netherwork | un: shiro | video

⟪ and bam. on your screen, a guy, white-haired and surprisingly jovial, which is a bit at odds with what he’s about to ask. is it genuine, or is it a façade?? who knows. you might recognize him as the fool who innocently swiped left on you—or the guy who told a really bad astronaut joke on the netherwork. either way, shiro’s gonna shiro, so he’ll introduce himself again—just in case—his mouth a polite curve. ⟫

Hello. I’m Shiro… How’re you all holding up?

⟪ don’t worry, there’s no pep talk this time. not unless you ask for it, anyway. ⟫

I’ve a… I’ve a favor to ask. For my arm… or lack thereof. ⟪ point in case; his gaze drifts a bit to his right side, where his sleeve hangs empty. ⟫ I had a prosthetic once, back home, but uhm… ⟪ and there it is. a chuckle. half-strangled, half-nervous as he cuts the camera another hesitant glance and clears his throat, stifling a wince. ⟫

If anyone with skills in finding alternatives to missing limbs is somehow looking for a great candidate, well… you’re looking right at him! No complaining, high pain tolerance… and I used to be a pilot, so I can sit for as long as you need me to. This is not an emergency. You can reach out when or if you ever have time to spare.

Thanks.

⟪ ooc | voice-to-text is 100% a thing and it’s probably what shiro will use to reply to you! ⟫

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hi, Shiro （ clearly a nickname, why is she calling you a colour asks local woman whose best friend is named fishcake??? smh. ） — I'm Sakura. I see you've already spoken with Aspen! He's an incredible resource, he'll be able to help immensely.

I'm also a doctor, and I'm experienced with prosthetics and amputations. Would you mind my doing an examination at your convenience?

⟪ WHY IS EVERYONE GETTING STUCK ON HIS NICKNAME!!!!! ⟫

A pleasure to meet you, Sakura. I have to say, the sense of unity I get from this place, of all places, is nothing short of incredible. Aspen and many others have shown as much, despite our struggles. Your offer is generous. I'll take you up on it, whenever you have the time to spare. I can only imagine how busy you must be.

（ his statement gives her far more insight than he's probably intending to offer — namely:

firstly, that he's accustomed to being in the sort of leadership position where acknowledging the work of those around you is important for morale.
secondly, that he should never, ever meet naruto. ）

I'm never too busy for someone in need. How about tomorrow?

（ and then... after a moment, ）

You wouldn't happen to know a man named Keith, would you?

⟪ or shouldn’t he.

it’s an old habit, and one that stayed. there’s nothing more powerful than a team of people who believe in themselves, and each other. beyond that, it’s just who he is, but an actual position of leadership isn’t anything he believes himself capable of filling anymore. ⟫

Ahh, don’t worry. Like I said, this isn’t an emergency. Tomorrow’s fine, but only if there’s no one else who needs tending to. I do know a man named Keith, though. Why do you ask? Is he alright?

⟪ don’t mind the hint of panic in his voice. ⟫

（ siR. ）

Ah! No, he's fine — I mean, as far as I know? I haven't heard or seen anything otherwise. But he was asking me about my experience with prosthetics and amputations, presumably on your behalf.

Oh, uh… yeah. That’s—

⟪ —definitely keith, torn by misplaced guilt. shiro lets out one unnecessary cough, a noise resembling an interrupted laugh. ⟫

That’s Keith for you. I can’t say I’m surprised. He’s been worried for… well. For as long as I can remember, I guess. ⟪ since… the incident, anyway. since he’s been himself. ⟫

（ this feels a little like stepping into the middle of something that really doesn't concern her at all, and her laughter is a bit... nervous, maybe. ）

It's nice you have a friend like that, though! I'm sure he meant well.

I've no doubt that he did. He'll beg to differ I'm sure, but I don't think I'd be quite as... sane, if he weren't there.

（ ahhHHH why is this man just openly discussing mental health with her!! she's torn between admiration at his ability to be so frank, and the sense that she's somehow... coerced or forced him into it. it absolutely does not occur to her that this is just... how things can be in other worlds.

blame the ninja. ）

How long have you two, um, known each other?

⟪ save your admiration for another day! shiro's deflection skills are out of this world (!), but keith is 100% deserving of the praise, so this is a special occasion. ⟫

Eh, that's a tricky one. I've known him for five years, but for him... it's been about seven. He spent two years on the back of a whale — in space! — but time there seemed to pass differently.

He — what?

（ are you. are you pulling her leg???

look she's a ninja that's not even the weirdest thing a girl who can summon otherworldly slugs has ever heard before it's just.

he what. ）

⟪ AND THAT'S NOT EVEN THE WEIRDEST THING ABOUT SPACE. sakura's reaction definitely earns her a light chuckle. ⟫

I wish I'd been there, if only just to see what it was like. All I can tell you is that he was stuck in a place known as the Quantum Abyss, and whales of substantial size frequently passed through. Think uh... the size of a small planet, maybe, with a whole ecosystem of sustained life on their backs. It's pretty fascinating.

（ suffice to say, her initial impression of him was not especially favourable because — well, as much as her taste in and judgement about men is absolutely, gobsmackingly bad at times, he'd gone a step further beyond 'handsome broody bad boy' and outright annoyed her. while his obvious care and concern for shiro softened her up, she came out of... the majority of their interaction wanting to box him around the ears. but now she's just... incredulous. ）

He said he was a pilot, so I suppose that's how that happened?

⟪ that’s… yeah. keith is often unapologetic in the way he presents himself, but beneath a ton of bruised layers, he cares deeply. there’s so much more to him than the first impressions he gives off. ⟫

Something like that. He was on his way to try and undermine an oppressive empire with a group of rebels, but things unfortunately didn’t… go as planned. I guess... that’s a reality we’re all facing now.

I'm sorry to hear that.

（ so many people here, torn from their lives and their dreams... she knows that naruto will stop at nothing trying to get people home, but... ）

I guess, on the bright side, we all seem to be in pretty decent company, huh?

（ hahaha.... ha... it counts, right. ）

⟪ it super does!! ⟫

Can't complain! It's not exactly what I expected the afterlife to be, but I can't say I'm disappointed. ⟪ a beat. ⟫ ...and that's probably a little weird to say.

Just a little.

（ but, people cope in all kinds of ways... at least he's taking a sort of healthy, if fatalistic approach. ）

Shiro — I should really be going. If you stop by tomorrow, I'll have everything ready for you. I'm down by the docks!

un: shiro | video | mid-festival

audio ↪ un: 012601

audio

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject