audio;

[extradite]

[ As it happens, the boy's voice could be a little quieter, a little more distant - possibly, if he'd ridden in with a horde of the undead. ]

How do you... resign?

[ Slight pause. ]

When I tried to, they weren't the right words. Right sounding. Right on paper. Right to think abou - ...right. Sorry. That's impolite to ask all of a sudden, without a proper greeting. My bad.

[ A hint louder, more rehearsed - ]

Good day. Pleased to meet you. How do you do.

[ And now back to the pathetic old track. ]

If it's all the same to you: how do you resign from something like this?

Comments

[corona]

Not... necessarily. What makes you say that?

[extradite]

Most big cities do. A train line. Cars. Working phones.

[corona]

Maybe in your world, Shinji. Those rules don't really apply here anymore. I know to start that there are Earth atlases at the library with pictures of cities in the continent called "Europe" without trains or cars.

[extradite]

[ all the silence. all of it. quantified and neatly store and ikari shinji's precioussssssssssss. ]

I'd never seen so many horses together before.

[glistens]

You got hit. Didn't you.

[extradite]

No... no, no, no. They pulled me away before any of that.

[glistens]

They?

1/2

[extradite]

A few ladies. It doesn't matter. The horses are fine.

[extradite]

Say, I have a question. Sorry. I wouldn't normally bother you, but you asked a lot of yours.

[ SO YOU OWE HIM, SHINY HAIRED GIRL. ]

What's... your... 'house'?

[glistens]

[ Aw. It's cute that he says sorry when she so totally doesn't deserve it. ]

I'm in Freyr. We're pretty small compared to the Two Giants, but no one minds. It's nice like that. Why? [ She'd ask "how about you?" if she didn't think they weren't dealing in questions as currency now. ]

[extradite]

Two... Giants? [ What is this mythology they all speak of. ]

I wanted to know what sort of people the other houses had.

[corona]

Sigyn and Freyr. They have the most people but - Thor, Hel, and Heimdall cut pretty close seconds I think.

[extradite]

...right. That's - numbers. I meant, the types of people in each. That sort of thing.

[corona]

I was explaining the giants? But - the houses themselves are complicated. No one knows for sure why people get put where they do. It's all speculation. Theories? And only a few really show any obvious pattern.

See— People in my house, for example? They're usually creative somehow. Or— Hm. They like pleasurable things. And if you meet anyone in Sigyn. Heh. They're the nice house. Everyone in Sigyn is either nice or nice and quiet. Odin is for bookish types...

But otherwise? [ a shrug ] It's hard to say, Shinji. I know similar people in different houses and total opposites who got sorted together. And either way... you have to wonder how the gods knew anything about us in the first place if sorting is based on traits people have in common.

[extradite]

[ He needs a moment to process all this.

And another.

And another.

And maybe a fourth to wrap it up all even.

Oh, what the hell, five's a nice number. ]

Do you know anyone in - [ And yes, he has to read this out slowly. ] - ...'Heimdall'?

[glistens]

Sure. [ quietly ] I have some really good friends in Heimdall.

[extradite]

[ Quiet.

Quiet.

Quuuuuuiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeet. ]


...oh. That doesn't count if you have friends everywhere.

[corona]

[ AKLSDJA DAMN IT

STUPID SHINJI ]

What makes you think I have friends everywhere?

[extradite]

[ BE NICE, RAPSUKA ]

Am I wrong?

1/4

[glistens]

[glistens]

...

[glistens]

..............

4/4

[glistens]

[ STUPID SHINJI ]

So - are you in Heimdall?

1/4

[extradite]

I was... right?


[ AND YOU WERE WRONG. ]

[extradite]

I was right...



[ LOOK AT YOUR WRONGNESS.

NOW BACK AT THIS EXCEPTIONALLY WHINY BOY, IF ONLY HE SHOWED HIS FACE.

NOW BACK AT YOUR WRONGNESS. ]