afterliving | 001 ❀ video/action

[ video ]

[ It takes some time for Petra to understand how things work, but sooner or later after some observation she’s managed to get the video on. ]

Hello? Ah, I thought it would be a good time to introduce myself… I’m - uh -new here? At least from what I’ve seen... My name is Petra Ral, nice to meet you all!

[ She fidgets a little, before continuing. ]

So, from what I’ve seen this-- world? [ Can she even call this place a world? It's the afterlife but... Everything's really strange, okay. ] -Is… far more modern than my own. The technology here is incredible, though taking coffee from a gigantic metal block seems kind of strange. [ A small pause. ] It feels a little impersonal? I think coffee’s best made from scratch, but that might just be me…

--Oh, that’s right!

I was wondering if anyone could explain these… machines? Is that what you would call them? Ah, yeah, I was wondering if anyone could explain their purposes and how to use them! Some of them actually seem to make work a lot easier than it usual is, so I'm sure it would be really convenient to learn! I’ve been told my methods are very... “old”.

[ Petra tilts her head a little, as if she’s wondering if there’s something she’s forgotten to mention. ]

Mm, I think that’s all, for now at least. Thanks!

-

[ action ]

[ Later, if you find yourself in the garden, you'll see Petra walking around, smelling the flowers and inspecting them closely. There are so many types she's never seen before! And for the ones she's seen, they're mostly from outside the walls, where she doesn't really have the time to study them.

She probably won't notice you unless you're in her face, because she's super focused on a ladybug she's spotted on a plant. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Very! It's a little bit scary, but also very interesting as well.

[ Considering the lack of their world's uniforms, and as Marco died before she got to meet him, she doesn't recognize him as someone from the walls. ]

Hmm, well, everything! We didn't have much of this where I came from...

Mm, I agree! I've already learned a lot just being here.

[ Yep Marco is just being helpful for helpfulness' sake. They really never would've met... ]

Same here, actually. But so far I've figured out, um, "vending machines," meal tickets, and some of the more basic computer things. Though I hear there's almost no limit to the kinds of things you can do with those.

[ One day they might bond over being redshirts. maybe. ]

Have you gotten used to it yet? I imagine learning things like these might take some time...

Somewhat, I'd say. It's certainly possible! You just have to be willing to mess up a bit every now and then... Though to be honest, I'm probably not the best person to ask.

[ And drink lots of soda. And mess up a lot. ]

Hm, perhaps not, but it's easier to learn from someone who knows your situation and has been through it before.

That's true. Alright, would you like me to give you a quick run-through? The vending machines are easy, it's the computers that I really don't yet understand.

That would be nice! And hmm.. Well, if you gave me an explanation of all the things you've found convenient here, that'd be great.

Okay, let's see... Vending machines are easy, since they're free. You press a button and it delivers whatever is assigned to that button. Usually there'll be a picture on the button or on top, so it's easy, like I said.

Our rooms also have these things called air-con's, which cool the room if you turn them on. They're those weird machines that are usually mounted up high on the wall. I think they have settings to turn off if it gets cold enough, but I haven't really figured out how that works... Also there's heaters, which are little machines that pretty much do the opposite. The produce heat. I think I read somewhere that there's tables that do that too...

[ Imagine he mentions whatever convenience I've missed. ~~Imagine I'm not weeb'ing out by making Japan-specific allusions.~~ ]

For meal tickets, it's just a matter of finding the name of the food you like, pressing the button then presenting your ticket at the right station in the cafeteria. Um... what else....

[ Petra pays close attention to everything he says, though she's having a hard time picturing it in her head sometimes. She tries her best, though! ]

A..ha. Hmm, I think this will be a huge round of trial and failure, but your explanations have answered a whole lot of my questions, thank you so much!

What's your name, by the way?

Yeah, I'm glad to help! I had to learn a lot of this myself, so it's no trouble.

My name is Marco Bodt. It's very nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, Marco. Thank you for the help!

I hope it's not too difficult getting settled down around here...

It shouldn't be! Everyone is very nice, even the NPCs are usually able to help you if you need it.

I didn't get your name, though?

That's reassuring, at least!

--Ah, I'm sorry! My mistake. My name is Petra Ral.

Mm-hm! It's relaxing, not having to worry too much about, well, everything.

It's nice to meet you, Petra! I guess you haven't been here very long?

Yeah, I just arrived in this really... nice apartment? And then I found this thing...

It took me some hours to figure it out, though.

Oh, you're in an apartment? You must be outside the school, then. That's where most of us are.

Do you know where we are?

Yes! There's a school?

[ There's a brief pause. ]

... The "afterlife", right?

That's right! Most of us are staying in the dorms.

[ That's the pause of someone who knows they're dead... ]

Yes. Some people don't remember their deaths before getting here. Others do.

[ Petra just nods, keeping quiet as she just lets his words sink in -- then she offers him a smile. ]

This is way different than I'd imagine it to be.

I agree. It was really surprising... waking up here.

[ We don't talk about how we died nope, those are some bad memories. ]

[ She looks at him, a melancholic smile on her face. For her, Marco looks too young to be dead, but she's so used to young men dying in battle by now she doesn't even comment it.

One can argue that she's quite young, too. ]

Yes.. But it could be worse, right? I'm relieved that there's an afterlife like this, and that we just don't disappear into nothing.

[ Marco smiles a bit at that. Gotta be rearsuring, after all> ]

You're absolutely right. I'd never really thought an afterlife was possible, but this is much better than I could have ever come up with.

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