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

[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.. ]

[offinventory]

There's no test.
Besides, I'm like Gurathin. I came later.

[tealeafs]

[ It's too late. Apparently it seems that Chizuru is now convinced she has to pay attention like there will be a test...

(Maybe just the test of friendship.) ]

like gurathin
?
is that a word that will also be explained in this drama

[ D-did the test already begin..? ]

[offinventory]

Gurathin is a person's name. He's an asshole I know.
He's not in the drama.

[tealeafs]

you know someone who is a bad person
?

[ Look, Chizuru is not going to repeat the word 'asshole.' She's too polite for it. ]

is he a bad person who harasses you

[offinventory]

He's an asshole, but he's not a bad person. Those aren't synonymous.
He frequently annoys me, but he's part of the team.

[tealeafs]

how can someone not be both of those things
i do not think i have ever thought of anyone in such a way who was not a bad person

[ Granted - the answer to that question is mostly just 'because Chizuru is too nice, and wouldn't truly judge someone unless they were absolutely the most awful person alive.'

But it's not like she's self-aware enough to realise that. ]

also i think annoying you is not something good people would do
you are far too kind for anyone to do that to you

[offinventory]

[ Murderbot stares off into the distance as it runs over the message in the feed over and over and over again. ]

We may have different definitions. That's the best I can think of here.

[ Among other things, it's an asshole. It knows that and is fine with that. ]

People annoy each other all the time on accident. There's no level of kind that protects you from people being jerks or assholes or whatever else.

[tealeafs]

forgive me
let me alter that

i do not mean to say that being kind will absolutely protect you from it
i suppose what i am trying to say is more something along the lines of

[ A pause, as the indication that Chizuru is writing keeps blinking. Apparently she wants to get this just right before sending it over, not wanting the other to think she is dumb.

Even if Chizuru feels a little dumb. ]

people should not be jerks to nice people
i know they will be regardless
but nice people deserve better than that
i wish better for you than for people to be mean to you when you are so kind and caring
i guess what is what i am trying to say

[offinventory]

That's a nice thought. I appreciate it. However, sometimes people cannot be nice or kind even when they care because they've been through shit. They don't deserve people being jerks just because they've been through too much.

It's more complicated than that, is what I'm saying.

[tealeafs]

alright

[ Does Chizuru feel like she understands it any better?

Definitely not. But she's also not the type to disagree with someone too hard unless it's super important, so there's no way she'll push it here. Instead, after a moment, she just adds: ]

i will try to think about it

[ Like this is some lesson she's learning at school and has some homework to do now... ]

[offinventory]

Thanks. Maybe we can find some shows together that explore this idea. Then we'll both have more to think about.

[ Murderbot doesn't expect to change its opinion, but this feels like a 'nicer' way of putting on it. ]