tushanshu | 01

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01 | Video

Hello..?

[Have yourself a twelve year old girl testing the water on the shiny new thing and mumbling to herself a little as she does.]

...I hope I'm doing this right.

[Oh right. The people can hear her. Sarah takes a deep breath and gets to talking.]

I uh, gotta say, this is some real crazy stuff going on. I don't even know where to start makin' sense of any of it. The Kedan people, the ones that work here? I think they work here. Live here? I dunno. They explained a lot of stuff but I'm still trying to wrap my head around even being here.

[Sarah pauses. When she speaks again it's with a little less certainty.]

Do they ever make mistakes with who they bring here? I'm not sure I'm the monster fighting type.

[Not real ones anyway.]

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Yeah! I hope so.

[Sarah really misses her old man. Hearing he's doing alright is a comfort but seeing it for herself would definitely help a lot more.]

The whole time thing is gonna confuse him real bad though. Dad's not too good with this kinda thing, even when it's just on tv. Actually living it will make him freak!

[It's a happy thought, and one she'll latch on to.]

[Oh, Sarah. You have no idea. None at all.

Tess just smiles, almost sadly.]

Yeah, I'm sure he will.

[She smiles a little but it's no where near as happy as a kid's smile should be. Sarah falls silent a moment, eyes down.

When she looks up again, it's with a question.]

Say Tess? You wouldn't know where I could get some clothes, would ya?

[Her voice is quiet, almost wary. It's time to slightly face that thing she's been avoiding.]

There are a lot of clothing stores in Earth sector. That's where I live. It's the place with all the stone sculptures.

[She'll just be digging out that pamphlet the Kedan gave her.]

Earth sector... Got it.

[That's good to know, but she's still wearing blood soaked pajamas.]

[Okay yeah, Tess only sort of vaguely noticed that at first, probably because she's pretty used to people wearing dirty, bloody clothes all the time, but the amount of blood on what Sarah's wearing might be a little off-putting to kedan shop owners.]

Uh. I might have something - it'd be pretty big - wait, have you talked to Ellie? She, uh. She also knows your dad, she's... close to your age, I think.

[Sarah nods.]

Yeah, she and I have talked a little, but not much.

I gotta say, it's... strange, meeting all these people that know him from so far away.

Yeah, I - I'm sorry, I can imagine how tough this must be for you.

[She has an inkling, at least - she knows there's a gap of months, between her own death and the point at which Ellie arrived, which means there's a relatively big chunk of time that she's just not aware of, which is really disconcerting. And that is only maybe six months. Tess can't even imagine what twenty years would feel like.]

[It's got to be weird meeting her as well. Especially if what she remembers happening actually did happen.]

I just... wish he was here, you know? This wouldn't be so scary if he was.

So do I, kid.

[Tess really, really does. This is one hell of a place, maybe a place for a second chance, but he has to be here first. And damn, she misses him.]

I'm sure he'll be along sooner or later.

He's always runnin' late.

[More like he's always trying to do more than time allows for the good of them both. Sarah shrugs.]

I got him a new watch though. Maybe that'll help him along.

[She smiles, but it doesn't meet her eyes. In twenty years would he even have that watch anymore?]

It's broken these days, so I don't think it'll help him much.

[Tess is the one who keeps him on a schedule, usually.]

Broken!

[Her face falls a little a that.]

Well... I hope he got some use out of it at least. I only just gave it to him a few hours ago.

[For her, at least.]

It was a birthday present.

He still wears it.

[Tess can't help but tell her that - even though it probably is just one more indication of what the kid already knows. That he wears it to remember her.]

Somehow, I'm not surprised.

[And Sarah can immediately guess why. Her face falls.]

...Oh.

[Nodding faintly, Sarah forces a smile. Focus on the good things, Sarah.]

Y-yeah. He was always complaining about the other one being broken so. I dunno.

Hey, look. You hungry? How about if I drop by your suite here? I can bring you some clothes and food. That sound all right?

[She takes a second or two to process what's asked and nods her head.]

That'd be great, Tess.

[Her smile turns a little more genuine. And then another question comes to mind.]

You uh... think you'll have anything that'll fit me?

Not very well - but it'll do until we can buy you something else. You should at least be able to walk into a shop without getting nasty looks.

Heh, yeah. Pajamas I could probably get away with. Maybe. But the blood's a bit much so... So. Okay! Thanks, Tess. I really appreciate it.

[And she should probably give directions to where she lives.]

I'm at WO-3A. That's not too far from you, is it?

[Honestly, Sarah hopes Tess is close by. There's something safe about the woman.]

Not far. I'll be there in a few.

Okay!

[She'll just go wait out front. Or well, towards the front. It's cold out there!]

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