01: "arrival," the pretentious | video

[snakeintallgrass]

Excuse me.

[ the video feed is turned on, revealing a pale young woman with long white hair and piercing blue eyes. she speaks in cool, level tones: ]

Before we begin, allow me to make a few things clear. I've reviewed the archives thoroughly, so there's no need for edification. I've given it some thought and come to terms with its existence, so there's no need for explanation. As such, all that remains is an introduction.

[ she sits back, elegantly crossing her legs. her facial expression does not budge in the slightest.

given her bare knee and the angle of the camera, it is entirely indiscernible whether she is wearing pants or not. ]

My name is Yousha Hida. My skillset lies entirely in the perception of the truth behind truths - in detecting the axioms responsible for forming any consistent system, and through inductive logic understanding the universe they create as a result.

[ she uncrosses her legs, then crosses them in the opposite order. it is becoming increasingly unlikely that she is wearing pants. ]

There. That should be sufficient, hmm? So with that settled, I'd like to ask the network's opinion on a matter.

[ she leans forward, her blue-eyed gaze intensifying. ]

What it is that makes something "true?" Suppose a man says his wife will die tomorrow. The next day, she develops a freak cough and passes away. Were his words "the truth?" The statement was true in retrospect, of course, but it seems to have been by chance. Now suppose the same man says the same words - but when the disease does not kill her, he takes matters into his own hands. Are his words now the truth, now that he has ensured their validity? What if he intends to kill her, but dies himself? Perhaps it is best to just consider him on that first day, before his wife's fate has been decided. What is it that decides, in that moment, if he is telling the truth?

[ the beginnings of a smile spread across her face. it is not entirely pleasant. ]

Thank you for your time.

[ and with a single dainty hand, she reaches out and stops the recording.

what a pretentious ass. ]