november catch-all [open]

[reflexio]

WHO: (reflexio) & you!!
WHAT: November catch-all and obligatory "where tf am I" log
WHERE: Everywhere (Welcome Diner, your an apartment, city park, etc.)
WHEN: Early November
WARNINGS: adjusted as needed






a. diner.

[ Wandering about proves to be fruitless. Instead, Yi Sang retraces his steps to the station.

Only then does he notice the flyers with their bold headlines. "LOST? NEW?" Yes, those two adjectives certainly describe him. He glances at the message posted on the flyer, memorizes the directions printed on it, and follows them to --

He inspects the building before him. Definitely a diner, though he's not sure what he'd expected given the flyer's notation of "The Welcome Diner."

It's difficult to tell whether anyone's inside, but the restaurant gives off a warm vibe. It's just enough of a nudge to encourage him into pushing the door open. After all, a lead is a lead.

...something warm to eat would be nice too. ]

Excuse me. Is this The Welcome Diner?

[ The flyers said it would be The Welcome Diner. The sign outside also reads "THE WELCOME DINER." Ergo, this must be The Welcome Diner, but one can never be too cautious given the bizarre city. ]


b. your an apartment.

[ The first door he'd opened revealed an empty living room. Its white walls and freshly-vacuumed floor are welcoming, but there's something terribly unsettling about the empty room too.

Yi Sang shuts the door to avoid thinking about it too hard.

He leaves the building and tries the one next to it. Just like the previous apartment complex, there's no trace of a soul in the lobby. He wanders to one of its doors, slowly turning the door knob and it's... unlocked?

Perhaps there has been no need to install locks on these apartment doors.

He steps into the living room and, immediately, it's apparent someone lives here, or at the very least, someone had lived here. Should he have knocked? Well, too late for that. He spies a picture frame on the coffee table, lifting it into his hands. There's... nothing in it. Odd.

Something shifts behind him. The sudden noise catches Yi Sang off guard, picture frame slipping through his fingers and shattering on the hardwood floor. ]

...my apologies. The door was unlocked.

[ Which isn't really a proper excuse, but it's the truth. ]

... Do you live here?


c. city park.

[ The expanse of lush green feels a bit out of place compared to all the buildings Yi Sang passed on his way here. And despite all the life contained within the flora, the lack of birds chirping is troubling.

Nevertheless, he's developed an affinity for the park over the past few days. It's peaceful for the most part, allowing him to recount what he's discovered so far: City Hall's record rooms? Empty. Tourist Center? Nothing of note. Greenhouse at the poison garden? Bad. Stuffed full of carnivorous plants.

A bound notebook lies open in his lap, a pen resting in its spine to mark his spot. Yi Sang uses one of his hands to keep the notebook flat. The other one, bandaged a bit haphazardly, rests in his lap.

Perhaps if one were to yell, he would lift his head to see who is calling for him. Otherwise, he appears deep in thought, a pensive frown on his face. ]


d. wildcard.

[ if none of these work, feel free to hmu for something more tailored! A PM is good or you can lmk here o7 ]

Comments

[wordchain]

[ The clarification indicates that every piece of information identifying The Welcome Diner has served its intended purpose after all. In that case, perhaps the opening question was simply an attempt to covertly signal a request for further assistance while assessing the available resources and contemplating any gaps to address. Yesod accepts the answer with a nod, prepared to wait for the time being.

Then comes a distinctive sound, all too audible as it disrupts the momentary silence to convey its meaning on the stranger's behalf.

Yesod blinks. He turns slightly, loosening his stance to point out the diner's menu, though he technically isn't part of the kitchen staff. ]

...There is a selection of savory and sweet dishes on offer.

[reflexio]

[ It seems Yesod accepts Yi Sang's desire for clarification. Uncertainties lurk at every corner of this bizarre city, and Yi Sang's seen enough oddities where even if something walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it might not be a duck at all. Perhaps Yesod understands that concern.

Truly, nerd to nerd communication.

He follows Yesod's gesture, wandering over to the diner's menu posted on one of the wall's. Yi Sang scans each item's name; despite the menu's humble size, there's a surprising amount of variety between the entrees, desserts, and drinks.

Something hearty like minestrone soup would probably be best. Yi Sang glances left, then right, only to realize the front of the diner is empty save for himself and Yesod. And if Yesod is the one who's redirected him to the menu... ]

Is there any minestrone soup available? Perhaps with a cup of warm green tea?

[wordchain]

[ These are pertinent questions to ask. While the green tea can be made for anyone then and there, soup requires some time to prepare, but the different options are presumably kept at the ready, in the event that someone requests them. Anything left over at the end of the day is easily distributed between other interested parties, if need be.

Yesod steps away to investigate the current status of the diner's menu, not only in writing, disappearing behind the counter. Several minutes pass.

Eventually, he reemerges with a tray carefully balanced between both hands, bearing a bowl and a cup upon it. Steam rises from both vessels as Yesod crosses the diner's floor to return to Yi Sang's side, where he holds out the tray within the other man's reach. As requested, the bowl is filled with a serving of minestrone soup, while the cup contains green tea. A serviette and cutlery sit beside the bowl.

The diner's usual staff would undoubtedly present Yi Sang with his order and an accompanying smile, but Yesod lets the items arranged on the tray answer the earlier questions. After all, it's unnecessary to state what is clearly visible in front of their eyes. ]

As the flyers mention, this city has no currency. All menu options are provided free of charge.

[ Which would be the case regardless, in keeping with the diner's aims, Yesod imagines. ]

[reflexio]

[ Yesod returns with his requested items arranged neatly on a tray. Given the oddities of the City, there's a part of him that's a little surprised to see the diner did, in fact, have the soup and tea available. He takes a moment to inspect the food and drink with a cursory glance, as though checking to ensure his eyes were not deceiving him. Eventually, he accepts the tray with both hands before wandering over to an empty table. He sets the tray down on it before returning his attention to Yesod. ]

A world without currency. That is... quite unusual.

[ It's absolutely unheard of to someone from a place where capitalism was alive and well.

Yi Sang takes a seat and lifts the hot tea into his hands. He allows it to warm his palms for a bit before taking a sip. The tea tastes fine -- good, even. He takes a few more sips, draining it of a third of its contents. He returns it to the table with a thoughtful look. ]

This city -- does it lack a name?

[ "Home" was The City, but it seems here, too, was The City. Which City is which? ]

[wordchain]

[ Yesod assumes that the hungry stranger would prefer to eat his soup and drink his tea in peace, once seated, and so he only acknowledges the man's comment for the lack of currency with another nod. Yes, it's quite unusual indeed, even in a place that collects people from many diverse worlds. But then, this is a decidedly unusual city for a number of other reasons as well.

Watching Yi Sang sample the tea, Yesod stays on standby not far from the table, silent and still until the other man speaks up again. One more nod begins his next answer. ]

If this city has a name, it remains unknown to us. Is that also unusual?

[ To Yesod, it's only somewhat inconvenient at times, specifically if he needs to distinguish between this city and the City he knows in conversation. ]

[reflexio]

[ Perhaps others might feel a little awkward about another person hovering nearby as they ate. Yi Sang doesn't mind at all, far too preoccupied with mulling over what he'd discovered so far about this city.

He shakes his head in response to Yesod's question. ]

Not at all. ...I, too, hail from a place that was simply known as The City.

[ The fact that this place lacked a "true" name almost made it feel less foreign. But it also means he's run into the same issue as Yesod, where he can foresee it becoming rather inconvenient should he need to distinguish between this City and that City.

Yi Sang lifts his spoon into a hand and scoops a bit of the soup. Upon observing steam rising from the surface, he gives it a good blow before sipping at it cautiously. It's... good. He's taking a second spoonful, and then a third, quietly appreciating the hearty soup. ]

[wordchain]

[ At that, Yesod studies Yi Sang rather closely while the man moves on to eating the minestrone soup at a measured pace. Someone else taken from that City, then, as if this one is especially interested in expanding its collection of people who have ties to the other City.

And considering that even more connects everyone from their City here so far, it's likely that this new arrival isn't an outlier. ]

That makes you part of a recurring pattern. There are quite a few of us who were brought here from the City.

[ Unfortunately, even months after Yesod's own arrival, several unanswered questions continue to surround that process — why different people from the same world won't necessarily arrive with matching memories, for instance. The thought prompts a frown. ]