first {if the honey don't get me, i know the beehive will}

[brokencopy]

Who: B + U {open}
Broadcast: Fleetwide audio
Action: Marsiva
When: Nowish

[B wakes, and he isn't where he should be.

Caught, his first panicked thought, followed closely after by failed - but no. This is a cot, but it's not a prison cell. He's been detained, rerouted - that much is certain - but he hasn't failed. He hasn't finished. The landscape of the game has simply changed.

It's still an unnecessary detour; it still makes his blood boil. B allows himself a long, silent moment of pure fury over his current predicament - forcibly prevented from finishing his masterpiece, halted from placing the final piece of the puzzle into place, how dare, how dare - but only that, only a moment. He's still him, and he does next what comes naturally for his brilliant mind in any situation - always observe. Make an analysis; collect the clues; form a conclusion.

B sits up, swings his legs over the side of the cot, plants his feet on the floor. Picks up the device set next to him, slowly turns it over in his hand, examining it. Somehow, he already knows exactly how it works. Interesting.

A move has been made against him; the only viable response is to launch a counterattack, a test. He clicks on an audio broadcast, and for several seconds, there's only the almost-silence of dead air - quiet breathing, a faint hum of background noise, nothing more. Then, he speaks: calmly, evenly. Perhaps unnaturally so, give the circumstances.]

Misora ... please respond.

Comments

audio;

[maschinenpistole]

[ A response! From a young girl - who sounds a little bit bored, especially considering the tiny yawn she gives as the microphone clicks on in the first place. ]

Misora... Is that someone's name? I don't see it in the list of people here...

audio;

[brokencopy]

[Hmm. Interesting.]

That's correct. Do you typically ask something other than a person to respond?

audio;

[maschinenpistole]

[ She hums, thinking. ]

Pets. Or toys, for some people. And I guess since we're in space, you could be trying to talk to an AI?

audio;

[brokencopy]

[B has never known the pleasure of pets, and AI capable of responding intelligently is a bit ahead of the times, for him.]

What would be the desired outcome of speaking to a toy as if it's a sentient being?

[Obviously, B didn't play much as a child, either.]

audio;

[maschinenpistole]

Imagination! Or education, depending on the child, I guess. Or, you know, other things, for not-so-children~

[ ... Kotoha what. But she plows right ahead like she hasn't just said something vaguely off-color at all~ ]

Ahh, anyway, I'm sorry to say I don't think Misora is here. But still, welcome to the fleet, yes?

audio;

[brokencopy]

Well, I'm certainly not a child, and I'm not here to be educated, but I suppose I have no choice but to thank you for the welcome. To which fleet am I being welcomed, exactly?

[maschinenpistole]

Then I suppose I have no choice but to answer! We're the Drift Fleet. We seem to go wherever the mother ship goes. [ Beat. ] I guess it's called the mother ship, I'm not from a time where space travel is a big thing.

[brokencopy]

[B does hear everything she says, but it's one thing in particular he chooses to respond to, something ridiculously pedantic, as is his favored method of verbally shaking his opponent (because they're all opponents, in his mind).]

I'm certainly not forcing you to answer.

[maschinenpistole]

[ Without missing a beat! ]

Imitation is a quick way to make someone feel more welcome.

audio;

[survives]

Um. Sorry, sorry! But I... don't think there's anyone called Misora here.

audio;

[brokencopy]

But you don't know that for certain, yes?

audio;

[survives]

I... [She huffs.] I guess not. Not if I don't check! But it's not like there's that many people in the fleet either, you know?

audio;

[brokencopy]

And which fleet might that be?

audio;

[survives]

This fleet! [A pause. Oh, right. This guy must be new.]

Um... I don't know if anyone's told you yet. But we're all in space right now! In spaceships!

It's super, super awesome.

audio;

[brokencopy]

[If this were video, you'd be getting a severe case of side-eye.]

What exactly is it about being on a spaceship in space that is, as you say, awesome?

audio;

[survives]

[She just doesn't get it!! There are nowhere near enough people excited about this in the fleet, if you ask her.]

Seriously?! We're in space. How is that not awesome?

It's space!

audio;

[brokencopy]

Am I to understand you are referring to the technical definition of the word, then? "Causing or inducing awe"? Because I suppose I could see the argument for space being exactly that.

audio

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[funny thing: Robin spent several years as a police-commissioned detective. sure, he's only qualified because he spent centuries prior to that being an absolute menace to society, but he didn't get a nice badge for that part.

his natural talents for detail and context lent themselves pretty well to the job. this broadcast catches his ear, for example, because of how calm it is, but also because "please respond" is an incredibly formal way of asking for someone. over a talk-box like this, it's usually towards organizations, teams, code names at the very least. he ticks through the other public responses, hears that it's supposed to be someone's name.

most people don't match a familiar name with a formal request in a voice as calm as that. it's hardly telling of anything, and already heavy on assumptions--but the little phrase creates enough mystery for him to turn his own device on and reply in a voice that's equally calm.]

What's that the name of?

[like he didn't just hear his reply to someone else.]

audio

[brokencopy]

[Interesting, a question in response to his own question, and not the sort of question B expects, either. The others who have replied up to now all rightly assumed - or at least asked - that he was inquiring after a person. This though ... ]

It's not a what, it's a who. [His tone is bland as he makes the correction.] Someone I've been working with. A colleague, you might say.

audio

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[what a way of speaking... maybe he's a robot. silly, but that would also explain it. it's not like Robin is above making a weird robot friend, so either way, he's in it to win it.]

Ah, I see. I suppose I was thrown off by the formality. [and then he picks not to bother saying he hasn't heard of any "Misora" here, in favor of moving forward.] Welcome to the Drift Fleet, friend.

audio

[brokencopy]

Well, I've only been working with her for a couple of weeks. Formality at this stage of our relationship is fairly natural.

[And he could go into further detail, about how it's customary when dealing with someone who's Japanese to be formal at first, but - well. Details. Not salient to the situation at hand.]

Thank you for the welcome. But I haven't even told you who I am yet - are you sure it's wise to consider me a friend already?

[There's an unspoken test here - do you know who I am?]

audio

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[the first point at least gets a little hum of acknowledgement. sensible, same tone.]

Oh, wisdom has nothing to do with it. It's probably incredibly unwise.

[so, he knows nothing. probably. or maybe he does.]

audio

[brokencopy]

[Hm. B thought as much.]

Yes, you're probably right. However, I am not opposed to being considered a friend, even at this early stage of our acquaintance.

[He's flexible.]

Though I think it would be easier to consider you a friend if I knew who you are.

audio

[birdsbirdsbirds]

Aw, that's sweet of you.

[a statement which is both flat and entirely false.]

My name is Robin, like the bird.

audio

[brokencopy]

[Takes one to know one, right? Right.]

Nice to meet you, Robin-like-the-bird. You may call me Ryuzaki.