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Post by Kanagi Su on Aug 13, 2023 12:20:53 GMT
It was a week after that small, yet bizarre incident, a week after her first fight with an unknown enemy, with an unknown magic device. Today is a Saturday morning, Su was going to the mall in Kamihama South in order to buy groceries and if possible, some new clothes and whatnot. She had run out of groceries two days ago, and she also needed to buy a new tv to replace the super vintage one in her apartment, even better, she had more than money for a modern tv. However, in her mind, she is thinking about that weird monster she fought the other day, along with the shooting star turned magic device, she looked at the device, a bracelet strapped onto her left arm, "this is definitely a magic device, for sure, what's more, it's not a civilian one," she mumbled, "but how, this is an unadministered world? And that monster, just what is it?" She asked silently, but no answers came, she sighed. Truth is, Su already knew that what happened that night wasn't a dream after she tested and successfully transformed in her apartment room, so now she wanted answers. [This is an unadministered world, yet I found a magic device here, and-] Su shook her head, cutting her thoughts off, [no, you have to remember what you came here for, the grocery shop's offer should start at about 9:30, it's 8 right now, I still have time to look around. The electronic appliances shop is at the second floor, and the grocery shop is the floor above it.] With her goals set, she headed off. (271 words)
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Post by Lorie Zetros on Aug 13, 2023 12:54:04 GMT
Lorie yawned as she made her way to the mall. It had been a week since the landing, and the Section was starting to settle down into something of a rhythm. As it turned out, Sigi Winter was quite a useful roommate, and as she'd discovered during that containment breach, a reliable ally. Could it be that she lucked out with her first vassal? No. No, of course not. It was because she had a good eye for people, that was the reason Sigi was a great choice. It was early, and after having spent much of her free time researching this "Glitch Streaming" thing, the self-styled Archon decided she should buy some supplies for her little home studio. Sure, she could have spent some more printing credits to just produce them using the mana printer, but she didn't want to alert the natives with strange equipment. A trip to the electronics store would do. She stopped at the entrance and noted how there weren't a lot of people there. Indeed, most of the shops were still closed. "Hofud, we told you to check schedule. Why is everything still closed?""Entschuldigung, meine Herrin," the cross-shaped necklace blinked as it spoke. "It appears there has been a seasonal shift in the schedule. I will recalibrate my results accordingly."Lorie sighed and looked around at the pleasant mall, not too different from a modern Administered World, save for the different language and some lower-tech amenities. "Well, we're already here. Might as well see what we can find..."[257/257/1] Kanagi Su
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Post by Kanagi Su on Aug 13, 2023 13:24:34 GMT
Su arrived at the second floor, which the electronic store is located in, but in front of the entrance she saw a girl wearing all white, with only the yellow buttons on her tuxedo and her blue necktie that was inside her tuxedo being the only colors other than white. [who's that girl? I've never seen her around this part of Kamihama, in fact I don't think I've even met her before, is she a tourist?] She thought as she simply looked at the girl from a distance.
"Hofud, we told you to check schedule. Why is everything still closed?" The girl asked as she faced the entrance.
"Entschuldigung, meine Herrin," the cross-shaped necklace blinked as it spoke. "It appears there has been a seasonal shift in the schedule. I will recalibrate my results accordingly."
[Oh, her necklace talked......an intelligent device? which also means she's also from an administrated world, which also means she might not be familiar with this world,] She thought. She soon approached the girl and slightly cleared her throat, "hello there, my name is Kanagi Su, pleased to meet you," she introduced herself to the girl while bowing at about 90 degrees. She soon raised her head to look at the girl. (207 words)
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Post by Lorie Zetros on Aug 13, 2023 13:49:34 GMT
Before Lorie could round a corner, someone cleared her throat from an angle. She turned around and found herself face-to-face with a girl with grey hair and particularly deep green eyes. She introduced herself as one Kanagi Su, and bowed deeply. Kanagi Su, Kanagi Su... why did that name sound familiar... Well it didn't ring any immediate bells... Maybe she was one of the locals on a list somewhere? Either way, at least until she could figure out who this girl was, Lorie was officially undercover. Might as well practice that fake name they gave her. "And we- I... am Elise Watson," she gave a nod in return. Bowing? Oh yes, all the locals did tend to bow, and it still bothered her. But not as much as having to use singular pronouns, like those beneath her station. She'd spent some time every morning saying that in front of the bathroom mirror. 'I am Elise Watson'. And it still just didn't sound right. "Can we- I... can I help you with something Ms. Kanagi?" The struggle was real. Why didn't they just give her the cover story of princess of some tiny nation nobody would find on a map? Like Genovia? At least then she would be free to use her usual pronoun! But no. She had to be from some puny town in Britain called 'Caerleon'. Now she had to find that on a map too... [237/494/2] Kanagi Su
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Post by Kanagi Su on Aug 13, 2023 14:15:33 GMT
[So, her name is Elise Watson. But it seemed like she was struggling with saying her own name? also, "we"......oh, she must've been talking about that intelligent device of hers.] Su thought, she slightly giggled, "no need to hide it, I know you carried an intelligent device with you," she said with a grin, "after all, I came from Midchilda," she continued.
"So, are you a tourist here from an administered world? If you are, I can show you around at least this part of town," She asked Elise, offering to help her. Upon closer inspection, she saw that Elise's Intelligent device was cross shaped, which made her misunderstood Elise being a Christian. After all, churches are built in Midchilda and probably other worlds be it both administered and unadministered ones, Su even visits the ones in Kamihama occasionally. Elise's white outfit also looks quite expensive so no matter how hard she tried to hide her wealth; it's not working. [Also, is it just me or have I seen her somewhere before? I remember seeing someone like her in history books back home......] She thought for a while, but nothing came to mind, so she simply stored that thought into her mind. (203 words)
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Post by Lorie Zetros on Aug 13, 2023 15:07:49 GMT
Lorie stood flabbergasted for a moment as Su explained that she was Midchildan. Midchildan. But not from the Expeditionary Force. Had she been, Hofud would have pinged. So then... And just like that, all the gears clicked into place. Kanagi Su. Kanagi Su was not on the list of relevant locals. She wasn't on the list of expeditionary volunteers or personnel, either. No, she was on a third list, that of Explorers who were living within the area of Kamihama. Before the discovery of Hexes on this planet, a large number of individuals from the Dimensional Sea got exploration permits from the Bureau to see this planet for themselves. So then she had many months' more experience with this place... No wonder she looked so comfortable here. In that case, she could throw away any pretense of being undercover. Lorie cleared her throat briefly. "We see," she nodded with a new understanding. "In that case, we apologise. That was our undercover name to be given to locals, as we are here on official Bureau business. Let us introduce ourselves more properly. We are Lorelei Zetros von Hechingen, Archon of Gullintanni."Ah, that felt so good! Elise Watson could go take a hike. At least, until she had to use that name again once she started attending Earth school... For now, she was free to be herself. "This is our Armed Device," she held up the cross-shaped necklace, "Hofud.""Schön, Sie zu treffen." Now, if she had studied enough Belkan to know that he was saying "Nice to meet you", then good. If not, though, well Lorie didn't really care to translate it. "At least for now, though, we are simply waiting for the electronics store to open for some personal purchases." A guide sounds really good right now... "Seeing as we have time to spare, then yes. We think we will take you up on your offer to show us this part of town."Why was that explorers list so important, though? No matter. She could find out about it later. For now, it was important to learn more about this area. [353/847/3] Kanagi Su
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Post by Kanagi Su on Aug 14, 2023 12:24:32 GMT
Su thought as she heard Lorie introduced herself for real this time, and upon hearing her approval of giving her a tour, Su then walked to the left side of Lorie, "well, first of all, let's tour around this floor," she said and started walking, [I'll just have to ask her bit by bit on the fly.]
they toured around the second floor and was about to take the elevator to the third floor, before they did, Su stopped on her tracked and asked Lorie the following question: "you said you are here for Bureau business, which means the Time Space Administration Bureau is also here, despite the fact that this world is an unadministered one?"
[Let's start with that question, it might be related to that monster I fought last night, and also this device,] Su thought as she looked at the bracelet, which is strapped onto her left hand, a magic device that wasn't hers. (209 words)
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Post by Lorie Zetros on Aug 14, 2023 12:44:50 GMT
Well, it seemed that Su was agreeable enough. Which was good. Lorie found disagreeable people quite the nuisance to deal with because it meant she would have to exert more effort to get what she wanted. To be fair to this explorer, though, the tour was her offer, and it wasn't clear how much their goals aligned. Su led her around the second floor, and the various shops that were there. Again, it didn't seem too different from a mall you would find on an Administered World, barring the more advanced amenities made possible by magitek. They stopped by the elevator, at which point the explorer took her opportunity to ask more about the Bureau's reason for being here. "Yes, the Bureau normally doesn't establish a presence over Unadministered Worlds, of course." It wasn't like they had anything to bring to the table. Barring some sort of dimensional threat, the only times the Bureau bothered to intervene was to do things like stop an unstable civilisation from destroying itself with nuclear weapons, or something. "But, they discovered that this world is infested with very dangerous creatures. So dangerous that instead of merely sending their own forces, they even called out for assistance from powerful Volunteers, such as ourselves." Lorie took a moment to hold up her cross-shaped necklace and inspect it, like how a normal girl would look at her fingernails to spot any imperfections. She smirked. "Suffice it to say, we acquiesced to this request, ohohohoho~" Emphasised as she held up the back of her hand to her mouth as she laughed. [263/1110/4] Kanagi Su
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Post by Kanagi Su on Aug 14, 2023 13:03:59 GMT
[So basically, this world is in so much danger they even recruited volunteers to help them out, which means my device is either from a volunteer or a TSAB agent,] Su thought as she inspected her bracelet, [well, I sincerely hope whoever dropped this in front of me last night is a volunteer, because if it's a TSAB agent, boy I am in so much trouble,] Su sighed as she thought that.
[Now with my doubt that God sent me this device as an attempt to save me last night along with my normal life both completely gone, time to ask her another question, but I have to be careful with them, or else she might think I'm a hostile and attack me, and I don't think I can properly defend myself against her if that happens.] Su took a silent yet deep breath. "I see, thanks for answering me, now then, shall we head for the third floor?" She asked Lorie and stepped into the elevator.
As the elevator slowly moved up to the third floor, Su only remained silent and stood next to Lorie, that is until she cleared her throat, again.
"So, these very dangerous creatures you talked about, what are they really? When did they appear?" She asked Lorie again. (214 words)
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Post by Lorie Zetros on Aug 14, 2023 13:23:32 GMT
The door slid open, and Lorie once again took Su up on her offer, taking the lead into the elevator. The shaft was a glass one, with a nice view of the mall's internal plant islands visible through the back side. The self-styled Archon decided to take her time to enjoy the view, short as the ride was going to be. Su asked another question, probing deeper into the issue of the threat. It was only understandable, of course. Unless you were connected to the TACNET, any links one might have to the TDN would be limited by the equipment on one's ship, and explorers, unless quite wealthy, tended to have comms terminals that were as modest as their ships. "We ourselves know precious little about them," she started. "The Admiral has repeatedly referred to a "Hex Menace" in her proclamations to the entire expeditionary force. That might actually be the reason why the expeditionary force is called 'Hex Hammer' to begin with."Of course there was also that... other thing, that she and Sigi had dealt with some days ago. "We have yet to encounter a Hex, but it appears they have their own 'familiars'..." Lorie scoffed as the image of that thing returned to memory. "We fought one the day after we arrived. It was nothing like the sort of familiar you would find on Administered worlds."But the most important part was this. "Based on what we have been told of the situation, it's likely they've been here long before we arrived."Lorie turned to face the explorer as the elevator dinged the third floor. "We're not sure if you've noticed... but the rate of disappearances and violent crime is much higher here compared to other Unadministered Worlds with a similar tech level. And yet nobody is panicking. Not the governments, not the people... It's almost as if this is... normal to them."How far back then did this infestation go, that nobody would bat an eye? [330/1440/5] Kanagi Su
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Post by Kanagi Su on Aug 14, 2023 13:39:47 GMT
"I see......" Su replied to Lorie as they both exited the elevator.
[So that monster I fought last night was either a Hex or a familiar, and they came here before the TSAB, which also means they came here not long after the explorers, including me. In order to combat this Hex or familiar, the TSAB set up operations here through an expeditionary force called "Hex Hammer"......]
"Now that I think about it, I've read newspapers daily, but it mostly talked about the missing persons and violent cases, yet the police never seemed to care," she mumbled, she slightly scoffed.
[Dammit, just when I barely stayed a year here as well!] Su slightly scratched her hair and groaned. And so, in an attempt to clear her mind off these things, she sighed and turned to Lorie, "well, thanks......for answering my question," she thanked her and sighed, "why didn't I just go to Saya's earth?" She mumbled to herself as her head dropped and her mood becomes gloomy.
that gloominess didn't last for long as she forced a smile and looked at Lorie, "well, we're here, this is pretty much what I would call the entertainment floor, they have a cinema, arcades, and restaurants, so expect here to be a little bit noisy," she said. (215 words)
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Post by Lorie Zetros on Aug 14, 2023 13:58:44 GMT
It was pretty clear that learning more about what was going on did something to dampen Su's mood. Well, who wouldn't get depressed on hearing that this planet was so badly infested by monsters that the Bureau decided to intervene? And the fact that they were here long enough that their effects were considered just another fact of life. How many years would such a mentality take? Before she could think further, Su resumed the tour. She certainly was quick to recover. Either that, or she was putting on a face. And Lorie knew a thing or two about putting on a face. "It is certainly a much livelier place than our home." But that was only to be expected. Castles with an active court were expected to be places of solemnity, festive only when the sovereign ordered a festival. Malls were the realm of the bedrock folk. Lorie decided to take her own turn to ask a question. "You've probably been here much longer than a mere week, have you not? Which of the native dishes have you found most preference for?"Lorie was still not in the mood for sandwiches after that incident... And while the parfaits were truly something else, variety was the spice of life. If this was the mall's entertainment zone, then its restaurants should be higher class. [223/1663/6] Kanagi Su
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Post by Kanagi Su on Aug 16, 2023 12:59:13 GMT
"Oh, native dishes? Hm, well, there is one that I would often go eat since they're delicious and cheap......I dunno if they're open today though,"
Su opened her phone and searched the internet to see if the restaurant she was about to introduce to Lorie is open or not
[would you look at that, they're open today, guess I can take her there after all.]
Just when she was about to introduce her to said restaurant however, she stopped......
[wait, is it a good idea to introduce her to that place? I mean she DID say she's an archon, or could she be lying about that to get special treatment? Well, her device does look pretty expensive, and she also has that "ohoho" laugh, well anyone can emulate that laugh but......]
[okay, let's say she's actually an archon and I'm trying to NOT leave a bad impression of this world on her, not like she doesn't have a good impression of this place at the beginning, do I really have to take her there. I mean it is pretty crowded there right now......]
She rubbed her chin with her fingers, and soon scratched her hair with both hands with a slight groan. (203 words)
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Post by Lorie Zetros on Aug 16, 2023 13:22:45 GMT
"Delicious and cheap, you say?" Lorie held a fist up to her own chin in thought. "That isn't a combination you hear often." It wasn't that Administered Worlds didn't have fast food, of course. And if Lorie were being honest, she was merely entertaining Su's opinion. The real test would be in the tasting. And so far, she still had some reservations about eating at such places. Mainly about the taste. She didn't precisely care about allegations of unhealthy flavour enhancers or anything like that. Depending on one's Great House, a Belkan constitution was capable of living off of a combination of triglyceride gel and amino-porridge rations. On a more forgiving planet, that could be substituted with stale bread made from any weed vaguely resembling grain and the raw corpses of wild animals. Mere synthetic additives wouldn't cause her any trouble at all, even in the long run. No, it really was more about the taste. She still had her high standards, but thanks to her exile, it had mellowed out somewhat. If it tasted better than the stuff that came out of the mana printer, then it was at least acceptable. This was a civilised world that had yet to discover magic at large. Which meant that at the very least, public establishments would use, for lack of a better word, "real" ingredients. Then even a fast food joint just might beat the printer's results. Hopefully. Lorie pounded her fist down into her open palm. "We shall examine your recommendation, then. Lead the way."[255/1918/7] Kanagi Su
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Post by Kanagi Su on Aug 16, 2023 13:44:09 GMT
[well, she's given me the go ahead. Whatever happens after this is thus also her fault!]
Su gave Lorie a confident grin, "alright then, follow me!"
She then led Lorie to the end of the third floor, which had a door that led to the outside of said floor, they then exited the floor, took the stairs down back to the first floor, entered the mall again and arrived at the cross section of the mall, she took Lorie to the escalator which takes them down to the basement floor and lo and behold, in front of them is the very restaurant that rivaled Colonel Sanders and his 11 spices......
A goddamn McDonald's, not only that, it is not as crowded as most days, but still crowded.
"well, this is the place that I wanted to introduce to you," She said as they stood in front of the restaurant. Su headed for the counter that is right in front of the entrance. The attendant there looked at the two of them for a moment and asked Su:
"Two people?" "Yeah, two people." '"then, please take a number and wait over there, once a seat is available, we will announce your number and you can go in." "Okay." Su did as told as she took a number and sat at the couch with a wooden wall behind it next to the entrance. (231 words)
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