34/A New World Q&A

A New World Q&A
Date of Scene:	30 May 2015
Location:	Uminari City - Abandoned Convenience Store
Synopsis:	When people from different worlds become comfortable with one another, that may be a fine time to learn more about each other and their cultures.
Cast of Characters:	Runealy Waldia, Gaofele Doiru, Hinote Kagari

---

Runealy Waldia has posed:
The day after an attempt to learn more about the Mitakihara area was interrupted by a bank robbery, Runealy is resting and calming down from the battle. She's taking this latest battle better than the ones that came before, now merely a little rattled instead of being a terrified and sobbing mess.

And so in the evening hours, she has tried to arrange a little chat with Gaofele and Hinote. There's a lot on her mind, and there is enough sunlight left that it should be fairly comfortable to talk outside. She sits on the umbrella-covered table furthest from the front of the store, looking around to watch and wait. They should be along soon, Rune imagines... but she made clear that today's talks wouldn't be urgent, so there was no huge rush to show up exactly on time.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
The day had been fairly uneventful for Gaofele; a visit to the portal's location to make sure it's still closed, for one, and several hours of observing one of the schools -- Verone Academy, this time. All of the schools, from what he can tell, have many things in common, even if the particulars vary from location to location.

As he wanders back to the store, he waves to Rune. "Hello Rune! I take it Hinote's not here yet?" the forester smiles.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari is a little late, but he arrives as he was asked to, no really aware about last night's incident except what was on the news. He arrives and has a seat at one of the tables as he rests his hands on the table, folding one over the other as he smiles. "Hey!" he says, without any gifts today, or back pack.

He head tilts a bit. "So what did ya'll wanna talk about?" he asks. "I mean. Just curious!" he asks with wide eyes. "I figure this is like.. a meeting being called?" he asks.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"There you are," Rune smiles and pats a hand to an open part of the seat as Gaofele arrives. "No, but he's... wait, there he is," a wave over to Hinote follows as she then indicates the other open spot beside her.

"That's about right. I've been realizing that we've been going around figuring out a lot of things the hard way when we really don't have to." She gestures toward the street, though there's nothing special about it going on right now; foot and vehicle traffic are both relatively light at this hour. "You probably have questions about your new home, and we should probably learn about things from someone who knows rather than guessing. Like... why people will identify themselves with a long list of numbers and say 'call me.' So..."

A nod aside to Gao, then Hinote, "I was thinking all three of us could learn from one another."

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gao takes the offered seat, then waves to Hinote as the other Knight arrives. He listens to Rune, a thoughtful expression on his face, then nods. "Sounds like a good idea," he agrees. "I had a pretty good conversation with Hinote the other day, although we didn't talk that much about each other's worlds."

A smile crosses his face. "Might even get a better sense of how we can blend in around here," Gao adds.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari thinks. "I do kind of have a bunch of questions." he admits. "But.. I want you guys to ask me first. Or we can just take turns." he says. He thinks a bit about that last bit. "Why...someone will identify---- Oh!" he says. "That's... a Phone number." he says. "Phone is short for 'Telephone'. It's. um." he pulls out a square, blue-colored rectangle from his pocket and turns it on. "This is... a telephone!" he says, touching the screen to turn it on. "One of those numbers are connected to one of these. Almost everyone here in Tokyo has a phone number. With one, you can 'call' another's 'Telephone Number' or 'Call them', and you can speak to them over a great distance." he says. "So.. if someone gives you a string of numbers and tells you to call them, they mean... call thier phone with the number." he smiles a bit. "I mean that's the basics. I can teach you both about phones- or take you out so you can buy each of yourselves one. They're handy.... and not having a phone number will look out of place." he asides. "Pretty much everyone owns one." he says.

He does however, look towards the street, huh.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"'Each other's'..." Runealy repeats those words quietly, then remarks, "It's his world now, too." After all, Hinote did swear to keep it safe. "And taking turns is fine."

Then she turns around to watch Hinote more clearly, eyes wide. "So THAT'S what those boxes people keep touching and talking at are!? But wait... how? How do you talk to them... how far out are we talking, how does this work?"

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gao nods -- Hinote's comment about phones matches what he's seen people doing. "What about when people keep on tapping their fingers on those 'phones' without actually talking?" he inquires. It's mostly been kids their age that he's seen that with, but some adults seem to do a similar thing as well.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari nods. "I made an oath. I intend to keep that, no matter what." he smiles. "And yeah, that's the boxes people talk into. When they're just tapping it, they're probably 'texting', which is the same thing as talking, but you're tying letters and sending the text to the other phone." he says.

He thinks for a bit. "Well, a phone will work in tokyo for sure if you're calling another phone in Tokyo. I'm not sure if you're calling across the planet, but most places- it'll work. It depends on a bunch of stuff I'm not sure about." he admits.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Runealy nods along with Gao's question, curious about it as well. "That sounds like sending letters by courier, kind of? But... wait. How long does it take to talk to someone else in Tokyo? Like... pretend I'm at one end of it, and talking to someone else clear on the other end. Does it even work?" She's dubious on this point.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari ohs! "It's instant. Like you were talking to them like I'm talking to you." he says.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gao blinks. "That swiftly?" he asks incredulously. Not from doubting Hinote, no; it's the sheer mind-boggling thought that sound can be carried that far that quickly. "And with no need to shout or otherwise raise your voice?"

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"WHAT!?" Runealy is actually rocked backward by this, though the umbrella housing catches her from outright falling over. "Wh... no way. You're serious? I can talk to someone allllll the way over there, from anywhere else, and they would hear me that fast?"

She picks herself up and faces Gaofele, astonished. "I've never seen people shout into one unless they were angry, now that I think about it. If 'everyone has one', then we... we need these. As soon as possible. Wouldn't that fix a lot of the problems we've had with Tokyo being so big?"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari smiles. "Yes I'm serious!" he says and nods "That swifty." he says to Runealy and Gao. He thinks. "So, I guess I have some questions about...Waldia, too..." he wonders. "I don't know what's normal to you guys over there, and I don't want to ask stupid questions." he smiles. "I suppose. I might ask what kind of place Waldia is..." he asks. "Besides the Demons, are the people themselves at peace, or is there some sort of war going on?" he asks. "I could also ask a long list of animals that we don't have over here, but exist in the stories I act in, but that could get pretty big so I'll ask about the big two. Do Dragons or Unicorns exist?" he asks, with wide eyes.

"I'm so curious, I've been dying to ask that, but it sounds so silly." he blushes a bit.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"Wouldn't worry about 'stupid'. We've been asking you 'dumb' things too, you know. Things you assume are perfectly ordinary and everyone already has it totally figured out." Runealy is pretty patient about this.

Then Hinote asks about the world they're working to save. It's a question that draws some fire in her, speaking strongly. Some of her answers are lies, but Runealy speaks sincerely; her falsehoods stem from incomplete or omitted knowledge, not a desire to trick her new friend. So she speaks glowingly of her home, unaware of troubles that lurk within: "Demons are the closest thing we have to a war, and we don't see them very often. The Queen of any generation always does a good job stopping them, and that keeps everyone safe. Peace and prosperity follow from there! I don't... think we have 'dragons' or 'unicorns', I've never heard of them. Maybe we know of them by a different name, or maybe we don't have them at all? Just like how we don't have electricity or refrigeration or phones, but we get by."

She makes a deep, serious nod. "We're here because the people of our world, your world as well now, are worth it. They love each other, they share, they play, they teach, they're people just like anyone else here is. They deserve to be protected and happy... to be safe in the fullest sense! Whether they're in the castle, or a village, or the forest, or anywhere else!"

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gao frowns slightly. While Doiru history doesn't talk much about much beyond the Barrier Forest, he does remember hearing bits and pieces about a rebellion many generations ago -- but only bits and pieces; not enough to speak up about.

"If you're talking about magical creatures that aren't demons, we only have those in stories," he admits. "I've heard rumors of glances of some of them, but nothing that people could confirm."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari smiles. "So things are peaceful and I wouldn't need to worry about horribly huge things descending from the sky and burning the countryside." he says. "Though demons sound like a problem. But. Well. It's my job to take care of those now, isn't it? I mean. If I end up over there someday." he ponders, wistifully for a bit. "Oh! Now it's your guys turn for another question. What else do you wanna ask?" he asks.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"No!" Runealy is vehement on this, scandalized that the idea even came up. "I've seen almost as many monsters here in a month as I have my entire life back home! Places just... don't get burnt!" She nods aside to Gaofele as he talks about what he knows of their world's animals; he'd know better than her.

Another question? "Well... where can we get 'phones', and what do we need to do to use them?"

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gao nods in agreement with Rune. Having a tool doesn't do you much good if you can't utilize it. "And what care do they need?" he adds. Proper maintenance of tools is important, too!

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari thinks.. "Well, you'll need to visit a store---I'll go with you to help--- and make sure you get some. We'll get you some simple models, not like the one I have, that don't use a lot of batteries. Batteries power things like phones, and they need recharged.... that's... going to be tricky. You need Electricity and... this place..." he points to the store. "Has none. But... I'll ask around for a soultion to that. I think I can go to the Electronics Club and ask about that sort of thing. I mean. Charging a phone when there's no electrcity present. I have an idea." he smiles.

"Then I'll teach you how to use them." he asides.

He then sort of back downs at Rune's scandalous nature over his question. "Ah! No, It's just that... well. Nevermind, it isn't important." he asides and sort of bites his lip. "So, magic isn't common in Waldia then? Only certain bloodlines have it, or is it just the Royal line?" he asks curiously. "And I mean, the Demons of course. Unless that isn't... magic. Are they magic?" he asks.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"No electricity... so our 'home' here doesn't have something everyone would assume we do?" Runealy is confused on this point. She does add a quick "Good question," to Gaofele's inquiries though, pleased; he always seems so on top of things she would otherwise miss.

Hinote also seems to have this phone situation figured out. "Great! Thank you... ah, I'll cover the cost, of course. This is definitely part of our expedition." That means taxpayer money will cover this, as Rune produces several silver coins. "Will this be enough?" She offers them to Hinote with an open palm.

How common is magic? "Well... my lessons weren't..." Her voice drops off, a hesitance to speak taking hold. It takes a few seconds for her to force out, "...weren't complete. What I understand is that my family is the only one with magic in and of itself, and that anyone with a certain... 'spark' in them can have it... 'awakened' by an Oath with us." There are other ways, but they don't immediately occur to her and go unvoiced.

"Demons... well, maybe they are? We don't know much about them. Most of them are sealed behind the Barrier, so the few we run into usually get destroyed by the Queen, or further back in history her Knights would have helped. The Knights we have today," she nods to Gao and Hinote in turn, "are the first in... centuries, I think? This doesn't give us much chance to study Demons, though. They're kind of... 'kill or be killed.'"

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gao gives Rune's hand a small squeeze. "Demons are unnatural enough that they could probably be considered to be 'magic', even if that's not what they happen to be," he shrugs. "Mean, nasty, and resistant to mundane weapons; what more do you need to know?"

Another question comes to his mind. "Should the two of us enroll in a school?" Gao inquires. "It seems very common for others our age, and we might wind up sticking out if we're not involved with one."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari doesn't seem concerned, that, Runealy's lessons weren't complete, he can sense the hesitance there, he figures, he'll ask about it later, at a better time. If there's a reason for hesitance now, there has to be a good reason, right? He nods. "Electricity is what makes everything run around here. The lights, Phones, Watches, Clocks, technology needs it. It's extremly common to the point, that, yeah you'd be looked at weird if you said you didn't /need/ it." he admits.

Hinote looks at the Silver Coins. "Iiiiii don't think that shops take silver coins. Unless. They have for you guys?" he asks. He's never tried.

He thinks for a few long moments. "Well yeah. The police may catch on, and might ask where your parents are, or try to return you to a school you don't go to." he smiles. "Just take it easy, pick where you want to go. Seishou is nice however." he adds. "And it's close!"

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Rune smiles over to Gao... it's a quiet gesture, but she does show appreciation for his reassurances. Hinote's explanations and questions are interesting, however. "Okay... so I at least need to basically know what electricity is, it's that widespread. Got it. And /some/ merchants have taken those coins. Some took them as is, others started calculating something about them... others have said no, and I've had to get the money exchanged elsewhere for some of Tokyo's. It's worth a try?"

She looks in the general direction of Seishou. It can't be seen from here, but it /is/ close - entirely reasonable walking distance - and she knows about it. "Okay... I think I'd be fine with trying Seishou if not being in at least one of them is going to get us caught." Runealy really doesn't want to answer 'the guards' about where her parents are. Not in the least. "Um. Gao..." A glance over to to him, "which school would you want? I can try another one if you've found something you like better?"

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gao gives a shrug. "Seishou sounds good to me," he remarks. "Like he said, it's close, which means we won't have to spend much time travelling there and back." More accurately, he has no preference; but as long as he can give Rune encouragement when she needs it, he'll go to whichever school she picks.

He looks to Hinote. "How much work will it be to enroll there?" Gao asks. "And is there anything we should be aware of due to where we're living?"

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari smiles. "It's a public school, so not a lot of work. Just fill out the paper, go to class and make friends." he smiles. "And well, learn things. ---how old are you both again?" he asks curiously.

"I'm Fourteen, and in the 8th grade. If you're older, you might be in the 9th.. younger.. in the 7th." he kinda hopes they're in the same grade. That'd be so much easier to make sure the two don't get in trouble, or he can cover for them! That'd be great, he thinks.

"Is there... school... in Waldia?" he asks curiously.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
"F... fourteen." Rune hesitates in that response, for no clear reason. "And of course we have schools! Some things are so common that it's easier to get them taught all at once, and /then/ you go off to a craftsman or other way to learn things you'll need when you're older." For as sheltered as her life was, she knows this one just fine. "I had tutors, but most people did it that way. School for a few basics, then something more specific right after it."

Then to Gao, "Seishou it is, then. We'll go as soon as Hinote says it's okay, and as soon as we have those phones." She's treating them as a higher priority. School is a cover, a means to get some information. A phone would be a way to pass on vital knowledge immediately.

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
"I'm fourteen as well," nods Gao. The phones will definitely be useful, especially with texting -- a way to swiftly report information, even when scouting stealthily!

A small frown crosses his face. "And the uniforms -- will those be taken care of as well when we sign up?" There are /some/ things he's learned from watching the schools, after all!

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari ohs! "Oh, here , you to go to school for a long time, then you can go to school longer if you want- University." he asides. He beams. "Excellent... we SHOULD be in the same grade then. This'll make things easier." he asides. He nods. "School provides the uniform. At least your first." he says. He smiles some.

"I'm out of silly questions I think." he admits. "I think I have a good idea now, of what life must be like. I... really hope I get to see it." he admits. "Someday!" he beams.

"For now, um, I think I outta head out." he admits. "I have to be home for dinner tonight." he admits.

Runealy Waldia has posed:
Talk of school doesn't hold Rune's interest for very long. Instead, she seizes on a different topic. "You /will/ get to see it!" She says this while abruptly rising from their shared seat, staring hard at Hinote. She speaks firmly, without anger but with a deep conviction: "The entire reason we're here is so we can all go home to save it. We're going to find what we need to replenish the Barrier. You pledged yourself to an idea. You've never seen your new home... you have some idea of what it sort of looks like, but it's something you're guessing at."

"But when you see it... when you see the trees, the sky, the birds, the roads... the houses... the Barrier, and then you see the people it protects... the people /you/ protected... it won't be a guess anymore. It will be real."

Runealy concludes: "It will be real, and I swear to you it will be worth it. The idea in your head is true, right, and it is going to be everything you hoped for, and /more./ You've made the decision to save... thousands? Tens of thousands of lives, and you're going to meet them!"

Gaofele Doiru has posed:
Gao gives Hinote a firm handshake. "Take care, then, and thank you again for the information!" he smiles. He nods at Rune's reiteration of their goal. "And you will be the hero you've always dreamt of being."

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari is kind of blushing, he hasn't done anything to earn that. Not yet. Not from his point of view. But if Runealy is promising, well a Princesses Promise always means the world. That's at least the one thing his stories have taught him is true. Usually. "T..thanks. That's means a lot Runealy... and thank you Gao." he says with a smile, and perhaps a blush, as he escapes down the road at a liesurely pace.