First Feather | Video

[radiantchicken]

I'm sure you've all seen the news about the slime that's popping up all over. I was able to secure a sample of it this morning when I was doing my morning flyby of the reserve, and, well...

[He holds up a book. It looks like a volume of shoujo manga with the title Love Touch. It appears to be rugby-themed.]

I must say, I wasn't expecting it to turn into this.

[He flips the book open and leafs through the pages.]

It's not bad, really...not that I'm sure I want to enjoy a cup of coffee while reading a book that used to be composed of green slime.

[Yet he's still leafing through the book, and it looks as though he's about to get horribly distracted reading it.]

Comments

[darkhourdear]

Yeah, it did that to me too. Well. Turned into something, I mean. I got a ring instead of a book, though.

[radiantchicken]

Really? May I see the ring?

[darkhourdear]

Ok. [Phillip will pull the ring off his hand and hold it up- it's a cheap, plastic trinket.]

[radiantchicken]

Fascinating...does it actually do anything? Or it's just there?

[darkhourdear]

It's just there, I think.

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[alilyinthemoonslight]

[STARE. Okay, that's... that's certainly about the last thing she expected.]

Well, that's. Hm.

[Guess some things can still surprise you, but Torin, why are you so taken with a shoujo manga?]

This makes me wish we still had some of the more scientifically inclined people to lean on...

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[speedpariah]

Ah, funny you should mention that, miss. My name is Edwin Weller. You don't know me, but I am one of those "scientifically inclined people" you speak of.

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[alilyinthemoonslight]

[Lily looks... momentarily alarmed, but only for a moment. She hadn't seen a new Numbered in awhile...]

Ah, hello there, Mr. Weller. My name's Lily. Lily Tsukuyomi. Did you... just get your Numbers recently...?

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[speedpariah]

Ah, I can say with certainty, I haven't had my Numbers nearly as long as you have. I have taken some time to get used to remembering another life, however.

I actually published a paper about the aliens' technology, if you want an idea about my credentials.

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[alilyinthemoonslight]

[She stares a bit blankly. Saying 'I wrote a book!' sounds rather like a 5 year old asking to be taken seriously by an adult when talking to an actual scientist.]

...I could give it a look, but I'm sure you're a ways ahead of me there if you have anything close to an understanding of that stuff.

[So she'll take his word on it?]

Regardless, any help is always appreciated, sir.

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[radiantchicken]

[He's just curious! Very curious! How do humans romance each other without having bright plumage to take advantage of?]

I'm going to try to see if I can obtain a sample that won't turn into reading material. Perhaps it could tell us more in the right hands.

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[alilyinthemoonslight]

[In Lily's case, by making a fool of herself in front of the entire school!

...

Somehow, that has ended up with her married, now.]

Probably not the worst idea. I'll do the same myself if I come across anything.

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[radiantchicken]

Perhaps if enough of us collect enough of it, we can figure something out.

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[speedpariah]

[and now Torin gets a face he likely hasn't seen before, staring curiously at his own screen]

Fascinating. The material just shifted into the book?

[he adjusts his glasses] Interesting choice of genre, I might add.

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[radiantchicken]

[Hello, new person!]

It did! It was most curious; I'd been trying to scoop some of it into a jar for further study.

[He chuckles.]

I seem to remember someone my other self knew enjoying such things. Perhaps I should see what all the fuss was about.

[speedpariah]

I'm afraid I'm not usually one for such literature.

I've actually been trying to collect "unaltered" samples in Gateway City, myself. They're not quite ready for study yet.

[radiantchicken]

Ah, that's a shame. I've tried to read everything I can get my hands on--it paints a fuller picture of the human condition, I think.

It's very difficult to contain them before they change, if this book is any indication. It's most puzzling.

[Audio]

[numberedshepherd]

Have you finished reading it? I'm afraid that what you're describing is happening to a lot of Numbered but it's usually a different outcome. Any chance that you recognize the book, perhaps from an echo, or...?

[Audio]

[radiantchicken]

I have, actually! And I know my past self read the book--turns out the author was actually related to one of the Kyoryugers.

[And there's a chuckle at that, because the ensuing overreaction on Tessai's part had been rather extreme...]

[Audio]

[numberedshepherd]

I don't suppose you'd mind if I had a look at it the next time your travels bring you around New Zealand?

[Audio]

[radiantchicken]

Not in the least. I was thinking of popping over there for a visit soon anyway; this only means I need to do it sooner rather than later.

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[knights_king]

Ugh, yeah, it's really gross. Is there a way to get rid of it clean?

[Arthur, in the middle of checking out his garage for the stuff, stopped as he heard a disgusting squelch--]

Fuck, it got inside my boot!

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[radiantchicken]

Well, when it turned into the book, it became easier to clean up than it was before.

[Oh, that's not a pleasant noise.]

That sounds rather unfortunate...it doesn't seem to stain things, if that's any consolation.

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[knights_king]

[There was an occasional squish every time Arthur moved around.]

Ugh, but...it's just...

Wait, it turned into a book?

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[radiantchicken]

It did!

[Torin holds up the book for Arthur to see. It's all in Japanese, but the words Love Touch are in English on the cover, and it is a shojo manga about rugby.]

Quite fascinating how this all turned out, really.

[There's a pause.]

You may wish to remove your shoe in case that slime transforms into something.