Zap!

Since getting here, it’s almost natural Edvin would be the type to get lost. But he was also the type to scope things out to a very detailed degree before letting it rest. Though his methods are a bit strange, probably. Approaching random people, wandering about with a game system in his hand… Weird. He’d noticed the sheep and was absolutely filled to the brim with questions about it all.

Now, Edvin was a fast reader, though didn’t mind the screen lingering for a bit long. After he’d read it he’d speak up like normally to ensure the other knew he’d gotten what she said… er. Typed. Rather. He gave a soft nod;  then accompanied by a small laugh, it’s next to inaudible.

“Nice ta’ meetcha as well, Celty. I really appreciate that offer, see… I’m eh… not used to the city life too much.”

Edvin perhaps was experiencing some culture shock being taken from the quiet nowhere to a bustling place full of sheep and others. Though they all were so kind… Maybe he’d get used to this quicker than he thought. He’s so taken with questions he almost has no idea what to say.

“It feels weird suddenly havin’ buildings everywhere, ya’ know? Hmm… It’s sort of a big ask but uh, could ya’ give me a basic tour of where some important spots are here? I’ve found a few but cities seem like the perfect place to get lost.”

Well… Celty was no stranger to the shock of seeing a city for the first time. When she’d lost her head and followed it all the way to Ikebukuro, that had been her first time seeing such huge cities as well. Not that she remembered anything from before that… Maybe she’d forgotten about the large cities she’d seen?

Anyway, now’s not the time for that!

She scratched at the side of her helmet, contemplating the request. She wasn’t going to turn it down- even if it’d cost her her day off. She had offered after all, so she can’t really say no… Plus, she’d feel bad for just leaving him out there all confused. However, what she wondered was where she’d have to take Edvin that would be relevant? Hummingbird Hotel had a restaurant for the people there to eat for free- but maybe he liked to make his own food?

“Hmm… Sure, I can show you around some places that might be useful! But give me a moment to put on my other clothes, okay?”

She held out the PDA as well as one of her hands up in the air to signify he had to wait outside the door as she retreated back into her room. Technically, she could just put on her shoes, since the tracksuit covered everything normally, but…

Uhm, it’s weird to go outside in your lounging clothes, right..? It felt weird! It felt totally weird to wear her indoor tracksuit to go outside..! She changed into her usual biking suit as fast as she could- odd it might be, but it felt so much more natural to her, even without her usual motorbike.

She opened the door again as fast as she could, checking to see if she had her keys and her PDA with her before she locked the door behind her and typing up a new message.

At the first message, Edvin understands is gives a nod to show that. He doesn’t mind waiting outside, probably checking his phone and reading potential totally interesting social media posts. That is until he notices the door open once more to see Celty standing where she had been before, but in different clothes. He pockets his phone and ponders a second at her question.... Specific kinds of places...?

He stepped back to allow her out, chiming once some things came to mind.

☼ @xmakoto-orca-tachibanax

Nothing like visiting the pool. No matter how the seasons should change, one thing always never ceased to remind Edvin of the warm sunshine. Though he usually wasn’t much of a swimmer, recently he’d bought himself a pair of swim trunks to try it out. Being from the very rural mountains of a northern-europe like area swimming was sort of a rare thing to do unless you went somewhere else.

His trunks had a sun pattern on them… Cliche, and totally expected from someone like him. But hey, it matched his key aesthetic. As he approached the pool he had a relaxed smile on his face, in the back of his mind he hoped he’d find someone there. If not to swim with them, just someone to talk to would be just as cool. He pushes the door open, stopping for only a moment as he notices someone else there… By the looks of it they must seem to come here often. Hopefully he wouldn’t be a bother.

He smiled one of his typically light smiles and gave a wave as he placed his towel to the side.

“Hey there. What’s up?”

Makoto sighed as he looked up at the sky. He was floating on his back in the town’s pool. He closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the sun on his face. There was something about looking at the sky from the angle of laying flat on your back. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why that was, but it brought a sense of calm to his otherwise busy life.

He sighed again, remembering why he had showed up here in the first place. Both of his jobs have started demanding more of Makoto’s presence and free time. At his barista job, if someone didn’t show up for their shift, he was the one the manager called up to take that person’s spot; and at school, he’s noticed that students and faculty require his assistance with just about anything (i.e. ranging from a student needing clarification on a certain position the hands should be in this specific stroke, or a faculty member needing to grab something from the highest shelf in the cupboard of the break room).

Not that Makoto was complaining, but now he had even less free time than he did when he first arrived in town. He took a deep breath and lowered his body under the water, and swam to the other end of the pool where his towel and pool bag were located. Makoto popped his head out of the water, shook his head much like a wet dog would before raising himself out of the pool. He picked up his towel and started wiping the water off of his face when he heard a voice next to him.

Makoto gave his trademark smile and gave a small wave back.

Especially Edvin’s already wild workload. 

He began to wade into the water, not hesitating at the temperature. He’s been through colder than mere pool water. This is nothing to him. But...a pool sitting out in the warm sunshine all day wouldn’t be cold to begin with, anyway. It’s here, he quickly responds to the brunet male.

“I know that feeling, I’m here for a similar reason, truthfully. University’s been strenuous.”

Once he’s in the water, the does a similar thing, laying on his back and letting the stagnant water carry him. Though more than anything he just gently floats backwards. Tucking his arms behind his head, some strands of pastel orange hair getting submerged into the opaque water.

It must simply be magical to experience something like this for the first time. Though he can’t really relate he can just about piece together how curious Spica seems about it all even without any use of words.

There were a few other small functionalities that could be interesting to explore, perhaps if he was interested in exploring this small and fun video game world still. Edvin takes this glace back as perhaps a form of question- which surely isn’t too far off from what Spica was actually thinking.

“There’s a few other tiny things you can do, like give ‘em baths and stuff. But ah- I understand if you’re all done.”

Spica glances down at the screen again, judging what to do in order to get to the conclusion Edvin suggested – but, looking unsure, he opts to try to give it to the latter instead. He’s not bored of it, simply just worried that he might…..break it, somehow.

Spica’s very careful about trying to place it back into the other’s hands, double checking that he’s got it before letting his hands go. The questions that Spica had for him weren’t going to be answered by playing the game alone – this device required too many of his hands to communicate!

But, now that his hands were free, Spica pulls back out the same notebook he had been carrying about beforehand, skimming past pages filled with words, pictures, maps, and everything inbetween. Finally settling on a blank page, he scribbles out a fast response and presents it to the stranger.

“No problem. Glad ya had some fun there, dude. Next time I’ll show you all my hidden tips and tricks too if you wanna see.”

His eyes rest on that cute little doodle of Heikki for a sec, before he looks to the boy, finally introducing himself. it’s been long enough, eh...?

That anticipation only lasts a few small moments as…

Just like Edvin had pointed out, the small biscuit lands near the dog. Heikki has little trouble enjoying the small treat and soon trots closer to the screen, not without some soft yips of happiness- of course. Now if Spica wanted to, he could even pet the little puppy a couple times with a similar trick to throwing the dog treat.

The cat seemed to just be lazing around in the background, the puppy seeming much more interested in visiting with him. It was almost like the real thing! Kinda? Without the messes and smells.

Though this game is a regular play for the boy he always thinks this part was especially cute. His attention shifting between the screen and Spica’s reactions to what was occurring in the game… They were almost as entertaining. 

“Look at that little sweetie. You can like, pet him, too.”

He’s pretty sure Spica had figured that much out, it’s not a complex game, but maybe he’s a bit excited about all this. Showing it in that casual Edvin style.

The action works as intended, but the additional effect of Heikki trotting closer to the screen, the adorable barks and precious expression on their face….ooph, this was too good to be true, too realistic to be something from a mere device! Spica needed more information on this, for sure.

But first, he takes note of the new set of advice given. There was a way to pet the dog, too? It takes a moment to understand, but once Spica realizes that the stylus is the key to interacting with everything within this device, he happily watches in delight as he uses the stylus to pet the dog.

There were a few other small functionalities that could be interesting to explore, perhaps if he was interested in exploring this small and fun video game world still. Edvin takes this glace back as perhaps a form of question- which surely isn’t too far off from what Spica was actually thinking.

Once the other has possession of the handheld, it takes Edvin a second to move behind him so they could both see the small screens. The top one seems to be where all the pets are playing, and the bottom one with some different labeled buttons in a variety of colours. There’s also a small portrait of the schnauzer and kitten with their respective names beside it. The dog seems to be called Heikki, and the cat Leo.

Luckily Edvin typically keeps the volume soft so they could just about hear the soft barks and meow’s the animals spoke as they bounded about the clean Nintendogs room.

“Watch this.” He gently reaches over with his opposite hand to press a button, a small dog biscuit appears on the touchscreen almost like magic.

“If you use this, you can feed it to him.” He hands over the little stylus to the other, a wee bit amused watching him discover this game. “All you need to do is swipe it up and the puppy will go after it.”

The low volume, if Spica knew it could be manipulated, would have been appreciated – it’s just enough to hear the sounds in the game, and definitely not something that would irritate his ears.

Taking the stylus from the other, Spica takes note of what he’s said. What seemed to be a writing utensil of some sort….was actually the key to interacting with this world? Testing the claim, Spica does as instructed, watching the biscuit soar into the top screen.

If all went well, the dog – Heikki, from what the game said – would notice this, right? There was a surprisingly high level of anticipation as Spica waited for the results, his entire being gathering all his energy into analyzing what would happen next.

Just like Edvin had pointed out, the small biscuit lands near the dog. Heikki has little trouble enjoying the small treat and soon trots closer to the screen, not without some soft yips of happiness- of course. Now if Spica wanted to, he could even pet the little puppy a couple times with a similar trick to throwing the dog treat.

The cat seemed to just be lazing around in the background, the puppy seeming much more interested in visiting with him. It was almost like the real thing! Kinda? Without the messes and smells.

Though this game is a regular play for the boy he always thinks this part was especially cute. His attention shifting between the screen and Spica’s reactions to what was occurring in the game... They were almost as entertaining. 

“Look at that little sweetie. You can like, pet him, too.”

The other seemed to be quiet, not that Edvin minded, of course. He paused his game quickly and held it up so the other could clearly see. It seemed to be not the most exciting game, but a good time passer- some copyright free form of Nintendogs and cats. Currently there was a small schnauzer and a black cat residing on the top screen of the pastel 3ds.

Edvin smiled in a relaxed way, answering the other’s apparent question.

“It’s not really too exciting but. It’s that game where you can raise cute animals. Have ya’ ever played it before?” Typically you’d find his voice to be rather flat; but speaking about a passion of his was sure to bring out the excitement within.

The detective then held it out a little, offering to see if the other would be interested in playing for a minute. After all, maybe it could make up for his accidental mistake of bumping into him, even if there were no hard feelings present. Though the other did seem to be occupied previously before this encounter… Hopefully this isn’t going to bother him too much.

Spica’s eyes would widen as he was presented the device – enough that he places a hand over his mouth, silently observing the animals that occupied one of the screens. What would be a mundane, boring video game was a treat of awe and wonder to Spica, and from the time it took for them to respond to the stranger’s question, it was clear that the game had their full attention.

“…” Still no words, but Spica shakes his head when prompted the question about playing a game like this. It was a foreign concept to him! There was nothing like this back at home. So, when Edvin offers it to him, Spica’s curiosity makes it impossible to reject the offer.

Luckily Edvin typically keeps the volume soft so they could just about hear the soft barks and meow’s the animals spoke as they bounded about the clean Nintendogs room.

“Watch this.” He gently reaches over with his opposite hand to press a button, a small dog biscuit appears on the touchscreen almost like magic.

☆ @springasterism

It was creeping into early afternoon of the hummingbird hotel. The sun shined delicately through the windows. All was peaceful… except for Edvin wandering about. He called this ‘getting to know the new place’ but to anyone else it just looked like some weirdo wandering about with a small game system in hand. Occasionally he’d look up, maybe, but for the most part his eyes were glued to that small screen. Really showed where his priorities were, huh?

Turning a corner, he seems not to notice the other boy right away, and in mistake accidentally bumps into him from behind. It was in his nature to apologise and be responsible for a small mistake like this. So he does that very thing. Preceding his words is a small and nervous chuckle… Hoping the other wouldn’t have a strong negative reaction.

“Yo, sorry about that, Still gettin’ my bearings here. You alright?”

One of things that came to Spica’s attention, when he had first came to the city, was the lack of a complete map. Yes, there was the one showcasing the major points, but what about the places outside of the city? No one had picked up this job – at least, not that he knew – so the boy had taken up the job on his own.

Even if it was a self-proclaimed one, maybe it’d help the rest of the city to know this information! It wouldn’t hurt to start with the city itself, though-…

Something presses up against his back for a moment – no, a someone – and Spica glances away from the notes he’d gathered thus far. He meekly waves a hand towards the stranger, conveying a simple gesture that ‘it’s fine, I’m fine’, but…rather than leave at that, his attention is brought to the object in the stranger’s hands.

Edvin smiled in a relaxed way, answering the other’s apparent question.

“It’s not really too exciting but. It’s that game where you can raise cute animals. Have ya’ ever played it before?” Typically you’d find his voice to be rather flat; but speaking about a passion of his was sure to bring out the excitement within.

When she answered her door, she’d spot a light haired boy with a curious smile on his face. He seemed to momentarily wonder about the other’s appearance, especially concerning the helmet she’s wearing…indoors. It was like someone wearing sunglasses at night. Not that Edvin was one to question someone else like that right away. After all, making friends with people was much better to him, than pushing them away with silly questions.

His plant-green eyes scanned the small PDA in her hand. This is met with but a kind wave from the short male. Almost hoping that he wasn’t inconveniencing her with spoken words in return to that… He flashed a toothy smile and responded in a calm tone.

“Hey! I’m new here. Name’s Edvin Øster. I was just dropping by to say hello. Hope ‘m not disturbing anythin’.”

His expression soon falls more neutral as he raises his right hand to scratch the back of his neck, keeping casual and normal body language, something typical of him even when meeting someone new. Seemed like this could be a nice exchange for both of them.

Oh! So, a new neighbour? She hadn’t met any in a while… Mainly her own fault, as she kept herself busy with her work- and then in her free time, rather than meeting people, she’d just watch movies or play games. It’s not like she went out for groceries a lot, too, since she didn’t eat… 

Well, nothing to lose from getting to know some people, right? Not only that, if this person was new, he might need some help in getting around just like she did when she arrived. It sure was an odd city, after all, filled to the brim with sheep and odd traditions.

“Oh, don’t worry! You’re not disturbing anything, Edvin. It’s nice to meet you, I’m Celty.”

She kept adjusting her pace when she typed and showed the screen to Edvin- she couldn’t tell yet how fast he’d read her messages, so she might leave the screen lingering a bit too long. She’d figure it out down the line, probably.

Now, Edvin was a fast reader, though didn’t mind the screen lingering for a bit long. After he’d read it he’d speak up like normally to ensure the other knew he’d gotten what she said... er. Typed. Rather. He gave a soft nod;  then accompanied by a small laugh, it’s next to inaudible.

“Nice ta’ meetcha as well, Celty. I really appreciate that offer, see... I’m eh... not used to the city life too much.”

Edvin perhaps was experiencing some culture shock being taken from the quiet nowhere to a bustling place full of sheep and others. Though they all were so kind... Maybe he’d get used to this quicker than he thought. He’s so taken with questions he almost has no idea what to say.

Why not try meet someone today? Edvin wasn’t all introvert. But was on that scale. He paced the floors of the Hummingbird Hotel, his eyes scanning all the vacant and taken rooms he came across. Making friends with others was the responsibility of the newbies, incidentally.

Gosh, there were so many more faces here than where he was from, maybe even so many it was a little overwhelming… But he came here to be happy, and happiness is what he’ll strive for! So after some more seemingly aimless wandering, here he is, room #120. Given his relaxed nature, he didn’t seem very anxious about this; understanding if the owner of this room wasn’t in or couldn’t speak for long. But it’s better than nothing, yeah? At least he can say he tried.

Hm. That’d make sense. Regardless, curious as she may be, it wasn’t anything that she was especially inclined to seek out- after all, this was her day off! She planned on lazing about all day. She didn’t expect any visitors or any emergency calls on help with delivering flyers, so she’d settled into her indoor tracksuit, completely ready to watch some TV and play some old videogames when she felt like it- when she heard a knock at the door.

… How odd. Again, she hadn’t expected anyone to show up at all, so… Well, it’d be too much of a hassle to change into her biking suit just to open the door, so whoever came to visit would have to deal with Celty in her black tracksuit. As to not to scare the visitor however, she’d made sure to put on her helmet. There were weirder things out there in this city, so this should be fine, right?

PDA in one hand, she opened the front door, greeted by the sight of… Someone she didn’t know! Maybe they were new..? She typed up a greeting on her PDA before showing the message she’d typed on the screen to the other.

His plant-green eyes scanned the small PDA in her hand. This is met with but a kind wave from the short male. Almost hoping that he wasn’t inconveniencing her with spoken words in return to that... He flashed a toothy smile and responded in a calm tone.

“Hey! I’m new here. Name’s Edvin Øster. I was just dropping by to say hello. Hope ‘m not disturbing anythin’.”