eluvio | text, un: lunettes ( dated before the holiday mingle i.e. today )

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text, un: lunettes ( dated before the holiday mingle i.e. today )

[Reim understands absolutely nothing about... outer space, even after the initial orientation, so there's only one solution: writing himself a report about it. It's a force of habit, and he doesn't intend to share it at first (hence the strange heading) but he figures he might as well use it to present his various inquiries. He's going to be writing it anyway, so...

Well, it's better than looking out any windows and getting ulcers from space.]

CONFIDENTIAL/FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Report 1 (Rough draft) | Month X/Day X | Author: Reim Lunettes

We appear to be in outer space.

The author (hereafter "I/me") is unfamiliar with the concept of "space" as it has been presented here (more accurate word: the Heavens? This lacks the atmosphere of something heavenly...) but has taken up the task of organizing the information presented haphazardly during "Orientation."

I was able to speak with the attendant upon (...) waking, but unable to ascertain any pertinent information. The conversation began as follows:

Q. (to attendant) What is going on here?
A. All of your questions will be answered in a moment at Orientation.

While perhaps my demeanor had been more frantic than can be accurately portrayed here in words, all manner of simple questions were regarded in this fashion. Then, proceeding into the next room to watch a moving picture that continued to make absolutely no logical sense, followed by being presented with the following and left to my own devices:

• An uncomfortably small uniform. I do not think it will fit me.
• Some kind of pendant.
• This device.
• Additional information that still has yet to explain in full what a "starship" is but does at least provide some helpful rules and regulations to adjust to living aboard one. Whatever it may be.
• The stars are outside. I will have to ask someone for medication to eliminate vertigo.
• A transcription of the moving picture that still does not make an ounce of sense.

To this end, being left to my own devices as I am, I am currently making arrangements to seek additional counsel about what is actually going on here and why this bag has been referred to as a "duffel." Interviews with those who have been here longer than I will be conducted in the following format:

Respondent:
Time:
Place:
Notes:

Q. Hello. My name is Reim Lunettes and I would like to have a moment of your time. What is your name?

Q. Have you ever been to "space" before?

Q. How familiar are you with the items found aboard this "starship"?

Q. What items were packed inside your "duffel"?

With these questions, I believe I will be able to report back with a more thorough understanding of the situation.

[Anyway, hope everyone enjoys this report that is half serious and half fed up with not understanding why everything glows and the pictures move. This is probably deserving of ridicule, but only a little.]

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[That's the weirdest name for a dog he's ever heard, which seems much easier to think about while he waits than the fact that he's waiting to go on a walking tour of some... spaceship. Craft. Thing. Some impossible chunk of metal that should not be in the air, meaning they are all going to die soon, or he is hallucinating everything.

One of the two. He realizes, also, that he has no idea who he's waiting for beisdes the fact that Victor has a dog, so he's looking for pets first before he looks at any passing stranger's face. Ah—

That certainly is almost his name.]

Please, call me Reim. [Please?? It's easier to say. He obliges with a handshake and only glances down at Makkachin, like, twice.] Thank you for coming, again...

( Makkachin wags his tail when he thinks he's being looked at, but otherwise is politely sticking to Victor's side. Part of it is because he's stuck by Victor through all the last week, and it doesn't look like that's changing anytime soon.

He smiles, tipping his head toward Reim. )

Reim, then. You're welcome! How much of the ship have you investigated so far? Much more than this residential area?

[Reim looks at Makkachin again - yes, hello, nice dog, please stay there - before smiling politely back at Victor. Ah, how lost is he good question.

Because that is what the question really is, considering-] I know how to get to the "medbay." That is about it. I'm sorry, I've been preoccupied with... everything else.

( Makkachin wags his tail again, breathing out in a sigh as he sniffs the air. Victor glances down at this dog, patting his head absently before he flashes a short lived smile Reim's way. )

There's quite a lot to be preoccupied by! Don't worry, it's okay. Why don't I show you to the shopping centre? Important for food, drink, and all the little necessities and niceties of life.

( New arrivals might have need of things like toiletries (he sure had), but that begs another... question. Or nine. Victor simply starts with one as he calls to Makkachin and starts walking, not checking to see if Reim is likewise walking. Why wouldn't he be? )

Is there anything you want to pick up for yourself? A toothbrush, comb, an... eyeglass repair kit?

( It could be a necessity?! )

There are kits?

[He's changed his mind completely about the future, the future is Amazing... It's definitely a necessity!! But, ah—he is indeed walking, and as he walks reaches into an inside pocket of his very Victorian overcoat to pull out a little brown leather notebook.

Which he flips open to a particular page, and holds up slightly to indicate this is what he's now talking about,] In the meantime, I've made a short list of the essentials. The shopping center is an ideal first location to visit.

[Spoiler: it's not a short list.]

Edited 2016-12-21 03:26 (UTC)

( He can't help it. He laughs hearing Reim's tone as he verifies; nodding yes, yes there are kits. Likely there's also laser surgery, but Victor has no real need or impetus to say as much.

Makkachin keeps pace, watching the world of the ship as they pass by and head through the corridors toward the shopping centre. Looks like he's found a temporary shopping buddy, though the fact Reim is pulling out a notebook and referencing it for a list has him quirking his eyebrows upward. He leans in, definitely a little nosy, but at the same time is taking care not to actually invade Reim's space all that much. It's just a casual lean over, eyes flicking to the notebook, then back ahead of them both. )

Really? Wow, you're right on top of things. What's highest on your list?

[Even the slightest lean is Incredibly Nosy, as far as Reim is concerned... He doesn't say anything, but he does raise an eyebrow at Victor and tilt the notebook a little more toward himself to sort of hide its pages. What if he wrote something personal in this list?? Please.

That said...] ...Pens.

But after that, toiletries followed by tea. Including, of course, all of the requisite supplies for tea time.

( He takes note of the not so subtle tilt of the notebook, breathing out in a soft snort and straightening how he stands. Boundaries exist to be respected. In the end, the only ones he pushes are with those he feels close to; here, that encompasses the dog who walks at his side. Reim should be allowed his due. )

Okay. What does that include? I don't think that tea time in Japan is the same as tea time wherever, and whenever, you're from. Pens... a stationary store should be perfect!

( He claps his gloved hands, lips twitching into another short lived grin. That's at enough of a distance to help familiarize with the area as they head on over. )

There's a lovely little store I cam across off the main corridor the day before yesterday. Toiletries... a pharmacy? Yes, that should work.

[Well... it seems like Victor has the destinations all picked out for them, so Reim can relax about at least that much. He nods his silent approval, yes, take him to look at paper products for all kinds of uses. Great outing.]

You are more familiar with this "ship" than I, after all... [But anyway,] Tea time requires a tea set, of course, plus plates and utensils for any desserts that may be served with the tea. Napkins, preferably embroidered, and a sampling of anything someone might want to put in their tea... Is it really especially different from having tea at a given time?

[His only pen is in his hand suddenly. He's going to write this down.]

( The pen amuses him for obscure reasons, reminding him of reporters looking for quotations for their articles. It's not what Reim seems to intend, but the unexpected familiarity sends a jolt through Victor none the less. )

Hah, maybe not, if the point is to drink your tea? There are people who could better explain the differences. Let me think...

( He taps his chin, resting his finger there after a moment. )

I haven't seen anyone worrying about embroidered napkins in Japan. You might have snacks, too, but the tea sets there are different from the ones in Europe. If you're trying to be more traditional, at least. If you're not, then anything goes.

( He shrugs in the end, patting at his dog absently when Makkachin shoves his head under his owner's hand. Content, the dog's tail wags, and he trots on ahead, some few meters further down the hall through the people walking past. )

You'd be seated on a pillow on the floor, too. It's very cozy!

( Says the guy who enjoyed the cultural immersion in Yu-topia's environment. He's not even trying to corral the experiences he has from home. He's settled for a mug and a microwave often enough when he hadn't felt like dealing with properly boiling water. It's only belatedly that he finally realises — tea time. His hand drops away from his chin and he turns slightly widened eyes on Reim, laughing at his own mistake. )

Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't understand. You mean tea time, not just enjoying tea when you feel like it! That's very... ( He furrows his brow, lips still pulled up in a pleasant, almost amused expression while he hunts for the word he wants. ) ... British?

( He's not sure if it is, and he abandoned the word he was looking for in order to offer up a national affiliation of sorts. )

Edited 2016-12-23 07:49 (UTC)

[Well, Reim is certainly scribbling down notes about this mysterious Japanese tea time. He might make a little chart to compare and contrast, but then, what if there are even more tea traditions he should know about...?? He'll make a neat list, instead, and sort it later.

He's in the middle of jotting down "seated on a pillow," and muttering it aloud to himself as he does, when Victor tries to ask this question... Is it actually a question? Reim glances up from his notes.

There is absolutely no recognition of this concept of "British" on his face. Should he know what this means? Is this a future statement?]

Pardon? It's... tea time. It isn't particularly noteworthy, but if I were to pick something that would make me feel a little more at home...

[He shrugs; abundant paperwork is the better choice, but he won't find that waiting in a store.]

( ... he blinks, readjusting his assumptions as he heads them down another perpendicular walkway, leading into the shopping centre stores. )

Ah, I can understand. Familiarity is important. We should be able to find the things you need for a sense of that.

( For various reasons. )

Have you ever traveled far from home on your own before?

[He'll never know what a British is.]

Not this far, certainly. [Ha ha jokes, jokes to stave off panicking about being in space again. He peers at each of the shops as they approach with just a little more focus than necessary, too, just to think about something else. His new toothbrush will really help his nerves as soon as he gets his hands on it, yeah...]

Business trips, extensive errands for my... [hm] other employer—I've certainly traveled before. The difference is simply that I can go home when I'm through. [He pauses, giving Victor somewhat of an amused look. Barely. It's strained.] I suppose I'll have to get used to it like everyone else.

( It's an act they all have to put on. For those who find it less of an act, so far he's only noticed a similarity in accepting space travel as normal, almost commonplace. For the rest of them used to a life confined within one atmosphere, it was a reality almost too big to hold.

Part of him loved it. Talk about surprises beyond anything he imagined. Another part of him didn't like it, didn't appreciate the uncertainty for finding the parts of his life that didn't come along with him and Makkachin to this ship amoung the stars. He'd just been learning what strength was without having to rely just on himself and that incessant need for reinvention that'd driven him for years. Yet now?

Now all he has is that same resolve that drove him through his career. Twenty years of habit and stubborn, incredible focus. Twenty years of self reliance, of being emotionally alone. It wasn't what he'd planned on reclaiming for himself. )

You won't have to get used to it alone, for what it's worth. We're all caught in the same unhappy coincidence. The only home that came with us is in here.

( He brings his hand up, light catching off the metal of his ring as he presses his fist over his breastbone. Home is where the heart is. He flashes him a smile, eyes more grim than his expression would otherwise imply. )

It was stationary you wanted first, right? We're about there.

( He nods his head to the right, indicating a store labeled in a language he didn't speak. The wrist comm is useful for bridging those barriers, he finds, and in another setting he'd be endlessly fascinated. Here he's mostly unhappy with yet another reminder of just how far from home he is. )

Edited 2016-12-27 03:13 (UTC)

[Oh—goodness, Mr. Victor Nikiforov sure is an... open man. Perhaps most people wouldn't think that after a few seconds of waxing poetic about the heart and home, but for someone from a culture as reserved as Reim's, such generously offered empathy from a complete stranger is something of a surprise. Reim blinks. Alright.

He can't help but think a little cynically about it, however; how many of them don't understand what a battery is? Even among all these people caught, as Victor says, in the same unhappy coincidence, he still feels decidedly out of place. Time and effort will fill in most of those gaps, but he suspects he isn't going to feel as close to these comrades of happenstance as he could going forward.

Because he doesn't understand batteries, among other things. But if he has to be the bumbling oddball from too far in the past, he supposes he'll grow accustomed to that, too. So, pens.]

Ah, yes... At the very least they haven't completely done away with pen and paper, even though they have these- things. [The wrist device, indicated with a little movement of his hand. The thing he doesn't think too hard about because he'd short out again.

Ah, hang on-] How is it that your pet managed to come with you?

[the only home that came with us, please, come on victor not everyone got to keep their dogs]

( Imagine if Break had come along with you, Reim. Imagine if that was your home right here, on this spaceship.

He nods, sticking with affable over laughing. He figures the laughing might not be as helpful as being more practical, so he settles into that "role" over the rest. Reim's question takes him as surprise, even as he turns and heads through the door of the stationary store. )

Makkachin? I don't actually know. He had to have been taken like I was, but when I last remember, I was thousands of miles away in a different country. Is there any indication these anomalies only take people like us?

( He frowns, looking back to his dog, who has trotted right alongside them both into the store. The person at the counter leans over to see Makkachin, then shrugs, seemingly unconcerned with the canine's presence. )

I wonder.

[Reim develops thirty ulcers overnight and dies, home isn't worth it in the end.

He's already making a beeline for the nicest pen selection he can find, while he hums over "anomalies" like any of this process makes sense to him.

...Well, actually.] I've heard... Well, I've seen the evidence of a place that refuses to obey the laws of time and space and will just as soon transport a person fifty years in an instant as leave them back where they came from, as if nothing had happened.

[You know, normal stuff. He picks up a very nice fountain pen to consider it.]

Perhaps the "anomalies" here obey nothing at all, and your dog really is only a coincidence.

( Congratulations on surprising Victor, Reim! He's trailing along after him to stay in comfortable conversational distance anyway; the sheer ease with which Reim discusses something so incredibly absurd to Victor has him laughing lightly in response. Disbelief not in the possibility, but in the fact he's even considering said possibility with any seriousness. )

Wait, really?! You've seen evidence of something like that before?

( All his attention is on Reim now, and he's definitely bridged the distance between them to lay a hand on his arm... and then pull his hand back, knowing better than to push through people's personal space bubbles unless there's a functional purpose to do so. It's just nothing he's heard about before. )

Besides all of this? [Because, well,] Yes.

[He says this again like it's perfectly normal, although he supposes it was never a given. Leave it to Reim to completely accept being moved through time via mysterious anomaly, but to panic about batteries.

Anyway, it probably doesn't matter if he chatters about the Abyss for a bit here, since he's in space or whatever. But where does he begin...]

Ah, have I finally pulled ahead of the rest of you? [Is this his moment?? Give him a second to take this seriously, again-] I suppose the existence of other "worlds" has always been something "real," from my perspective...

Apparently you have. ( He says, waving off Reim's skyrocketing into the lead on this particular topic. ) Other worlds and moving through space and time feel like different things, but you're telling me that there's a way to control how it happens? Deliberately?

Well, maybe not deliberately. [At all. Ever. Maybe you have to be an eldritch abomination of a person to do that? His adopted eldritch abomination is at home, where he can't ask!!] But it does happen.

( That brief spark of hope banks into an ember just like that, Victor breathing out in a sigh and visibly frowning. He's a practical realist, or so he likes to think; in reality, he has to be enough of a practical dreamer to make what he does work as well as it does on the ice. Facing the reality he's living in is necessary, so he does. )

I'd have preferred a deliberately, but the possibility in more than one place is better than nothing.

( In his opinion, knowing nothing of advanced Physics or how any of this works in the first place. )

It means it can happen. We'll just need to figure out what's necessary to make it happen, no?

( He hasn't been here anywhere near long enough to give up on a hope of getting back to his home one day. Sooner is appreciated; later will be accepted, if that's what happens. He turns his face to the side, making himself relax and settling into a more neutral disposition. Idly: )

Ah, looks like they're having a sale on pen sets.

[Don't worry, Reim is already holding no less than three pen sets. Now that there are office supplies in front of him, he's feeling much more calm... The inevitability of just going along with whatever happens around him at any given time is there, but he's used to that.

Once he stops panicking every time he looks out a window, he'll be golden. But anyway, arms full of pen sets already,] I suppose you'll need someone who understands what a computer is to make anything happen around here.

[sorry buddy........]

( It would be a lie to say Victor isn't eyeing the pen sets that Reim's picked up, deciding that he agrees at least one of those is acceptable. He's not particularly motivated by office supplies, but he appreciates what's worth appreciating in a given moment.

He nods, shooting him a half-grin. )

It's not something people are born with, and I'm fairly good at them from the user perspective. Looking for some tips?

( He can teach SNS like nobody's business. Or like what his business might end up being like, why is he marketing and sales??? He can sell an image, he guesses, but that's not quite the same thing. Anyway, there he is, offering Reim tutorials in electronics. )

[They're all acceptable and he loves them, thank you Victor. But oh, what's this??]

Another generous offer...? If you think I'm teachable, I can do my best to learn.

[At least he'll know what hashtags are, which is a 100% increase in knowledge of hashtags compared to right now.]

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