[VIDEO; UN: LittleGreenLiar]

[demonicbeauty]

[There are a number of indications that this is a misfire, even before it becomes clear what's going on. First, there's the fact of the username. Ariadne has never once set a username. Everyone who keeps promising to show her how to do it keeps disappearing or dying on her. So she's been "username not set" for years, at this point.

Then, there's the angle. It's tilted. And the feed isn't vibrating and shaking as Ariadne tries to hold it steady. Clearly, her Omni is sitting off to one side, forgotten, at the moment.

Ariadne is standing in her bedroom, sunlight filtering in through the gauzy curtains. She's in her underwear. Of course, it's pretty medieval underwear: a ribbed corset, tied in front, and knee-length bloomers. Bare feet. Green feet. She's in her natural form, her candy-floss blue hair loose and streaming down her back, practically to her knees. She wags her hand in front of her face, as if she's holding a fan. Daintily, she touches her fingertips to her collarbone.]

Me? You want to dance with me?

[There's non one else in the room. It appear, she's been caught in a game of make-believe. Adorable? Creepy? Hard to say.]

Why, sir, I would be delighted!

[She dips into a neat, perfect curtsy. And then rises, eyelashes fluttering.

At which point, she starts to dance a waltz, her arms around an invisible, imaginary partner. She moves smoothly, gliding across the room, looking very much like she's ready to fall in love in a ballroom.

One, two, three. One, two, three...]

Comments

video | un: K

[obeir]

[ It's good to see that Ariadne has finally figured out the user name business — as far as K's aware, that is — but the rest... had she meant to broadcast this? He's been so preoccupied with Luna and the recently cocooned Peter (...Paimon) that he hasn't been paying much mind to everything else that's happening in Trench, such as the misfires.

The sight is a little nostalgic for him and he isn't in a hurry to interrupt. It isn't so different from how he'd first learnt how to dance: with a hologram partner, whom he couldn't physically touch. Eventually, he does speak up. ]

Looks like you're having fun. You dance well.

[VIDEO]; UN: [Airy]

[demonicbeauty]

[By the time she responds, she's thought ahead at least enough to put on a dress. Modesty has never been a big deal for her. But she was raised to have some manners.

She smiles shyly, brushing her hair back, behind her ear.]

It was fun...

But no one was supposed to see it!

[opress]

[He tilted his head away so his horns wouldn't be at risk of spiking her or impeding her vision of the screen that he was working on.]

Playing around with it mostly, but traveling in space sometimes means scrambling identifiers of the ship. I learned to do that. Our technology is more advanced than this but also simplified.

[demonicbeauty]

Scrambling...identifiers?

[She considers this a moment.]

An act of deception?

That doesn't make sense. I mean, I could list my name as Princess Tranns Harkin, but anyone would know I'm me, just looking at me. Wouldn't they?

[tealeafs]

[ Oh, gosh.

That last remark certainly makes Chizuru blush a little - perhaps because she might be worried Ariadne is assuming here that Chizuru would! S-She's not that kind of girl..! ]

I-I understand! [ She therefore quickly stammers, shaking her head a little. ] I just thought.. um.. that has to be the only option, right? I mean, I have never heard of these things recording all by themselves, and the only other option is..

[ She grows quiet for a moment, unsure of what she's about to say. Perhaps even a little worried. ]

.. a ghost or something..

[ And that option doesn't exactly seem great either, huh. Especially since most ghosts in this place aren't too friendly. ]

[opress]

[It was rare for Savage to feel like he had knowledge that others did not, and he blinked at Airy as she questioned him. Normally, Maul would answer such questions and he'd remain silent. His smarter and infinitely more learned brother.]

It's... every ship that can travel between planets has a unique code set to it that space ports and spacefaring ships can read and identify. To disappear in space, you have to change that identifier when you're wanted by Jedi, bounty hunters, and space authorities.

But ships are abandoned all the time on planets or sometimes in space, so it's easy to steal identifiers. War does that.

[He shrugged his shoulders as he scrolled through her profile until the network name was displayed.]

In the Outer Rim, there is a lot of lawlessness. It's easy to disappear if you're smart about it. Still, some of it comes down to luck and staying off the busier hyperspace lanes.

[demonicbeauty]

Do...all ships look the same, then?

[She's seen ships in Obi-Wan's memories. But always from the inside, never the outside.

They seemed pretty different.

But maybe that's part of the design...]

[demonicbeauty]

A ghost?

[She turns her face up to the ceiling, sniffing delicately. Taking the possibility seriously.

But ultimately, she shakes her head.]

I don't think there are any ghosts. I would smell some ozone. I usually do when there's magic around.

[She shrugs.]

My guess is there's something weird with the technology.

[opress]

No. There a hundreds or different designs and new ones coming out every cycle. They are built for their purpose and how many people or goods are needed to transport. Some of the transport used for troop movement are the size of a city.

[He had been on a few large ships, but he preferred the smaller ships that could skirt around the edges and get in to planets without detection.]

What type of transport does your world have?

[demonicbeauty]

Then what's the point of an identifier? Can't you just...look at the ship?

[She shakes her head, still confused.]

We have sailing vessels in my world. Horse-drawn carriages. Sometimes roller skates.

You can always see the people operating the vessel, whatever it is.

[opress]

You can identify a ship before it is close enough to see it. Any planet can have hundreds of ships come to its surface every hour. If you have a hundred people pushing through a door, how do you identify who is the spy when it is a sea of humanoids?

[He hadn't been on many sailing vessels; he wasn't a strong swimmer after all.]

What are roller skates?

[demonicbeauty]

They're these funny shoes with wheels on them. Four on each foot.

[She slides her foot forward, pointing the toes. Like a little ballerina.]

You use them to glide across surfaces, propelling yourself forward.

[thunderingcourage]

I don't think so. And if we ask respectfully I'm sure they won't mind.

[demonicbeauty]

What's the name of his husband?

[thunderingcourage]

Oh, it's Maul. Though I don't really know how long they've been together.

[demonicbeauty]

Maul is married!?!?

[She looks quite blown away by this information.]

video; username: mariathorpe

[givetheslip]

I don't think you meant to show us that.

[Maria won't ask for more information, at least not yet. A person is entitled to their privacy, even if they inadvertently rid themselves of it.]

[VIDEO]; UN: [Airy]

[demonicbeauty]

[Ariadne smiles weakly. By this point, she's changed back into her Human form. And she has the grace to be more amused than horrified.]

I didn't...

[givetheslip]

...it was a lovely dance, if that's any consolation.

[It wouldn't be for her, but maybe Ariadne is different.]

[demonicbeauty]

It...kind of is.

[She giggles.]

Thank you.

[givetheslip]

[Okay, she has to ask. Since the woman doesn't seem too bothered.]

Did you imagine yourself to be dancing with anyone in particular?

[demonicbeauty]

I...

[She pauses.]

I don't know. Sort of? It's hard to explain. I guess I was imagining...the love of my life.

[tealeafs]

With these things themselves?

[ .. now Chizuru is the one who has to consider this for a moment. She knows so little about technology that it's hard for her to tell. Maybe she should ask someone who seems more familiar with it.. ]

But that's.. kind of dangerous, isn't it? I mean, they could show us off doing anything at all then.. It could make people feel really embarrassed, like what happened to you. [ And that's not a good thing in Chizuru's opinion. People should only have to share what they want to share! ]

[opress]

Why... would you want wheels on your shoes? How do you stop?

[He had never heard of such things before, but then again, hover technology was more the style of the galaxy. That and beasts of burden.]

[demonicbeauty]

Maybe we should have thought of this before...

[Fortunately, she's not too embarrassed.]

Might be wise to keep the Omni in a box or pocket, when it's not being used.