children, wake up; hold your mistake up

[headandhand]

WHO: All new and remaining Dualizens
WHAT: A mysterious return! And the start of Act II.
WHERE: Begin at the dorms, move on to wherever else in the city you want.
WHEN: Right meow c:
WARNINGS: Please use these in thread headers if applicable!

Maybe it’s a stream of sunlight that invites you back to consciousness. Maybe it’s a sound - a slammed door, your roommate’s snores, panicked shouts in the hallway. Whatever it is that wakes you, you find yourself in a plain bed inside a plain room, groggy and disoriented.

Maybe this room is a familiar sight, or maybe it’s a place where you’ve never found yourself before. Whether you’re new to town or an old hand at navigating the neon-lit streets of the city outside the dorm room window, one thing is for certain - you are one of only a very few people still populating this city, and not much about Dualis is as you last remember it.

Time to wake up and start looking for answers.

Comments

[uglyminded]

"I haven't been able to tap into the city interface, so no, I don't think you can. I'm surprised it didn't give you the whole spiel." She glances off to the side, checking her skintenna feed on the screens in her eyes. Still nothing.

"What kind of proof do you want? If you ask me the whole research angle is just an excuse. This city wants the same thing my old city did--to control us."

[merged]

Sharon doesn't know what kind of proof she wants or if it's something she can even get or if it really matters. It's clear that this isn't home, even if home never really had a geographical location beyond Dad, and anything else beyond that (and the ability to leave) seems like background information. Her forehead creases in worried thought.

"I don't really fucking know, honestly." She says with a sigh, mild frustration leaking into her tone. It's not a helpful response, she's aware, but it's all she's got. Proof seems to be everywhere, from Shay's tattoo to the dorm she woke up in, and it sounded as if she should have already been given a rundown from the computer by now (which only makes her wonder if, perhaps, something's gone wrong).

"Maybe you can just point me somewhere I can learn more about this place?" She'd ask to be pointed towards the exit of this bullshit but that seems unlikely.

[uglyminded]

"Did you get one of these clunky hand-phones?" Shay pulls hers out of her pocket. She's found she can text with her skintenna, but evidently they wanted her to use the other phone functions as well.

"What there is to know you can probably find on the feeds."

apologies for how late this is; my computer died

[merged]

Sharon's forehead crinkles as she looks at the phone, slipping a hand into her vest pocket as she responds,"I grabbed my phone off the nightstand."

Or so she'd assumed. Rather than just a busted burner, she finds a second device. She pulls it out; it looks exactly like Shay's. Most people would be pretty pleased with a free phone, especially one so sleek (better than any she's ever owned, for sure), but it leaves a pit in her belly. She'll have to take her time and see what she can dig up but she's not keen on keeping it on her person.

"Uh, well... I guess I know what I'll be doing the next couple of days," she doesn't sound pleased but who would be,"I'm Sharon, by the way. Sharon da Silva."

"Thanks for the help."

no worries! I've been really distracted lately :/

[uglyminded]

Even without her Special instincts Shay can see the dread on the girl's face. And she is a girl, really, for all Shay herself is only 18. How frightening this must be for her.

"Shay," she offers in return. "You can call if you ever need anything. I get messages on my skintenna, so I'll always be available."

the world has been bonkers

[merged]

Shay? Her lips twitch up, a stiff attempt at a smile.

"Can't say I've ever heard of a skintenna" the word is weird in her mouth and comes out awkwardly but she's got an idea what it is,"but... thanks, Shay."

The offer couldn't be more appreciated, especially in the face of absolute uncertainty. For now, though, she's got a lot to figure out and she can't do any of that here in the hall. As she turns to leave back the way she came, she realizes something, looking back a moment,"And, hey, if you ever need something, you can do the same. I can't promise I'll be much help but I make a good effort."

It's nice not to feel totally alone in this.

understatement of the decade

[uglyminded]

She shrugs. She didn't really expect the girl to know what she was talking about. The important thing is that the meaning came across just fine.

She's about to turn to leave herself when Sharon makes her offer, and she smiles. Her face wasn't designed for kind smiles, but at least as long as she doesn't show teeth it doesn't have that wolfish look to it.

"Sure thing. Thanks, Sharon."