expiationnet | 01 : VIDEO

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01 : VIDEO

[ A video begins, focused on a stern looking man (down to button up, jacket and tie, yeah, he put his suit on for this). Blond, eyes obscured by bug-eyed sunglasses with no arms and green lenses. Useful, to obscure an additional layer of weariness brought on by certain forest dreams, visions. ]

Good afternoon. My name is Nanami Kento, and I'm engaging here because more of "us", the "Chosen", have arrived.

[ And for certain reasons, he no longer can comfortably keep sitting on his ass. Even if this really isn't his responsibility... there had been another man keeping track during and after the forest, but he, too... ]

Amongst the invitations to join a band of miscreants, participate in monster hunting, identify as healers, become sparring partners, peacekeepers, participate in clubs, call in to a "radio show" and general offers of assistance, I believe we've overlooked something more fundamental.

How many of us are there? How many arrived over two months ago, one month ago, and how many recently? If not already associated, would you notice if one of us disappeared?

Have you noticed that already there are statues of Chosen who have disappeared from Aldrip?

I would like to establish a directory, but would settle for a headcount. For the former, given how little we know about the sentencing proceedings, more information would probably be useful. If you're reluctant to share anything, that's sensible. You have no reason to trust me or to feel comfortable sharing anything publicly.

Nonetheless, I'd appreciate it if you indicated your presence for the purpose of a tally. I don't care if you keep anonymous. Frankly, I don't care if you share more or if you lie.

[ Yes, he's aware: that would complicate, even render impossible, any attempt to keep track if something were to happen to one of them. He's also aware this may gain no traction. It's as much a test as a start. ]

I'll be in the tavern this evening if you'd prefer to speak directly. Otherwise,

[ Here, he holds up, fills the video with his unfolded parchment. Not for long, but enough to confirm his name, a few traits if one reads quickly, and of course, his crime: Desertion.

Dropping his hand and with it the parchment, ]

That's me. Do what you want.

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Not exactly the crime I expected from you.

( he sounds--surprisingly warm. amused, even. )

Name's Cloud Strife, for your directory. Arrived here two, maybe three months ago, it's hard to keep track.

Probably around the same time you did.

Do you want my crime, too? I'll tell you for a price.

I'd ask what crime you did expect, but it sounds as though you'd charge me for that, too.

[ Nanami Kento has never sounded amused a day in his life (not true), but it's at least spoken more dry than flat. ]

Unless you arrived before the night we met, it should have been the same time. That would make it almost three months now.

[ and, bluntly, ]

No thanks.

Forging grades.

( this is obviously a joke. )

Giving you that much for free. Anyway, three months or so sounds right. It wasn't much before we met that I got dropped here, so.

Can I ask a favor? Maybe we can use that as a bargain for my crime, not that I think you're particularly interested. But if you're keeping a tally, you should honestly have the same information about everyone, otherwise it's incomplete.

I think some people have disappeared, too. Some of... The Chosen, or whatever. That's something to add.

With a crime like that, I suppose my sentence would be a never-ending stack of papers to grade. Sisyphus and his boulder.

Though I really was never a teacher.

Since that's also the sort of information I'm looking for, you'd still be doing me the favor with that. But, I thought that was the case. There are faces among the statues that I haven't seen around Aldrip recently.

[ Not a terribly scientific approach, but he works with what he has. ]

Did you know any of them?

That's too bad. You would have been the kind of teacher I would pay attention to.

To answer your question... Yeah. I knew one of them. Sort of, anyway. He knew me.

{He has nothing to hide and yet, he keeps this simple:}

I am Runyu and I am going on my third month.

Thank you, Runyu-san.

[ As stated, though there could be utility in cataloging crimes along with the people (just possibility, though obviously their captors know them well), he won't push.

Rather, he doesn't care. ]

It's nice to meet you formally. Have you witnessed anything you would make particular note of?

{His crimes are terrible and yet he felt they were - are - necessary. It's a long, sad story.}

I sought those taken from our party originally and it was strange that even I could detect no trace of them. The statues signify that someone knows what became of them, at least, but that makes me uneasy.

[ Nanami conducts himself with meticulous disengagement, particularly with regard to the sentimental and personal, such that he also wouldn't seek the story behind the crimes.

That said, he would find, does find, that most people conduct themselves with the belief in the necessity of their actions. Who is he to say what's right, what's wrong? Not that he's impervious to the unforgivable and responding accordingly — but that's still his feeling of what is and isn't forgivable. Not something to expect others to follow. ]

You speak as though you would ordinarily be able to detect something. Would you mind expanding on that?

As for the statues, they may signify that. They also may not, if the villagers are as ignorant as they behave.

{Justice, morality, consciences all vary wildly. There might come a day when Runyu feels regret, but he hasn't approached that precipice yet (except where his extreme loneliness is concerned).}

I am immortal. There is very little in any realm that can evade my notice. Spirits especially give off their own energy. For there to be nothing is strange.

Are we certain they fashioned them?

[ Matter-of-fact immortality. Presently noteworthy in that, more than just being able to bring someone like Gojo here, whoever those responsible were, they dragged in an immortal who claims (and Nanami has no reason to doubt him) thorough surveillance over multiple realms and familiarity with spirits. ]

Whether that strangeness is due to there really being nothing, or because they've tampered with your notice.

No. Rather, between the speed with which they were created and the uncanny accuracy, I doubt they did.

{Admitting that there is a power greater than his own is another blow to his pride. It seems Runyu's life is filled with similar blows; so much so that it really is no wonder that he is beginning to crack.}

I am not easily tricked. {But it isn't impossible.} We should stay together as a group; it's the best we can do.

Lord Vholran Igniseri. I was among the first here.

[He thinks. He hopes he is, it makes him feel important somehow.]

But why bother keeping track?

Yes, I recognize your face. It's nice to meet you properly, Igniseri-san.

[ He might be a lord, but he's not getting -sama from Nanami. ]

There are a few reasons. I'll keep it simple with one: administration.

As in...governance?

[His brow furrows. This isn't really a term he feels familiar with.]

Dazai Osamu, crime, womanizing!

[ Womanizing.

Well, he's not the one judging. ]

Thank you, Dazai-san.

Ah, did it help any? I can show you if you don't believe that's my worst crime!

It helped. If that's really what they've convicted you of, then it's a useful data point to know that they consider that kind of thing enough of a crime for sentencing.

Of course, it would be useless if you are lying. But, there's no need to show me.

Awfully subjective.

[she's not completely sure about telling people about her crime, because she doesn't want to explain why it fits.

so she's just going to at least help with some of it.]

I've been here for about a month, I think. My name's Leanne.

[ Because he's not interested in justifications or explanations — though if he were to learn that there were those whose crimes seemed not to fit by any rationale, that would pique — he wouldn't have asked.

But, having expected little to no response, anything helps. ]

Thank you, Leanne-san. It's a trite question, but how've you been adjusting?

Edited (love noticing typos 24+ hrs later) 2023-05-08 15:45 (UTC)

Just Leanne is fine.

[she considers for a moment, and half shrugs.]

Once the initial panic of not being home settled, it's been fine. A little quiet, but the world I knew is a lot more... [she waves a hand around, trying to find the word.] chaotic.

[there. that worked.]

[ here's somebody who's not interested in giving up anything just yet, not even his face. but he is interested in the subject. ]

That's a bold intel-gathering tactic. Just fuckin' ask outright on the open [ uh ] net. What're you gonna do with all the dirt you dig up? Keep it in a notebook somewhere?

[ ...ie exactly what he's doing ]

I'm not interested in wasting time. Mine or anyone else's.

[ Under other circumstances, Nanami also wouldn't necessarily be interested in explaining his "tactic", but he's self-aware enough to understand he'd put himself in the line of fire. ]

For now, yes. Unless asked for confidentiality, I'm also considering maintaining a public list of names. Perhaps at the library.

For everybody's benefit, huh? Guess there's no point in hiding it where we think the folks in charge here can't find it, since they apparently already know everything about us.

[ A thoughtful click (of his lighter, but he's not lighting anything with it just yet). ]

So there'd be nothing stopping anyone who didn't wanna contribute from taking a peek?

[ Gogol specifically finds the wet blanket of a man in the tavern later so he can slide into the seat across from him and be recognized as one of many nuisances Nanami has run into before. ]

That idea earlier wasn't bad. The problem is that it is boring if I give you the answer immediately, though. So... I actually have a suggestion for how you could shake things up! Start guessing crimes. Fun right? Let's start easy!

[ A smirk as he waves around his own rolled up parchment. He actually did bring it! ]

What do you think my crime is?

[ A wetter blanket may not exist. Nanami's the kind of wet blanket that's overgrown with mold, probably. Sentient mold (this metaphor's gonne too far), since he regards Gogol with a flat look of recogition. The not-quite magician with his shifting flowers. ]

I prefer boring, not shaken.

[ That look flicking to the parchment, back to Gogol. ]

Since I'm personally not interested in your crime, and whether it would be useful more broadly is an open question, I'll pass on the guessing game.

[ His mind, however, if briefly less obedient, and idly suggests charlatan. ]

WOW! Doesn't it sound like you're bragging about being boring? Anyways, it can't be helped if you're not interested. It is what it is!

[ With anyone else he probably wouldn't place the parchment between them on the table all defenceless like. It is Nanami, though, and he's so convincingly uninterested always so that's totally fine.

Leaves room for Nikolai to rest his chin in his hands with a smile. ]

Were you hoping to find any meaning in any of it? A pattern perhaps?

[ ...Ah. He's surprised that Nanami actually goes for it and shows off the crime he's been charged with, but maybe Fai shouldn't be. Despite only meeting once before, he knows that Nanami is incredibly direct, and as such, so is his method of gathering information.

Fai has his chin pillowed in his hands but he holds up one of them for a brief moment. ]

Present! [ He grins. ] Where are you keeping this directory, and how much information are you looking for? You said you'd like more than just a headcount, so I don't mind telling you a bit more than just my name.

[ And is he going to let just anyone see it? Although he's not quite bold enough to ask that, it's on the tip of his tongue. ]

Hello, Fai-san.

[ With a slight nod. ]

At the moment, just in my notebook. At least as far as tracking individuals goes, it would probably be more useful in a public location like the library.

[ Though that risks tampering. Asking where it would be kept gets at the unspoken question — who would have access? ]

I wouldn't expect most to be comfortable with having their so-called crimes made public, so I'd exclude that. However, place of origin could be a worthwhile resource.

[ ...which makes this endeavor one Nanami's ill-suited for, since he's not very interested in where the rest of them came from, their stories, of what those incendiary parchment accused them. But, it seems to him that someone other than the ones responsible should be maintaining (or attempting to maintain) a catalogue on behalf of the Chosen. And unless done privately, it wasn't being done. ]

That sort of information. As much as you're comfortable with.

A simple log sheet might discourage people from tampering, but you never know.

[ They would just have to trust each other. Easy, right? ]

I imagine many of us would have to have our crimes posted up somewhere before they were voluntarily disclosed.

[ His tone is casual, so it's hard to tell whether Fai includes himself in that little statement. Of course, there is something to be said for an overly casual tone.

Fai glances away from the charm, a conflicted look passing over his face for a split second. ]

You can add that I'm from a place called Celes.

Possibly. And giving them the agency to sign for themselves, rather than go through me or another intermediary, might encourage participation.

[ It would require trust — this method already asks a lot, even if provided to him in person. He's aware of situations, potential or actual, of people brought from the same world with existing complications. To put it extremely euphemistically. ]

Agreed. We may all be similarly placed, but putting aside personal feelings, that kind of publication would be all the more ripe for abuse.

[ His limited experience with Fai has shown him to be, at least in general behavior, quite casual. So his tone doesn't stand out to Nanami now, but it wouldn't make much difference if it did. It isn't his place to draw conclusions from reticence that, given the subject, is wholly natural.

Fai's tone goes unnoticed, but the change in his expression, brief as it is, Nanami catches. ...Not that he says anything about it. ]

Thanks. I'll make a note.

[ He's relieved that Nanami says nothing about his little slip up, even though he didn't really expect him to. Nanami doesn't seem like the sort to really pry into other people's business just because he feels like it. ]

We could at least use different methods to see what gets people to contribute.

[ And figure out what doesn't work too. Fai can easily picture some people here making up a name like Hugh Jass.

Anyway, he thinks he should make a little addendum to his own information. ]

Ah... you may want to note too that the world I was pulled from was called Piffle, just to cover all of our bases.

Yessir, Gojo Satoru! Present and accounted for!

[ ... please stop him from explaining himself in this manner... they're probably in the same room??? maybe punch him in the throat???? like, infinity isn't even -

oh.

but he's probably off -- somewhere else. there's a sky in the background anyway, clouds drifting lazily by, and the neat rows of rooftop tiles like he's sat on top of a high place when he decided to reply and wave cheerily into the... charm. ]

My faaaaaaavorite cake is strawberry cream matcha on Tuesdays, and chocolate tiramisu on Fridays. Between camping and a five star hotel room, I'd much prefer teleporting! Nothing beats the panoramic views back at home sweet home. I'm a Sagittarius sun! You'll have to flirt to get my rising sign. [ wink wonk ] I can also write all of this down for you.

Oh.

My crime's murder, but supposedly the guy deserved it.

[ Nanami almost says, or it may be that he almost wants to say, that Gojo didn't need to reply. He already knows everything relevant (which does not for these purposes include cakes, travel lodgings, and astrological signs).

But, before the words take shape on his tongue, he realizes that's untrue — there is utility to that response. The more reply, the more others might consider replying themselves.

Keeping it professional (though he isn't working), then: ]

Thank you, Gojo-san. That was more information than I needed, but I appreciate your response.

Please don't write any of it down. If I didn't already know most of it, I still wouldn't want it.

Edited 2023-05-08 03:38 (UTC)

[ Pausing, a moment, as he considers the crime (which he also already knew), his eyes following a cloud behind Gojo's head. Though he doesn't like and wouldn't have used deserved... ]

Since it's you, whether they mean one death or many, it must have been either deserved or unavoidable.

It's irritating to think you'll have to defend it.

[ Even if death in their world would have, after all, involved judgment, the weighing of heart and feather, that should be for their world. Not for whomever these presumptuous, interfering "gods" were. ]

Edited (how many times have i edited this, like, 5? sorry wtf) 2023-05-08 08:08 (UTC)

[Ven is still adjusting to the use of these charms, but he finds them interesting. It's making gathering information about this world a lot easier.]

Ven Conium. I only arrived last month. As for my crime, I've been accused of conspiring against human King of my homeland. [For which he's very much guilty, but that wasn't what he asked. He leaves off the second part of his crime, attempted murder of the Crown Princess. It was definitely a false allegation, one he's sure the King put on his head. He will proudly admit he was attempting to get the King out of power, but he will not stand by and let people think he tried to kill his own granddaughter.]

I noticed.

[Maybe accidentally though.]

Maybe they eat us.

Yes! [ He raises his hand like he's answering a question in school. ]

I'm present. My name is Seimei, and at present I'm unemployed. Although I usually work as- I suppose you'd say handyman? Part-time worker. Are you giving us surveys for this census? That would be helpful too.

_{[ He's not sure if he'll ever get used to having a miniature hologram projector that fits so easily in the palm of his hand. It was always one thing to see them back in Midgar with the drones, but this? Oh, this was on another level entirely. To make matters worse it even gives him an excuse to drag his fingers through the projection a few times, watching the image distort and snap back to normal under his touch.

Fun.

Maybe he'll try fiddling with it on his end later. For now? Roche is all too content to treat this like a little hands-free call. ]}

I found myself here rather... recently. Just in time for that little get-together at the inn actually, so I doubt I'd notice if anyone went missing. However I have bumped into a few people from the city I'm from if that's of any interest to you.

_{[ He has no idea if that's common or not but hey! It might be something. ]}

You said your name was "Nanami"? You can call me Roche. As for my so-called crime, it's a little absurd in my opinion. "Aiding and abetting a terrorist organization."

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