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[lilyground]

[Lily has finally decided to sit down with a globe of Earth. She feels like a moron in conversation when she doesn't know where Europe is in relation to New York City.

Germany is kinda far away from America.]

Hey, Earth people? What countries have you been to? Yeah, and, uh... what's it like there?

[Just a little exercise to help her with

Comments

[shenghuanzhe]

Why you care about Earth?

[lilyground]

I talk to lots of people from Earth, and I wanna know what they're saying. [How does I words?] Like... like I was talking to Robin, and I didn't know where Europe was? It was awkward-ish.

[shenghuanzhe]

Learn if y'want. Earth's just one'a the shitty worlds lotsa folk come from. 'Snot really important.

[lilyground]

[Pause. Lily spins the globe, thinking.]

... Aren't all the worlds shitty, compared to here?

[shenghuanzhe]

Compared to the boat? Girl, the boat ain't a world. It's just a piece'a one.

[Kage rubs the back of his neck.]

Most Earth are too soft. Produce soft folks. Some worlds're softer. Some're harder. Most worlds wouldn't have much t'save them if y'asked them to defend why they even fuckin' exist.

[He shrugs one shoulder.]

But they don't need t'defend it, I guess. But some worlds're better than others, yeah.

[lilyground]

I mean, like... life here. Like, lots of worlds are bad places to live. But the Elegante isn't. For passengers, I guess? When there's no guns and killing?

[Pause.]

... I mean, not that you can live in a world if it was destroyed, anyway.

[shenghuanzhe]

Oh.

[KAge thinks about what she said, then nods.]

Life on Elegante is pretty fuckin' great, truth be told. And yeah, y'can't go back.

[lilyground]

Yeah. Because other places have like, wars and all that bad stuff. But there isn't war here. Just pirates, sometimes. And Jennifer.

[... Speaking of pirates...]

Have you seen any pirate ships since the zombies?

[shenghuanzhe]

'Sright. This place is safer than most places, girl. Safer'n most places in any number of worlds.

[Have an attempt at awkward notfather comforting!]

[lilyground]

[At least he's trying!]

Yeah, so it's not all bad. Sometimes I dunno why people hate it here.

[shenghuanzhe]

They don't like it here 'cause it's shoved in their faces how fuckin' little they control. They didn't control any more back where they came from, but here they gotta look that fact in the eye. Makes 'em scream.

[Surprisingly eloquent from Kage, but he's had a while to think of this.]

[lilyground]

Yeah.

[Philosophy with Kage and Lily.]

If people knew about the whole control thing, their worlds would be way different. Worse, probably. 'Cause they'd try harder to control everything, I think.