middleofsomewhere | What their Eyes See: Optional Ongoing

By day eight the Voidtreckers have made a good deal of progress in all their tasks but there is still a lot to do to help the people of the city.

It is around mid morning when there is a message on their comms. For those that want to help it is easy to either find Anan herself or ask for netpoints and scanners to be brought to them by Chiff.

Illusions have gotten worse, uncertainty and fear are rising across all tiers and the situation is becoming more chaotic by the day. Indeed especially on the first and second tiers it seems that the voidtreckers themselves are being targeted, with creatures stalking them and attacks on their minds to make them believe that what they are seeing is real.

Same inside the Spectura system, the vines seem to almost be on the offensive against the voidtreckers though things are getting better outside the game system as more of the vicitms are freed and wake up.

Almost opposite to the situation on the lowest tier, which is getting more chaotic by the day. Anger is bubbling over, people are frightened and in a place like this the only real way to express that fear is through anger.

There has been a lot of progress but there is still a lot of work to do, especially as many of the voidtreckers have started to realise, this all seems a little too familiar.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Typical. At least Roland does have the decency to know what he's done instead of dismissing and continuing with his notebook, which Tidus can appreciate. Going over to lean his weight on the back of a chair with a foot folding over the other, except--

Except for as comfortable as that would be, Tidus realises what telling a guy more used to paper than a keyboard is going to keep them here longer than necessary. A point Tidus had considered when getting the thing, but he lifts away from his perch with a sigh, coming over to Roland and sitting a hand on his shoulder as he leans down.

"Riven, new document voice mode."

And if Roland hasn't gotten to that portion yet, it pops up now, or changes the document he's opened: a symbol appearing on the screen. Tidus says nothing, moving back a step and making a gesture of 'go on'.

It's voice mode, pops. Time to let the riven do the writing.

He whistles low.

To say that it was an impressive feature is an understatement. Voice activation tech wasn't necessarily new, but boy did Tidus activate it with presentation! And what's Roland if not easily caught up in those things just as much as the actual act itself? He chuckles, watching the symbol pop-up, eyes wide and eager. Bright-eyed as if years didn't hide behind his face.

He doesn't need to be told twice, either. The gesture is met with an approving nod before he turns back to the riven with full attention. Clearing his throat, he goes:

"Note to self: purchase gifts for Inigo and Taiki." He pauses, watching the screen close to see if it follows his words. It does, and it's a marvel to behold. Roland continues. "Buy food they might like for their party, and-" ah! "-look for something in Faraway Forest, shop purchase."

That was a curious addition, but Roland seems confident in the instruction. Perhaps the mystery will unfold sooner than later.

"Did you want anything too? Come on, I'm buying. Heh." Roland tilts slightly to the side to meet Tidus's gaze across the table and the tablet, a small smile on his face. "You're part of the party too, birthday or not. Oh, wait hold on-!"

Unfortunately, the riven continues to register Roland's voice notes despite the latter half addressed to someone actually in the room with him. He scowls slightly, waiting for the cursor to pause in its typing before a flurry of reprimands fly out of his lips unwittingly. 'Backspace, delete. Delete. Not that much! No don't write that down!'

It's fun, watching Roland experience the new gadgetry with a better ease than he was before. This was the function that made Tidus buy it for the man. He just could see the guy with a riven, talking away his thoughts and letting it document everything, with the same energy as he would be jotting away in the various of notebooks he made appear from thin air whenever a note was necessary.

And then the obvious happens. Obvious, but Tidus hadn't planned or expected this, any answer he had to the offer interrupted by the trip-up that leads to more, and to give a lending hand-

"Riven, pause! -- did it work?" Look, he's not actually playing that close attention to know from where he hangs out, but he'll rest his forearm on Roland's shoulder again to check, and for the portion of text Tidus figures isn't wanted, he drags a slow finger across where it reads on the screen, highlighting it and pressing a symbol that appears on its own upper keyboard to delete it.

"You can do that to move it down a line too, or you can highlight it for real. I had a model like this I used for school. Hey, you'll get the hang of it!"

There's a ticklish humour in the way Tidus speaks, and he pats the man on the shoulder as he leans off him.

"And don't worry about me, you can just help me buy things! We wanna get some drinks too, and the ingredients for a cake. I saw a recipe in a book that Taiki can eat too."

"Huh. Would you look at that?" This was indeed, a pleasant surprise. For all the intimidation of a new piece of technology from another world, it wasn't so different from the tablets he used back on Earth. He had one in particular that he would never leave home without. Would there be any merit in bringing that to the train...?

Of course not. There was no need of it now. He had this.

He looks up to nod thanks before Tidus crosses back to his seat opposite him on the table. The rest, suddenly, becomes easier for Roland to maneuver. The demonstration was one thing, but muscle memory supplemented the way his finger hovers a bit more comfortably across the transparent screen, putting the cursor back to where it was on voice function.

He types the rest quickly - unlike how he would type on the ICP's back on the train - and then collapses the riven altogether. Whatever it was he added, Roland didn't seem keen on giving Tidus a preview.

"Looks like your boys night is gonna be jam-packed, then. I'd suggest movies, but that's more my style." He stands up, dusting himself off. "Besides, it sounds more like a social affair. I'll let you know what I get for it after the mission, yeah?"

There's some curiosity, but Tidus doesn't bother to ask, bound to find out the details when the time is more relevant for discussing it. As Roland makes mention, there's a mission there's on, a task to get to, and Tidus rises off from his place of rest.

"Sure, let's not get the same things. Alright! Anan wants us to put netpoints in some good places. Let's find some bigshots and bug their buildings! Or you wanna go full Roland-play and see if you can shake the hand of some CEOs?"

Get it? Roleplay, Roland play? He's a natural at these puns!! And pumped to get going, especially with the activities that awaited them once this mission was over.

He doesn't quite chortle at that, but it's a pun appreciated with an easygoing smile. "Heh. You got a comedy routine I don't know about?"

Roland stands to height, looking ahead, all of a sudden a bit more serious than when the riven was out, speaking of gifts to buy and nights to plan. "Anyway. I was thinking of hitting level four, actually. I mean, tier two was practically the stairway to heaven and it's pretty messed up." He grips his hand into a fist. "What more at the lowest level where those bigwigs don't even care to look at? Anan says that's where she needs them the most, too."

So off he'll go there, not one to be dissuaded when his mind is set.

Though at least, for the time being, his playfulness hasn't subsided quite just yet. "I'll get you a souvenir."

Gah, tier four. He shouldn't really be worried about that though, and it doesn't rub him the same way as when they first got the mission reports, with tier fours jobs being about the underground fight clubs. All the levels had people of different living standards, and it wasn't the fighting that Roland was likely to be getting involved in. Anan needed info, and connections.

So- "Sure. You don't let your pretty face get you in trouble." Which even Tidus can't say with a straight face. "I'll keep an eye on things up here, check on the higher level. Maybe I'll take those sneaking lessons from Guri when we get back. It's never really been my strong suit."

He's the kind of guy to leave a mess behind him.

What their Eyes See: Optional Ongoing

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject