citylogs | [OPEN] he just couldn't stay away

[ And the ears flatten again, the tip of his tail twitching slightly at the question. ]

No.

[ He's wearing a shirt right now though, so that's a good sign, isn't it? Of course he had to go just take that from a store. Good thing money seems to be meaningless here, and no one is around to stop shop lifting. ]

[ A shirt sure, but it's not his shirt (probably), and that's a kind of possessiveness Kai can understand. Or he's projecting. One of the two. Some instincts you don't lose even if you have nothing to protect anymore.

But he gives Broca a commiserating look which has the added benefit of making sure he's not looking at the stupid laundry machines anymore. ]

I still don't want to find out how it works. Sorry.

[ Because it would definitely be helpful and Kai knows it, but no. ]

Just another weird thing here.

[ It was a nice shirt. Not nice enough for Broca to be this agitated about if he was in a normal situation where he could replace it without having to do what basically amounted to shop-lifting from one of the employeeless stores admittedly, but relatively nice still.

He at least lets his ears relax back up into their normal position at Kai's comments. ]

No one should go inside those things, or try to put anyone in them.

[ Which is a roundabout way of saying he's fine with not learning how they work either if they're taking stupid risks to try and figure it out. ]

[ Well at least someone agrees. Kai gives a little huff, but he's already losing interest in it now that Broca seems similarly indifferent. ]

Did you need something?

[ Broca has at least seemed extremely focused, from Kai's handful of other experiences with him. Maybe he's found himself something to focus on.

Is Kai himself looking for something to do? Possibly. Even cats can only nap so often during the day. Something that will take them somewhere not here, preferably. ]

[ Focus is a nice thing to have, and Broca wishes he could claim that he had something to focus his attention on right now. Sadly so much of what he'd been doing lately had stagnated, and he was left aimless for the time being.

It's probably why he looks so put off as he gives a single shake of his head. ]

No. I was just curious.

[ Since Kai seemed to have his own big feelings about the laundromat there. ]

[ Okay fair, someone just standing around and glaring ineffectually at a building is probably a little weird. Another one of those things that no one questions of a cat but a human can't really pull off the same way. Good to know for next time.

He sighs a little, shoulders drooping. At least he's made his stance clear to someone, and that feels a little better. ]

Okay. I'm going to go somewhere not here. You want to come?

[ He has no real plan aside from putting some distance between himself and the terrible machines, but it's something? ]

[ It's a slow and hard process to learn how to act human.

Probably...

Again, not something Broca would really know, because he's always been human. Though standing around and glaring into space was a large part of his job at one point. It was a bit more purposeful, and he was pretty clearly guarding things at the time he did it, but there are definitely times and places for that kind of activity even in man shape.

As for the invite? Broca shrugs one shoulder, giving the laundromat one last look. ]

Might as well.

[ Time is something he has in abundance here, and not nearly enough stuff to fill it up with. One can only go combing though same-y looking buildings with a fine-toothed comb for so many hours of the day before it starts to drive you up a wall. ]

[ Kai nods once decisively and turns to head off in a random direction. He genuinely has no idea where he's going, but in the end does it really matter? There's a certain curiosity to exploring, but really it's just something to do. Kai hasn't had a true purpose for a long time, but at least lately he's had things he could focus on. Here, it's just trying to figure out why they're here, and that kind of driven investigation is not Kai's strong suit.

It might be Broca's, though. He turns to look at the other man once they're a good distance from the laundromat, peering curiously at him like he might be able to read something just from the look of him. ]

Have you found anything interesting?

[ One direction is about the same as the next to Broca. Until a location starts to act a little out of sorts, most of this city has the same eerie, empty feeling to it regardless of which direction you wander in.

Not being able to make real progress has been bothering Broca, who is absolutely the sort who works hard for results, and usually on projects that have more of a measurable outcome than what he's dealing with right now.

It's why he looks so frustrated as he shakes his head. ]

Not really. Nothing other people can't already guess at.

[ Like the fact that there have to be people, or at least a sentient force of some sort behind the scenes here, because some of the happenings cannot possibly be random. ]

Oh.

[ Honestly Kai isn't all that surprised, no one seems to have found much of anything yet, but he's trying to sound commiserating anyway considering how unhappy Broca seems. Probably failing at it, but the attempt is there. ]

What do you want to do, then?

[ Keep looking? Or find something else to put his effort into? ]

[ If it's not outright mocking and disparaging, Broca will take it at this point. It's not like his standards have ever been particularly high for how people treat him.

Though his ears flatten at that question regardless, and he heaves out a big sigh. ]

For someone who is better at this kind of thing to come up with a plan.

[ This is not his area, and he feels so out of his depth right now. ]

[ He gives that a moment of careful consideration, possibly more seriously than it was meant. But it sounds reasonable enough, and Kai eventually nods once. ]

You could ask on the internet.

[ There seem to be more than a few people who are happily planning things there, or at least trying to. Not Kai's strong suit, but he pays attention. It's old habit by now. ]

Someone there could maybe give you something.

Maybe...

[ It's true enough. There are enough of them here that someone probably does have a better idea of what's going on than he does, but at the same time... ]

But talking about it online seems like it's asking for whatever or whoever is keeping us here to see it.

[ They're reliant on the closed network system provided here, so that has to be nothing is actually all that private, and any planning or investigation measures would be easy to see. ]

Might. Or they might be watching everything anyway.

[ He oddly doesn't sound all that concerned about it. But Kai doesn't do anything he cares about people watching, so to him what's the difference? ]

Just a thought anyway. I know there were other people who were trying to make plans. Maybe you'll run into some of them.

[ Broca's tail swishes back in forth in agitation at the idea. The chances are good for that, and that whatever is in control here doesn't need their online conversations to monitor what they're doing, but it doesn't make hearing it any more palatable. ]

Maybe. I just hope one of them is actually good at it.

[ He's heard some plans so far that haven't left him overly impressed. ]

I'm sure someone will figure something out.

[ He might sound just slightly dubious about it, but it's the thought that counts. Probably. ]

In the mean time we can find things to do.

[ Maybe... The attempt at reassurance just gets a noncommittal and just as dubious sounding hum from Broca. The longer this all goes on, the harder it feels to maintain any certainty they will figure something out. ]

Any suggestions?

[ For things they can find to do. He assumes nothing involving dryers. ]

[ Kai takes a good moment or so to give it some really serious thought before finally announcing his conclusion: ]

No.

[ So helpful. But all he can do is offer a slightly awkward shrug. ]

I'm not used to doing a lot of things.

[ In a very un-catlike fashion, even considering his "big cat" status, Broca is usually filling his days up with something. Then again, he's human first, Feline second. Still that doesn't stop him from letting out a heavy sigh.

Not that he expects anyone to have answers for him, but... ]

This place needs more bookstores.

[ And not just ones run by people kidnapped her and populated by books of their own hurried making. ]

They'd just be blank though?

[ Not that he doesn't understand the desire, but the city apparently is what it is. If they're going to start listing things they'd rather have instead, they're probably going to be here for a while. ]

But it would be nice to know something about this place, I guess.

[ That heavy sigh from a second ago? That has nothing on the even heavier sigh that Broca lets out now. Kai is right though. ]

This place needs real books.

[ With some reluctance he lets his ears relax. ]

It'd be nice to know what it wants with us too.

Yeah.

[ That much he can definitely agree with, even if he doesn't need to know, exactly. He can survive just going about his business.

But the whole thing is real weird and not knowing anything is still annoying. ]

We just have to stick together, right?

[ Broca crosses his arms, a single shake of the head. ]

Not like we have much choice in that.

[ Well that's not entirely true. With a city this empty it would be easy for someone to isolate if they really wanted to, but... ]

What we really need is to find a weak point.

[ That just earns a blink. ]

A weak spot in what?

[ The barrier keeping them there? Someone has to have tried that already.

...right? ]

[ Sure, but there's no harm in trying again. It's not like they're going anywhere in the meantime.

Besides, if Broca is entirely honest... ]

I'm not sure.

[ Damn that tail is twitching up a storm. ]

But everything has a weak point that will break if you apply constant pressure.

[ Whether it's a barrier, or forcing whatever is in charge here to overextend its powers, or barraging the systems in place to make it all start breaking down a little at a time. ]

[OPEN] he just couldn't stay away

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