~1st Round~ - Macallan 12, Neat

[taser_facial]

[Man, what a night it was. A couple of Sokora's good friends had come by the bar, having just secured possibly their biggest haul - not that he asked - and he decided that it would be worthwhile to keep the place open and the liquor flowing. Hell, it was a win/win situation, and while the night was exhausting, it was certainly profitable to

Comments

2: Letting the days go by

[ooeeooahah]

[ During her walk home from church, Ilsa notices the knife first... then the human. The expressions give her the clue that he may just have arrived. ]

[ She stops a couple of yards away from the man, asking cautiously, ] You woke up in a strange house, in a strange town?

Water's flowing underground~

[taser_facial]

[ It's a pretty long butcher's knife. Not so great for self-defense, but still. He eyes the woman standing before him with more than a bit of distrust, but nods slowly. Hand's near enough to the knife to use it if he has to, but far enough that he's not trying to look threatening. ]

That... more or less sums it up, yes. A town where nearly every resident looks identical, and most aren't helpful in the least. You seem more 'normal' than all those, though; are you in the same situation?

[ooeeooahah]

[ She nods, ] There's lots of us. I've been here since April. I have a pamphlet and a map of the town in my purse, is it all right if I get them out for you?

[ She does not make a move to open her purse until he's okay with it. ]

[taser_facial]

[ The man nods slowly in exchange. ] April... and what month is it now, then? Last I recall, it was the beginning of October.

[ The offer is met with another slow, wary nod. The woman at least seems friendly, and if she's in the same boat... ] Go right ahead.

[ooeeooahah]

October second.

[ She holds her purse open to take the papers out. The pamphlet is one of the older ones she copied from Dist's last circulations. ]

The pamphlet gives you some of the history of those who have been here longer.

[ Taking a moment to mark the locations of the current healers on the map. ] These are where there are doctors or healers in town, if you can't get to the church, or find any of us that are aware at the hospital.

[taser_facial]

Same day, then. Guess I'll chalk that up to coincidence, because this almost definitely isn't the same year.

[ Sokora skims the pamphlet after a nod, and perhaps the first smile, however wry, of the day. ]

Thanks. Hmm... well, the United States still. In a sense... there hasn't been a real United States for years. Guessing that I'm nowhere near Seattle right now... if this isn't just some sick BTL sim, anyway. Drones... hrm. That explains a bit. Not sure how much...don't drink the milk? This raises more questions than it answers... but thanks again.

[ After skimming the pamphlet and handing it back, he smiles once again. ] Ahh. I guess I should check out the hospital soon. I hope that medical technology isn't too far from what I'm used to... though I don't hold high hopes.

[ooeeooahah]

The milk at the store is fine, the stuff that gets delivered has all sorts of surprises.

[ She shrugs, ] As for the medical standards, the local is pretty poor, but we've got a wide range in the people here. I'm an MD, but we also have some non-traditional practitioners around.

[taser_facial]

Ah... so that would be the 'Milkman' that pamphlet mentioned. Gotcha... every day, pour that milk out.

[ He shrugs in turn. ]
Well, at least a good number of doctors, medics, and so on is a plus. I'm not a doctor, but I've had training in first aid and trauma surgery... pretty essential in my old line of work. I'll have to make the acquaintance of a few of them.

[ A momentary pause follows, before he offers his hand to the woman. ]
Sorry about my rudeness... I'm still somewhat thrown. I go by 'Sokora'.

[ooeeooahah]

Ilsa Higa. Today isn't too bad, but when things get hairy, we can use all the help we can get. Usually around holidays, but things can sneak up on you. [ She shrugs ] Last week was zombies.

[taser_facial]

It's a pleasure to meet you, then, Ms. Higa.

[ Sokora gives a shudder at that statement, hand at his knife without realizing it. ]
Zombies. Of course. Would you believe that the first time I was shoved into some simulation - not that I'm saying this is - it was some idiot forcing my team to play a zombie game, without letting us know?

Either way, I'll be sure to help out whenever possible. I just wish I had my implants. Or my vehicles.

[ooeeooahah]

Simulation... that's one of the theories, but it hasn't conformed to any of the known sim formats.

There may be hope for the pieces of yourself, [ She traces a sigil in the air between them, that glows light blue briefly before fading. ] ...they could come back in sections.

[taser_facial]

[Brief nod.]
In my case, at least so far, it looks and feels like a 'Better than Life' simchip, which shortcuts its way into the brain, and doesn't have the safeties in most chips. At least, I assume it hasn't got the safeties.

[The sight of visible magic, at least in sigil form, is new to him, but he nods once again.] I hope it doesn't take too long; although I know it's not true in the slightest, I admit I feel somewhat deaf, mute and blind.

[ooeeooahah]

The only safety I've found is the fact that we don't usually stay dead for more than a day. [ She points to one of the first aid symbols she drew on the map. ] This is my assigned house. Come by some evening, there's a few friends of mine that have been working on the problem of getting out, and getting around limitations.

[taser_facial]

[ The man raises an eyebrow at that. ]

I've played video games, your standard simchips, much like many, but literal respawning, after each day? That sounds rather... oddly convenient. Somewhat like a catch-all to ensure we don't try and escape that way, and...

[ He shakes off that thought. People who would kill without exploring a second option... ]

Right. I'll be sure to drop by sometime; the more of us who try to break this little 'game' the creators are playing, the better. And I'd be glad to know of any methods they've found, if only to spread it to people who know what to do with them.