01:00 | video

[netscreens]

Who: Cress
Broadcast: Video
Action: around Marsiva's hospitality deck
When: a day or two after the initial intro/arrivals

[ of course, for cress, the first few hours after waking up (after the initial oh my gosh what is happening where am i is this real life) had been spent poking around the curious little communicator they'd all been given. the type isn't something she's familiar with, but it's neither too archaic nor too advanced. it's strangely familiar enough that it doesn't take her very long to figure it out, inner workings and all, though it's tough to say how much of that is her natural skill and how much of that is thanks to the handy little communications augment currently nestled behind her left ear.

the point is that she'd snooped, which means she may or may not have heard all of your previous conversations. oops!

but anyway. sometime after that, cress will finally turn on the video function of her comm. she holds it at arm's length as she aimlessly wanders around the deck of marsiva, so her background may actually be quite familiar to most. she makes quite the sight — long, unruly mess of blond hair, large blue eyes, and a dress that is a touch too small with a few singe marks here and there. when she finally addresses the network, her eyes are wide wonder. ]

What did she mean "the worlds are watching"...?

[ #priorities. ]

Comments

video

[behindtheshield]

[ a few minutes later she'll get a video response back from the SS Tourist. at first steve is leaning in a little too close, but eventually he shifts back and she'll get a good look at who is responding to her. his voice is calm and eyes kind despite their current situation. ]

I don't think we've figured that out yet. But it does sound like people are watching us.

I'm Steve by the way.

video

[netscreens]

[ ... whoa. that's quite the sight to see first thing in her new metal prison, and it actually takes cress a few long seconds of simply staring at steve, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

is she hallucinating? she hadn't thought she'd find someone as handsome as thorne in, like... ever...

wait. no, wait. focus, cress! ]

—um! Cress. Hi. I'm Cress, my name is Cress. [ maybe she should just be glad she didn't drop the comm device. ] Um, what... Why would someone want to watch us?

video

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[incoming video from the SS Bloodsport... some pale guy wearing a lot of black leather, hey!]

Whoa, hey! Did another one show up? [he leans in closer, like that'll actually help him see her better.] Hey, hi!

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[netscreens]

[ b...looodspot..................... ]

Hi. [ it was a pretty friendly greeting, all things considered, but cress still flinches back the closer he leans in, as if he were actually imposing in on her personal space.

her voice is tiny, cautious, because that is indeed a lot of leather, sir. she's watched a lot of netdramas and read a lot of trashy books, okay. she knows what black leather implies! ]

I'm Cress. It's nice to meet you.

[ that you totally have a buried heart of gold and don't worry, she will fix you with love. ]

video

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[he, meanwhile, is mostly oblivious to all of this. or pretends to be! he smiles lightly, leans back again.]

I'm Robin, like the bird. It's nice to meet you too. Did you just get here?

video

[netscreens]

Robin. [ she tries the name out on her tongue, and immediately she is reminded of the colorful pictures she'd seen in her books, or the bright feathers she watched in her earthen documentaries.

like the bird.]

he's pretty like one, she thinks. ]

Yeah, I just, um. Woke up? [ is it waking up if you don't even remember going to sleep? ] A few hours ago.

video

[amarant]

[ No, not technical difficulties, this is actually looking at Cress. ]

It means you should expect that you aren't alone.

video

[netscreens]

[ that.

that certainly is a thing.

cress leans back once more, but this time it's mostly out of nerves. she's read horror stories that started out like this, she's pretty sure. ]

I — wait, truly?

[ hang on, she forgets all about being scared, eyes suddenly widening with something that looks like childlike wonder. ]

I'm not alone?

video

[amarant]

[ If the creatures from those stories also had the voice of a young girl, she would actually love to hear them. ]

You aren't.

...are you happy to hear it?

video - omg i'm so sorry i lost this tag laskdjalkdjl ;;

[netscreens]

[ not that cress can recall, sadly... ]

It's — [ she laughs a little suddenly, ashamed. ] I guess that's a terrible thing to wish on other people, isn't it.

But... I've been alone for a really long time. It's nice to know that's not the case anymore.

video

[heresyandlace]

[oh! this one seems terribly interesting, so Tek goes leaning towards his screen for a better look.

dear Cress, have an absurdly pretty man with lavender eyes smirking at you from across the network.]

...Well! It means that you're a star now, didn't you know?

video

[netscreens]

[ absurdly pretty and absurdly close! cress, once more, leans back out of habit, seeming to shrink in on herself while her large blue eyes stare back with morbid curiosity. ]

A star? [ she very nearly asks if he means literally, because they are back in space now and, certainly, stranger things have happened—

but thankfully she catches herself in time to realize what a dump idea that is. ]

A star of what?

[heresyandlace]

[he moves back a little when he catches her shying away]

A show! A game! There are entire worlds watching you now.

[or so he's been told.]

[fishy_go_byebye]

Screening for special occasions.

[netscreens]

[ she thinks about this. ]

Screening? Like an audition?

[fishy_go_byebye]

Ah... Like windows~!

[video]

[parkinglotangel]

[Another one from the Bloodsport, this time a cheerful looking man with wild black hair pops into frame]

I think they mean more the 'people' on those worlds are watching, not actually the worlds themselves.

[video]

[netscreens]

[ cress suddenly looks a little sheepish, her cheeks coloring. ]

Oh — yes — I suppose that makes more sense —

[ except does it? does it really? ]

But. Why?

[video]

[parkinglotangel]

[Don't mind him, he's just being contrary because he can]

Because people are interesting to watch. Don't you think?

[People-watching is a leading hobby in Heaven]

[blindoptimism]

We don't really know. It seems that there might be some kind of audience, or they might have meant it in a metaphorical sense... [It's something that Nunnally has been wondering about as well]

[netscreens]

Metaphorical sense?

Like... we're being graded?

[ cress has to wonder which she'd prefer, really... ]

[blindoptimism]

Maybe. Or maybe just one person is watching, and considers us to be their entertainment?

Video

[onlyanapple]

Sort of speaks for itself, really. Worlds are watching us.

I should have known reality television would turn around and bite me in the arse eventually.

Video

[netscreens]

[ her blue eyes widen a little, lips forming a perfect "O" ]

—we're reality television stars?!

[ she's heard about these, of course. earthen entertainment was all about this, back in the day. she's never seen one herself, but she knows enough to know how they work. the idea that she's suddenly one of those people is...

actually kind of frightening.

luckily, she's still too shocked to get caught up in that. ]

Video

[onlyanapple]

[Crowley gives a lazy shrug.]

From what I can gather.

Except we're in space.