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WHO: Daniel LaRusso (

broca)
WHAT: Fantasy Italy meets real Italy. Italyception.
WHERE: In one of the bigger supermarkets.
WHEN: About a week or so after the new people show up.
WARNINGS: Probably nothing, will edit if anything pops up.

[ The little convenience stores all throughout the cities sure live up to their name of being convenient - especially while Daniel still isn't in the best state, and venturing out too far from his apartment takes a whole lot out of him.

But the problem is that those stores often don't have what Daniel is looking for. Sure, there's stuff there he could cook with too, but when you're a lonely man in a big, empty city - not to mention really missing your family and your home - sometimes you want a little bit of comfort food. Something familiar that these convenience stores can't offer you.

It's why the man has dragged himself all the way out here, to one of the bigger stores that actually does have a larger selection of food available - and an entire aisle of just medditeranean-style foods. It's there that the man can be found, squatting on the ground as he seems to be comparing two different bags of ingredients that he's holding, one in each hand. He isn't looking too great, like the posture is taking its toll on his body, and the large bruise that's spread all over the side of his face is probably a clue as to why it isn't too great for him to squat right now. (You know, aside from being middle-aged and all.)

At first he doesn't seem to realise there's anyone else in the store at all, but when he suddenly registers a footstep, he looks up from the bags with wide, startled eyes. A big of an overreaction to just someone else being present, sure, but when you're slowly getting used to the sheer emptiness of the city and you're still a little (read: more than a little) traumatized due to what happened right before showing up in said city?

Well, sometimes you can't help but react like an anxiety chihuahua to small things like these.

When Daniel realises Broca is just standing there though, not being particularly threatening, the surprise slowly fades into something that looks a little more flustered. The man puts away the bags he was holding, casting a glance at the Italian foods on display next to him before reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone.

He types in something on it, and then a robotic voice from the phone reads out loud: ]

Sorry, I did not expect anyone else to be here.

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[ It's been over a month since Broca found himself waking up on the train that brought him into this city, which means it has been more than long enough for Broca to find a suitable apartment to squat in, which had a kitchen to fill up with food. He still misses the mess halls of Rhodes Island though, where people far more handy in the kitchen than he is would whip up dishes from all around the world.

Nothing could beat good, old fashioned food from Siracusa though, even when he'd moved so far away from his homeland. Even here, where nothing familiar is branded with the Siracusan name, though the styles of pasta and thick premade sauce in jars rang close enough to what he was used to that Broca could overlook it.

He could cook passably enough when he had to, but he'd shamefully been falling back on not making things from scratch, snatching up those premade sauces in jars, even if the quality earned a heavy sigh from him every time he tucked into his food.

So as he scours the grocery store aisles, and stumbles across a man in the otherwise empty store, he hopes the man won't take offense to the way Broca's attention flicks to the contents of his bag, before he even bothers to take in the state the man is in as he listens to that text to voice message. ]

It's fine.

[ The furry ears on the top of his head tilt forward as he looks at Daniel more carefully, trying to judge if the phone reading is normal for him, or a product of his injuries. ]

These stores are usually empty.

[ ...

It's only when Daniel's intial startled reaction slowly ebs away that the man slowly seems to realise something about Broca - or rather, something that isn't just the fact that that the other is there at all.

No, it's-- it's those ears on his head. Sorry, Broca, but Daniel is definitely staring at them for a moment, though he's socially polite enough to immediately cut that out the moment he realises he's doing so. It's not like he likes it when people gawk at his bruises either, after all.

So his gaze instead flickers back over to the food, and since he's trying to look for something better to mention than 'you got something funny on your head there', he decides it's as good a topic as any. ]

Did you also come here for some food? [ Holding his phone with one hand after typing that out, Daniel gestures with his free hand at the stuff he was looking at just now, including the bags he put back onto the shelves, before going back to typing so his phone can read out the words. ] I just realised this premade stuff is no good, so I was planning on seeing if I can grab some fresher things to make all this from scratch.

[ Look, sometimes when you're stuck in a depression funk inside of a weird city you can't seem to get used to.. you just have to talk to a total stranger about the most normal topic in the world to cope, apparently. ]

[ The look gets a small sigh out of Broca, but there's only so many times people can stare at your ears before it becomes the expected response. It's become more and more clear that he and Midnight are the only people from his world that ended up in this confusing place that seems to defy time and space, and Midnight at least has the benefit of lacking furry features that have people staring.

It's fine, at least this man isn't asking to pet them or assuming he's some sort of immortal being, so that's a step up from what he's gotten so far.

The sigh is less about the staring though, and more the confirmation that the staring brings with it. If the man is taken aback by his ears, that means the man is definitely not from Siracusa, despite the very Siracusan looking assortment of food he managed to pick out here.

Nice to know that even on distant planets there are still people with good taste though. He hums out an agreement at that assessment though. ]

I know some people who would be happy to eat whatever was put on their plates.

[ Shade to a man who isn't here right now. ]

Is that what you usually stock up on?

[ He nods at the bags himself now. ]

[ Look at that shade. Daniel knows you don't say that sort of thing unless you truly know someone like that. He mostly knows it because his own mind definitely goes in the direction of a certain man right away when he thinks about that statement.. Yes, he's definitely thinking about you, Johnny "human trash can" Lawrence.

But rather than commenting on it, Daniel instead glances over at the food for a moment before looking back at Broca, nodding. Sure, Daniel usually goes for the fresher stuff so he can make it himself, but.. ]

My family is Italian-American. I was raised on this stuff. [ The phone reads out for him, and at least something about the man seems a little less heavy when he listens to the words being read out loud. It feels like the lightest thing he's been able to talk about all week. ] If there's anything good at all about this city, it's that we can at least still eat these dishes.

[ Able to relate on the level of having good taste in food, and knowing people who have horrific tastes as well. Chiave will never live down Broca finding out the kind of sugary garbage he enjoys eating. Not when he's Siracusan and should have a better sense of taste than that.

Speaking of... ]

"Italian-American"?

[ Broca's definitely saying that phrase like it's a brand new concept to him, a set of words he's never heard before. He really doesn't even have to follow up with a second sentence to make it clear that his world is wildly different than Daniel's own, but he does anyway. ]

Wherever that is, it's similar to the food we eat in Siracusa.

[ .. that tone is saying so much. Daniel pauses for a moment, but then types on the phone once more. ]

You've never heard of Italy? Or the U.S.?

[ Look, the animal ears? Maybe they should've been a dead giveaway for that one, considering there are no people with actual animal ears living in Italy or in America or anywhere else on the world, as far as Daniel knows. But even with all the weirdness he's encountered so far, the idea of someone just.. straight up not knowing of those countries is just a new level of it.

Not that he can't put himself over it for now, since it's not like it's Broca's fault, but.. sheesh.

He frowns, glances at the products again, and as he looks one bag over once more, he writes: ]

Now I think about it, these don't mention anything about Italy on the packaging either. [ While products back home sure love doing that.. Sure love claiming to be authentic Italian when they're just made in some factory in the United States.. ] Or Siracusa.

[ Is it because they all come from such wildly different places? Are these products being world-neutral on purpose.. ]

[ Broca knows of his homeland of Siracusa, or the country of Columbia (notably distinct from the country of Colombia that Daniel might know, because the one Broca is familiar with is a lot more U.S.-y in nature), but he didn't know any Italys or U.S.s. That small frown and hum to confirm that no, he hadn't heard of them, is as much confirmation as he's going to give on that.

Though the mention of none of the packaging mentioning Broca's world does get a sigh out of him. ]

Nothing here has a place name on it.

[ Could be a world-neutral thing. Sensitivity reasons from the city they find themselves in.

More likely, there is an active attempt to keep them from realizing what world it is they find themselves stuck on right now. ]

[ Why does everything in this place have to be so puzzling, huh? Sure, Daniel realises it's technically some sort of.. otherworldly kidnapping, which is how he's mostly classified all of this in his head by now, but that doesn't mean they can't get at least some more information about what's going on here, right. It's not like they can actually go anywhere either way.

It's why the man sighs. Apparently he's still capable of making that sound, since it's mostly breath, even though he can't actually speak.

If they can't find out more by looking at the food packaging, then-- he looks back at Broca. ]

You say this food is similar to what you have in Siracusa, right?

[ Sure hopes he got that one right, since he only heard it, and now he has to try and type it out for his phone to read it out loud.. Though, let's be real, the robot voice might butcher the pronounciation without Daniel needing to help at all. It's how text to speech loves to operate. ]

Do you mind telling me what that place is like? [ Maybe they can find out a little more by comparing countries, at least.. Especially if this place isn't going to give them a single clue. ]

[ If Daniel misspelled the name (and he didn't), then he won't know from Broca's reaction. The man blinks slowly at the questions, and frowns to himself as he considers which parts of it he should talk about. He has a lot of things he's fond of when it comes to his homeland, but...

It wasn't like Siracusa wasn't without its share of problems. Nowhere on Terra was from what Broca had come to understand in his travels, but Siracusa in particular is one he knows the seedier sides of best.

Helps that he was once part of that seedier side of things. ]

About the food, or...?

[ Because the food is one of the nicer parts for sure. ]

About any part of that place.

[ Though Daniel gets that can be kind of hard. If the other asked him the same in return, then Daniel wouldn't be sure to describe Italy - or even a place he frequents much more, like his home of the Valley. It's difficult to describe something that's so normal to you.

But it's really the only way to compare the two places, right? See if they're any similar beyond the food, or any different beyond the presence of people with animal features.

And at least Daniel is kind and polite enough of a guy to add: ]

If you don't mind.

[ Broca hesitates as he considers the mulls the request over, looking at the ingredients in Daniel's bag once more as he decides just where he wants to start with this. ]

It's been a few years since I last saw it.

[ Having moved into the small nomadic city-esque landship of Rhodes Island. ]

It's a crooked place.

[ His usual frown deepens into something more purposeful. Most places in Terra are pretty crooked to some degree, but Siracusa has a particular problem with corrupt leadership. ]

But the food is second to none, and we've got some impressive art and music.

[ It's not much of a description, but then again, Broca's not much of a talker. ]

[ Thankfully Daniel has time to mull it all over on his end while the other is speaking. It's not like he's as familiar with Italy as he is with the United States, but-- well, the description sounds similar enough. They do have a pretty impressive culture over there, and old artifacts, and great food, and.. well, there is the whole mafia problem when it comes to crooked things..

How strange.

Daniel frowns - though just a little bit - as his phone reads out: ]

It sounds very similar.

[ So does that mean the same places exist in all worlds out there. Just.. named differently sometimes?

.. It's way too difficult of a thing for him to overthink right now, and the man pushes the thought back into his mind to ponder later, rather than in the middle of a grocery isle.

It might be why he instead continues with: ]

I take that you must have moved if you have not seen it in a while. [ You know. As opposed to 'displaced by some weird supernatural force to an empty city'.. ]

[ The mafia would likely be a problem in all but the most idealized version of Italy, though it was more than just a problem in Broca's Siracusa. Those families had a stranglehold over the city-states, and the lands were theirs to do with as the pleased.

Broca would know, as someone who formerly worked for one of the families in charge, before he was deemed no longer useful.

It's not something Broca likes thinking about too much, though the next comment at least lets him reflect on something more pleasant. He hums out a quiet confirmation at that. ]

My new job takes me all over the world.

[ A traveller, then. Daniel can't help but wonder - briefly - to himself whether it'd make arriving in this city any less weird.. Sure, it'd still be a weird place, but at least Broca would be used to being away from home. Unlike Daniel himself.

His gaze slides over to the products around them for a moment, but when it lands back on Broca, he types something on his phone again. ]

What kind of job did you have?

[ It doesn't feel like anything too personal to ask a total stranger.. Daniel wouldn't feel weird if someone asked him it, anyway.

And the more he occupies his mind with other people's business rather than his own, the better. There's way too much stuff he doesn't want to think about.

At least he's nice and relatively polite enough to add: ]

If that's alright to ask. [ It's not like he's trying to be nosy, anyway. ]

[ Maybe a bit, but it helps that the organization Broca works for has a small handful of people who stumbled in from another world too. It doesn't give Broca a lot of hope though, because they also haven't been able to send any of those people back to their world.

Which isn't something that Daniel will know, since Broca isn't bringing it up right now, but it is going to make this bracketed text especially surprising when Broca answers- ]

I worked for a pharmaceutical company.

[ BIG PHARMA?? Not really... things in his world were different, and Rhodes Island was a particular unique company in a lot of ways. ]

[ ...

B-Big pharma??

Not exactly the kind of answer Daniel expected, and it shows in the way the man's eyes widen for a moment as he looks at Broca. Sure, it isn't the strangest answer the other could have given him - especially with the animal ears and all, only god knows what kind of stuff might be normal where Broca comes from - but it's still out of left field enough.

On the other hand, Daniel is a car salesman, so maybe he's definitely not the person who should be surprised about big capitalist jobs here.. ]

I didn't expect to hear about that one. [ He at least admits through his phone, giving the other now a half-apologetic smile for his surprise. ] Sounds like it must be a pretty big company to boot if it's got you travelling all over the world.

[ Would he be more accepting if Broca told him he was a mafioso?

... Probably actually. Fuzzy little ears aside, Broca did look more the part of a member of the mob than he did part of a drug company. He's really doing well giving mob vibes as he crosses his very meaty looking arms across his chest, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully. ]

Biggest one I know of.

[ Which given different worlds, probably doesn't sound great. He really is sounding like he's part of Big Pharma with capital letters and all right now. ]

[ Darn, Broca. Didn't expect to run into the world's largest capitalist here. ]

Were you very high up?

[ .. the man suddenly figures that might be taken one way for sure, especially coupled with his wide-eyed stare at the other.. So he does move to type on his phone again, making sure to clarify. ]

I imagine they would notice you are missing then, I mean.

[ See, even with all this talk of Broca's odd Italian big pharma-influenced world, Daniel's mind didn't quite travel away from that topic either. With how badly he wants to go back home, he can't help but think about all of this immediately from that angle. ]

[ Gotta make that $$$$

Though the irony is that Broca really couldn't care less about that. He's just managed to land himself with some pretty questionable jobs over the years. ]

No. There are people who would notice me missing, but not because I had an important job.

[ He was a long term operator for them though, and did a lot of the uh... the messy work.

Has it been mentioned yet that his pharm company also has a paramilitary unit? Don't worry about it. This is all normal stuff that isn't alarming in the slightest. ]

[ Daniel gets what Broca is saying here - or rather, you know.. He fills it in himself in his mind, considering Daniel's own priorities in life. It means that when Broca says people would notice him missing, and not because of his job, Daniel immediately assumes it's his family.

Just what happens in the mind of such a family-oriented man. ]

I hope they are not too worried about you. [ He writes because of it, a sympathetic expression on his face.

Sure, not being missed at all would suck, but Daniel can imagine - through personal worry in this place - that the idea of people worrying too much about your disappearance can be painful in its own way. ]

[ He's not entirely wrong with that assumption. Chiave and Aosta are family of a sort. Broca's famiglia who literally saved his life when others were ready to leave him to die. Closer to him than anyone else in his life.

Even if no one else notices that he's gone, he's certain those two will. It's really a matter of if they can even find him though.

He frowns at the comment, and his ears flatten as he realizes something. ]

Given the sort of work I do... they might assume I'm dead.

[ D-didn't he just say a moment ago he works in pharmaceuticals?? ]

[ ...

....

W-What?

Daniel just plainly stares at the other, unsure of what to think here. Sure, usually he'd feel bad for the other - and he does! - but it's exactly that last point that distracts Daniel so much here.

It takes a moment before he's able to type on his phone again. ]

I was not aware it was such a dangerous industry.

[ ????

Look at that baffled look on Daniel's face, Broca. He doesn't understand a single bit about this, apparently. ]

Sure. There's a lot of combat involved in it.

[ He said pharmaceuticals, right? That's what he said?

He sure did, and in fact Broca seems to realize what some of the confusion here might be. ]

I wasn't on the research and development end.

[ This still does not explain as much as he thinks it does. ]

[ It definitely doesn't explain it. It shows too - in the way the man only looks more baffled after Broca's attempt to clarify. Which is probably the opposite thing of what an explanation is meant to do, huh. ]

So that makes your end what kind of end specifically?

[ B-Broca? This is kind of an important question now, my dude.

What kind of business could a pharmaceutical business possibly have that involves combat? C-Company espionage, or something? ]

I was an operator.

[ This. Explains. Nothing.

Daniel you are a good man, a man who doesn't deserve this nonsense in your life right now or ever. And yet here is an almost 190cm catboy telling you about his extremely deadly career working for big pharma.

Sometimes being dragged into a strange, empty city isn't the weirdest thing to happen to a person. ]

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