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Who: Aoko Nakamori and you.
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: S.S. Wonderduck
When: Now

[ After having been forced to play through tens of dozens of quote-unquote games — to say nothing of living through not just one, but two counts of interdimensional kidnapping — Aoko's more than used to suddenly finding herself in an unfamiliar place. It's just, you know, one of those things that happens. ]

[ The confetti's kinda new. So's the pudding. ]

Wow, uhm … [ Aoko grins sheepishly into the screen, parked on her butt on the S.S. Wonderduck's bridge with confetti all up in her short, fluffy mop of hair. It looks like she's been trying to desperately brush it out with her fingers – or maybe it's just naturally a mess? Mysteries abound. (Spoilers: it's naturally a mess.) ]

[ The silence drags for one beat. Two beats. And then — ]

Knock, knock.

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[ Let's please never, ever talk about this. Ever. ]

[ Please. ]

[ Aoko brightens easily at the subject change, dropping her hand back down to her lap. ]

Ah, yeah! It's the S.S. Wonderduck. Cute name, right? Wonderduck. It's like a superhero moniker!

Wonderduck? I remember that name. That's the one that Davesprite kid is on, right? The one related to Roxy.

Uhm … [ The blank look Aoko's wearing says everything, really. ] I haven't met anybody called Davesprite yet.

[ She hasn't met many people in general, which she hopes to change as soon as possible. It's a little unnerving to be here all by herself. ]

You'll probably find him before long, then. I haven't spoken to him in ages, but...

Here's hoping!

[ She pulls up a grin, brighter this time, more excited. If it's a little forced, hopefully Nightingale won't notice or call her out on it. ]

It'll be nice to get to know a bunch of new people. And if he knows Roxy-san, he's gotta be cool.

He was. And you'll probably see him before too long.

You're lucky you're already able to go see a planet, though. Not getting stuck between worlds for a bit.

[ A planet. ]

[ A whole, entire planet ]

S-Seriously … You're not kidding, right? We actually get to visit planets?

We're at one right now. It's a bullshit forest with no people on the planet this time, though.

I wanna check it out!

[ Although – immediately after her excited exclamation, Aoko rocks back a bit. It's not exactly like she deflated, but it's somewhere close. ]

Then again, I should probably find out more about what's going on here before jumping in, huh.

Probably a good idea. I have a guide to explain everything to new people, but it's a little outdated... Want to see it anyway?

Oh! That's handy!

[ It's always nice to have some kind of easily accessed written resource, even if it's a little behind on the times. You only have to look at the countless times Kyriakos' Intro Spiel got rehashed day after day after day to understand why. ]

Thanks, Nightingale-san. I owe you one.

[She has to fiddle for a bit, but then she sends over a document.]

Don't worry about it. We all have to help each other out, right?

Ehh, but what if Aoko wants to do something nice for you?

[ After another quick murmur of thanks, Aoko takes a moment to scan through the document. She starts chewing on her lip halfway through, and by the time she reaches the section about the beach planet, she's fiddling with the ruffles on her shirt. It's a nervous gesture that Nightingale may remember, although back then it would have been her scarf instead. ]

Huh ... This is weird.

... It is, but...

[She's looking concerned now.]

Well, if you want to do something, I won't say no.

[Distracting her might be best, right?]

[ Wait, why is Nightingale looking so concerned all of a sudden? (Not that it's the first time this conversation. Damn, Aoko's really gonna have to work on that.) ]

But, what?

It's nothing. Never mind.

[NOT THAT EASY]

It doesn't look like nothing! Honestly … [ She leans a little closer, squinting into the comm screen. ]

But, if you wanted to, maybe we could meet up? It'd be nice to see Nightingale-san in person again.

Sure, I don't mind. Want to come down to the planet?

[ HELL TO THE YES SHE DOES ]

Yeah!! ... Uhm, how do I do that? My brother is the one who does space travel stuff, not me.

[ Although, now that she's thinking about it ... ]

Your... Brother?

Oh, you should already know. It's kind of creepy, but... It's part of the augment. What kind did you get?

Ahh — yeah, I kind of ended up adopting one of my teammates.

[ She tips her head, humming thoughtfully. Right. There is something there, and she combs through the knowledge, picking through it. ]

It's kind of like all of those games that would dump knowledge into our heads, huh. [ Her nose wrinkles, but she brightens a bit soon afterwards. ] I think I'm a mechanic!

I see...

Yeah, I thought it was that at first. But... Mechanic? Can't say I saw that coming.

It's not what I would have chosen for myself … [ She taps a finger against her bottom lip, thoughtful. ] Maybe a cook, or a housekeeper. Something along those lines, you know?

I was thinking counseling, actually. Helping other people with their problems.

[ Aoko kind of chokes for a second, and follows up by pointing?? At herself?? ]

Haha! It's a nice thought, but I wouldn't be very good at it.