tushanshu | [Video]

[To say things had been weird since Wan arrived would be a massive, massive, massive understatement. Several hours of just plain weird. He was finally at the house he'd apparently been assigned and it was nice.

...really nice. Nicest place he'd ever had a chance to sleep in.

But that wasn't why he was at the terminal, using it for the first time. No. He had weird things to ask about.]

H-hello.

[Wan gave an awkward wave.]

I'm new here and I was told I could use this to find out information if I had any questions. I have a few. They're about the turtle that found me and this strange feeling I've been having since I woke up. They're unrelated. The turtle was giving me a strange feeling, but I got that one sorted out.

Anyway, first about the turtle. Her name is Rio'era. She wanted to come home with me, but the home I was given was not the home she wanted to go back to. I mean, I can find her anywhere with the spiritual connection she's given me, but I- I'm not getting to the point. I just wanted to know if that was normal?

A turtle the size of a small house calling out to you when you get here and all that. The people that introduced me to the computers didn't mention anything about smaller turtle spirits doing that. They only mentioned the giant turtle spirit we're all living on right now.

The other question I have is about this strange feeling of... well, I'm not sure. It's like I can feel myself in two other places, but I can't pinpoint those places. I can just feel them. Out there.

Floating around.

...Somewhere.

[Wan quieted, trying to remember if there was anything else.]

Oh! I'm supposed to find a job! I've never had one in a human city before! So that's pretty exciting. If I can get one. How do I get one? Is there a place I can volunteer to go hunting outside the city or something? Cause I've done that before... sort of.

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Yeah. [Her face sours a little while her hand fidgets in irritation.] Assuming it is earned beforehand, anyway.

Do you think it wasn't?

I mean. I'm not saying you're not qualified. I just don't get what the process is.

Oh. That.

[He shrugged.]

They can probably get a good sense of us when they touch our spirits with theirs. Rio'era reached out with her mind and spirit to call me to her. I'm sure all the Great Turtles can learn something about a person that way.

I guess that makes sense.

They do really like learning.

Are all of them like that? I've only met Rio'era so far. But she did bring up her sisters and brothers. She has a lot of them!

Kind of. In their own way.

Yeah, she does. Sometimes when they talk to you they're all talking to each other at the same time. It can be a little much.

I think it's great. As long as they don't all try to talk to me at the same time, I don't think there's anything wrong with them talking to each other. It's really neat that they can do that at all. Talk in our heads, I mean. Since they have mouths I wouldn't have expected that.

Yeah, they're really impressive. And great. I've been taking care of Hector for a long time, now.

I'm guessing you haven't talked to Asti yet?

The Great Turtle? No. I only got here this morning and I was told to come here, to the house they're giving me. Was I supposed to try and talk to him?

[Had he screwed up?]

No, I was just wondering. [She nods, hopefully reassuringly.] It's not a bad idea or anything, but it's not like it's a requirement or anything.

Have you talked to him?

Not much. He comes around dreams sometimes, and you can kind of feel him if you hang around enough, but that's mostly it for me.

I'm not really surprised. The Lion Turtle that protected the city I grew up in didn't seek out humans to speak them. We had to approach him and mostly that was just to ask for aid in protecting ourselves when we left the city. Great protectors like that usually have a lot more to focus on.

Lion Turtle, huh? I guess this is more normal to you than to most people.

If you mean living in a city on the back of a Great Turtle? Yeah. It's something I've done before. But that's about as close to normal for me as it really gets. These computer things are new. Free houses are new. Having my soul...uh...

[Was he supposed to talk about that out loud or not? He knew there were a few things he wasn't allowed to talk about directly.]

You know where. That's new. Used to it being inside me.

Okay. Yeah. I think in general that's backwards from a lot of the people here.

Except for the soul thing. That's pretty normal.

You come from a world with the computers and free houses? The computers seem very useful for talking to others, but... the free houses are a lot better. It's a shame the food isn't so free. Not that being given a house isn't very generous, but not having to work and find a job just to stay fed would be a lot more useful. And nicer. I can live without a roof over my head. I can't live without food.

Mostly the computers thing. Well, depending on where you are in people's worlds, I think. Free housing for free, not so much, but like, free housing from people who you're getting something from isn't unheard of.

Feeding us'd be nice too, though.

What's your world like?

[Wan leaned in on his elbows, completely interested in hearing about a world that sounded so very different than the two he knew.]

Well. It's uh. Earth. [She's been asked this question before, but she's never really been sure how to answer it.] How about we start smaller? I could tell you about my city.

Sure. That sounds like a great place to start.