❝first yell❞ | video | just before nightfall on oct3

[hatestoswim]

[There is a video out broadcasting to the world right now. It appears that the PORTAL device is face down in a pile of .. underwear? In any case, you can hear shuffling in the background as though someone is pacing rapidly and breathing rather hard. Which Taiga totally is, because she's kind of freaking out. She'd gone to sleep in her apartment,

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[gracereturning]

The first thing you may want to do is try to calm down. Things will be much easier to explain if you're open to hearing them.

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[hatestoswim]

[There is a lot of breathing going on through the comm device, but the girl stops moving. And she's glaring now, though she's not saying anything. Calm down?! They want her to CALM DOWN?]

Y-You .. t-tell me what is going on.

[It's obvious that there is a hell of a lot of rage being pent up right now. Warning: explosion imminent.]

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[gracereturning]

My name is Anna. The first thing I want you to know is that I haven't done this to you. I'm in the same situation you are... I've just been here longer. You've been brought to this city - it's called Promenade - from your own world, for some reason or another. The locals... Like to tell us we've simply been asleep, and that our lives have been a dream, and that we've simply woken up. I think it may be the other way around... But so far, no one has found a way to leave again of their own will.

I know it's a lot to take in. [ She remains... calm and still. ]

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[hatestoswim]

[In the mean time, Taiga is freaking out on the other end, staring at the camera as though she can't believe her eyes. Because she can't! Or what she's hearing! Her life was a dream. No, that didn't make sense. Things that had happened .. with Ryuuji .. that couldn't have been a dream..]

N-No one can leave?! .. I don't .. understand..

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[gracereturning]

Would you like me to come to you? This may be easier to take in if someone's with you in person. [ She's worried, okay? This looks like... just a kid. ]

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[hatestoswim]

[She has a right to be concerned, though Taiga is 18 years-old at this point, despite her looks. So Anna probably shouldn't mention that she thinks that Taiga is a kid.]

N-No! I just .. why are we here?! For someone else's amusement?!

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[gracereturning]

[ To someone as old as Anna is - old as the Earth, and older - 18 is still very much a child. ]

The people who are native to this city are convinced we belong here. Despite how untrue we all believe it, this is what we're told time and time again, every time we ask.

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[hatestoswim]

.. But that c-can't be true. If we belonged here, then why weren't we here all along? [Gah, her head is starting to hurt!]

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[gracereturning]

The people here say we were. That we were just asleep and dreaming. I don't expect you to believe it... I don't. But you do deserve to know.

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[hatestoswim]

They're lying! You all are being lied to!

Isn't anyone trying to get people home?!

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[gracereturning]

Of course we are. But the city never ends. There's no way out.

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[hatestoswim]

B-But .. then .. what do we do?!

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[gracereturning]

Try to make the best of life here as much as we can, until we find something that leads us home. It isn't so bad. There are times when it's frightening and unsafe, but for the most part, we just... live.

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[hatestoswim]

T-That's it?! Just pretend like this is normal?!

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[gracereturning]

I'm afraid there isn't much else. I've heard rumors of a group wanting to rise up against... But nothing more than that. After learning what's to come if ever I leave, I'm content to be here.

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[hatestoswim]

What do you mean, something will happen to you when you leave?