[001 - Video]

[nowyouseeit]

Who: Kuroba Kaito and YOU!
Broadcast: Video - Fleetwide
Action: The S.S. Blameless
When: Today! (Oct. 21)

[VIDEO]

Oooooi! Anyone out there?

[the video feed flickers on to show a scruffy looking teenager casually strolling down the scorched hallway of the S.S. Blameless. he's covered in confetti, bits of colorful paper nestled in his hair and flaking off his shoulders, and he looks pretty unfazed, all things considered! in fact, he's got his communicator in one hand and an open, half-empty pudding cup in the other. someone has decided to help himself to the celebratory treats, because why the fuck would he not?]

Nice ship ya got here, yeah? Reminds me of something straight out of a cheesy sci-fi flick, heh. Could use a li'l bit of work. . . [he tilts the communicator so the video feed pans to the black marks on the walls] I'm not sure I wanna meet whatever or whomever did that, but hey! At least your lives seem-- uh. Interesting.

[the feed pans back to Kaito, whose demeanor is still totally casual and not at all concerned about his potential safety in the future]

Anyway, I haven't got a clue who I'm talking to here, but who doesn't like to meet new strangers in space who may or may not be human? [his grin widens, cheeky and a bit sly, but he really does enjoy meeting new people] Whoever happens to get this, give me a shout, all right? Name's Kaito-- Kuroba Kaito, but just Kaito's fine.

[he's not really one for formalities, after all. after a brief pause, the teen raises both eyebrows, and his words suddenly thicken with forced niceties. starkly different than his genuinely cheery introduction earlier]

And if any of you watching this just so happen to know a redheaded woman who goes by the name "Iota," please let her know that Kuroba Kaito would like to have a little. . . uh. Chat with her.

[another pause, and for a moment it looks like he's about to cut off the feed, when something suddenly hits him]

By the way--

[the feed pans lower to show a ton of pudding cups tucked underneath Kaito's arm. a ton of pudding cups. possibly all of the pudding cups that came with his new arrival, tbh]

I'm keeping the pudding. Finder's keepers!

[and the feed ends]

[ACTION]

[anyone on the S.S. Blameless can find Kaito wandering about the above mentioned hallway! he sure is scrutinizing those burn marks, brows furrowed, expression curious. wtf even happened here. . .]

Comments

[beathach]

[both eyebrows shoot up and he can't help but laugh a little. But that sure does confirm it]

Right. And you were - Tiamat?

[nowyouseeit]

[drops his arm to his side to adjust his grip on the pudding]

"Were?" There's no "were" about it, I still am.

[nods down at his scarf]

I thought the color would've given it away.

[beathach]

[he follows the nod and his eyebrows furrow for a moment. "Still am"? So then - had he just come from there? Or what?

Hmm. Questions for later]

I try not to assume.

You'll have to forgive me, though, I don't remember your name. It's - been a while.

[nowyouseeit]

What? You forgot the name of a memorable performer like me? Geez, that one hurts.

[HE'S KIDDING, evident by the way his mouth twitches. he gives Hank a nod]

Kaito. Kuroba Kaito! But just Kaito's fine.

[beathach]

I recognized you and remembered what team you're on, doesn't that earn me some points?

[he's picked up on the teasing. He offers him a hand to shake]

It's good to see you again, Kaito.

[nowyouseeit]

[takes Hank's hand and gives it a firm shake]

Likewise, heh.

[a beat]

Sooooo. . .

Where are we? Other than "in space" and "on a spaceship."

[why is he asking such a vital question with a smile]

[beathach]

[he's gonna chalk it up to Kyriakos conditioning]

You're on a reality television show. That's why we've been brought here - to be entertainment to an unseen audience.

[nowyouseeit]

[he would be 100% correct about that]

. . .

I'm-- what?

[say that again, Hank, it's almost unbelievable. almost. especially since he arrived assuming Iota was behind all of this]

[beathach]

I know how it sounds.

[he is not repeating it, okay, he knows you heard him!!]

There's no Echoes here, but instead there's the Atroma - but they're not very forthcoming. They rarely show themselves, in fact.

[nowyouseeit]

So s'not Iota. . .

[he frowns deeply, expression turning contemplative]

Who are "Atroma," then? Are they like the Echoes? Why'd they bring us here, to space, to be on a reality television show?

[how the heck did Atroma pull him directly from Kyriakos, is his next question. but he doesn't ask that one yet]

[beathach]

No, it's not.

[that's what he'd like to know, too, but he doesn't have the answers. Not that anyone else does, really. He faintly shakes his head]

They're not like Echoes - there's no teams, no games, no - anything like in that place. They haven't said why they've brought us here, other than to act as entertainment. That's it - no one really knows more than that, not without lack of trying. Supposedly, everything we do is being broadcast to our "audience", but - [a shrug] It isn't as though we see them.

[nowyouseeit]

[some tension-- tension that Kaito hadn't even know was there-- seeps from his shoulders when Hank tells him there are no teams, no games. geez, thank goodness, he thinks. I've had enough of that stuff.]

[but he stiffens again when he hears that everything they do is apparently being broadcast to an audience]

Everything?

[bathrooms are private, right? right???]

[beathach]

Supposedly.

[by the way he rolls his shoulders, even being here for a few months hasn't made Hank very comfortable with the idea, especially considering how private he prefers to be]

Or at least - whatever they consider "entertaining".

[nowyouseeit]

[oh my god]

. . .

That's kind of a creepy form of "entertainment," don't you think?

[beathach]

You get used to it.

[don't ask him how]

[nowyouseeit]

[ha ha. . .]

Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty adaptable. But there are some things you never get used to.

[beathach]

You'd be surprised.

[nowyouseeit]

[haa. . .]

[rakes a hand through his hair and lets out a sigh]

So we're on a space ship. In space. I assume our vessel's got a name, right?

[beathach]

It does - the Blameless. Though - the name and the . . . quirks in the hallway were here long before I was transferred here.

Ah - that reminds me. Has anyone explained augments to you yet?

[nowyouseeit]

[dang. he was going to ask about the scorch marks. he quirks an eyebrow, gaze flickering towards the burns and back again]

Nope. But I get the feeling you're about to.

[beathach]

[he quirks a smile and shrugs] I don't have to, but you'll likely want to know why you know things you didn't before.

[he lifts a hand and taps his neck, behind his ear] You have an implant somewhere around here - that's your augment. You've been assigned a job, and that will give you the information you need to do it. And other things, like how to use some of the technology here, like the shuttles.

Whatever you do, don't try to remove it.

[nowyouseeit]

[implants]

[his hand instinctively shoots to the base of his neck, behind his ear, and his face contorts into a rather displeased expression. talk about "invasion of privacy"]

What happens if you try to remove it?

[beathach]

[this is one of Hank's least favorite parts to explain]

You won't be able to. Some people have tried, but - you'll become too frightened to. It's very likely a failsafe built into the implant itself.

. . . ah. It glitches, sometimes, as well. But those are more akin to the effects we'd have to go through for quests in Kyriakos.

[nowyouseeit]

[what. what!! these implants are straight out of some sci-fi horror movie, aren't they??]

. . .

Do the implants contain any sort of artificial intelligence? And Atroma doesn't use them to try'n control us, do they?

[blunt questions, but those are his biggest concerns about said implants]

[beathach]

Not that I've seen or heard. When it comes to the glitches, it's either something mild, like - myself and another person on this ship have been turned into women. But another friend experienced a - hallucination about being isolated. And another person had - mm, something activated in their mind that caused them to go berserk.

But with those, it's something that already existed on some level. It's never entirely manufactured.