=01=

[solaeuftderhase]

Ah, hello?

Hello?

Wow, this is pretty cool!

[Audio]

- Oh, the screen went away! And - it can hear me? Hello? [A laugh.] How fun! I wonder if this is -

[Video]

[A boy with a curious look to his face flickers onto the screen.]

- some sort of video - Ah, it is! [a friendly wave.] Hi there!

[An intent look returns to his face.]All right, now, I

Comments

[audio]

[down_to_nowhere]

[Here's something Momiji may never hear again: a tolerantly amused Mello.]

That'll be the "send" button.

[video]

[solaeuftderhase]

Huh!? I didn't say that -

[A pause as he peers into the little screen. He will probably not appreciate this as much as he should.]

The send button... Oh, is this like a cell phone, then? Splendid!

Okay, se-

[audio]

[down_to_nowhere]

[Mello laughs.]

I guess I don't have to ask if you just got here.

[video]

[solaeuftderhase]

[Have a smile]

It worked! Thanks a gallon!

Mmhm, just now! Say, do you know where I am? It's awfully dark in here.

[audio]

[down_to_nowhere]

You should be in an apartment. With, presumably, windows.

[video]

[solaeuftderhase]

Mm, yep! [His head disappears as he moves towards the far wall.] I was just about to go open them when I noticed that -

...

Well, it's not home, but it sure is something out there. [A few thumps of bare feet and Momiji's slightly more worried face comes back into view.] Hey, do you know where we are? And if you kidnapped me, do you mind letting me go home?

[audio]

[down_to_nowhere]

It's a city called Disturbia, of all things. I didn't bring you here, I'm stuck here like you.

[video]

[solaeuftderhase]

Eh? Disturbia? That doesn't sound Japanese at all. [A frown as he thinks through his geography lessons...] Nope, not German either. Are we somewhere in the States? There aren't any airports or buses out of here?

[audio]

[down_to_nowhere]

We're probably in the States, but details are fucking scarce.

And no. You can't even walk out.

[video]

[solaeuftderhase]

Huh? How strange. Is that even possible? [A humming noise as he flops on the bed, the video still aiming somewhere into the far reaches of the upper left corner of the ceiling.] What's your name? Oh, and thanks for helping me so far! [His face pops up again.] I'm Souma Momiji! It's nice to meet you.

[audio]

[down_to_nowhere]

No problem, kid. I'm Mello.

And it shouldn't be possible, but here we are. Where were you before, anyway?

[video]

[solaeuftderhase]

Mello, huh... [He goes off, sounding the word out to himself a lot because he can.]

But that's a funny thing! Most things you can enter and leave freely. That's the point of an exit, yeah? [...] Well, then again, there are those finger-trap things. Hahaha!

Aaah, I live near Tokyo! How about Mello? Where did he come from?

[audio]

[down_to_nowhere]

That's my name; don't wear it out, heh. [Momiji's awfully lucky Mello's been shockwaved and thinks this is funny.]

I came from Japan too. Nagano. What year is it for you?

[video]

[solaeuftderhase]

[Again, he does not appreciate how lucky he is.] It's a nice name! How long have you been here, Mello?

Year? It's the summer of 2001, isn't it?

[audio]

[down_to_nowhere]

Coming up on eight months. It was 2010 for me. That's another thing about here. People come from different times. Hell, they come from entirely different worlds.

[video]

[solaeuftderhase]

Eight months and you haven't gone home? I'm sorry. [A pondering moment...] Do people from your time come here with you?