text | un: rin

[offinventory]

I had a thankfully dull moment earlier today passing ways with a fictional ghost—the Headless Horseman. Nothing else happened. However, I am not accustomed to seeing fictional characters, even ghosts, walking around Trench.

1. How normal is this experience?


2. Have you seen any other ghosts—fictional? From home?


3. If you have an experience as the month goes on, I would appreciate knowing.

The Entertainment Feed is going to screen two movies related to The Headless Horseman tonight. It is thematic to the month and solid entertainment. It may also serve as education and preparation should you be unable to avoid a violent altercation.

The plan will be to do the same for any such ghosts people see that are in available media.

Comments

[tealeafs]

alright
then i will make sure to come over sometime soon so we can do that together or whenever you have time for it

[ At least Chizuru seems to accept it easily when the other puts it like that, whereas she can sometimes be a little bit more fussy and still protest.. But she likes to think it wouldn't lie about this, and that it's truly okay for her to take up a spot then. ]

do you know of anything that might be particular good to watch together

[ It is the one with more experience here, after all, and Chizuru will gladly defer to that. ]

[offinventory]

I would like that. I'm here more than anywhere else. Reliably in the afternoon and evenings.

I have usually watched Worldhoppers with company.

[ It means ART, of course, but it won't admit that. It won't admit it is missing the big bully of an AI. It can watch the show with Chizuru and pretend ART is there too. ]

[tealeafs]

[ Chizuru doesn't even have to contemplate whether or not she's heard of that one before - because.. well, she's pretty much not heard of any of them, let's be real.

Which is what makes the following question very easy for her. ]

what is that one about

[offinventory]

A group of researchers/explorers travel to unmapped worlds to check them out. Some personal plots. Some adventure plots. Overall a more positive than negative mood.

[tealeafs]

oh that sounds good
especially that last part
i prefer stories with happy endings over ones with bad ones because the latter make me feel very sad
so if this movie is positive then it sounds good already
i suppose those explorers are a little bit like us

[offinventory]

It has some dark parts in the middle, but I promise it has a happy ending.
It's a serial, much longer than a movie. We can watch it a few episodes at a a time.
They are. With less... blood pollution.

[tealeafs]

[ Chizuru is definitely willing to trust the other. If it is saying the ending is happy, then Chizuru will be able to believe in that even throughout the darker parts of it. ]

wait i did not know that there were stories out there that are that long

[ The people she talked to movies about always made it sound like it's a two hour deal.. ]

does that mean we will be able to watch together many times
?
i would like that

[offinventory]

Yes. Serials are a series of episodes. They span much longer stories than movies.

Yes. Worldhoppers is far from the longest serial, but it'll take watching together repeatedly.

[tealeafs]

great
then we will get a lot of time to spend together

[ Which is always a plus in Chizuru's book. She loves being around people, and the other - well, it's nice, so of course she likes being in its company. ]

i will have to make sure to bring along something to consume during the serial to make up for how welcoming of a host you are
robby has told me that having snacks during a movie is very important
and i would not want us to miss out on such an important experience

[offinventory]

Yes, it will be easy to do so.

[ Having something scheduled and determined to do while spending time together eases a lot of the anxiety for Murderbot. ]

Oh, don't worry about me. I have a very particular diet, and I only get things from a piece of technology that came through with me.
Please do bring snacks for yourself. I wouldn't want to deny you.

[tealeafs]

you do?

[ This is the first time she's heard of something like that. Usually Chizuru just sees everyone here eating normally - though she supposes it's not entirely out of the ordinary either. After all, so many people are brought together here from so many places.. Maybe some can only eat things that only exist in their own world. ]

that seems kind of sad

[ Or lonely, she thinks. Having to be so different from everyone else. ]

does it not bother you
or is there maybe not some way to help it?

[offinventory]

It's fine. It's normal for me. No need to fix what isn't broken.

I remember seeing something about you having trouble finding your style of clothes here. Was that sorted out?

[tealeafs]

yes
my friend robby helped me by asking around
and a lot of people were really nice and offered all sorts of help

[ See, this is the lucky thing here for it - Chizuru doesn't even seem to notice the change in subject here, since she's too busy politely answering. ]

so now i can wear female clothes in the style they wear back home
though it is very new for me to actually wear female clothes
but even though it takes some getting used to i find myself really liking it

[offinventory]

That's nice of him and them too.

Did/do you also want... another gender's clothes? Are you... female?
Please correct me if I've been making the wrong assumption. That is public and easily available information where I'm from.

[tealeafs]

i am female

[ She seems to easily answer that one, judging by the - relative, since Chizuru is not the quickest writer - speed with which the reply arrives. ]

but where i come from it is not safe for women to travel around by themselves
or even wander around a big city by themselves
so i dressed up as a boy back home to try and keep myself safe
which i kind of ended up stuck having to do for years because of special circumstances
and i arrived here in those clothes

[offinventory]

[ Murderbot may not understand why it wouldn't be safe for a woman to travel as herself, but it's experienced not being safe traveling as a SecUnit. It's taking those precautions every day in Trench. ]

Years is a long time, but I guess it worked if you did it that long.
Is this related to the Shinsengumi?

[tealeafs]

[ There's a little bit more hesitation in this answer. Because it involves secrets she couldn't talk about to anyone back home, and.. even in this place she's a little hesitant about sharing them, despite the Shinsengumi themselves not being here.

But she trusts the other. So after thinking for a moment, Chizuru does write on. ]

yes
the shinsengumi consists of a group of only men
they could not have a woman staying with them
so when i was forced to stay with them i had to pretend i was a boy
only a few of their men knew what i really was

it has been a little odd to fully be myself again here
not in a bad way though
but i guess i kind of got used to it after years of having to pretend

guess who lost their notification?

[offinventory]

I have only seen that in historical dramas, as conceits.
It seems weird knowing it's real.

Well, be you. Girl clothes. Boy clothes. Whatever.

[tealeafs]

excuse me but what exactly is a historical drama

[ Little does Chizuru know that her life is basically one.

Tropes included, apparently. ]

[offinventory]

It is a dramatic story set in the past, typically in a historical era about which there are common stories, tropes, and ideas. For example, in Preservation, there are always new historical dramas about its founding, never mind how many already exist.

[tealeafs]

oh so i suppose it is a little like when people tell the story of the battle of sekigahara
though i never really understand much of that story i know it was a really big important battle in the past
and people really seem to like telling stories about it

[offinventory]

At least a little. Dramas are, well, dramatic. That can be about major historical moments or complex interpersonal drama or both. I can show you some media of that type if it's of interest to you.

It's popular.

[tealeafs]

i suppose i should see it at least once

[ Because it'd simply be rude to refuse to experience something new, right? ]

though it might be a little strange if one such drama would be about the time or place i come from
so maybe you could show me one that is about some other place and time
if that would not be too much trouble

[ Not that she knows whether historical dramas about the place and time she comes from even exist or not, but she'd rather not take the risk. Just straight up refuse to think about it altogether. ]

[offinventory]

That's easy. I have over 100 about Preservation. You can learn about where I'm from... but 300 years ago.

[tealeafs]

alright
i will come watch them
and i will make sure to memorize everything about the place you are from but from three hunderd years ago
i am going to learn

[ .. w-what is this sudden determination.. ]