a wild fish approaches

[thelivingend]

Here is a short man, pale as milk, soft as a pillow, carrying a clipboard and pen and wearing a button that bears the letters ODTAC in yellow. Black suit, black tie, black shoes, black bed-head. Both his posture and the dusky heaviness of his eyelids suggest drowsiness, but he's wearing an interested expression regardless, clearly making an effort

Comments

[lily_schlaflied]

Shiori sighs. She still hasn't found any way to get back to her world. At least she isn't panicking any more?

She stops when she hears the short man's question. Maybe if she answers his questions, he'll reciprocate. He seems a little rough around the edges to her, but that had never stopped her from talking to anyone. It was not, after all her's to judge.

"Ah...yes, I do." The words still feel awkward in her mouth, and sound it too. If there's one good thing that's come of all this, it's the chance to practice her English.

[thelivingend]

"Sweet. Don't worry, this won't take too long." The scents of cigarette smoke and intensely minty gum may waft her way as he approaches, appearing friendly and at least somewhat confident. Sort of. He does not shake hands.

"Um, I'm out here on behalf of the Organ Donor and Transplant Association of Canada. See, uhm, ODTAC," he pronounces it like odd-tack, "just started a new program a while ago, so like, we're informing the public and stuff. How...how much do you know about the undead population of Canada?"

Oh god he's not even sticking to the script, this is a disaster, help.

[lily_schlaflied]

Shiori's mouth drops open and a hand goes to her chest. "Undead?" She glances around, thoroughly spooked. "In Canada?"

Yeah, she just has no idea what to say to that and will stand there spluttering. He's just so forward about it.

[thelivingend]

Rather than reacting to her nervousness by becoming nervous too, Fish wills himself to smile a bit. That always seems to help. ...Usually.
Sometimes.
Okay, it doesn't help much at all, but at least he's not looking unintentionally shifty this time.

"Yeah. They're..." We're? They're. "...basically like a subculture, I guess? Not, like, running around eating babies or whatever. It's all pretty civilized. Um, and we'd like to keep it that way, so...ODTAC has started up this program, called Corporeal Repurposement..."

[lily_schlaflied]

Shiori's eyes just get bigger and bigger. Eating babies? No, not eating babies. Undead? Corporeal Repurposement? Her mind races to find synonyms. Bodily...reclamation? She backs away slightly, unsure of where this is going.

"Ah...ah..." Shiori glances away several times. Maybe she should just make a dash for it? No, that would be rude. Everyone deserves a chance. "Go on, please."

[thelivingend]

"No, no... don't- it's okay, it's not like that." The pale gentleman holds out a hand, palm out, a pen still tucked into the crook of his thumb, in a gesture of reassurance. "I mean, like whatever you're thinking. It sounds bad, I know, but it's a completely and totally voluntary thing, there's no kidnapping or whatever. Uhm, pretend I didn't say that word just now. Please don't freak out."

[lily_schlaflied]

Shiori begins backing away. That word is kind of a trigger, sorry Fish. "I...please, do not! No!" This is about all her brain can manage at the moment, as she attempts to translate both Fish's and her own words and function under what...seems to be a threat? But not really?

[thelivingend]

"No, hey, relax. It's okay! It's okay, I'm not- I'm just bad at, like...talking... uhm, sorry." He's clutching the clipboard close to his chest, now, still standing right where he was, having made no attempt to walk after her. "Sorry. Have a nice day?"