video, backdated to March 5

[telewarped]

Hey, losers. This has definitely been one of the months I've had so far, but now I'm officially bored to death.

[There is a general air of malaise permeating this message, even if the voice of the Pokémon sending it—a gray-toned Mimikyu, currently stationed in what appears to be one of the Oran guild's dens—sounds casual and calm enough.]

At least one of you has to have a decent rec for how to kill time around here you can give me... Or just tag yourself. Whatever.

[At the words tag yourself, an image takes shape in your mind. It's astonishingly clear and will remain present in your head until your connection to this particular Grumpearl is broken.]

Later.

Comments

[telewarped]

You could say that... For ones like this where you're just picking which pic fits you most, at least. They're mostly just for making you laugh though. Kinda like an inside joke, I guess? It's basically anything that goes viral... Er—anything that gets seen and spread around by a lot of people, I mean.

[bladeofnymeia]

Hah, I know what a trend is. That is essentially the concept, yes?

[telewarped]

Pretty much. Only thing is that some of them are, uh... Let's say "too beautiful to describe"?

[She doesn't intend to send an example, but an image blossoms in Firoza's mind then anyway, accompanied by a booming sound.]

[bladeofnymeia]

...I...think I understand.

[Not how whatever that is applies, but the concept of "something being so awe-inspiring that words can't do it justice.]

Those bean-shaped beings would not be out of place in Solution Nine. Well, aside from their shape. But the attire is reminiscent, if without the incredibly bright coloring.

["I think it's called neon? Why is it called neon. What is a neon."

Firoza doesn't mean for that little thought to come out but it does, in a whisper, like she's mulling it over to herself. Flashes of specifically street clothes, not armor, also trickle into Shoka's awareness.]

[telewarped]

Oh my god, I totally see it... Guess the drip really is among us.

[She snorts a laugh.]

It's called neon after neon lights, I think... If you're really asking. [Sometimes it's still hard to tell through the Grumpearl what was and wasn't supposed to be said aloud.] We've got loads of them where I'm from. Here, lemme see if I can...

[A memory is sent then, on purpose this time: night on a busy Shibuya street, the buildings aglow with dazzlingly bright light from seemingly countless signs.]

[bladeofnymeia]

Oh! I apologize, sometimes-

[But she's immediately distracted by the memory of Shibuya.]

...Whoa...incredible!

[There's a breathless awe to her words that pushes out from her emotions. That incredible is soft, whispery, and...well, she doesn't know where to look first, only that she wants to drink it all in and imprint this in her mind.]

[telewarped]

I know, right?

[Shoka tries to hold the image in her mind as long as she can, willing her memory to refine its details. Firoza might even be able to feel it then as if she was there: the cool night air, the thrumming of music, the overlapping voices and closeness of countless people (who never quite touch her, somehow, even seeming to walk right through her occasionally). It's as much for Shoka's own benefit as it is for Firoza's entertainment; this view means a great deal to Shoka, and she can't bear the thought of forgetting it.

It's obvious from the sheer clarity of the memory and the faint sadness it's tinged with: she misses it.

Eventually, inevitably, it ebbs away.]

So—yeah, that's neon. [She... might have gotten carried away. But she has a feeling Firoza will forgive her for it.] Honestly, I'd kill for a chance to hang in Eorzea, just once... Especially if I could do it on chocobo-back... But a stroll through Shibuya would probably blow your mind, too.

[bladeofnymeia]

[It's kind of thrilling to feel a memory so vividly like this - so much like the Echo, in its own way, and nothing bad's happening, she's just experiencing a piece of a world thrive.]

...I would be happy to give you a great Eorzean tour, if I could. [A pause, as she reflects back on Shoka's memory of Shibuya.] If you're like the people in that place you showed me, you'd essentially be a Hyur. No one would think twice about your presence.

[Well, that, and, you'd be with the Warrior of Light. Kind of a free pass there.]

[telewarped]

Oh, sweet! If I ever wind up there, I'm holding you to that.

[It seems incredibly unlikely... But they all wound up here together, didn't they? Who knows what could happen?]

[bladeofnymeia]

'Tis a promise I intend to keep, if it's possible.

[You don't promise to give someone an adventure and then not deliver, that's like. Kind of evil.]