subsystem | voice

[ Kitty's voice is cheerful, girlish, and energetic. She hasn't been around lately: the effects of getting out the warning about the invasion of Olympus had intense physical effects on her, and a long period of unconsciousness has been followed by a period of working hard to recover from that physical weakness. So this post's chipperness is partially motivated by the fact that Kitty's persona/alias Lizzie is just a chipper person, and it's partially motivated by the fact that Kitty wants to prove to herself that she's recovered and in good health and spirits. So...Honestly, that energy is frankly bordering on manic. ]

Hullo, Zion! Or at least the network-users of Zion. It's Lizzie again.

A few things. The first of these things, I think, is going to make some of you quite happy. I expect a lot of you remember the restaurant I work at - Cafe Modak - it's the one with the best food in the whole city, so you might have heard of it. If you pay attention to those sorts of things. Anyway, Chef and Mrs Dutt - that's our owner - are putting together a little celebration dinner, for the people who helped defend Olympus. And also when I say little celebration dinner, I actually mean that it's going to basically be a feast. Everyone's invited, but people who helped out get to eat free. So if you've got any dishes to request, just request them here, and I'll pass it along to the two of them.

Anyway, the second thing is that we really don't all know each other so well, do we? I mean, we do all use this, but I hardly know any of your names. Or anything about you. So we ought to play one of those silly games like they make you do, to get comfortable with the people around you. So...How about we play a few rounds of two truths and a lie? If you all know that game. Or you could do a little introduction speech. Or just talk about your favorite sims, if you do sims.

[ Translation: let me pick your brains and figure out what sorts of people you are. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You are not sixteen. Really?

[ He sounds more faux-surprised than skeptical, though, and gives a contemplative hum. [

It has to be the peanuts. That'd be terrible, by the way, I'd be so sad for you.

[ With a laugh: ]

It's the peanuts.

[ And the hair, too - just to build a false mental picture of her, in case anyone else from her world shows up. The age isn't actually a lie, at least. ]

God, could you imagine? That would be so terrible. Especially working in a restaurant! It'd be a death sentence, wouldn't it.

Anyway - your turn.

[ A noise of agreement. Enunciation isn't anything he's particularly concerned about at the moment, it seems. ]

Hmm... I didn't actually have a dog, I did have an evil twin, and I've never eaten shellfish.

Hmm. You've almost certainly not eaten shellfish, since technically speaking none of us have eaten that, right, with the nature of reality and the Matrix and all. I'd have to say...No evil twin.

Both those things are a matter of perspective, madam. [ Haughty, but he's pleased she caught the shellfish. ] But all right, I guess everybody knows which of us is the evil twin.

[ Spoiler: It's him. ]

Your turn again?

No, hold on - I mean, yeah, it is. But hold on, have you really got a twin?

Good question, but you know, I think I only promised two truths, and that's definitely three.

Oh, but I want to hear about him! Or her, I suppose.

You're just going to have to learn to live with disappointment.

[ There's a pause and a -small slosh. Ignore that. ]

-Or trade me. A truth for a truth.

[ She huffs an overdramatic, insincere sigh in response. ]

Oh, all right. A truth for a truth.

And so we have an accord.

[ He gives an exhale, like he's repositioning. ]

I do have a twin. It's not half interesting as it sounds, I promise.

In the Matrix, or out here? And what's he like? Or what's she like.

In there. She's the most boring person alive. All goodness and light and perfect little princess, you know.

[ Ugh. He sounds long-suffering, but there's affection in his voice too, deeper and more genuine than the show of apathy he's putting on, and subtle enough he doesn't seem to notice it slipping out. ]

Stubborn as you are, too. [ And maybe that's the real reason he's telling her any of this. ] Are you going to hold up your end of the bargain?

[ She grins - both at his comment and at his quiet warmth - and says cheerfully: ]

Sounds like you've got a streak of that stubbornness too. Okay. My truth...Oh, how about - I'm an only child.

[ Actually true. ]

Another one from you. What do you do for a living?

[ Kitty already knows - of course she already knows. But it pays to seem a little clueless. ]

I'm a councilor's errand boy, [ he says, droll, as if he delivers messages instead of acting as the Councilor's hands and feet and voice if need be. ]

And we already know you work at a restaurant, so how about... What do you want to do for a living? If you could do anything, apprentice to whoever or however that works.

[ 'That' being, you know. Career paths. Vocational training. Things he never had much cause to think about before Zion, since there was really only the one, for a crown prince. ]

Edited 2015-09-09 05:28 (UTC)

Erm -

[ Shit. Shit? This is a question that Kitty has literally never considered before, either for herself or for her persona. Back home, she would always just dutifully answer, I want to be a secretary, and she would think, I am and will be a revolutionary. But those answers don't work here. The fact that they don't work ought to be fine, because she's really good at lying. But the thing is that she still hasn't managed to wrap her head around the amount of freedom she has here. She could do anything. Be anything. With what limitations, though? What freedoms does Lizzie's world have? What would Lizzie think? How would Kitty even answer, if she were going to answer for herself? She doesn't know, has no idea, and she just freezes in a feedback loop as she grapples with the knowledge that she could answer literally anything and it would be plausible...

The pause is absurdly long before she finally stammers out - completely shaken, and angry because why hadn't she thought this out, how could she be so stupid, this is a question that people ask each other - ]

I don't - don't know. Honestly. Erm.

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