④ stranger in a familiar land (VIDEO;; week 21, day 3)

[sternitfortem]

[ The video clicks on to show Juudai, who looks particularly excited. ]

Hey, everybody! Just reporting in to say if any of you guys are around Mizusato, you should come by and visit me. I've got a job in the area, so I picked up a couple months' rent on this place - [ the camera swings around to... a pretty average-looking house, not far from a

Comments

[video]

[need_some_shui]

Um, I'm not sure how many, man, but congrats on the new place!

[He gives two supportive thumbs up]

[video]

[sternitfortem]

[ And you get two thumbs up in reply! Juudai likes your style, Dre. ]

Thanks! Where are you living, anyway? I mean... you look kind of young to be on your own.

Re: [video]

[need_some_shui]

Me? On my own? [He laughs] No way man. I'm not ready for that yet.

I live with Lenalee and Mr. Lavi and stuff.

[video]

[sternitfortem]

Oh, that's good. [ They seem really nice. ] Whereabouts? Mizusato, one of the other villages...?

[video]

[crystalblessing]

Hehe, nice place! That reminds me, I should think about what I'm gonna do in the way of jobs and stuff, too, if I'm gonna be here for a while. You probably know better than I do, so what kind of things do they do here?

[A small grin.] --And, hey, what are you doing?

About the population, maybe take a head count based on how many people have ever posted to this network?

[video]

[sternitfortem]

[ Juudai gets this comment while he's out fishing off the bluff, so he just clicks the Hitomi on as it sits next to him. Have a nice low-angle shot of Juudai looking weirdly tall. ]

I've got a job helping load and unload boats down at the docks when they need extra hands. It pays enough for the rent, and I usually get some extra fish out of it, too. [ Juudai's got a feeling he's going to be eating a lot of fish here. He's not complaining. ] They might have room for one more! Or you can ask around the marketplace at the merchant stalls and stuff.

But like, about the network. There might be a bunch of people who don't like using it, so that might not work.

[video]

[crystalblessing]

[Oh, you and your fishing.]

I guess I'll have to look around and see what they have, but I'll definitely keep that in mind! Wonder if the Crystal Beasts could help out, too...

--Really, they don't? I would've thought everybody's first idea when they got here would be to use this Hitomi thing and get information. Unless... you think we could rally everyone up to at least put together at least a partial list? Better than nothing, right?

[video]

[sternitfortem]

Some people might not be as tech-savvy. A lot of these guys have come from worlds in the past, without technology. And what if some of the people here are, like... shady? The one guy, Matt, he said there used to be a serial killer here from his world. I bet they wouldn't post on the network much. [ Reels in his line, tosses aside a seaweed bit, casts it out again. ]

[video | private]

[mightstealyrcar]

There's a few dozen, I'd guess.

And some of us have been here longer than the locals.

[video | private]

[sternitfortem]

[ Why private, Matt? ]

Longer than the locals? How does that work?

[video | private]

[mightstealyrcar]

[It's a reflex when he so much as obliquely refers to Mello, even though M's not here anymore to be annoyed by it.]

Not me, my best friend. He said they just showed up one day. Before that, when he first got here, nothing. But they think they've been here all along.

[video | private]

[sternitfortem]

Who's this friend? Is he still here? How long ago was this?

[ Sorry for the rapid-fire questions, Matt, but Juudai's extremely interested in this. ]

So the people here who say they've been here for a long time have really only been here for a little while?