[ video; broadcasting from a bloody puddle ] ғɪʀsᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛ.

[stupidshinji]

[ ...so, Super Mega Awesome Network Numbers Club, today's riveting feed is that of a young girl in a rather strange outfit, blinking down into a bloody gutter as she idly traces swirls about in the mess she's made to contact y'all, albeit accidentailly. A bruised, unmoving body sits undisturbed nearby while the girl chews away at her worn wad of gum, scratching at her pirate-patched eye with her free hand. ]

This thing on? [ She snorts, clearly not expecting a response. Spit goes the gum into the same gutter, and she retrieves a fresh pack from her pocket. ] Damn. Here I thought it'd be the startasome shitty Nic Cage movie. No dice, huh? Never liked that guy, anyway. Does anybody like that guy, 'sides Nic Cage? Least he's good for a cheap laugh... wonder if it still counts if it's unintended comedy, though. Poor sucker, typecasted into epic, eternal fail.

[ Continuing to chat to herself, the girl cracks her neck stiffly to the side, glancing up when a few raindrops hit her fiery hair. ]

Guess I might as well get goin'. Nice talkin' to ya, sidewalk. Let's do it again, sometime. Knew I was fuckin' losin' my mind. Tch.

[ Better grab her before she's gone, everyone. Y'know, because she seems such the charmer. Is that dude dead? The answer: probably. ]

(( Yep, fresh bait present in the form of one (1) Asuka Langley Shikinami! This is literally the first time Asuka's connected to the network and she's been mostly ignoring the bizarre goings-on in the city, so feel free to TROLL HARD and break the news as undelicately possible. Also, permanent warning from this point for her awful mouth, because street kid. ))

Comments

[Video | Smartphone]

[thepiisatruth]

[Dark, dark intrigue that plays itself off as amusement indeed.]

Dang, girl.

COOL AND EDGY CRIMSON CONNECTION 4 LYFE

[stupidshinji]

[ Whelp that bluddle sure did talk back to her just now. Also she sure didn't trip doing a double-take over her shoulder at that kid's distorted reflection in the red water, nope. ]

The fuck, man?! Where'd you come from?

IT'S VERY DRAMATIC

[thepiisatruth]

My phone in the fuckin' Dead District, nowhere special. Now one, where the factor are YOU coming in from? And two, what hapless hectopascal did you screw up?

[stupidshinji]

[ Blink, blink. Dead District, huh? Why does that sound familiar... oh, right. ]

What're you doin' in that assbackwards dump? Word on the streets is that shit's deadly, these days. [ As for that last bit: ] And lay off the math geekin', okay, it's been a long day so x is equal to zilch as far as my current care level goes.

[thepiisatruth]

Reciprocated. Now check my radical flow along the derivative curve and pick up your pacing.

Since t equals what? [The fact is that he may or may not have ordinarily said "Since when?" But that will go unquestioned for now.] All ways I'm crunching it they can't do a THING to any sonova digit with the most infinitesimal fraction of the wits to keep their head down.

If you're talking 'bout the dogs, sheesh. I know how NOT to come into the same "hairy" situation twice.

[stupidshinji]

[ Dude, dude. Brain hurting, quit it!

...not that she can't keep up, surprisingly. She was actually a smart cookie, back when she tried the School Thing, but high off the adrenaline of Definitely Not Killing Someone and taking all this in stride, it's a little too much. ]

That was an awful pun and you should feel awful for makin' it. [ A pause. ] Nice digs, though. Haven't seen you 'round before. You like hangin' around trash, then? Not that I'm judgin', just curious.

[thepiisatruth]

[A bit of a snicker in his tone - that she would put the question that way!] What's NOT trash? I get a yottaton more of a kick "hangin' around" the stuff that no square pretends doesn't need to be cleaned up.

'Fact, time to time I like to scan for what values can be reconfigured into something worth a decimal.

I don't fig I've seen you around, either, sister.

[stupidshinji]

[ Feh. He's not letting up on the Pascalesque puns, is he? Oh, well. She tried. Kind of. Sort of. Not really.

She'll let him off the hook. This time. Those are a nice pair of peepers, too, but she'll keep that to herself, grinning openly in response to his laughter. ]

You must be a real blast at parties, kid. [ Since they're headed down the inevitable road of introductions, she opts to go first. ] Name's Asuka. Prefer Langley, though. You go by somethin' other than Fig Newton?

[thepiisatruth]

Heh! That's a positive. [Take that as a response to whichever question you like.] Shawn Minamoto.

Also "Leo."

And the pleasure's all yours and blah, blah, now let's back off that tangent. The hell's up with the mess?

[stupidshinji]

A'ighty, "Leo". Still think Fig suits you better, though.

[ Raising a brow back at her latest victim (hey, it was in self-defense), Asuka rolls her shoulder in a careless sort of shrug. ]

Ass tried to mess me up. So he ate dirt. Nothin' more to say, no cool stories here, bro.

[thepiisatruth]

Gotcha, Langley. [With a touch of a snicker again.] 'Cept if ya got nothing to say, the factor did you connect for?

[stupidshinji]

Just to make sure I wasn't goin' crazy, I guess.

[ She snickers, too, though for an entirely different reason. ]

'cept I feel even crazier now. Funny how that works out, huh?

video {smartphone}

[ursoreckless]

It's on. [This response comes from a deep, accented voice that doesn't quite match up with the rather feminine face peering through the mess.]

Welcome to the special numbers club.

puddle for all these threads unless mentioned otherwise because lazy desu

[stupidshinji]

"Special numbers club"?

[ Boy what the hell are you on and where can she get some. Because she usually doesn't trip or blaze or whatever the cool kids are calling it but wow you sound high as fuck rn. Or maybe she's high as fuck and this all just one big hallucination dream thing.

...yeah, she's hoping it's that. ]

the phonefeed is forever too~

[ursoreckless]

Yup, special numbers club.

[He grins. The dimly lit room around him looks crammed with books and the chair he's sitting on looks like black leather and as expensive as can be, especially since it had to be custom made with the grinning skull headrest.]

People who wake up with these numbers can talk to other people in the same situation. There's a kind of network for us and a bunch of rules to go with it.

[stupidshinji]

[ Waaaaarily approaching the puddle again, squatting beside it. Nice swag, but she's Not Impressed. Then again, Asuka's Not Impressed by much, so that leaves Mr. Gothic Fancypants in about neutral territory. For now. ]

You're shittin' me. Got any other juicy bits to share? 'cause not gonna lie, this sounds like a lot more fun than what I had planned.

[ ...said plans may have involved pickpocketing some rich folk around the corner for meal money. Possibly. ]

[ursoreckless]

[He doesn't really realizes the rich swank is evil at least not now but if you ask, he can drop some money for a meal. Or twenty. He's actually a soft touch when it comes that way.]

Don't talk to the police - from what I've heard, the last guy that asked about the numbers was killed and his family was torched. There's also something going around about fighting werewolves and some kind of strange creatures lurking about the Dead Zone.

[stupidshinji]

[ Duly noted... if you can get her to stop being stubborn long enough to ask, anyway. ]

Hell if I trusted those goonies to begin with. [ Nope, nope, nope. Not after they'd shot one of her girls. Nearly killed the fucker, for that, and she's still considering going back and finishing the job. ] Don't surprise me none, but how d'ya know all this? Meditation? ESP?

...lotsa drugs?

[ Still clinging to Cocaine Conspiracy. Though the grip is loosening, a bit, since this guy doesn't sound that crazy. Or at least no crazier than anyone else she's run into lately, and she's had her share of disturbed, delusional fucks to contend with. ]

[ursoreckless]

They can be a pain. [Usually when he is just driving. He's surprised that they let him keep his license at this rate.]

I found my numbers working a couple days ago and someone gave me a summary of what people know. It's not much but I get the feeling not everyone's been keeping track of stuff.

I don't do drugs. Messes up my timing too much to be useful.

[stupidshinji]

Timing? [ Out of everything he's just said, this is what Asuka pays the most attention to. She files the rest away for later. ] Timing for what, exactly? How long it takes ya to choke a bitch? 'cause I can definitely empathize there.

[ursoreckless]

Choke a bitch? [He frowns for a second as he processes the words. Then he gets it. Cue a uneasy laugh.] No, not really. I race cars and play music and you need your reflexes for both.

[stupidshinji]

[ Her eyes light up, intrigued. ]

Cars? What kinds? Fast ones, right?

[ursoreckless]

Yeah, fast cars happen to be one of my loves. [ Because that is just how he is. ] I traded my Ferrari for a McLaren MP4-12C and been putting her through her paces. I sort of like the response but I might just go back.

[stupidshinji]

Damn! Sounds like an impressive ride. [ Tooooootally jealous, here. ] Me, I just walk everywhere, but I'd love to take those wheels for a spin sometime, if you know what I—

[ ...oh. Right. Tough Girl. Clearing throat, ahem. ]



Yeah, whatever. Cool, I guess.

[ursoreckless]

It is a beautiful car and she loves to just go. [So totally not grinning at her but grinning at the thought of the car. Yup.] Oh I know what you mean. I saw this one with the burnished orange paint and just had to have it, and I usually don't like orange.

You're old enough to drive, right?

[stupidshinji]

[ ...fuck. Not orange. Anything but orange, man. Must. Quell. Interest. ]

Maybe. Why d'ya ask?

[ursoreckless]

[ It is orange, the kind of iridescent orange that looks like it's on fire and has this modification where the tail light hoods move and... yeah, a sweet ride. ]

Maybe you could try it out, but I don't know. I just got it.

[stupidshinji]

I'll pass, for now.

[ Not that she doesn't really, really want to see it, but—well, helpful as this guy may have been, she barely trusts the people she actually knows. The barbs remain, and she shakes her head. Nope, walls aren't coming down anytime soon, no way, no how.

Yet even so... ]

But thanks anyway.

[ursoreckless]

Just tell me if you change your mind. She might grow on me after the month's up. I know the color has.

[ He knows when not to press it so leaves it at that, instead going back to an earlier part of the conversation. ]

I don't think the list of stuff people know is transferable over the puddles, but I could find a different way to send on over if you want. It doesn't have that much information, but some information is better than none, right?

( audio ) OK FINE

[argents]

Wh...

[ Well, someone sure sounds rattled. ]

What did you do? Is he—?

HAHAHAHA. Go home kid, go hug your stuffed cassie or something

[stupidshinji]

[ Asuka, on the other hand, appears entirely unfazed. Due to previous puddle-initiated conversations taking place before this one, of course, and also because beating up street shits ain't nothin' but a thang to her. LIFE IN THE FAST LANE. ]

Is he what, kid? Spit it out.

i deny the existence of such a thing

[argents]

I'm asking if you killed someone!

[stupidshinji]

[ She just shrugs, good eye darting to the man's back briefly. Who is still not moving, by the way. ]

Don't think I did, but... so? He was askin' for it.

[argents]

[ Oh god he might be witness to an actual post-murder WHAT DOES HE DO. ]

I know I don't really have to ask — [ After all, it wasn't hard to surmise what brought this on... ] — but aren't you afraid of being caught? By the police, or something? If you have access to the network it's... probably dangerous to be where you are in more way than one.

[stupidshinji]

[ Panic, duh. Obviously the fastest way to get on Asuka's good side. ]

As if I give two shits about [ mocking his whiny shounen tone ] the police, oh nooooooooo. What're they gonna do, lock me up? I'm quiverin' in my boots at the thought.

But if you wanna actually do somethin' useful here, tell me more about this "network". Y'know, the Bullshit Free version, 'cause I've got zero tolerance for that.

[argents]

[ HE'S ALREADY PANICKING

Not before he's indignantly pursing his lips at his phone, though. ]

It's not just that! [ He's not really the first person that was going to go around smearing the police, not with people like Kotetsu still involved, but he can't exactly deny their involvement, either... ]

...But fine. Since I can't imagine someone hasn't tried to explain it yet, why don't you ask me what you want to know?

audio

[angelskills]

Don't worry! You're not losing your mind at all.

Um -- are you okay? What happened?

[ RANDOM GUY ON THE SIDEWALK...? ]

[stupidshinji]

Attempted groping happened. [ Gesturing callously towards the possible corpse with a jab of her thumb. ] Then that. Any other questions?

[angelskills]

[ Whaaa... so she beat the guy up herself? While she feels a teensy bit bad for him because he's out like a light, she mostly thinks whaaa this girl is kind of cool. Probably not the thoughts a good girl should be thinking but still! She's impressed. It really seems like she can take care of herself, huh? ]

Oh, um! Do you need any help? This is the first time you're connecting to this network, right? It can be a little scary at first.

[stupidshinji]

[ Probably not, but Asuka gets a fair enough impression from the lilt in her voice alone. Also she... sounds kind of cute. A little. But only a little. Though she may be scaling her usual gruffness back, as a result. ]

Nah, he's down for the count. Maybe for good, I dunno. [ A contemplative pause. ] Aw, what the hell. Shoot. Dish out some deets on this network, and I'll owe ya one, girl.

[angelskills]

[ Well... he did deserve it if he was trying to grope her... ahem. ]

Aheheh, okay!

So, everyone connected to the network because they suddenly knew these numbers. We don't really know why but we do know that mostly everyone felt something... something weird when they first knew them. And that now people have been getting new memories they never had before or have been finding new things, or getting powers.

[ Let's see... ]

There are these weird statues that also make people remember things, and there were things people were calling werewolves a little while ago. Some people went to kill them but that didn't end up too well. Oh, and we're not supposed to talk about the network to people not apart of it! It's like a secret club.

Does that make sense?

[stupidshinji]

[










































yeah there ain't enough nope.gifs in the world for this one. ]

Gonna hafta be honest, here.

Ya lost me after "suddenly knew these numbers".

[angelskills]

I'm sorry!

[ Maybe it's better to not dump a bunch of info that's probably not in any kind of order all at once. She's new at this, okay!! ]

I'll try again! When you thought of the numbers that brought up this network, did anything weird happen? Like... weird memories, or getting something strange, or being able to do something you couldn't before?

[stupidshinji]

Idiot, don't apologize.

[ It comes out before she can really think it over... not like she probably would've, anyway. A mildly annoyed tch sound escapes her, though despite her questionable temperament, she is indeed listening to what Colette has to say. ]

I got this dumb suit thing, other day. [ She unzips her sweatshirt, revealing bright, tight red attire, something like body armor. ] Came outta nowhere when some thugs were tryin' to get touchy-feely. That what you mean?

[angelskills]

[ Ack! ]

Oh - sorry!

[ ... Yeah she just apologized for apologizing. Welcome to the world of Colette, new BFF. ]

[ She pauses as she looks at the suit. Huh... well, if it appeared out of nowhere, it fits the description. ]

Yes! That's what's been happening to people. Things randomly appearing to them out of nowhere. So you're not alone, there. It's going to keep happening -- but it won't just be things. It'll be memories or maybe even new abilities.