesn't make him feel any better though and he actually narrows his eyes right back.]

Hello. [Baymax feels the need to at least be polite, a circular wave directed at Rei before Hiro can speak up.]

I'm not a spirit. That's kind of the problem. [He gestures to the ViViD console behind him.] Does this thing have side effects very often?

[Rei's eyes track Hiro's movements, taking in both the console and Baymax. A robot is significantly less weird than it would've been three months ago, and there's a quality to the pudgy white bot that she finds oddly endearing.

But not the focus here. Her hands lower, the paper dropped back into it's slot inside her jacket, and she lets out a long, slow breath.]

Right. You...aren't a spirit. [A huff.] You're new to Cerealia, yes? [An educated guess.] It's not ViViD. It's a Glitch. At least, that's what I've taken to calling them. They typically coincide with new arrivals from the Nexus Code.

[A beat.] Forgive me, I should have remembered that.

[This is the first time he's really heard anything about glitches, so he sits up a little taller and gives Rei his full attention. Of course, his eyes move to examine the paper she's hidden away but he'll ask about that later. He can sort of guess what that's all about.]

We just showed up a few days ago. [And he sounds so thrilled about that.] But nobody mentioned anything about glitches or weird stuff going on. Isn't there any way to debug the system so these things don't keep happening?

[The boy’s attention, the way he’s speaking? That sort of gives her an inkling that he might actually be familiar with this stuff. More than her, certainly. She’d been dreadful with anything more advanced than a clock radio, but she’s adapted. You had to, or you’d be overwhelmed fairly quickly, in this place.]

You’d be part of the new arrival cycle then. [Rei sighs and offers a sympathetic look.] When new people arrive, things get a little odd. Maybe people don’t like to talk about it, or maybe they haven’t entirely figured out the pattern yet. But it’s definitely once a month, and usually centered around newcomers. And CERES doesn’t seem to care much, at all. [She gestures towards Hiro, shaking her head.] This effect, for instance. It will pass, you’ll go back to normal soon, but I don’t think CERES will be attempting to fix these mixups in the future. I honestly have a feeling that they enjoy seeing us panic and scurry.

[Which makes her very, very angry, let her tell you!.]

[He's listening carefully but the longer Rei speaks the more annoyed he's growing. This is ridiculous. If CERES went through all the trouble of recovering their data, why would they then just...leave them to their own devices and leave them to fight against the errors?]

This doesn't make any sense. What are they really looking for from us? [He's not sure Rei will have the answer. He's not sure he's even really asking.] I mean it's good to know it'll go back to "normal" soon, but if we're supposed to be working with them and they bothered to grab us from our worlds after they were destroyed, you'd think they'd at least want to help. I didn't ask to be saved as back-up data and brought here. That's on them.

[They can form a club of angry teenagers, how about that.]

Nothing here makes much sense, to be perfectly frank. You'd think they'd keep us informed, but they have not. They seem to spend more time on trying to find ways to amuse us and make us forget than anything else. Since I've arrived, there's been no mention of the Flamines beyond the initial power point presentation.

[Is that heat coming off her? It might just be.]

I can say I'd rather be here than dead, but that's not much of a choice, though. [A sigh, longsuffering and exhausted.]

But I don't know what's going on any more than you do. Sorry.

I don't know about you, but that's not really gonna work on me. I have way too many answers I want before I can even think about leaving them alone. [But he tilts his head a bit at the unfamiliar term.] Flamines? [It's an old word, but not one he can immediately recall.

Rei...do you know how to make fire and keep people warm? He might be transparent but that's still a nice feeling okay.]

I'm still deciding. [Morbid? Maybe. But he's liking this less and less because things are out of his control and he furrows his eyebrows together.] Anyway, thanks for trying. Baymax and I are just going to keep looking around whenever I figure out how to stop phasing through everything.

Flamines. The aliens that supposedly destroyed our homes? I don't think they're entirely real, no. And no, it's not working on anyone except the extremely foolish.

[And you, young man, are a lot more intelligent than the average bear. She can tell that just by how you talk. Something about you reminds her of an old friend, when she was about your age.]

Baymax is your friend? [She gestures towards the robot marshmallow over there.] Oh...and you know, I didn't exactly introduce myself either, did I? My name is Rei Hino.

Oh. Them. [Yeah he was totally paying attention during all of this. Really. Absolutely.] If they were really a threat, you'd think we'd hear more about them by now instead of the distractions. Guess the question is how many extremely foolish people they bring here.

[He grins then, looking back at Baymax.] Yup. This is Baymax, and I'm Hiro. [He doesn't provide his last name yet. With the whole...Tadashi thing, he's been a tiny bit cautious on how to approach people here. He can at least be polite though.] Nice to meet you, even if this isn't really the greatest circumstance.

You'll find that this place is never the best circumstance, but there are worse. The people here at at least nice.

[Rei looks to Baymax and waves in the same circular greeting the bot had given her before giving the young man a half smile.]

You as well, Hiro-san. And you too, Baymax. [It's a robot, so it doesn't get an honorific, even if it is kind of great.]

He's your friend, yes? A...machine? Or is he alive?

Most of them. [He met some really, really weird people inside ViViD, Rei. You actually seem less-crazy which is nice. Baymax is busy looking over Rei, scanning her vitals as per his job. Hiro doesn't even seem to mind what Baymax is doing, even when the robot responds with a It is nice to meet new friends.

He's not sure he'd go that far yet, but Baymax sees things a lot more easily than Hiro.] He's my best friend but yeah, he's a machine. He's a nursebot. [That also doesn't seem to bother him at all. He has zero issues admitting that his closest companion (besides Tadashi now, again) is made out of metals and vinyl.] But he works better than most. You don't have robots back where you're from, do you?

[Rei is warm. She’s very warm, but Baymax may just register that as slightly above average body heat. Her vitals are otherwise normal, if somewhat faster paced than most. Heightened metabolism, perhaps?]

A nursebot. That’s…actually rather fascinating. So he functions as a doctor? [Her mouth? She has to force it to close and tearing her eyes off Baymax is an effort. But Hiro is talking. Okay.]

We do, but nothing so advanced. It’s…1997 in my world. A little earlier than most people here I believe. Our most advanced robots [Tomoe’s killbots aside] are mostly arms and such used in construction and industry. Unless there’s something I don’t know about, which is entirely possible. I’m bad with machines.

[Baymax finishes his scan. If the robot could smile, he probably would. Instead, it's just a cheery:] You appear to be in excellent health, Rei.

[It's nice that Baymax seems to be working...considering Hiro's had some concerns. He still has them, but he's more quiet about them now that they're in company. His eyes widen though when she mentions the year, and a soft laugh escapes him before he can stop it.] Yeah, it's...2032. We're kinda ahead of you guys. [A hand comes up to rub the back of his neck sheepishly.] Machines are what I work best with. [Hence the brobot.] I was just starting college back home for robotics but I've been working with machines and engineering projects since I was a kid.

[Please ignore the fact he is, in fact, still a kid.] If you're bad with machines, what're you good at?

Um. Thank you, Baymax. [What a sweet robot...]

And you must be very smart, if you're already starting college. I'm about to start my first year, if I decide to go.

[She may not. She's got a life goal already done, and there's only three more years till the world changes forever anyway.]

As for myself? I'm a priestess. I'm good with spiritual things. Fortune-telling, exorcisms, things like that. And academically? Social sciences, linguistics, that sort of thing. Hard sciences are my friend Ami-chan's domain.

[His grin morphs into a small smirk.] Well yeah. My work's just really good. [Oops, sorry, were you expecting him to be modest? That's kinda not happening here when it comes to his brilliance.] I graduated high school last year and took a break, but I'm getting back into stuff. All I can say is that you should only go if you think there's something left for you to learn there. [He had zero intentions of going until he saw what SFIT had to offer.] ...but maybe that doesn't even matter anymore, huh?

[He pauses again, listening and though he's trying not to be skeptical he is a tiny bit. Fortune-telling? Spirits?] Social sciences are interesting because you kinda have to understand them on a base level to really connect with some of the hard sciences. Think about Baymax. If psychology wasn't applied to understand how people react to pain and to friendly, huggable robots, he wouldn't be as effective of a nursebot.

[#logic. He waits, seemingly debating on something before he just asks. He might not believe in it, but he's curious anyway.] Does that stuff actually work? Fortune-telling and stuff.

Well, I already have the job I'm looking for. But furthering my education? Well. I can't say I'd be against learning more languages. English and French are interesting enough, but...I'd honestly like to improve my Latin and Chinese. [Said with such a casual attitude that it might lead one to believe she's arrogant. Though she's smarter than she lets on, able to keep up with Ami's 300 IQ academically. ~~Because 90s Shoujo~~

The commentary on Baymax and the applications of social sciences received a nod, as she agrees and doesn't really have much to add, but the skepticism in his sense? Well, she knows it when she sees it. Ami'd been the same at first.]

It does work, yes. At least, some of it. Tarot is a little inaccurate, and anything involving a crystal ball is a farce. But some people, like myself? [Rei flashes a mysteriously knowing smile.] Are gifted with prophetic and spiritual talents. I can speak to spirits, and sometimes they'll share visions with me. It's...a little hard to control at times I admit, but it's saved my life more than once.

And?

[She holds up a fingertip, rolls back her sleeves to show she's hiding nothing? And wills a single, flickering candleflame into being. While casually neglecting to mention that she's the reincarnation of a martian angel/goddess of war and fire thing. That's not necessary!]

I'm kind of balancing a couple of jobs back home, but college helps with both of them. [SFIT is a good place to store his armor and upgrade it when necessary, honestly.] And Chinese I can get, but Latin? [It's okay, Rei, he'll match the arrogant tone without meaning to be arrogant either.] What's the point? I mean I only speak two languages, too, but Latin wouldn't be most people's first choice as a third.

[It's the explanation of her talents that gets him to shut up again. A few questions crop up and his eyebrow raises higher and higher because this kinda sounds nuts, but...okay. Sure. She can speak to spirits. He's technically living with one. It's not that weird. (It's pretty weird.) He doesn't interrupt until she's finished though. It's probably good that he doesn't though because before he can speak, she's holding out her hand.

...annnnnd then there's the magic.]

Dude. What? [Yeah, he's just...well he's not getting much closer because flames are still a bit iffy despite making Fred's supersuit, but he's openly impressed.] That's part of your spiritual talents? Most people I know can't just produce flames like that.

[Rei casually taps the cross dangling from her wrist. As if that answers it. In her mind, it does. She attended Catholic school, and from a Shinto perspective it wasn't a mutually exclusive thing to be interested in...] Theology. [There, have your answer.

And your nutty speak. Because she's magic. She is not just gorgeous, she is magic. And the ruffled look he gives her? Well that says volumes. It was exactly like Ami the first time she'd manifested abilities outside of a transformed state.]

That is indeed part of my abilities. I can make flames, and if I'm near an open source? I can move it around. [She closes her eyes in concentration, and the flame grows and grows, becoming a small fireball about the size of a golfball, burning with the light of a miniature sun. A far cry from her true power...but still something that should impress a teen, right?]

And honestly, how many priestesses from another reality do you know?

[He makes another face. Right. He...theoretically knows about theology but it pretty much drops off his radar easily. It makes enough sense that he can only nod, arms folded over his chest still as he watches closely. He's too young to be so skeptical but what do you want from him? Still. The idea of making flames from a person's body fascinates him. He knows how fire works, how molecules of oxygen work and what-have-you so...yeah. He's having a hard time just accepting that it's just magic or how she's created or however you'd explain it.

He does take another step back the moment she created that fireball, and though he's grinning in sheer amazement he's also just a tad wary of where it's going. Congrats, Rei, you have in fact impressed the teenage boy.]

Okay, so that's a fair point. I'm pretty sure I've never met any priestesses from my own reality. How does it actually work though? [Because...yeah, it's part of her abilities, but how? ~~Other than because 90s anime.~~]

[She shrugs and tosses the ball up in the air, letting it vanish in a whiff of smoke. Her attention refocuses on Hiro, and she smiles somewhat mysteriously. It's probably not going to be an answer that he likes but...]

It's magic. I just...concentrate, and the flames come. Or bend to my will. I don't know if there is a scientific explanation for it. It just happens, and it has for some time now.

[Nope. He's just furrowing his eyebrows together because magic is not an answer. He's looking at his own hands, like he's trying to conjure fire himself.]

There's an explanation for most things if you look enough. [Oh well, that's going to be a lesson he gets to learn here.] It's not something you could teach somebody, is it?

[Rei closes her fist and the heat disappears, a smile flickering across her lips. She shakes her head at the question.]

I can't, no. I have tried, but nobody I've attempted to has succeeded. And I've had my blood tested for irregularities, it's not a mutation before you ask.

[Ami had definitely tried that.]

[He was actually going to ask, but he doesn't get the chance to before Rei beats him to it.] Have you ever tried using any of the other elements? I mean that's really cool, but the others could be useful, too.

I can't. [Rei smiles gently, and wiggles her finger.] Fire is mine. But there are other people in my world who have powers like mine. Those elements are theirs, if you want to think of us as a group. Even if I could, I wouldn't feel right.

That's actually really cool...having an element that's totally yours, I mean. Especially if you've been using it for a while and you get really good at using it. [Though, there's one other thing...] Are any of those other people here?

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