Yuffie was wandering through the island when she heard the transmission. "[Hello, Jono! I'm Yuffie. The cabins are divided on each side of the commons. Cabin K should be on the upper end of the island.]"
She cheerfully informed him without pause, still moving through the island; new faces showed up enough that it was normal now, people didn't think twice about it.
Hearing Yuffie's transmission come through his phone, Jono jumped a bit. He still wasn't used to hearing strange voices come out of it. Even more surprising, was that he hadn't freaked her out with psionic communication.
"{Uhh....hiya. Thanks for that, Yuffie. I'll start headin' that way, I guess.}"
With that, Jono turned on his heels, and started walking in a vaguely northern direction. He still didn't quite know where he was going, but he'd figure it out soon enough.
Frankly, she wasn't phased because she simply thought it was her communicator, she didn't imagine the possibility of it being any sort of mind communication. Brightest button, she was not.
"[No problem. You'll probably find cabin mates soon enough. We're all sharing. It's like a cosy deal to keep us all from getting chomped on.]" She still spoke aloud, into her device and still had that usual cheer in her voice.
She was getting used to this place, shocking as it was, things didn't really seem that out there any more. "[Has anyone warned you about the night cycle?]"
Being eerily reminded of Jubilee, his former teammate, Jono couldn't help but "smile" at the cheer in Yuffie's voice.
"{Yeh, Betsy mentioned a bit 'bout that. What's the deal with this bucket o' salt an' the little thing with "HW" printed on it? They're th' only things 'ere I can't make sense of.}"
Jono had reached one of the small shops, and was giving an appraising eye to an electric guitar he saw mounted to the back wall.
"{An'...do we need scratch in this place? I found the little string o' shops in the Commons 'ere, but all me cash had been confiscated before I came 'ere...}"
Sitara was just stepping out of her Cabin, E, with plans to head down to the snack shop (although she couldn't wait till the clothing store opened again; her closet was still empty and she hated going barefooted) when she spied the newcomer headed down the sidewalk.
Although not quite as hesitant around people as she'd been when she'd first arrived, she nevertheless paused but gave him a shy smile just the same. She didn't speak - her fears were still very ingrained, but she was learning, learning that not all humans were as evil as the Na'ar had declared.
Spying the older woman out of the corner of his eye, Jono turned, and gave her a brief nod. He was overjoyed to finally see another person on this island, despite his earlier contact with Betsy and Yuffie.
"{Uhh...hullo there. You got a name?}"
Bracing himself for the woman's inevitable "first psionic communication" freakout, Jono stopped, and waited for the woman's reply.
Surprisingly, Sitara was well versed in the means of mind-to-mind communication. She'd been raised on it, after all. Thus, the echoed voice between her ears was different, but not a horror.
She just put arms around the column of the banister and rubbed the back of her leg with one bare foot. "Sitara," she called quietly. "Sitara Morgan."
Glancing around to make sure no one else was witnessing his incredible feat of awkwardness, Jono quickly unbuttoned his cowl, to show Sitara why he wasn't speaking like a normal person, lest her curiosity get the better of her. He quickly flashed the "fire" that inhabited the space where the lower half of his face and chest use to be, before buttoning it back up.
"{'S a pleasure ter make yer acquaintance, Sitara. Mebbe I'll see yeh 'round?}"
Gesturing vaguely northward, Jono began walking again, briefly looking over his shoulder at Sitara again.
"{'M gonna go look for me cabin, 'fore night decides ter fall on us. If yeh know where K Cabin is, I would'na mind an escort, seein' as how I know next-to-nothin' 'bout this place.}"
Jono stops again, waiting to see if Sitara will follow him or not.
The front door opened, and Aerith was startled out of her book-induced reverie by the sound. She looked up and smiled at the new person - a young man with brown hair, dressed in black. Seemed to be a popular color for clothing around here.
Not expecting to meet another person so soon, Jono was a bit surprised to see the young woman before him. She looked about his age, and had a book in her lap. She had kind features, and seemed like the friendly type. Tugging at his cowl self-consciously, Jono waved with his free hand.
"{Uhh...hi there. I guess this is where I'm stayin' then? M'name's Jonothan, but y'can just call me Jono...}"
Eying the door numbers, Jono strode over to the one marked "K3" and opened it, tossing his duffel bag and overcoat onto the bed he saw inside. He walked back over to where the young woman was sitting, and plopped himself down in a chair across from her. If he was gonna be stuck here, he may as well make an effort to get along with the people he was staying with.
"{So...whaddya you people do for kicks 'round 'ere?}"
Aerith paused, looking up at him with a small frown crossing her face. She knew she'd heard him reply, but it was almost like the voice was inside her head, instead of going in through her ears. Of course she'd read about people who could communicate from mind to mind, but she'd never experienced it firsthand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jono," she said finally. Maybe she just hadn't been paying attention. "I'm Aerith."
Once he was sitting, and "spoke" again, Aerith was sure she was hearing him inside her head. That was ... freaky. She was silent for slightly too long, trying to figure things out, but then realized she was expected to say something. "Oh! Well ... I read a lot, do some hiking, and hang out with my friends. Seems to be what most people do."
Not at all surprised by her reaction, Jono "sighed" mentally. He was going to have to get used to this, at least for the first little while. With all of his experience with "normal" people, and their reactions to his telepathic communication, one would think Jono would be used to it by now.
He wasn't. There was a tiny, selfish part of the young mutant that just wished people understood, without him having to go into the details of his "condition". Jono knew he'd be a very old man before that happened, however.
"{Nice ter meet yeh, Aerith.}"
A pause. Jono was starting to feel like he was repeating himself. No one he'd asked would comment on the contents of his duffel. Namely, the bucket of salt, or container marked "HW". He knew that Acairnia played host to monsters, if what Betsy and Yuffie said was to be believed. While Jono was no stranger to fighting strange creatures, he wanted to know what he was potentially getting into, and what the strange items were used for.
"{Okay, I've got a question fer yeh. What's the deal with the
( ... )
Comments 39
She cheerfully informed him without pause, still moving through the island; new faces showed up enough that it was normal now, people didn't think twice about it.
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"{Uhh....hiya. Thanks for that, Yuffie. I'll start headin' that way, I guess.}"
With that, Jono turned on his heels, and started walking in a vaguely northern direction. He still didn't quite know where he was going, but he'd figure it out soon enough.
Reply
"[No problem. You'll probably find cabin mates soon enough. We're all sharing. It's like a cosy deal to keep us all from getting chomped on.]" She still spoke aloud, into her device and still had that usual cheer in her voice.
She was getting used to this place, shocking as it was, things didn't really seem that out there any more. "[Has anyone warned you about the night cycle?]"
Reply
"{Yeh, Betsy mentioned a bit 'bout that. What's the deal with this bucket o' salt an' the little thing with "HW" printed on it? They're th' only things 'ere I can't make sense of.}"
Jono had reached one of the small shops, and was giving an appraising eye to an electric guitar he saw mounted to the back wall.
"{An'...do we need scratch in this place? I found the little string o' shops in the Commons 'ere, but all me cash had been confiscated before I came 'ere...}"
Reply
Although not quite as hesitant around people as she'd been when she'd first arrived, she nevertheless paused but gave him a shy smile just the same. She didn't speak - her fears were still very ingrained, but she was learning, learning that not all humans were as evil as the Na'ar had declared.
Reply
"{Uhh...hullo there. You got a name?}"
Bracing himself for the woman's inevitable "first psionic communication" freakout, Jono stopped, and waited for the woman's reply.
Reply
She just put arms around the column of the banister and rubbed the back of her leg with one bare foot. "Sitara," she called quietly. "Sitara Morgan."
Reply
"{'S a pleasure ter make yer acquaintance, Sitara. Mebbe I'll see yeh 'round?}"
Gesturing vaguely northward, Jono began walking again, briefly looking over his shoulder at Sitara again.
"{'M gonna go look for me cabin, 'fore night decides ter fall on us. If yeh know where K Cabin is, I would'na mind an escort, seein' as how I know next-to-nothin' 'bout this place.}"
Jono stops again, waiting to see if Sitara will follow him or not.
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"Hi!" she said cheerfully. "Welcome to Cabin K!"
Reply
"{Uhh...hi there. I guess this is where I'm stayin' then? M'name's Jonothan, but y'can just call me Jono...}"
Eying the door numbers, Jono strode over to the one marked "K3" and opened it, tossing his duffel bag and overcoat onto the bed he saw inside. He walked back over to where the young woman was sitting, and plopped himself down in a chair across from her. If he was gonna be stuck here, he may as well make an effort to get along with the people he was staying with.
"{So...whaddya you people do for kicks 'round 'ere?}"
Reply
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jono," she said finally. Maybe she just hadn't been paying attention. "I'm Aerith."
Once he was sitting, and "spoke" again, Aerith was sure she was hearing him inside her head. That was ... freaky. She was silent for slightly too long, trying to figure things out, but then realized she was expected to say something. "Oh! Well ... I read a lot, do some hiking, and hang out with my friends. Seems to be what most people do."
Reply
He wasn't. There was a tiny, selfish part of the young mutant that just wished people understood, without him having to go into the details of his "condition". Jono knew he'd be a very old man before that happened, however.
"{Nice ter meet yeh, Aerith.}"
A pause. Jono was starting to feel like he was repeating himself. No one he'd asked would comment on the contents of his duffel. Namely, the bucket of salt, or container marked "HW". He knew that Acairnia played host to monsters, if what Betsy and Yuffie said was to be believed. While Jono was no stranger to fighting strange creatures, he wanted to know what he was potentially getting into, and what the strange items were used for.
"{Okay, I've got a question fer yeh. What's the deal with the ( ... )
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