mallowhallow | Level 0001: [Video | Action in Crystalden]

Entry tags:

Level 0001: [Video | Action in Crystalden]

[Video]

Well, looks like I finally got this damn thing turned on. Fancy as hell and all, but it could stand to have a better interface... and be made of something sturdier than see-through plastic. [He mumbles the next phrase:] Feels like I'm gonna break this thing.

Anyway, at first I thought this was some kind of dream or sick joke. Guess it's not, and I really shouldn't be surprised. Anyway, figured I'd introduce myself. Name's Adell, and I'm... [He hesitates, as though he was going to say something else, and then realizing that's irrelevant here.] ...new around here, I guess.

I'm currently in this Crystalden place... it's like something out of a cheesy sci-fi manga or something. Is this really where I'm supposed to live? I can't even find my apartment... [He sighs. At least it looked like there was a hell of a lot more freedom to move around here than in Luceti... He turns slightly away from the phone to look at the digital street sign he just passed, and the more diligent will notice something unusual on his back.] ...Pretty sure I'm going in circles.

Last thing, I guess. If the word "Luceti" means anything to anyone out there, I'd be interested in hearing from you.

[A risk to ask about it, perhaps, but worth a shot.]

[Action]

[Still wandering around Crystalden, the young demon is actually taken in by a number of sights, and even stops to linger in a highly advanced video arcade. That looked like fun, and he made a note to remember where it was. Afterward, he set out once more to find his new home. He can be encountered in person at any time along the way.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[There's absolutely no way Koakuma couldn't recognize that voice, much less certain words said in the message. Before she can begin to respond, though, she stumbles around a bit and has to dart out of peoples' ways a few times. The end result of this is that instead of a verbal response, Adell just hears someone tripping over something and probably faceplanting somewhere.

Thankfully, her device is currently set to audio only, so nobody actually sees her less-than-graceful dive unless they're in the immediate area.]

[...Well, that's odd.]

Um... hello? Is someone on the line?

Ow, ow, ow... [She needs to be more careful, really.

Once she's back on her feet, she switches hers to video and stares into the camera.]

[...No. Way. No way. It's unbelievable. Inconceivable. How...

No. He had to maintain his calm here. There were an infinite number of possible universes out there, right? Even if that was her... it might not be the same one. But... he... had to take a chance. And it was a chance he found himself taking regardless of better judgement or not. Her name just kind of slipped from his lips.]

...Koa?

[There's a sort of stunned disbelief before anything else.

But then realizing that responding by saying his name won't answer much of anything considering he just gave it, the girl opts for more-definitive proof of her identity, by turning slightly to offer a view of her back. She has two pairs of wings, one on her back, and another on her head. That much is completely normal for her and nearly any possible version of her would have them.

The set on her head is bat-like in appearance, as could be attributed to devils or even to many of the demons back in Adell's own world. The set on her back? Feathered.]

No way... It... It is you...

[Stunned, is the only way to describe his voice, hell, his entire demeanor right now. He's silent for a heavy moment before he can get out another phrase.]

...Where are you right now?

I-I'm in Crystalden. Near this one building with the word 'arcade' on it in huge green letters. [Wait, so he'd passed right by her without noticing? She was probably lost in one of the crowds, otherwise she probably would have gone straight after him.]

I don't like it here, Adell. It's too bright, it's too loud, and nothing's making any sense. [Coming from a world that isn't exactly heavy on the tech, some things in Luceti had taken a bit of getting used to, but this? This place is something of a huge shock to her.]

[...He was just there, not long ago. He immediately turns on the ball of his foot and about-faces to retrace his steps.]

Don't worry, Koa. I'll find you. I promise.

[Even if he has to look for weeks. Months. He'll find her. He promised that. Thankfully, it'll probably only take minutes.]

I'm not fond of how loud it is here either. But right now it beats the hell out of being stuck in that godforsaken dome again. I'll find you, and then we'll go see if we can find someplace that we can actually hear ourselves think.

Alright. [Not doubting him in the least. She knows him too well for that.

With it being made clear that he's coming back toward the building, she stays right where she is to wait. Occasionally, she hovers up a bit to try to look over the other people passing by, trying to see which way Adell will be coming from.]

[He pushes his way through a small crowd, putting his shoulder into it when he needs to. He's a lot stronger and tougher than most of the people here, and not terribly concerned if he jostles people some. He's got too much else on his mind.

A short time is all he needs to get back to the arcade, where he frantically searches for her.]

Koa? Hey, Koa?

[And he turns his head to catch sight of her floating somewhat above the crowd, and then immediately bolts for her.]

Koa!

[Of course he would start bolting through the crowds the minute he saw her. It would be a bit problematic if he ended up knocking anyone over along his way, though, so she shouts back:] Calm down!

[There's this odd sense of irony in her telling him to calm down and not the other way around.

But rather than simply stand there and let him push his way past everyone in sight, Koa drops back down to ground level and starts trying to make her own way over, muttering various apologies and excuse-mes as she goes.]

[It definitely is quite a reversal for her to be telling him to calm down, but it doesn't really stop him. Though he's not afraid of throwing his weight around, he does have enough control not to shove someone over, thankfully.

Still, once he gets to her, he doesn't bother with any formalities. You just get a hug, Koa.]

[Formalities? Eh, who needs those?]

[Not them, that's for sure.]

...I'm glad you're here, Koa.

Have you heard from any of the others yet? [He knows who she means, and she doubts that he has.]

And where are you going to be staying? [She intends to stick with him, if that's not already obvious. There's no way he's getting out of having her around—not that he would want to.]

No. ...Not yet, anyway. [He's hoping to hear from them... but he's not counting on it.]

...And I apparently got an apartment somewhere in Crystalden here. The Queen was pretty insistent I take it. I... just don't know where it is yet.

Well...hm. [She stares down at her phone, awfully tempted to just call it a journal instead, because it looks like it serves the same exact purpose as the one she had before.]

Do you think there's a map on these things?

I... don't know, actually.

[Adell starts fiddling with his phone, hitting buttons and eventually finding an application browser.]

Why didn't this thing come with a manual?

I don't know. [She raises her arms up defensively.] They could have at least explained these things instead of immediately sending us off to figure things out on our own.

[Having some familiarity with the concept of trolling—come on, look at who all she lived with back in the enclosure—she expects that the answer to Adell's question would really be something like "because it's more fun that way."]

At least we got to keep our clothes this time.

[Which might sound really wrong out of context.]

...Is this it here? MallowMaps? [He clicks it and then hits a prompt for the Crystalden region.] Now we're on to something.

At least it's not snowing. [The response is quick, absolutely thoughtless, and above all, sounds just a bit bitter. Unpleasant memories, bro.

Once Adell boots up the map application, though, he's got a devil hanging over his shoulder taking a look at the screen with him.] We should probably find the arcade place so we know where we are before trying to find anything else.

I hear ya, Koa.

[Still, he doesn't even move with Koa hovering over his shoulder like that. His attention is focused on the device in front of him, and using the touchscreen to fumble his way around the map. Eventually he manages to locate the Arcade they were standing by.]

Here it is! Now... uh, just gotta figure out where my apartment is...

What about that bar that says "search" in it? [She points it out, accidentally tapping it and bringing up an on-screen keyboard in the process.] Does that mean we can look for places if we know their names? Were you told what the name of the place with the apartment is? Or—or maybe we can search for types of places...

[Taking a moment to think...] Try "apartment"?

Um... okay, we'll try that.

[Adell types in apartment, clumsily typing things in and screwing it up at least twice. He hits the 'enter' button and waits for the results to pop up.

All multiple dozens of them.]

...Well. I guess that sorta helps?

[This face.]

H-how are we supposed to narrow it down? The name of the building? The room number? How close the each place is to the nearest library? Is there even a library here? W-what if the books are more of these phone things? How do they even organize them if they have no covers? I can't imagine it being easier than the libraries I'm already used to...

[Koa...Koa. You're getting distracted.]

Level 0001: [Video | Action in Crystalden]

[audio]

[audio]

[audio -> video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video -> Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]