Video call to Everyone- Day 42.

[smiling_biocide]

[ She gets how this works. ...The phone, anyway, not this nonsensical town.

It doesn't take her too long to get settled, brush her hair so that she looked presentable, and hide her frustration as she sets up the video. She's confused, she's bitter, and god damn it, she's going to get answers.

But first... sweet smile! Then she turns on the video feed

Comments

[notzombiebait]

I hate to tell you Miss Hawthorne, but you're far from home. And once you're here- well, I haven't found a way to get back out.

But I'm looking.

[smiling_biocide]

What? I don't understand, mister...?

[ She lets the unasked question hang for a bit. "Who are you, dude?" ]

Are you saying that no one's ever left this place?

[notzombiebait]

Redfield.

Chris Redfield. You can just call me Chris.

I'm not saying no one has left, I'm just saying that no one has found an easy way out. This place is strange- you can't just walk out. [ He realizes how crazy he's sounding, and he pauses, before sighing heavily. But he really doesn't have any better way to explain whatever it is that's going on here. ]

1/2

[smiling_biocide]

It's an honor to meet you, Chris.

[ Even though she's got a smile on that can rot teeth, it's clear that once her eyes open, she's looking at that odd getup. It's a quick look, nothing more than that, before her eyes move back up to his face. ]

[shyeyed]

Oh dear...I'm sorry Miss Hawthorne, but this is Bell Pointe. It...um. We're not sure what this place is. There's...all sorts of people from different worlds. Different times.

I-I just hope you're comfortable in your new house?

[smiling_biocide]

Different... worlds? Times?

Ah, this must be a theater of some sort, then! I'll simply walk off set and be back in Los Angeles, right?

...Well, I don't plan on staying here for too long, though the fruit basket was certainly a pleasant surprise.

[shyeyed]

Yes, we're all...different. You'll see soon enough.

I'm sorry. It's not so easy to get home. We've tried. We're still trying to get home. Have you opened the envelope?

[smiling_biocide]

Everyone is different. It makes reacting with each person a unique experience to treasure.

I... yes, I just did. I didn't intend on staying more than a night. This is some kind of prank, isn't it?

[ She's reading the letter again- she stops after a moment and looks up again. ]

I'm sorry, I didn't get your name. Who are you, kind stranger?

[wearecowboys]

A fellow Californian, what a pleasure. Unfortunately, it seems you'll be a resident of Bell Pointe for the time being.

[smiling_biocide]

A pleasure to meet you, as well. Are Californians a rarity around here?

...Resident? I wasn't planning on staying for more than a night, good sir. It was kind of them to leave this room open for me, but I really must be going.

[wearecowboys]

There are a couple of us, so I wouldn't say we are "rare" per se.

Suit yourself, but we've just endured a terrible storm, so I'm afraid you'll have to postpone your plans for leaving town.

[smiling_biocide]

Ah, I see.

That's... quite all right.

This letter that I received- it's a joke, right? This isn't my home at all, and I don't have anything to unpack.

[ She holds the 'welcome' letter up so he can see. ]

[isoluminol]

[She'd never seen her in person, but...that name wasn't exactly common. And the fact that she'd asked about Los Angeles? That pretty much sealed the deal. So that made her the second person from back home to show up in less than a week - and of course, they were both convicted murderers. What were the odds?]

Did you say your name was Hawthorne?

[She has to stop herself from saying "the Dahlia Hawthorne", but the surprise in her voice is still there.]

[smiling_biocide]

Yes, my last name is Hawthorne. It's a pleasure to meet you, miss...?

[ She refrains from nervously biting her lip. Someone knowing her name meant one of two things- either the trial went public much sooner than she thought, or this was someone Iris had met in school.

Either option meant that she had no idea who this woman was. Best to get her name, just in case. ]

[isoluminol]

Skye. Ema Skye.

[Talking to someone who was supposed to be dead was just too weird. And yet here she was: not looking a day over 20, and...very much alive. After a pause, Ema tries to put on a face that doesn't look half as confused as she feels and adds:]

I worked with Phoenix Wright once.

[There's a slight emphasis on his name. She doesn't expect Dahlia to recognise her, but mentioning Phoneix had to prompt some sort of reaction - something that made sense, hopefully.]

1/2

[smiling_biocide]

Nice to meet you, Miss Skye.

Ah...!

[ Oh, you got a reaction to that name, all right. She flinches- it's only for a moment, it's only a subtle movement, but it's still visible. ]

[castoredux]

Hard to say how to get back to Los Angeles when we don't even know where we are, but I'll keep an eye out. [And that last bit sounds a little sarcastic.]

[smiling_biocide]

[ She lets that sarcasm roll right off her back. It's simply too early to start scuffles with simpletons. Rather, she favors him with a sad, resigned smile. ]

I suppose you'll have to tell me when you find it, right?

Where did you come from, if you don't mind me asking?

[ She's expecting something normal: "Burbank," "Beverley Hills," something to that effect. ]

[castoredux]

Iwatodai, Japan. [A little farther than Burbank.]

[smiling_biocide]

My, that's a far way from home. Did you come to California as some sort of transfer student?

[ She's playing dumb, now. She's gathered by this point that she's not anywhere near where she's supposed to be, but gathering more information never hurt. If one person spells it out for her, that's fine. If five do it, she can get a better grasp of the situation based on the varying viewpoints.

So she'll smile until he hopefully plays into her hands. ]