02 | Video

[todistantskies]

[ Alto is sitting at a large table in one of the open rooms. His sleeves are tied back as if he's about to do some work, which exposes the tell-tale signs of the ink creeping past his elbows, though his hair is loose and covering his neck. From the way he gives the device a short, but intentional look, it's obvious the feed is intentional (this

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[video]

[punk_emperor]

I'm. Uh... bigger now. Not taller, just bigger. They told me I was seventeen but no way a whole year passed!

[Kanji peers curiously at the paper.]

Maybe origami paper or something? Some of that's pretty thin--

[punk_emperor]

Well, part of behavin' is workin' and making them money so I guess that's part of it too.

[Kanji shrugs. He actually loves his job so he doesn't mind that at all.]

[todistantskies]

[ Sighing. ] You make it sound easy. I guess it really is all about business, to them.

[punk_emperor]

Well, my job is pretty easy. Been doing it all my life, pretty much. But other jobs... yeah, I can-- some are nasty.

[todistantskies]

I'm stuck as an entertainer. [ His displeasure is clear. ] What do they have you doing? [ Since he hopes the other boy hasn't been doing the same all his life... ]

[punk_emperor]

Those bastards. I wish they would just... stop all that shit. It ain't right.

[But he brightens a minute later]

They have me workin' in the tailoring shop. It's not like home, but it ain't bad.

[todistantskies]

I know what you mean, but there's no fighting it. Sir Koga just said he'd have me tied to a tree if I didn't see a certain number of clients before the week is out and I'd still have to work, even if I had to cover my bruises with makeup. [ The man was just old-fashioned and dramatic enough to where Alto couldn't tell if he was bluffing. If it meant being away from his friends that much longer, it wasn't worth it. ]

Sounds like you have it easy, at least. My one friend -- her name is Ranka -- works in a noodle shop which is also like what she used to do at home, so I'm wondering why some people got picked into this line of work.

[ He sighs. ] I was a damn pilot, not a--- not a host.

[punk_emperor]

[That worries Kanji a lot.] ...he that much of a bastard? Dammit!

And I don't have a clue. Most of us...wouldn't be good. I mean, 'cause we don't wanna sell... that!

But a pilot? Really?

[todistantskies]

I doubt he'll go through with it. [ Or so he hoped. ] Besides, I don't plan on trying my luck. I've got people here I can't let down.

[ At the last part, he nods. ] Yeah. Back aboard Macross Frontier I flew with the S.M.S.

I'm... guessing that won't ring a bell. [ Since he would have by now heard of anyone from their world through Sheryl, as she'd be likely to have fans speaking out about her treatment if they knew she was here. Or Ranka, even. ]

[punk_emperor]

No, never heard of it. It sounds cool, though.

[And he'll just not address the first part because avoidance is the best solution to his worries, right? Right.]

[todistantskies]

[ Avoidance is totally the answer. ]

It does? [ It sort of is, but he's also a bit used to it by now. ] What kind of place are you from?

[punk_emperor]

[Except he knows personally how bad avoidance is. Well, he'll just deal with Naoto being in a house with an evil head later. No need to worry this guy about it.]

Uh... Just Japan. They don't let people close to our age be pilots.

[At least he's assuming Alto is just a teenager...]

[todistantskies]

From... Earth? [ Casually. ] Heh, you'd be surprised. There's a long history of young ace pilots in the U.N. Spacy.

[punk_emperor]

I've never heard of any pilots so young. Maybe 20 or so but...

[Then it hits him.] You...aren't from Earth?

[todistantskies]

I just turned 17 a few weeks ago, but even before that I was in my second year of pilot training. The SMS recruitment was... kind of a coincidence. [ And not of the best kind, though he doesn't regret it. ]

Me? No. I was born on Frontier just a short while after it departed Earth on its long-distance colonization trip, searching for another inhabitable world for humans and Zentraedi since we all but ran out of resources on Earth. [ And he'll gladly go on about how it's the 55th such vessel, and how the population of 10 million strong is split up between civilians, military personnel, humans and Zentran humanoids, if Kanji doesn't stop him. ]

[punk_emperor]

Whoa! That's... that's right out of one of them sci-fi stories! You really went on a spaceship to another planet?

[He's blown out of the water, brimming with excitement and curiosity.]