SHI QING XUAN

[aubins]

Comments

w3, monday

[shiftingwinds]

[we're spared jokes about the mile high club because this is just the airport, and not an actual plane.

anyway, wow! this sure is something else. shi qingxuan isn't really sure where to start - there's so much to see! the little kiosks are certainly interesting... but the scenery changes, outside the glass windows, and draws her attention.

she walks over, rests a hand on the glass, and stares out at the sight of an opulent city.]

[aubins]

[ yuri would be part of it anyway. probably.

he has to purposely stop himself from focusing on those little kiosks, and the weird and wild looking things displayed in there, but he too is drawn to the changing scenery outside.

and that's how he spots sqx, hand against the glass like she's trying to go through it -- or that's what she looks like from here. ]

...

Is that somewhere you recognise?

[shiftingwinds]

...it looks a lot like home.

[she's kind of homesick! after a moment, she draws her hand back from the glass, then turns to yuri.]

This is a rather interesting place, isn't it? I've never seen anything like it before. [she waves a hand, indicating the terminal and the kiosks and all that.] I suppose it's also "modern"?

[aubins]

That's what the world of the gods looks like? [ he can't help but be curious though, leaning right forward and leaning on the glass like it's going to give him a better visual. ]

I have no idea what this place is either. It's...

I don't know what it is. It's just big? And empty?

[shiftingwinds]

Yes. See that, right there? [she points at a particular one of the palaces in the city that looks like it has a nice garden.] That one looks like my place.

[the palace of the windmaster... anyway.]

It feels like the sort of place where there's meant to be a lot of people.

[aubins]

[ he follows her finger to look at the palace she's pointing at ] That is a huge place, Shi.

...

Mm. It's big enough for it -- you could definitely fit all of us in here, multiple times over. I wonder what it's for?

[shiftingwinds]

The Palace of the Windmaster! If you want a tour, we can go to the simulation room later.

[she seems proud of it, but like. she's especially proud this week? hmm, wonder why that might be.]

...honestly, I have no idea. It's interesting, though, to see the way the scenery changes from here. It almost makes me wish we could actually go out and see it all, though.

[aubins]

... [ huh. ] Sure. Show me around your fancy god palace, Shi. I want to see how the other half live.

[ gee i wonder. ]

We've had a number of substitutes for going outside -- the garden, the sim room, here and that... park with all the dogs in? -- but still no sign of the outside itself. I wonder why.

[ ... a mystery ]

[shiftingwinds]

[okay! they'll head there next. but for now, contemplating the mysteries of the airport.]

Maybe we just... can't go outside?

[aubins]

... I mean. I figured we're locked in, but... even in Abyss we could go outside and look at the sun if we really wanted to?

[shiftingwinds]

Perhaps it's not safe for us to do that here...?

[the


the stares in the observing room, you two. please. i'm crying. just acknowledge you're in space.]

[aubins]

But why wouldn't it be safe?

[



can't acknowledge you're in space when you don't know what space is ]

[shiftingwinds]

I'm really not sure, but I can't think of any other reason why they wouldn't let us out. Most of the Avatars don't seem like unreasonable people.

[aubins]

[ maybe these losers should just go to the OBSERVATION ROOM ]

No, most of them are fine. But there's definitely some kind of laws they're adhering too that we aren't aware of. Or... I'm sure that must be the case. Otherwise the things they keep secret, they'd probably tell us.

[shiftingwinds]

[THEY REALLY SHOULD.

anyway, she nods at that.]

I agree - I don't think they really like keeping things secret from us all that much.

[aubins]

[ guess who needs a pc in the observatory room on tuesday? these two. ]

Most of them -- most of them -- are pretty apologetic when they can't answer or do something, so I think that's a fair assessment. And then there's... well....

[ ... ]

Shi, have you seen any of them with their hoods off?

[shiftingwinds]

[she nods]

One of them, yes. Have you?

[aubins]

Yes, one of them. Although I know what two of them look like if you want to be technical.

[ ... ]

Did they look different, to you? [ hm ] Maybe that's not the right way of putting it. Did they look influenced to you?

[shiftingwinds]

Influenced...

[she thinks about it for a moment, then nods. yeah, she could buy that.]

Well... perhaps. Their appearance wasn't the most unusual thing I've ever seen, but admittedly, I come from a world of gods and ghosts. But they seemed to look like something almost... in-between?

[gods look mostly human, as do ghosts of a higher caliber; weaker ghosts and demons look obviously inhuman.

the avatar she saw seemed to be a bit of both.]

[aubins]

Another way of putting it would be, did you share memories with that avatar? Because what I saw in the memory I saw, and when I saw the same Avatar, they were different.

[ not... offputting, or scary, or anything like that. beautiful, honestly. but still different. ]

[shiftingwinds]

[she shakes her head]

No... I didn't share memories with any of them. [her brow furrows with concern] ...if they have been influenced by something...

[...what does that mean? it probably explains why they can't just tell them everything, but...]

[aubins]

[ he just sort of... rubs his forehead. ]

I can't really say more than that then. It's not my place to. But... keep it in mind? I think when you see it, if it's a common thing amoung all of them you might realise what I mean.

... But it would lend weight to the idea they have their own things they're dealing with here, other than just watching us run around all day.

[shiftingwinds]

[she nods]

I'll definitely remember that.

[a pause, and then - ]

...I know we've got our own situations to deal with, but - do you think it's something we might be able to help them with...? If they're in some kind of trouble, I don't want to just leave them to it.

[aubins]

If they're trapped here as well, I'd feel like an asshole leaving them behind. But again -- they get cagey talking about it. We'd have to stumble across something on our own and I'm not sure where to begin.

...

Maybe take a closer look in one of the rooms and see it we find anything?

[shiftingwinds]

That's somewhere to start.

[or maybe if they get spirited away for a cyoa...?]