It's about 45 minutes before Megumi makes it back to the house, letting herself in with a sigh. She's got a cute little bag on her arm from the café, and she'll head into the kitchen to set it down. She is, quiet honestly, hoping to find Akira there waiting for her, too. ]
[ He is waiting there like she expects. The electric kettle is on and he settled on a cup of tea himself, despite is yearnings for coffee. He shouldn't stay up too late given his schedule the following day...
Akira is leaning back against the counter, though he straightens when she enters. He'll offer a nod in greeting before taking a sip from his cup.
She'll find a mug that she used to use when she lived at home sitting on the counter. ]
You know, if you replace the tiramisu she's going to think you ate hers the other week.
She asked me for some. [ A faint smile as she tucks it carefully away in the fridge. ] So now who's going to take the blame...?
[ She's prepared, you know. With the tiramisu taken care of, she beelines for the mug on the counter, smiling just a little when she sees which one it is. Picking it up, she'll curl her palms around it and press the rim to her lips, taking a long moment to just breathe in the steam and the comforting scent of tea. ]
... sorry for freaking out, earlier. I just... [ She shakes her head, strands of her ponytail shifting across her shoulders. ] I hate feeling used.
[ He's...never been particularly drawn to any sort of display of physical affection. When they were younger, perhaps, but definitely these days he tends to keep his personal space his own. The fact that he let's Megumi do that at all is a testament to her as a person.
Akira waits a long moment, warming his hands on his own mug, before he begins. ]
As I'm sure you've already noticed, what you have is more than a social media app. I don't think anyone really understands the full extent of the effects and its true purpose, but I've been thinking about it as less access to something and more...of something else having access to you.
[ This not exactly the way he described it to Maki. ]
[ What frustrates him the most is that he doesn't actually have all the answers. It's not something he's used to, at least not after this much time. When he doesn't know something, Akira figure sit out. But this has been a mystery that's been dragging on for a few months. Normally he'd enjoy the mental exercise, but something about this just...grates him the wrong way.
Maybe it's because he feels like he's on the losing side.
He shakes his head. ]
I don't know. Our involvement at all might be by happenstance or accident in the first place, but they seem to be just fine with using us now that we're here. What you believed to be reality isn't what you'll see anymore.
We are, supposedly, fragments of some destroyed existence or reality that have been brought back here, maybe in some effort to recreate that reality. It's hard to tell. But with Retrospec you'll see and experience strange things that anyone who isn't a user will consider is normal or be unaware of completely. It's like living in a separate existence from the rest of the world, but you're not sure which side is the one hallucinating.
[ He pauses, taking a short drink of his tea. ]
I don't recommend questioning that too much. As it stands there's no way to answer it and in order to try and understand what we perceive we're experiencing, at least, we have to agree upon a basis of reality. So I'm operating under the assumption that everything we see and hear and do is real. And that it is the non-users who are being shut out.
With that in mind, people are getting fragments of a former or alternate self through visions, supposed memories, and even physical alterations. I've been trying to see if there's a pattern to these sorts of things, but I'm still going through the data. You'll likely experience at least one of these, though I can't guarantee when or why. The minimum frequency, according to the survey I did, seems to be at least one vision every four weeks, though some people have experienced as many as a dozen within the same period.
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[ Which he thinks may help alleviate some of Megumi's stress. ]
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[ Assuming she wants tea.
Honestly he's tempted to just make some coffee for all of this. ]
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[ He knows her too well.
It's about 45 minutes before Megumi makes it back to the house, letting herself in with a sigh. She's got a cute little bag on her arm from the café, and she'll head into the kitchen to set it down. She is, quiet honestly, hoping to find Akira there waiting for her, too. ]
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Akira is leaning back against the counter, though he straightens when she enters. He'll offer a nod in greeting before taking a sip from his cup.
She'll find a mug that she used to use when she lived at home sitting on the counter. ]
You know, if you replace the tiramisu she's going to think you ate hers the other week.
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[ She's prepared, you know. With the tiramisu taken care of, she beelines for the mug on the counter, smiling just a little when she sees which one it is. Picking it up, she'll curl her palms around it and press the rim to her lips, taking a long moment to just breathe in the steam and the comforting scent of tea. ]
... sorry for freaking out, earlier. I just... [ She shakes her head, strands of her ponytail shifting across her shoulders. ] I hate feeling used.
[ with unusual, if quiet, venom. ]
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I'd be more concerned if you had no problem with it,
[ As if anyone in this family would take this sort of shock quietly. ]
Do you want to sit down for this?
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And then she moves over to Akira's side, and after a moment, rests her head on his shoulder. ]
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Akira waits a long moment, warming his hands on his own mug, before he begins. ]
As I'm sure you've already noticed, what you have is more than a social media app. I don't think anyone really understands the full extent of the effects and its true purpose, but I've been thinking about it as less access to something and more...of something else having access to you.
[ This not exactly the way he described it to Maki. ]
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If she's honest with herself, she feels like she's going to fall to pieces from fear and revulsion.
She's quiet as she listens to her brother explain, just kind of taking it all in. ]
They must want us for something. No one would go to this much effort for free. So what are they getting out of this...?
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Maybe it's because he feels like he's on the losing side.
He shakes his head. ]
I don't know. Our involvement at all might be by happenstance or accident in the first place, but they seem to be just fine with using us now that we're here. What you believed to be reality isn't what you'll see anymore.
We are, supposedly, fragments of some destroyed existence or reality that have been brought back here, maybe in some effort to recreate that reality. It's hard to tell. But with Retrospec you'll see and experience strange things that anyone who isn't a user will consider is normal or be unaware of completely. It's like living in a separate existence from the rest of the world, but you're not sure which side is the one hallucinating.
[ He pauses, taking a short drink of his tea. ]
I don't recommend questioning that too much. As it stands there's no way to answer it and in order to try and understand what we perceive we're experiencing, at least, we have to agree upon a basis of reality. So I'm operating under the assumption that everything we see and hear and do is real. And that it is the non-users who are being shut out.
With that in mind, people are getting fragments of a former or alternate self through visions, supposed memories, and even physical alterations. I've been trying to see if there's a pattern to these sorts of things, but I'm still going through the data. You'll likely experience at least one of these, though I can't guarantee when or why. The minimum frequency, according to the survey I did, seems to be at least one vision every four weeks, though some people have experienced as many as a dozen within the same period.
[ Another pause. ]
Any questions so far?