barsburg | first. audio.

first. audio.

Excuse me. If someone would be so kind as to give me a moment of their time, I promise that I will be as concise as possible to spare your time... I was wondering if perhaps someone could explain the finer details of life here in the village to me. I've never lived in such a place before.

Are there phrases or words native only to Luceti? Has your vernacular changed at all since arriving here? Oh, yes, and I have read that there is a school here. Could someone describe their experiences?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm not sure we have a lot of slang here, besides the stuff about experiments and Shifts and all that. Have you heard about those yet, Miss?

I believe that they were mentioned in that helpful guide, but I would love to hear a firsthand account of what they are like if you would not mind.

Oh, I don't mind at all. I'm not sure what else there is to say about them, though. Like the guide says, they're normally not visible to us. Like the last one—I didn't even realize anything was wrong until I talked to my friend, who wasn't acting like himself.

Oh my... So, you really could be acting like a completely different person without realizing it at all?

Yep. Sometimes, you won't even realize it until it's over. It's not that it's not you, it's just... you might remember things differently, so acting that way feels normal to you, you know?

I see... [ My, that is terribly concerning. ] Have you been here long?

Yeah, you could say that. It's been over a year, almost two now. You've probably heard that some people have been here even longer, though.

I have heard. Being home away for so long must be difficult.

Well, I'm actually kind of used to it. I'd already been away from home for a while before I came here. I know it can be hard for others, though.

Were you on a quest?

Not much aside from New Feathers and Shifts.

A few things from other worlds I suppose. What kind of place did you live in before?

How interesting... I wonder who coined that term. "New Feather". It's simple, yet poignant... The place I lived before was much larger than this village. I'm afraid that I've never been somewhere quite so rustic before.

I guess the people who were here back over four years ago.

You get used to it though. At least it's not completely wilderness. I'm from the city myself, that and ocean. Though the island I grew up on had a few mountains.

Ah, that's right. The population isn't stable... I suppose there is no one to ask about that. How unfortunate...

[ Her voice is bright. ] This place is beautiful. I'm sure that I will enjoy my time here, however long it may be.

I found school very rewarding in my days here.

Could you perhaps tell me in what ways?

Well for one, there's lots of cute girls there!

Ah! You're one of those types than.

Thaaaaat depends what you mean.

You're aware of the women in the room moreso than the subject being taught.

Oh, yep! All day, every day!

So then for you, school was a social outing rather than an educational one. Am I correct?

You could be phrasing it like that.

Well then, how would you phrase it?

Iiiii wouldn't want to commit one or the other way. After all, Sensei is quite attractive in her own right.

Sensei? [ Foreign words yes tell her all of them. ]

Teacher, professor, Raine Sage, a babe by any other name.

I see. So, sensei is another word for teacher... [ A little bit of fumbling, she'll just be marking that down in a separate journal. ] How fascinating.

That it is! A very pleasant one to roll off your tongue, at that.

It certainly does. Is it a word from your homeworld, or one native to here?

The former. Japanese word that translator doesn't garble up.

Besides the terms used to describe various creatures and goings-on, we have not noticed a great deal of "slang". We suspect this is due to the fact that the villagers hail from different lands and thusly maintain their own nuances of speech.

Another reason may be due to how infrequently the Malnosso choose to speak with us.

Ah! I was wondering if perhaps all of the different cultures within the village would have bled into one another. [ That is a little disappointing. She was hoping to hear more unique colloquialisms. ]

They do speak with us at times, correct?

We do not believe so, although there are certainly mannerisms and traditions which are more commonplace than others. And...there are those which the majority finds unusual. Therefore, if there has been any "bleeding", then we think it must be limited in scope.

As for those Malnosso creatures, there is the occasional correspondence, but it does not occur at regular intervals.

I see. That would make sense, if most worlds are so very similiar... and I suppose most aren't here long enough or in large enough numbers to impart enough knowledge of their world unto those who are here.

I take it that when they intervene, it's rarely good news.

The numbers and kinds appear to be varied, though we can say with certainty that we have never before seen anycreature quite like the humans. The feeling is generally shared, so we imagine that our land must be within the minority.

[There's a very horse-like snort.] But rarely. Even those who claim a wish to "help" us rarely report with good news.

You're not a human, then? [ She peers at the snapshot. It's not unusual to encounter sentient creatures back home - rare, but entirely within the realm of possibility. Thinking about it earns a sharp pang of loneliness. Kururu would find all of this quite concerning. ]

No, indeed not. We are a winged unicorn, referred to by some as an "alicorn".

[Among other things, but Luna has found it best to keep technicalities reasonably simple. After a moment, she adds, simply because she cannot help it.]

Either is fine. We ask only that thou dost not call us a "horse".

Very well. I will keep that in mind! Are there many of your kind here? [ A small pause. Oh, she's been terribly rude. ] I'm sorry, I've forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Ouka. Could I perhaps have your name?

We are called Luna, fair Ouka.

Our sister also is here, along with a small number of our subjects. We think it likely that thou wilt meet one or more of them within short time, as they have proven themselves quite active.

Luna, then. It's a pleasure to meet you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

first. audio.

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]

[voice]