Video - Late Friday Night

[imbibing]

[The video flickers on to a close shot of a dark-haired woman's face. It's possibly you might have seen her face before, on the ad at the bus stop, or model that new dress in a magazine. She usually appears to exude pure confidence in her photographs, but right now, she doesn't look confident in the least.

If anything, she appears to be a bit apprehensive.]

I don't know if this is the right place for this. [She runs a hand through her long, black hair.] I'm not even sure if all this is real.

[Her thoughts flicker to the newly-formed scar on her chest. She shakes her head, as if to dismiss the thought entirely.] What am I saying? It had to be real!

[She forces her lips to curl up into a small, tight-lipped smile.]

I'm Misato Katsuragi. I don't remember any of my past life, but I'm hoping that someone out there might be able to tell me more. If that name or this face mean anything to you, I'd like you to call me. My number's 555-736-7360.

[Her smile widens now. It's certainly more genuine than the smile a few minutes before -- and relaxed, too.]

Hope to hear from you soon!

Comments

[espigeonage]

It is pretty ideological, I know.

[He smiles faintly, showing a little unhappiness but not the full depth of it with this admission.] It's pretty normal for bird monsters. Unfortunately.

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[imbibing]

[Misato's eyes widen at that.]

Bird monsters?!

[Okay, now things are getting really weird.]

Well, that had to be some alternate reality, if your suspicions are correct.

You know, as much as I want to know about that other me, a part of me is thinking I'm better off not knowing. I mean, things are pretty great right now; I don't need anything to compare the here and now to, really.

[espigeonage]

Seems like! If not just... birds.

[He sighs, more deeply than humans can manage, and shrugs a feathery shoulder.]

All this is a bit of a can of worms, I'm afraid. If the good outweighs the bad, that's a grand thing! But it does tend to come with unpleasant things, too.

[imbibing]

Okay, this is going to kill me until I know, but how do you sleep with those things?

[She waves an arm in front of the screen so he knows exactly what she's talking about.]

[espigeonage]

[Julien snorts, amused.]

It's kind of an ongoing process, figuring that out! Mostly I'm fine keeping them folded. Of course I have to practically be in the fetal position these days. Way too stupidly tall.

[imbibing]

How tall are you, anyway? It's hard to tell these things on camera.

[espigeonage]

Well, I used to be five five. Now if I stand up straight it's something like seven.

[Julien then drawls.]

You have no idea how much I've come to hate doorways.

[imbibing]

[Misato lets out a little laugh at that.] No kidding.

Do you mind if I ask you a personal question? [And if he affirms he does, she continues.]

What was your first time like? Your echo, I mean.

[espigeonage]

[Julien shrugs again.]

I actually prefer the term "pulse". I'm a rebel like that. [Another wink.] Anyway, my first was actually a year ago. As far as I can tell it's just... really wanting to be in shape.

I've put on a lot of muscle since then, and that wasn't a pulse.

[imbibing]

Oh? [Misato raises an eyebrow at that.] Well, there's certainly worse things to end up with!

[A beat, and then:]

You... [She hesitates.] You don't happen to know if any of our physical changes can be reversed, do you?

[espigeonage]

That part was kinda nice.

[He smiles faintly.] Well, if you leave Locke that helps. It used to remove everything, and you'd forget about all this too. Now things are different, but there's still an effect.

If I leave I remember most stuff, it's just hazy and kind of confused. But I've got weird feet out there, and claws on my hands, and my arms are all furry. Might be different if I got further away.

[imbibing]

[That's piqued Misato's interest.]

How are they different? Do you mean there's still a chance my physical appearance won't change if I leave the city?

Honestly, there's nothing I remember, anyway. Other than the stuff Shinji told me. And that wasn't a heckuvalot.

[espigeonage]

If you pulsed back a different look, it might be gone if you're away, or just lessened. You'll have to try for yourself! It comes back when you do.

Heh... well, there's time. And if you went and tested it now you could see if you remembered talking about it with me.

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[imbibing]

[Musing to herself] It comes back, huh?

[She frowns briefly, but then smiles.]

You know, we should meet up sometime! You don't seem like that bad of a guy.

This Wednesday work for you?

[espigeonage]

Alas, yes. That is a way out, at least, even if it's not always simple.

Ahaha, thank you! Well, sure, I've got a pretty open schedule these days. I can ask you about how your career started out. You have a particular place in mind?

[imbibing]

There's a little cafe I've been meaning to try out called Lord of the Fries. Think you can meet me there around seven?

[espigeonage]

I went in when it opened, but not since! And sure. Hopefully they'll let me in.

[Video]

[imbibing]

See you then!

[Action]

[espigeonage]

[Julien's there before she can arrive. It's a usual time for this kind of thing to be crowded, but while there are people, some are put off by him. Actually there's a couple who walked in before Misato who double-taked at him, stared, and decided to eat elsewhere. The manager is watching as if trying to decide whether to ask him to leave.

Julien can't sit in a booth properly, so he's astride a chair, four feet of feathered tail slanting to the ground, great white wings folded, long scaly red feet out flat before him. At the most casual glance he's just a young man in a heavy white cloak. Someone has modified this polo shirt so that he could wear it.]

Galu! Glad you could make it.

Action

[imbibing]

[People are still staring at the bird-man before Misato even walks in. She has to admit, that wingspan is pretty impressive. And those feet, too. She silently prays that nothing like that ever happens to her, because the second it does, her career is over.]

Hi, there! [She offers Julien a friendly smile as she steps inside. Misato pulls off her sunglasses and hooks them onto the collar of her shirt as she approaches their table.] Fancy seeing you here.

Misato sits across from him, trying her best to adjust her legs so she doesn't inadvertently play footsie with Julien. His feet were pretty hard to miss.]

So-- [She leans over the table, placing her elbows on the table. She sets her face in her hands.] you mind answering a few more questions of mine?

[espigeonage]

[Julien hates the attention he gets these days, how put off some people are. But there's nothing he can do but be happy-seeming and good-natured, and wait for it to sink in that even if he's a monster, he's a harmless one.

His legs are spread since he's astride the chair. He adjusts them so that he can clasp and knit his toes together, so they don't stick out so dramatically far.]

Sure! I should note that my exact height and weight are classified. [Another casual wink.]

[imbibing]

[Misato laughs at that.] Don't worry, so are mine!

[Their waiter comes by to take their drink orders; Misato orders a diet coke.]

You've been around since virtually the beginning, huh? So you've got to have some idea of what everyone's like, right?

[She waits for his affirmation before she continues.]

So, anything I should know about any of the others? I'm sure there's some people I should probably avoid, right?

[Marina's already on the top of that particular list.]

[espigeonage]

[The waiter eyeballs him. Julien asks for a water. He lost his job when the feathers happened, so he's being careful with his savings.]

Mmm, some.

[Julien has to hesitate.]

Wellll... more than a few people talk worse than they are. I'm biased, I know, I tend to like them anyway. Like I think Marina and Teagan are really all right, but I get why people don't feel the same.

I don't really uh... I tend not to think of people that way. [He gives her a feathery shrug.] I tend to avoid anyone who seems to have a lot of anger and lashes out, and anyone who brags about torturing animals, or just... strikes me as genuinely unpleasant and not just moody, but that's kind of an individual call.

[imbibing]

[Somehow, Julien has managed to touch a nerve.]

I don't get it! Why do people have to be so rude? I mean, we're all in this together, aren't we? We should be helping each other, not acting like a bunch of assholes.

[Misato is still silently fuming when the waiter sets their drinks down on the table. Misato picks up her menu and stares down at it, determined to focus on something that'll make her happy -- like something good to eat. She's still sulking when she opens her mouth to speak again.]

People who torture animals are the worst kind of scum there is.

[She looks up from her menu.]

There aren't those kinds of people among our group, are there?

[espigeonage]

[Julien blinks, shrugs, and declines to comment. He's very easygoing and hates to get into arguments.]

[Also he can't pick up something like a menu in his remaining fingers very well. Feathers get in the way. Instead he focuses, and slowly the long white flight feathers bend at their many hidden joints, like spider's legs, until he can grasp it delicately in a wing like a massive flattened hand.]

They're - pretty dismaying, yeah.

Well... There's Shiro. I stopped talking him in the fall, when he said he ate small things alive. [Pigeons, actually. Julien hastens to add-] I think he does it because of a pulse - still, I'd rather avoid him completely.