paladorable | acatalepsy ☀ inbox

[ Rion is obviously not wasting time in taking advantage of a massive shopping place like this. She'd gotten hired on as a greeter fairly early into their arrival once she'd realized she was going to have to earn credits herself.

Worth it, really. Today, though, she's already finished her shift and is just about to head back to the hostel, but that... is definitely a familiar face lurking near one of the stores. ]

Arenvald! Hey!

[ Arenvald's default state of being since arriving here has pretty much been: :O :O?? :O!! :OOO

So Rion catches him gawping at a storefront, in awe at the sheer variety of things inside. Thank the gods for his fellow Circle members, the familiar faces are a nice break from all of the... everything about this place, and it's good to have people to help explain things. ]

Hello there Rion! What are you doing here?

Working.

[ With a dramatically heavy sigh. ]

I was just thinking that it'd be nice to have company after I got off, though-- and here you are! I'm surprisingly lucky today.

[ Rion, he didn't say anything about hanging out with you. ]

Ah.

[ In true adventurer fashion, Arenvald has been taking odd jobs around the city. Mostly ~~fetch-quests~~ deliveries and other simple things -- he's not good with technology so basic has served him best. ]

Well, if you want company, I'm more than happy to oblige. Everything here is still so overwhelming, it's nice to have a friend around.

[ Says the man in a suit of armor in the middle of a high-tech city. ]

I know what you mean. Even for a city girl like me, this is still a lot.

-- I was wondering, though, isn't that kind of hard to run around in all the time?

[ She's just going to gesture at.

All of him. ]

Hm?

[ He glances down at his... all of him. ]

The armor, you mean? I'm used to it, but I admit it makes me feel even more out of place.

... How about we fix that, then?

[ Blink blink ]

How do you mean?

Clothes shopping! I'll help you pick out something to help you blend in a little better.

[ which sounds nice, like it's out of the goodness of her heart, but honestly, she really just wants to see if Arenvald can rock modern clothing. ]

… Are you sure? I've never really... been shopping before. At least, not in a place like this.

[ As much as he is used to the armor, though, it would be nice to have something a bit lighter as an option. ]

Lucky for you, you've got a pro looking out for you.

[ Her. She means her. ]

[This message comes somewhat out of the blue, but it's important enough that Connor feels the need to reach out to someone with whom he's carved out a small sense of camaraderie with.]

Arenvald, I need-

[A pause. He exhales, his voice sounding more tired, yet laced with more urgency than before.]

I need to see you when you have the chance.

I take it that’s you, then? All right, my life is in your hands.

[ This will be… a very different adventure. ]

[ Arenvald has been wanting to talk to Connor for a bit now, but he hasn’t seen his friend around and so just assumed he was probably busy. The watches are still new enough that he doesn’t even think to use them to reach out, and instead is surprised when Connor’s voice starts coming through it.

The response is a little delayed, if only because it takes him a bit to figure out how to work the damn thing. ]

Connor? Are you all right?

I'm not running optimally any longer.

[Not that he was before, either. But now? Now there are glitches and hiccups in his code, and unravelling them and straightening them out has been tricky.

And just the very idea of errors in one's coding sets his mind on edge. For reasons pertaining to home, but Connor says nothing on that.]

Stop by. At my room back at the Hostel when you can. Please.

[ That sure was a string of words, and it takes Arenvald a second to realize what they mean when put together, at least in the context of Connor. He comes to a worrying conclusion. ]

I’m just downstairs. I’ll be up in a minute.

[ He’s in no hurry to eat more of this goop they serve in the restaurant in the lobby anyway, and tosses out the last dregs of his “meal”. He makes a beeline for Connor’s room, rapping urgently on the door. ]

Okay! First off, are you a pants or shorts kind of guy?

Er, I suppose I'm not sure. Pants? As long as it's easy to move in, I don't really mind.

[Connor seems to be waiting, with a strange, anxious sort of patience. Arenvald's knuckles will just barely be rapping at the door, when a certain android friend of his opens it rather expediently.

The furrow of his brow is troubled. There's something serious in the lines of his mouth, and though he is certainly not unfriendly in demeanor even now, he doesn't offer his usual faint grin.]

Arenvald. Come in. I've unearthed an array of information, and I need to-

[01001001 00100000 01101110 01100101 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01110011 01101000 01100001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01101001 01110100 01101000 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01101001 01101101 01101101 01100101 01100100 01101001 01100001 01110100 01100101 01101100 01111001 00101110

The flashing of his LED, from blue to yellow, bright and erratic.]

I- [He casts his gaze downwards, moving up a hand to press against his face in a useless gesture.] Sorry, I... I need to share with you what I've compiled.

... It's a start. Okay, follow me.

[ We're about to enter a Clothes Hunting Montage. ]

[ There are a lot of things that cause Arenvald alarm in the first few seconds of Connor opening the door. Namely his friend’s too-serious expression, and the rapid flashing of that light on his temple. That’s surely not normal.

He slips inside, turning to face Connor with a frown. ]

Hold on just a second. What happened? Compiled what? From where?

[ Or who, but whatever. ]

The Library.

[He drops his hand, straightening to look at Arenvald again. His LED keeps pulsing between yellow and blue, and it's obvious that Connor has the look of a man trying not to be distracted by something else careening through his mind, bits and pieces of data without proper points to connect them to each other.]

I connected myself to [01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110011 01100101 01110010 01110110 01100101 01110010 01110011] the servers there, in an attempt to glean more information about this.... about this place in an expedient manner.

I need to share with you what I've compiled. [Wait, did he already say that?]

[ Cue the bright and poppy music! ]

Thanks for your help, Rion. I’d be lost otherwise.

[ If that was supposed to make Arenvald feel less concerned… it really didn’t work. Not that he knows what it means to connect to a server, but Connor’s behavior is so very off. There is worry clear in his voice when he says, ]

You said that already.

[ He has the fear that nothing Connor tells him will make sense, but Connor reached out to him for this, so he has to do his very best. If nothing else, he will endeavor to remember it, no matter how strange and alien, and get it to someone who will understand. ]

What, ah, what did you learn?

What,you don't go shopping all that often back home? Not even on your off days?

[ not that she thinks his shops are anything like this. ]

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action; supercenter

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