Interlude 12/25: Strawberry Bubblegum
25 Dec 2023 - XSYS Team
Open on the streets of Blue Arcadia, outside the arena. A few synths are meandering in and out of the building, and a few cafes have popped up around the grounds. We’re above the head of the crowd, but as we gradually pan down, one figure stands out– a person of indeterminate gender with red hair and an equally red lab coat. Actually a person, even– flesh tones are highly unusual. They pause outside the arena, then look up at a banner for “Coming Soon: Final Fantasy 7”.
- LAB COAT: (…The hell do they mean by that?)
With a serious, thoughtful look, they head inside.
On the arena floor, Exime is signing up other synths for a skirmish– behind her, in the distance, a synth gets thrown across the arena with an excited squeal, into a fighting polygon. Magus, meanwhile, has set up a stage against one wall of the arena. A cherry-red synth with a full-face visor is staring firmly at a script, several others lined up next to them.
- CHERRY SYNTH: Behold! Press forward, and rendezvous with the leader of our fair squadron!
- MAGUS: No, no, just read it like I wrote it! Gah, they might have plays here, but their tastes are so weird…
In frustration, he scans the arena floor, and looks shocked at the sight of a new humanoid– this is the first one he’s seen since setting up shop here, after all! On his way pushing through the crowd, he casually shoves his datapad into Exime’s hands.
- MAGUS: Hey, hi! You new here?
- LAB COAT: Eh? I suppose, though I’m not planning to stay too long.
Magus seems a little disappointed at this; after all, there’s clearly been some culture clash between him and the synths up until now. Still, he nods.
- MAGUS: Well, while you’re here, welcome to the Arena, uh…?
- LAB COAT: Doctor Okazaki.
- MAGUS: Right, pleasure to meet you! We use a bunch of outer-world data to simulate exciting fights, and–
- DR OKAZAKI: Oh? So they’re just simulations.
- MAGUS: I, uh…
Magus glances around, then gestures for the newbie to follow him.
Cut to one of the back rooms of the arena, a storage room having been very hastily converted into an office. There’s a desk made out of several crates pushed together, with translucent datapads piled up like very thick, faintly-glowing paper. Magus shuts the door, then walks over to sit on the edge of the desk.
- MAGUS: Why are you interested in whether or not they’re simulations?
- Doctor Okazaki folds their arms, stepping deeper into the room.
- DR OKAZAKI: Because, for roughly the last six years, dimensional travel has been effectively impossible. And I’ve spent most of that time trying to figure out why.
- Magus exhales, rubbing his forehead, above his mechanical visor.
- MAGUS: I had a feeling it wasn’t just the old arena. You think something’s… wrong with timespace, or something?
- DR OKAZAKI: Unfortunately, I was hoping you might know. …Especially considering how much power I had to burn to even jump here.
- MAGUS: Well, it was definitely gradual. People stopped showing up a little at a time, until there was just nothing left. I do have a prototype, I’m calling it the hole-punch, but… Marlow says she wants to approve every use of it. Says it’s risky. And I mean, she’s probably right, but if something’s wrong on this scale, I think it’s riskier to just sit around and wait to see what happens, you know?
- DR OKAZAKI: Interesting. And Marlow is…?
- MAGUS: Basically head administrator of the city. Real hardass. She always wants to meet the newbies, so if you stick around here, she’ll probably hunt you down sooner or later.
- DR OKAZAKI: …I suppose I will be sticking around for a bit, then. Until I can get her to authorize an experiment with your “hole-punch,” anyway.
- MAGUS: Well, you’re welcome to hang around here! You aren’t gonna find anyone more knowledgeable on Blue Arcadia tech than Loa, I guarantee it.
- DR OKAZAKI: [thoughtfully, carefully nods] I suppose so. Pleasure to meet you, then, Magus. [They start to leave.]
- MAGUS: [startled] How do you know my name?!
- DR OKAZAKI: …You have posters with your face all over the arena.
- MAGUS: Oh. Right. Those.
- DR OKAZAKI: Quite. [lifts a hand, as if to casually wave, resuming walking out]
- MAGUS: Hey, while you’re here… You ever acted?
Doctor Okazaki pauses.
- DR OKAZAKI: What, like, for a camera?
- MAGUS: Well, it’d be more on-stage in this case. But we need warm bodies some kinda fierce, and a lot of the material in this just kinda blows over the heads of these synths. The culture here is… very insular, and that’s made all their own plays really self-referential. None of them get what I’m going for, you know?
They turn back towards Magus, their eyes sparkling.
- DR OKAZAKI: Well, if I’m going to be stuck here for a bit anyway… I’m listening.