video, un: abnormalitylover

[abnormalizes]

Hello! Hi!

[There's a cheerful-looking young woman in a suit, with a flower in her hair and a green armband.]

My name's Evangeline, and I'm single and ready to mingle and all that - nice to meet everyone. -I'm not normally interested in other humans, but I've been asked to do a lot worse for energy production, so this isn't so bad.

That's not actually what I wanted to talk about though. I've only just gotten here and I've already gotten some serious culture shock reading through people's introductions and talking to locals. It's not so much that people have different answers to questions than me, but the whole basic questions are different, you know?

It's like - people have been saying what city they're from, but where I'm from, there's just one city. It's the City. You don't have to give it a name because it's the only one. There's more stuff like that, too, where I don't even really have the right words to explain the difference.

I was wondering if anyone else was having a similar experience?

Comments

voice; un: philosophy

[egomitochdavar]

Indeed. More similar than you might realize, even.

[ oh, my. isn't that something intriguing. the woman's voice that eventually speaks is soft, fluid - and yet undeniably cool, in its own way. ]

How has the Safety team been faring?

[abnormalizes]

[That's not a familiar voice... But it sends a chill down Evangeline's spine nonetheless.]

Business as usual - uh, ma'am? We're the top energy-producing department at my branch.

video; un: bonedaddy

[auriphrygiate]

[ he is a visibly undead elf with blue hair, and his ears are long and mobile and indicative of his mood even before he opens his mouth. ]

Of course, you would only have one city, which doesn't have a name; humans are boring and unimaginative no matter what world you come from.

[abnormalizes]

Right? That's what I'm saying, humans are the most boring sentient species out there.

I like your username.

[egomitochdavar]

That won't be necessary. What formalities I might have once demanded have been worn away by time. For now, I am little more than a fellow expatriate of yours.

[ hardly sufficient. and yet, undeniably true in its own way. ]

What rank were you, child, in your time with the corporation?

[abnormalizes]

[That's reassuring until she finds out about the whole Arbiter thing, and then she will be back to being terrified again.]

Rank Five. Not team captain, but I could've been.

[She'd have had to change her behavior significantly though, which wasn't going to happen.]

un:soupmachine

[doiteventually]

Sorry to disappoint, but I've lived in multiple cities.

If you aren't interested in humans, what are you interested in?

[egomitochdavar]

Is that so?

[ it's murmured, soft and even - no question to the words, even phrased as they are. for a moment, binah is silent. then the sound of a cup in a saucer, and she continues: ]

Two Abnormalities were brought to this place alongside me. Without containment cells or protocols, they have taken residence with me. I trust an agent of your stature should find the occasional check-in simple?

[abnormalizes]

Everything else that's sapient! Although at home that's pretty much just limited to 'Abnormalities' - what most people would call monsters. I like them though.

You've got gorgeous horns.

[abnormalizes]

Absolutely! I'm a specialist in attachment work, but my instinct's also fantastic.

[...should she warn this person from the City about her particular brand of work... It's probably fine? If she gets killed here she'll just come back after all.]

[doiteventually]

I get that a lot.

[ At least it sounds like a sincere compliment from her, rather than a cover for "I have a succubus fetish". ]

I've been called a monster before, but not as often as you might think. Demon hunters are pretty rare these days.

[egomitochdavar]

Insight work may be helpful for the smaller of the two. I will yield to your judgment on the larger.

Should you be available to meet, I am with them in this moment.

[ and a small address ping is given afterwards. ]

[abnormalizes]

That's good to hear. My world's plenty dangerous even if you aren't different from the usual, it's not great to be a nonhuman either. At least they tend to live longer than us.

What's your name?

[abnormalizes]

On my way.

[And about ten minutes later she'll show up, E.G.O. scythe strapped to her back just in case, cheerfully humming as she knocks on the door.]

[doiteventually]

Naama, nice to meet you. I'm a succubus. From what I've seen of this place, it's pretty safe, so you ought to be able to relax.

un: fjnrnirjdzkdkg

[hellward]

msmkkdmdkwlwkdk

that last tag wasn't text. i forgor

[egomitochdavar]

Come in.

[ the housing binah has chosen for these first few days is simple enough - a small domicile within amberfall, just large enough to hold a private room for her and a main room shared with the two birds. as the door opens, she sits at the small table she's acquired, two cups of tea and set and ready.

an arbiter of the city-
the head librarian of philosophy-
the sephirah of extraction-

looks directly into evangeline's starry eyes with her own. ]

Sit. We have much to discuss, child.

[abnormalizes]

[Oh dear.]

Do you need help with the phone...?

[abnormalizes]

[hhhhhholy shit.

Evangeline flinches when the door opens and she sees that familiar black and yellow. Every muscle in her body tenses, preparing to run.

But that's foolishness. You can't run from an Arbiter. You might as well be sitting down when you die.

Evangeline takes a seat at the table.]

Yes, ma'am.

[hellward]

[a long span of time passes in which one can imagine the person on the other end of the phone replying verbally without realizing that their video isn't on.

... so there's no text reply.]

[abnormalizes]

Seems like it! Especially if there's cuties like you here.

[This is the face of a woman thinking 'girl hot'.]

[abnormalizes]

Oookay. Do you see that button that looks like... A triangle with three lines coming out of it? Press that button and then try talking to me.

[hellward]

Like this?

[a video opens of a young man with mismatched eyes and flaming laurels in his hair peering at the camera, blinking owlishly at it]

[abnormalizes]

That's it! Now I can see and hear you. Hi!

[egomitochdavar]

[ binah takes her own cup, exhaling in a sound that might have been laughter coming from literally anyone else. ]

You may rest easy. In this place, I am neither Arbiter nor Sephirah. I stand, as I said, no higher than you.

[ a sip - delicate, calm. her own dark eyes rest squarely on evangeline's, her gaze unyielding.

punishing bird flitters across the room, coming to rest on binah's shoulder. it does not peck her. ]

The tea is safe, should it be to your liking. Its aroma may be muted, but it holds no deceit within its darkness.