(Untitled)

[stealth_bandage]

[OOM: They built to last in the old days.]

The door opens; Arcade hadn't entirely intended to come here, but if he's being honest his thoughts had sort of drifted in Milliways' direction, so he can't complain too much. And at least the drinks here are decent and probably not distilled on the premises from vats of questionable cleanliness, and the

Comments

[seat_five_girl]

Ako is looking at Arcade a little sideways due to the order.

Lizard isn't something that comes up much for her.

[stealth_bandage]

Arcade doesn't notice at first. It can be a little tricky getting the meat off the bone, and he's concentrating. But once he does-

"Sorry, something wrong?" He reaches up to wipe at whatever it is he's guessing Ako is staring at. "Have I got something on my face?"

[seat_five_girl]

"Oh, um, sorry no," she says, "I've just never heard anyone order iguana before is all."

[stealth_bandage]

"It's pretty common back home. Brahmin's expensive, and mantis legs haven't got a very reliable supply chain," says Arcade. "You have to make sure you get a whole lizard, though. Sometimes people disguise cheaper meats as iguana bits. That never really ends well."

[seat_five_girl]

"I know there's people who will eat locust or other insects at home," she says, "But we eat a lot of fish - I'm from an island country."

[stealth_bandage]

"Ah, that'd do it. I'm in the Mojave Desert. The food supply's mostly what people can raise or hunt on very little water, and whatever the caravans can bring east from NCR before it spoils," says Arcade. "I'm pretty sure most of the people I work with haven't ever seen a fish in their lives."

[seat_five_girl]

Ako nods.

"I met someone who said she was from the Mojave Desert here once," she says, "I don't know if it was the same one though. Does your world have flying robots?"

It's easier to ease into than the War.

[stealth_bandage]

"... it used to," says Arcade after a few moments' blinking. "You don't see them much any more. Other robots, sure, but the flying- wait. Was this one with three arms and thruster jets on the bottom, by any chance?"

(Hint: no. He's thinking of a completely different model of robot.)

[seat_five_girl]

"Um, no," says Ako with a frown, "It had antenna not arms and a grill on the front."

"I think it was the front."

[stealth_bandage]

"That's an eyebot," says Arcade. "They're- more often seen as wreckage than operational machines, these days. Someone's got an eyebot here? That's... kind of disturbing, actually. They're surveillance machines, or they were, anyway."

[seat_five_girl]

"Unless they can already come here anyone I can think of would say it was lying if they saw what Milliways looks like," offers Ako, "The position of the bar wouldn't make sense, the people speak all sorts of different languages, and well, aliens."

"Plus it's kind of large to just ignore, so I don't think it would work well for eavesdropping."

[stealth_bandage]

Arcade nods slowly. "I'll keep an eye out for it, regardless," he says. "In the meantime, my name's Arcade Gannon. Thanks for warning me about the eyebot, Miss.... um..."

[seat_five_girl]

"Oh, I'm Izumi Ako of Mahora Academy. Please call me Ako, Gannon-san."

[stealth_bandage]

"Ako it is, then," says Arcade. "Good to meet you. Sounds as if whoever it was you met does come from the same desert as me."

[seat_five_girl]

"You too. That makes you the, third person I think, that I've met from your world," says Ako, "It sounds like a dangerous sort of place Gannon-san."

[stealth_bandage]

"It definitely pays to be vigilant," says Arcade. "Some places are more dangerous than others, obviously. I take it your own world is less stressful for the inhabitants?"

It's still more than a little strange to deal with this multiple worlds concept, but he's trying.