Fact A-01: Arrival

[hystorical]

 [I. Action | 1248 Williams Road | Housemates only | Early Morning]
[Welp. Waking up in the morning, as per normal. But as soon as our historian opens her eyes... they'll widen to their absolute maximum.

This wasn't her house, and nothing about the room she's in looked anything like she had seen within the Human Village...

she'll adjust, with the

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Phone

[walking_nuke]

Yeah, pretty ridiculous, ain't it? It's like we're livin' in a sitcom here. Just wait till ya hear'a kinda shit'is town pulls on'a regular basis.

I know how you feel, though. Last month I was on'a front lines, next thing I know I'm wakin' up here.

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[hystorical]

What kind of... [she doesn't say 'shit'. That's what Mokou would do.] things happen here? Can you name some?

[Front lines... A soldier?]

[walking_nuke]

[Balin scoffs followed by a chuckle. Not in any demeaning way toward here; the subtext is more like "You won't believe what you're about to hear."]

Oh yeah, I can name some. You're gonna wanna siddown for'is.

The very next day after I woke up? Somebody among'a town's leadership was killed when one of'a "civil servants" went rogue. So'a town undertook "anti-Communist procedures" an' released some kinda truth serum gas into'a air, which made people impulsively tell everyone anythin'ey were tryin'a keep under wraps. An' I mean anything. Some people got it worse and started thinkin' they were communists, even when'ey clearly didn't know what'a hell Communism is.

[There's the sound of a book being opened, and pages being turned.Oh, and this is'a gem. I'd been investigatin' this one since I first showed up. A few months ago? Like, some time around May, from what I heard? The town put out this census askin' people some real bullshit questions. Stuff you'd never find on'a real census, like "what do you fear most," desire most, "who means'a

[hystorical]

[She'll sit down as instructed, getting the feeling that she'll probably really want to, considering the nature of the answers he'll probably have for her question.]

[when he's finally done, she'll take a moment to absorb all of that, before going on to ask --] The welcome letter... Not yet, but I'll probably ask the other members of my... [a brief pause. This is still so weird...] household... about it.

[walking_nuke]

[He picks up on Keine's hesitance with the word "household."]

Heh. Don't worry. Believe me, it's awkward for everybody. But yeah, you'll wanna read that letter as soon as you can.

[And when he realizes what time of day it is, he hastily adds ...]

Oh, I better tell ya right now-one of'a "civil servants," the Milkman-every mornin' he delivers milk to everybody's doorstep, just like'ey did back in'a Fifties. Don't drink it. The fucker poisons it.

Far as I've been told, though, any of'a other milk an' dairy products from'a stores in'a town are fine.

[hystorical]

Alright, th--

[She was about to thank him for that information, when he adds on about the milk. 'milk, poisoned, every morning?!']

-- Why would they let him continue delivering milk if everyone knows that he poisons it?!

[walking_nuke]

All'a other guys in charge're as twisted as he is. That's why you get stuff like that "spring culling" event I mentioned, with'a town tryin'a make everyone kill each other.

Dist's letter'll give ya a good idea of how nasty they can get.

[hystorical]

I... see... I'll have to ask the Mistress about it then.

Thank you... um... Sorry, I don't think I got your name?

[walking_nuke]

The Mistress? You aint'a "wife" of'a house?

Oh, I'm Sergeant First Class Balin Wilbur, of'a Army'a Allied Free Sentients. You don't sound military, so you don't hafta use my rank if you don't want. "Balin's" fine with me.

[hystorical]

Oh, no... It's her title from where we're from. 'The Mistress of the Palace of Earth Spirits', to be exact.

Balin, then. It's nice to meet you. [a brilliant, beautiful little smile flashing your way] I am Keine... [she trails off, but decides not to give her family name either way, just to avoid confusion here and there.]

[walking_nuke]

Huh. Quite a title for a kid.

[Balin has no idea.]

Nice'a meet you too, Keine. I'd, uh-I'd say "welcome to Mayfield" but that'd be like sayin' "welcome to Hell," so.

[Even though says that a bit jokingly, it's got a serious context to it.]

[hystorical]

A 'kid'? No, no... She just looks that way. Being a youkai, she's probably a few hundred years old to even look that age.

Thank you, nonetheless. [her brilliant smile, as usual]

[walking_nuke]

[Wait a sec. Didn't Meiling call herself a youkai?]

A youkai? Wait-uh, is'a name "Hong Meiling" familiar to you?

[hystorical]

Hong Meiling... [... The gatekeeper? It takes a moment for her to recognize the name, considering how she isn't really all that notable.] I might have heard of the name. Why?

[walking_nuke]

She's in town. She was drunk an' nappin' on my lawn a week back.

So you guys're all from'a same place? You, your "daughter," an' her?

[hystorical]

We're all from Gensokyo, yes.