first puzzle | first level; east meridian (also second level, if necessary)

[scotopic]

[There's a thin, disheveled-looking man wandering about the east side of the city in a particularly odd, hunched manner. Every so often, he stops and picks up a coin from the ground in front of him.

He won't visibly seem to notice anyone who approaches, but he is watching, out of the corner of his eye.]

[[ooc: permissions reminder!! c:]]

Comments

the most helpful reply---which I then edited to be at least a little so

[meddlefussyfang]

[A human with unruly hair and a bizarre preoccupation with objects littered on the ground. Gamzee comes to mind.

Kanaya slows and watches the man pass, contemplating whether he seems likely to space out and walk into nearby walls.]

n__n

[scotopic]

[B doesn't look up, but he does see her, and he begins speaking to her even though he appears to still be staring at the small collection of coins in the palm of his hand.]

Do you happen to know what these are?

[meddlefussyfang]

[Continuing her impression of similarity to Gamzee, the human is now addressing the objects in his hand. Unless he is simply not bothering to indicate who he's speaking to. She approaches to see what he's holding.]

...Small metalic discs.

[scotopic]

I believe they're coins. [Here he finally cranes his head to look up at her, holding out his hand for her to inspect the contents.] But they're unlike any coins I've ever seen before.

(this tag is not so very old, really)

[meddlefussyfang]

[She glances at his face briefly, hoping to see a hint as to his sobriety or lack thereof, and then at the coins.]

They're not caegars... or anything else I would recognize either. Some alien currency. Unsurprising in a mysterious city like this.

psh i was eaten by work for a week, it's cool <3

[scotopic]

[B's completely sober, and completely serious, putting on his best "deep thinking" expression for the girl.]

You find this city mysterious? Why is that?

[meddlefussyfang]

[So just some kind of eccentric, then. At least he will probably remain coherent.]

A nearly empty city in which a number of people suddenly discover themselves, without any signs of electricity, and all the food is very strange. Those ghosts appeared abruptly and violently as well, and just as abruptly ended their attacks.

[scotopic]

The food is strange? [OK, that pulls him out of the sober expression with one almost akin to alarm.] What's wrong with the food here?

[meddlefussyfang]

[Food is a very important matter. His seriousness is welcomed.] Well it is nutritious and no one I've encountered mentioned becoming ill as a result. But it all tastes very strange. As though the flavors have been all mixed around from what they should be, compared to what I am accustomed to subsisting off of.

[scotopic]

And what exactly are you accustomed to subsisting on? [This could make all the difference.]

Bah, we don't know what they normally eat! Besides NOT sopor or mind honey. XD

[meddlefussyfang]

[Kanaya shrugs.] A variety of edible things. I know some of my friends probably preferred hunting as their means of obtaining food, but I made sure to experiment with a variety of things here. The peculiarities of flavor were not minor.

DETAILS, HUSSIE. we need them. ;_;

[scotopic]

Perhaps the things available here are just different from what you're used to.

So many lacking details make so much head canon necessary orz

[meddlefussyfang]

Dried meat of some mysterious beast, no matter that I don't know the species, should not taste similar to a crisp, leafy, vegetative food. Flavors do not work that way.

s-sob biggest troll

[scotopic]

Oh ... they don't? All right. [You've convinced him with your stunning display of logic. He's flexible.]

I continue to hope that the comic ends in a flash where the whole cast rickrolls us

[meddlefussyfang]

No, they don't.

[And... fortunately? for B Kanaya doesn't catch his sarcasm, and assumes he simply knows nothing about how flavors work. Not that she's a scientist, or could explain it well, but that helps it seem even more plausible that a distracted human picking up coins wouldn't know either.]

That was not the only peculiarity. Did you face any ghosts?

omg can't unsee it /o\

[scotopic]

[It's less sarcasm and more finely honed weirdo persona. If Kanaya is led to believe through his words and actions that he is completely clueless of something as simple as food flavoring, B's work here is done. B's grinning on the inside, even as he keeps his outer expression completely blank.]

There's no such thing as ghosts. [He says this completely matter-of-factly, as if it's an obvious truth.]