001. video

[dragonbard]

 [The screen shows a boy with light teal hair. He stares curiously out from the monitor, though in reality, he is looking at a camera. He tilts his head, perhaps fascinated with the way that his image is being recorded back to him. Static runs across the monitor, and he jumps a bit at this, quickly shutting the monitor down. He has, however, forgotten to turn the camera off.]

S-so that's how it works... oh!

[There are sounds of fumbling fingers in the background as the audio finally cuts off too.

Clearly, this is the first time that the boy has ever encountered a computer.]

Comments

video

[the_word_is]

[Maka nods.]

Either that or you've been here awhile and haven't figured out the terminals yet. Don't worry, they confuse a lot of people.

I'm Maka. What's your name?

Re: video

[dragonbard]

[Oh. That's kind of embarrassing. Still, Nlis has never seen a terminal before, let alone 99% of the technology floating around the tower.]

Maka, you said? My name is Nils. [It's nice to meet someone around his own age.] It's nice to meet you.

[It's weird talking to a camera and a computer. He isn't used to it at all yet.]

video

[the_word_is]

Nice to meet you to, Nils. Have you found anyone else from your world here?

Re: video

[dragonbard]

[A sad expression crosses the boy's face.]

I... haven't, no.

video

[the_word_is]

[Maka tries a smile, but it doesn't quite stick.]

That's okay. I was here for a couple months before anyone else from my world showed up.

And maybe it's better not to have anyone you know here. It's not exactly a good place.

Re: video

[dragonbard]

[Then maybe there was still hope?]

Does that mean... Does that mean our worlds still exist? [Or how else could people be constantly arriving at this tower? His expression falls a bit as Maka mentions that the tower isn't the best place to be at.]

I... thought so, yes.

video

[the_word_is]

I... think they probably just keep our souls in storage until they decide to wake us up.

Re: video

[dragonbard]

Souls in... storage? Is that possible?

Re: video

[the_word_is]

Of course it is.

Doesn't that happen where you're from?

Re: video

[dragonbard]

[His expression is perplexed.]

N-no they don't, no.

Re: video

[the_word_is]

[Maka is also confused.]

Oh. I guess that's just another thing my world does differently from other places.

What happens to souls of murdered people in your world?

Re: video

[dragonbard]

[Nils takes a moment to think about this. That's a good question. He's never actually sat down to think about it, but after losing Ninian, the question hits a little too close to home as he nibbled on his lip.]

I... don't know. They go to the afterlife, I think.

Re: video

[the_word_is]

[Maka nods.]

In my world, it depends on how they were killed.

So it's not too much to think that they're just keeping our souls in storage for a while here.

Re: video

[dragonbard]

[Somehow, it's unsettling to imagine souls being kept in storage.

He imagines his sister's soul in storage.]

I... see... I've never heard of it. Maka? How are souls stored?

Re: video

[the_word_is]

They're just stored the same way you store anything else. You can hold them, or put them in a room somewhere.

Re: video

[dragonbard]

[He imagined that souls would be ghostly wispy things, not solid. The way that Maka explained it made the storage sound incredibly elementary. Still, the thought of having his sister's soul stored like food somewhere builds a pit in his stomach.]

Maka? What... happens if a soul was murdered?

Re: video

[the_word_is]

[Exactly like food. Energy to be consumed.]

I guess it depends on who killed them. A lot of the time people kill other people to eat their souls.

Re: video

[dragonbard]

[He's vaguely horrified by that thought, and it looks like he's going to be sick.]

E-eaten...?

[A small part of him imagines how one would have eaten his sister's soul anyways. It probably looks like he's overreacting terribly to Maka]

video

[the_word_is]

... but that's only in my world! [She doesn't want to scare this guy.] I don't know what it's like where you're from.

Re: video

[dragonbard]

O-oh...

[Well, that's reassuring. Kind of.] Maybe it's different at home. ... My sister, she... was killed right before I came here. [His eyes drop to his lap and Nils falls silent.]

video

[the_word_is]

[Oh. Oh that's personal. It's not an academic interest.]

I'm sure things are different in your world. I'm sure her soul's fine wherever it is.

Re: video

[dragonbard]

R-right, yes. [Nils nods quietly.]

Thank you for your words.

Re: video

[the_word_is]

I'm sorry.

What was she like?

fffff i'm so sorry how late this is

[dragonbard]

She was always looking out for me and working very hard to make sure that we stayed safe.

no problem!

[the_word_is]

She sounds like a really great person.