(OPEN) probably the least secret secret meeting, all things considered

[elswhisperer]

WHO: Setsuna F. Seiei (elswhisperer) & you!
WHAT: The code word log!
WHERE: City Hall Park
WHEN: July 12
WARNINGS: N/A


[ Over the course of the past few days, you may have noticed simple, nondescript flyers posted here and there across the city. All handwritten, they list a location (a particular statue in the City Park) along with a time and date (3:00 PM, July 12). Below that, an extremely brief message:

For establishing safe communications.

- moment.

On the day of, you'll find a young man in a red scarf waiting by the named statue. He has with him sheets of blank paper, pens, and pencils. ]

My name is Setsuna F. Seiei. 'Moment' from the network. The purpose of this meeting is creating a way to safely disseminate information to each other all at once. If one of us found an exit, or determined the identity of our captors, we'd be jeopardizing ourselves by revealing it openly over the network. At the same time, the network is our most efficient method of communication. We need to make the most of all the tools at our disposal.

We can accomplish that with the use of code language. One that's not complicated; that anyone could remember and pass along. What that code is and what we want to communicate with it is something one person can't determine for themselves. That's why I wanted us all to meet.

Without cooperation, we're not gonna get anywhere.

[ ooc: just a couple things! go ahead and mingle/threadhop as you like (especially bc i may not be the fastest tagger rn), and if setsuna has already mentioned to your character that he's been working on something, feel free to assume he left some kind of vague message about checking flyers over the inboxes or smth. ]

Comments

[codenametesla]

[That gets a quiet chuckle and she nods in response to his question.]

Yeah, a little. I still want to help if I can, but... I shouldn't push myself while learning the ropes.

[She offers a little smile to Midnight when he introduces himself.]

I'm Althea, and same to you. I.. like your name, if that's alright to say?

[unrequite]

[ A very decisive, approving nod in response to that declaration. Quite right. Laterano wasn't built in a day. ]

Much more than all right. I chose my name myself, you see, and I think it fits quite well. I'm flattered, really.

[ Midnight sounds her name out in his head. Althea. Not a common one where he's from, although it sounds Victorian, or perhaps Leithanien. ]

Yours is quite lovely. Miss Althea. Did you choose yours, too?

[ There's a teasing tone to the question. He knows he's a bit of an outlier, namewise. ]

[codenametesla]

[That gets a laugh, but mostly she's just trying not to blush here. How dare he uno reverse card! That wasn't the response she expected, and she shook her head in answer.]

Thank you? But, no, it's my given name, though I have always wondered what name I'd take if I chose one for myself.

[It had actually been a possibility that she would have to, if she had ever fully 'graduated' to learning her powers well enough to be of use to The Company. While she still wasn't sure whether that was a Bad Sign on them, the thought experiment was interesting, and now she was curious all over again.

Can I ask why you picked Midnight?

[unrequite]

[ The bashful sort, huh... It's adorable, although it's a reminder to Midnight that he'll have to play a little more gently than usual with this one. No point in startling the poor thing when she's already a bit out of her depth. ]

Well, the simplest answer is that I was told to select a code name, and I didn't want to use my given name. But you're asking why I chose Midnight, aren't you?

[ Midnight smiles, narrows his eyes and stares into the middle distance before responding. ]

Well, the simplest answer is that I like it. It suits me, doesn't it? Midnight. Dramatic, yet straightforward. And lovely things do tend to happen at night.

[ To be fair, he is a very Midnight kind of guy, aesthetically. It may not be the most enlightening answer, but it is at least very truthful. ]

[codenametesla]

[What, out of her depth? Couldn't be Althea! But she's trying her best, and she nods at his question, letting him sit and take his time answering.]

Yeah, it definitely seems to suit you. [Said with another bit of a chuckle because his whole aesthetic certainly seems to match that. Don't worry, that answer makes perfect sense, or at least it 'feels' right to her. Even if it doesn't fully help her in her new mission of figuring out what her own codename would be.

What can she say, it's a good distraction from the anxiety!]

That seems like a good way to pick a code name, and the night is nice.

[unrequite]

Then... If you've the means of obtaining a code name, why not try it for yourself?

[ Midnight puts a hand in his pocket and peers down. Does he know she's been thinking about this for the past two seconds? Absolutely not. He was just thinking the same thing himself. ]

Go on. What would your code name be? Tell me about it.

((not me laughing at how weird this conversation is with the username i've chosen for her lmaoooo))

[codenametesla]

[His question got a raised eyebrow, but the surprise was less that he had apparently been thinking the same thing she was, and more that he had been curious enough to ask.

But after a moment to think, she let out a little breath of a laugh and shrugged.]

I... always figured if I had a code name, it would either be storm or electronics related. I guess I've also been partial to the name Tesla, but I use that for my usernames online usually.

[Which now means Midnight will probably be able to find her immediately on the network, but she isn't thinking about that right now.]

((congrats, out of a hundred characters, you chose one of the few with an actual codename lmao ))

[unrequite]

Electronics, I see.

[ Tesla... Does that mean something? He figures it must be someone related to electricity in her world. (And he's not one to keep track of people that closely. Honestly, he's surprisingly good at letting others have their space.) ]

Are you an engineer, then? Or is circuitry just a hobby for you?

((I basically rebooted her story so it makes less sense now which makes this hilarious :"D))

[codenametesla]

Mhmm.

[She nodded along with his first comment, but his second got a chuckle.]

More of a technician in practice, since most of my experience is just in fixing things, but that's where my studies were going, I hope. Not sure if I would have been allowed to, but then maybe I can make that my hobby?

[She's just sorta rambling now, sorry Midnight.]

(( R I P ))

[unrequite]

Nothing stopping you, I think, except if you have some sort of objection to learning... Though, if I may be so bold to say, you don't come off as the sort to shrink from a bit of required reading.

[ If she thinks that Midnight wouldn't enjoy a bit of rambling... Well, he hasn't mentioned what he used to do for a living yet, has he? ]

[codenametesla]

[She has absolutely no idea what Midnight could possibly do/have done as a living, probably just a musician or something, surely!
His comment gets a definite chuckle and something of a more natural smile too as she settled into the conversation.]

No, you're right. Learning's probably what I'm best at. [Though, there's hesitation for a moment as something occurs to her, and the smile drops a fraction.] Book learning, I mean.

[But then she pushes on and smiles again.]

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of reading material in this place.

[unrequite]

[ Well, to be fair to her, he does play the guitar!

He tuts, sighs. ]

Tragic, really. I spent my first couple days here tipsy and accosting perfect strangers, asking to be led to a library. I'm still feeling the lack of, honestly.

[ He shakes his head. It's true. He did meet several very nice people on his quest, but he tends to fill empty hours with books, and coming up with a complete lack of reading material outside of what the network has to offer... Well, there's variety, and there's want for a lack of choice, and this is definitely the latter. ]

[codenametesla]

[A kind individual who also loves reading that much AND dresses however he wants despite what others may think? Midnight's just getting cooler and cooler! She can't exactly hide the little smile of surprise at his words before shaking her head.]

It's really a shame. At least then there'd be something to do besides worrying and existential dread over... whatever this is.

Though... I still have half a mind to check out some of the stores in the mall and such. If I'm going to actually find a place to sleep, I want to get some things, and I figure there has to be something like a book store, or even just a store that happens to have books in it? And if they're all blank too, then... I guess this city just hates being educated. [How dare!]

[unrequite]

[ Midnight's been working on himself in various ways for decades now. He's honestly pretty proud of himself for getting this far! ]

You haven't already found a place to stay? Well... I confess that I've had fantasies of living in a library, but not to the point where I would forgo other options in the interim.

[ His tone is light, but that is concerning. Is this woman really living out on the street...? While he doesn't doubt her bravery, it takes a certain amount of stubborn resolution to continue on in the same way. ]

[codenametesla]

[Well he's been doing great; Althea approves!]

Oh, well, it's more like I didn't really feel tired for a while because of... getting used to being here, [read: anxiety mostly] and I eventually went to the motel because that seemed like the right thing to do?

[But it was increasingly clear that there were no 'original' residents in this city, and she'd heard people talking about apartments, even looked at a couple, just... had been too scared to try thus far. They had all looked too uncomfortably lived in.]

I suppose it would do good for my mental health to have a space I feel is my own though, huh? [Said with something like an amused resignation at having to fully face the facts that she was living here now.]

[unrequite]

[ Midnight hums in understanding. Pretty genuine understanding. Sympathetic understanding. He'd done the same, actually... Not that he says that out loud. ]

Well, beyond feeling uncomfortable, I can see how finding a place to call your own here could be a little loaded. No one likes to give in and go native when it comes to being taken against one's will. Never surrender, right?

[ Midnight laughs. ]

I wouldn't argue against staying in a motel long term, though. Bit of a choice, but I can respect that. At least it's as safe as any other domicile.

[codenametesla]

[She can't help a little laugh in reply to his comment and laugh; he was certainly good at making her feel at ease, oddly enough. Perhaps that was just an aspect of everyone finding themselves in the same weird situation, or maybe it was just his personality. Either way, she wasn't complaining.]

Yeahhh, I guess I just... don't want to admit it. That I'm stuck here, you know?

[But she was. They were. And someone had already told her once that they needed to be at their best for whatever was likely to come, so this was just another aspect of that, right? If it came to it, she'd apologize later.]

I don't think the motel life is for me, but that's good to know. [She offered, a slight wry smile peeking through before she turned thoughtful once more.] What kind of decorations do you think might work?

[unrequite]

[ He smiles when she begins to laugh. It's a nice laugh. (Was he aiming to make her laugh? Not really. He just likes knowing that other people can be happy around him.) ]

Well, I've been stealing light fixtures from around town. Interesting ones, really eye-catching stuff. If you like, I can send you a few pictures of them, see if you like to adopt one. Granted, I'm not much of an electrician, so I don't know if I could get them wired up...

[ He raises an eyebrow at her. Hint, hint. ]

[codenametesla]

[Somehow, 'light fixtures' wasn't what she expected, and yet made perfect sense for this strange man. And so while she looked amused at first while listening, his last sentence, especially as it trailed off, got a little eyeroll and a big grin.]

You know, I think I just might know someone who would be able to help with that. [She didn't really feel confident enough to tease, or otherwise play 'hard to get' in that manner no not like that, so she nods quickly after her comment.]

I would be glad to help, if that's what you want? Then you wouldn't have to worry about sending pictures either, unless you want to! Though, I miiiiight ask for your help in the future if I find something too big for me to get back to my potential future apartment alone? [That was about as demanding as she could get, oh the horror! What if he said no!]

[unrequite]

[ Midnight grins at her excitement. There we are. No need to play games. He's already perfectly content to let her do as she will, now that the initial barrier of nervousness is mostly broached. ]

Sure. I'd do that for free, even... Although that's a bit of a given, seeing as how none of us have much to fill time.

[ Midnight pulls out his handheld terminal out of his pocket, unlocks it, and opens the network to his user profile. He turns it toward Miss Althea, username clearly visible. The Seventh Crown of the Seventh Demon King. (Yes, really). ]

This is me. Contact me if you need an extra hand.

[codenametesla]

Well... that's true, but I'd definitely feel better if it was more of a fair trade, you know?

[At least at first, till she was sure where she stood with anyone in this town, the last thing she wanted was to either be taken advantage of, or make other people think she was trying to take advantage of them. God knew she was bad at the first one.

When he starts to pull out his phone, she goes to grab hers, bringing up the same network so that they can swap names-

And can't stop a very abrupt laugh at the one she saw, though she quickly tried to stifle it and start entering it in.]

That's um... a very good name!

[unrequite]

Isn't it? Thank you. Eye-catching, isn't it? People do seem to be drawn to comment on it.

[ Midnight laughs. Does he know? Does he? Does he? I actually don't know if he knows, all I know is that this is definitely his taste in naming things. ]

With regards to a fair trade, if everything else is provided for, it stands to reason that the only things we have left to trade are specialized skills and time. We're back to bartering. An extra hand with moving for a well-wired neon sign seems fair to me, in that respect.

[codenametesla]

I can't imagine why..!

[Who knows what he knows or what she knows he knows, but at least they're both amused.

She nods then, to his last comment, relieved.]

Yeah, that's... kind of what I was thinking, but I'm glad you think so! I just wouldn't want you to think I was trying to like... use you or something. If I can offer what skills I have to people, then I'm glad.

[unrequite]

[ That's quite thoughtful. Overly conscientous, even. Midnight grins, pleased. ]

Well, I wouldn't mind so terribly. Like I said, we have a surfeit of time and nothing to occupy our time, don't we? I'm the type to look for things to do, anyway.

[ He'd ask why she seems so concerned about what he thinks of her, except he thinks he already has a handful of reasons why, and those reasons would make the question itself rather difficult to answer. It's something he's willing to save for another conversation, at any rate. ]

[codenametesla]

[If there was a descriptor for Althea, after 'anxious mess', it would certainly be something like 'overly conscientious'. Midnight certainly has her number in more ways than one, though she doesn't fully know how easy she is to read.]

That... does make sense. In the face of too much time and too little to do, it's easy to get cabin fever, so it's probably good to look for things to do! So I hear, anyway.

[She certainly has experience with cabin fever, not so much with looking for things to do when they involve other people.]

If I ever see something interesting, I'll let you know then! Though it sounds like you'd probably know of cool things before I did.