text; get this child out of his comfort zone

[huaaaaagh]

Who: Kazuto Kirigaya and [insert your name here]
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Marsiva
When: Today / Sept 4


[Waking up in unfamiliar surroundings is not new for Kazuto, but in the past it's been quite a different experience. It's not an MMO this time, which is what catches him off guard the most. He can tell immediately, even with a simple glance around- the world is too real, too detailed. (Just in case, he tests a few menu-summoning gestures, but no dice.)

Waking up in a hospital-eque area makes him think that something went wrong with his last MMO dive, but that isn't right. He clearly remembers being safe and healthy the night before- they'd checked him out at the hospital before he'd gone to Sinon's. So... what? A kidnapping? Some kind of experiment? Something about this place doesn't feel right, and there's information slowly filtering into his head that doesn't make much sense.

And then he goes and looks out a window. Yikes.

He spends some time wandering, quietly observing, though there isn't really anyone to observe- computers, broadcasts, machines, yes, but people? The place is pretty deserted. It's eerie and uncomfortable, and he gets totally lost before long. Finally, though, he puts to use the knowledge of the broadcast system that is inexplicably in his head now, typing out a message.]

Is anyone out there available to answer some questions? I don't understand what's happened to me.

[Yep, that sure is a message. Which... is probably gibberish to anyone who doesn't read Japanese. Someone should probably let him know about the auto-translate not working on text.]

Comments

♥!!!

[merchantprince]

[Brian Bloom isn't really this short. Sorry.]

I've been here before. I doubt a lot has changed-- besides the fact they grabbed me, shoved me somewhere, and spat me back out like nothing happened.

[He glances at the nearest window and the endless starry expanse beyond. He eats a bite of food thoughtfully, then looks back at Krouton.]

If memory serves-- and my memory is damn good-- we've got a couple hours until something "exciting" comes up.

k...krouton...... was that mobile.....

[huaaaaagh]

Something... exciting?

[Well that's vague and somehow slightly ominous. Exciting good, exciting bad, exciting that-window-is-about-to-explode?]

Do I want to know?

no that was me being a terrible person

[merchantprince]

[Varric is really just pulling Kirito's leg because that's what he does.]

I've never heard of anyone losing limbs to it, but the pudding is awful and the paper gets everywhere. [He finishes his potatoes.] Basically, you're going to end up inside a tiny metal can with half a dozen other people who don't bathe as often as they should.

Here's to hoping we don't get bunked with psychopaths.

you are terrible

[huaaaaagh]

[Varric is terrible too. So cruel to the newbies. Kazuto's eyes get uncomfortably wide at that, trying to gauge the level of honesty from those words. He really can't tell if he's being punked or not.]

Are there? Any psychopaths, I mean?

(:

[merchantprince]

[It's true. His favorite thing is fucking with idealistic and somewhat gullible hero-types.]

Guess we'll find out, won't we?

[huaaaaagh]

[WELL

SHIT

And Kazuto is so used to people trying to murder him that he honestly isn't going to take it as a joke until proven otherwise. Better safe than sorry.]

...Can you get weapons around here? Or on the shuttles?

[Kitchen utensils? Surely he can defend himself a little with a knife.]

[merchantprince]

[That's a good attitude around here, honestly.]

If you have a security guy on your ship, you'll get a gun. I prefer my crossbow, personally, but the guns aren't too bad. They shoot light so you don't have to worry about reloading.

I might be able to slide you one after we're sorted. [Wink.]

[huaaaaagh]

[...Nngh. Guns. Why did it have to be guns? The one thing he's absurdly bad with?]

Well... it's better than not being armed, but... my aim's never been very good.

[Granted, he's only tried for three days max, but still. Those were not good days.]

[merchantprince]

Lucky you, I'm one of the best marksmen there is.

[He's actually been banned from archery tournaments.]

It just takes practice.

[huaaaaagh]

You think you can teach me?

[He'd only gotten a quick lesson, and even with the system-assist in place, he had been kind of atrocious at it. He can't imagine shooting without anything to help.]

[merchantprince]

Probably. Some of the weapons have lights to help your aim, too. ... Not that I'm currently armed. [UGH. Such a sore point. If only he had Bianca.

He forms his hands into the shape of a gun and points it at a speaker mounted up by the ceiling.]

What's your name, kid?

[huaaaaagh]

[That makes two prospects in the weaponry department. He's off to a good start, though he won't feel better until he has one in his hand.]

It's Kirito.

[merchantprince]

Varric Tethras. Nice to meetcha.

[He shifts to stand beside Kirito, still aiming a 'gun'.]

So this'll be hard to teach without an actual gun, but I can try. What's your dominant eye?

[huaaaaagh]

[Wow, seriously, you can train using hands? Or is this guy messing with him? He still can't really tell.]

How do you determine that, is it based on whether you're left or right handed? Or something else?

[merchantprince]

[Well, yes and no. The least he can do is talk Kirito through it.]

It's usually your dominant hand but not always. How about this. Make a little triangle between your hands. [He demonstrates, and Illuminati conspiracy theorists go wild.]

See that speaker on the wall? Make sure you can see it through the hole.

[huaaaaagh]

Ah- okay.

[Intrigued, Kazuto lifts his hands into the demonstrated gesture, zeroing in on the wall speaker.]

I got it.

[merchantprince]

Close your left eye. If you can still see the speaker, then it's your right eye that's dominant.

[Usually works.]

[huaaaaagh]

[Kazuto's brows lift; that's interesting. He first closes one eye to confirm what Varric had said was true, then tries the other. Sure enough, the speaker is just out of view between his fingers.]

That's pretty cool... looks like it's my right eye, then.

[merchantprince]

[He grins.]

Good. All right, now for the next part. [He forms a gun with one hand this time.] I'm currently lacking in firepower, so bear with me. Pretend this is a pistol.

All right, so... there's two metal bumps on this end, which is the rear sight, and one on the other end. That's the front sight. When you look down the gun toward your target, those bumps should line up straight. That's how you know where the hell you're aiming.

[huaaaaagh]

[Thankfully he has a pretty good imagination. He can visualize it easily enough, anyway- it was only a few days ago that he'd been fighting for his life using the FN Five-Seven pistol Sinon had recommended for him. He doubts it'll be the same as it was in GGO, but there has to be some similarities. He just has to learn how to fire without the advanced targeting system to help him.]

I know it's impossible like this, using one hand for a gun, but normally you'd hold it with both hands, right?

[merchantprince]

Absolutely. [Kirito's a smart kid. Thank goodness.] When you pull the trigger, don't pull it back slowly or wiggle it around. Nice, direct pressure.

The recoil isn't too bad from my experience. Can't really work on that until you know just how off you are, though.

[huaaaaagh]

I didn't have much trouble with the recoil. I was stronger then, though... STR's gone down a lot, hah.

[It's said half to himself, with a faint, bemused chuckle. It would be nice if he could get as strong in real life as his avatar, but that's pretty much impossible with his stature. He'll be satisfied if he can wield a blade again at the very least.

He lifts his other hand to steady the "gun", aiming as best as he can without an actual weapon or sight to do it with. It's awkward, but it's much better than going in blind.]

It was mostly the noise that bothered me. Guns are so much louder than swords.

[merchantprince]

[He... doesn't know what STR is, but he can sorta guess what it might mean from the context.] You could start by fattening up some. Maybe lift some heavy boxes for a while.

[At the very least, Kirito will be able to think of this lesson when he gets his hands on a real gun.]

The weapons here aren't that loud. Of course, I prefer the sound of crossbow bolts firing over anything else.

[I'm sorry, was this a stealth mission? STOMP STOMP STOMP TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK]

[huaaaaagh]

[Shhhh Varric, no one talks about those. Or the explosions.]

I'll try that, yeah.

[Sure beats sitting around. Just because he's here and not at home doesn't mean he can skip out of physiotherapy.]

You said that before. Can you get a crossbow here?

[merchantprince]

[HAHA]

Haven't been able to-- not that I'd replace Bianca. There was a kid, actually... [Something bittersweet crosses his face.] He could make weapons from magic, but I don't think he's here anymore.

I don't think it's impossible to find an alternative though. Just keep your eyes peeled on the planets and maybe ask the network once in a while.