Open log

[prunedworlds]

WHO: Ritsuka + anyone
WHERE: just some random street corner
WHEN: 1st of July
WHAT: Ritsuka found herself whisked away to another world? Must be Tuesday...
WARNINGS: Probably none, this time

There's a new face in town! Or at least, there's a redheaded young woman who, while not appearing particularly bewildered or confused, most definitely is spending some time looking over the surrounding buildings and cityscape. As one does when trying to figure out where one is or how to get where one needs to go. In any case, it's definitely true no one here's seen her in town before!

Should you approach, though, she'll promptly swap from that evaluating stare to a friendly grin.

"Oh, hi there! Are you from around here?"

If you're especially observant, though, you might notice a set of red marks on the back of her right hand. But that's probably not important, right? Right.

Comments

[prunedworlds]

"Well, I just got here, yeah. And I haven't gone somewhere like how I got here before, but..."

What was the simplest way to put this?

"I've been to other places, at least."

She'd be more specific, but that would require even more explanation.

[youwouldntdownloada]

"That's why I had to ask- I didn't realize it was...a problem in other worlds? I mean I guess it makes sense if the door opens one way to begin with but..."

Yasuho rubs her head. "Ugh- I think I'm overcomplicating this...I'm sorry I can't actually explain anything else, I just barely understand it myself."

[prunedworlds]

"Oh, it's fine! I'm pretty sure most people haven't done that kinda stuff, anyway."

She'd sure hope not, at least. Ritsuka wouldn't complain but she's definitely aware that her situation isn't the sort of thing anyone would want to happen.

"Anyway, if there's a lot of people from other worlds here, maybe some of them didn't know what was going on. But even if they did, that doesn't mean being able to do anything about it. It's like... if you're walking on a hill, you can change what direction you go, but it's the hill that decides if you're going up or down? You can't just walk through it to avoid going up, or walk on air to avoid going down. But this is another direction besides that."

[youwouldntdownloada]

Somehow, the world feels like it might be spinning.

It's not spinning of course, but the more Ritsuka explains, the more that's how it feels, and she's not even entirely sure why. Yasuho blinks as she mentally goes over each word of how the other is explaining things, trying to picture it in her head; the hill, moving along it, and so on. "I think...I get it..?"

She.. Thinks? "....so, you've put a tunnel through the hill?"

She may not have gotten it.

[prunedworlds]

Ritsuka laughs a little.

"Sorry, I guess that doesn't really make a lot of sense, huh?"

Though to be fair, it really is hard to explain.

"But no, making a tunnel would be like someone controlling whether or not they go to another world? Instead of not being able to help it. It's not that you don't notice something's happening, but you can't really do anything about it..."

[youwouldntdownloada]

"No, no, it's probably just as hard to explain it isn't it..?" she protests, shaking her head. "When you put it like that then it's more like a sudden sinkhole if we're still using that Hill as an example...Or maybe an unseen cavern..."

Hmmmm...

"I do hope things can get sorted out quick for you though- I'm a little astounded that anyone can support themselves after coming in from nowhere like that."

[prunedworlds]

Well, yes and no. That is to say, the sinkhole thing definitely describes some cases (somewhat literally for Ritsuka on a few occasions) but, well, it's complicated. And Ritsuka arguably has far too much experience with this, anyway.

"Oh, that part isn't too hard, if you don't mind working a bit and staying at whatever's available."

Which is to say, she's had to camp out and hunt monsters for extra supplies plenty, too.

shout out to the free phones OUs get i guess hgvnjklfnhbgv

[youwouldntdownloada]

"Mmmm...I wonder..."

She trails off somewhat, but whatever she intended to say is ultimately lost. Instead, she changes tracks entirely. "...I think from here the best help you can get is going to be from Josuke- a friend I contacted...but, if I find anything else, maybe I can contact you somehow. Do you have a phone on you at all? It might still work here."

Or you know, maybe you found one. It be that way.

Zodiac is thorough in distributing their spyware

[prunedworlds]

Normally, Ritsuka doesn't carry a phone. Not anymore, at least. Not really much point when humanity's gone and all their networks and such with them. However...

"Well, there was one I found in my pocket after I got here..."

Now that? That's something Ritsuka actually considers weird.

yasuho whippin out her red-string corkboard like,

[youwouldntdownloada]

"It....just in your pocket huh..."

You know what. She won't question this!

"...Can you get through the lock screen..? It's just a hunch, but I have a bad feeling about who it's going to belong to..."

Rather, she's pretty sure it's Ritsuka's for sure. Definitely.

This is so sketchy.

Ritsuka's been here a few hours and she already thinks Zodiac is sus

[prunedworlds]

To be fair, that's probably fairly low on the list of weird things that have happened to Ritsuka. Though the more she hears about this place, the more suspicious some of this is sounding.

"Oh, let me see..."

Give her a second to take it out and try just that! For that matter, there's only the briefest moment of hesitation as she recalls just how these things work, but sure enough, it does indeed seem to be 'her' phone.

"... Huh."

[youwouldntdownloada]

Yasuho is having a moment.

The moment is, 'that time when she thought Libra was malware'.

"....so...it's yours huh..."

Maybe Zodiac really should've just burned...

[prunedworlds]

It installs itself and resists all attempts to remove it, of course it's malware. Ritsuka may have been out of touch with the rest the world for the past few years, but she definitely remembers that being a thing to be wary of.

"I guess it's kinda convenient, but..."

[youwouldntdownloada]

The Girls are Harmonizing-

"It's super suspicious right?!" Yasuho knows exactly how she feels! "I tried replacing my phone and the app moved to the new device! And this was before I had Paisley!"

She might have to explain Paisley. "The company claims they have no idea why it happens either- which has to be either a lie, or completely neglectful..!"

[prunedworlds]

"It did that by itself?"

Yeah that's absolutely a malware thing. And also...

"How would it even know your new phone was yours, anyway?"

[youwouldntdownloada]

"It did," she confirms, nodding seriously. "That's what I'm talking about- it's not normal application behavior at all; and somehow we still can't find a single clue towards why it can do this."

[prunedworlds]

"That sounds pretty weird, yeah..."

Pretty much everything she's heard about this Zodiac group sounds incredibly sus.

[youwouldntdownloada]

With little else to do but agree, Yasuho simply nods. "...I am....so sorry about it, honestly..."

It's just Incredibly Sus!

"There's also some kind of weird places that you'll probably end up in front of as well- at least, it feels like I've ended up at stores I don't remember seeing before now that this app is here..."

Like Void Dennys.............................

[prunedworlds]

"It's not like it's your fault..."

No need to apologize!

"Like places that weren't there before and just showed up, or ones that were always there and you never noticed?"

[youwouldntdownloada]

"Honestly while every bone in my body wants to say the first one, the fact that people have been patrons at these places before says it has to be the latter; they might not have 'always' been there, but they were at least there before I could see them."

[prunedworlds]

"Then maybe they were hidden by magecraft? I think there's spells that make it harder for people to notice things, especially if they aren't mages..."

She's seen so much crazy stuff in the past few years.

[youwouldntdownloada]

"You think so?" Oh-

OH! Yasuho blinks. "....people still think I'm blond."

It's clicking.

[prunedworlds]

"Really?"

Ritsuka actually finds that more surprising. Hair dye is a thing, after all!

[youwouldntdownloada]

"Really! I actually thought I'd messed up the dye I was trying...but instead, everyone I ran into who had known I was going to try a new box asked if I'd changed my mind and just not done anything with it........"

Embarrassing

[prunedworlds]

"That's definitely weird..."

Again, this is the modern age, hair dye's common enough, surely nobody would think pink hair was odd, right?

"Like, that sounds kinda like they only didn't notice because your hair changed because of magic or something? And they don't notice anything magical..."