[ It takes some time before he makes a decision, and then he spends some more time typing and retyping the message. ]
my father was pretty strict when i was growing up. there are cops where you come from, right? or some kind of law enforcement? that's the kind of job i wanted to do as a kid, and my father hated it. i'd get scolded whenever i talked about it, or he'd send me out of the house. stuff like that. i didn't really get it when i was that age, why the things i wanted were so wrong and why he was always unhappy with me.
the first time i figured there might be something more to the story was when my sister snuck us into his study. she said she had something to show me. in my father's desk drawer, at the very bottom, there was a photo. it was some woman and a kid i had never met. the way i remember it, they were almost hugging, and they looked happy, but what really caught my attention was that she was in uniform.
according to my sister, that was our grandma, so the kid must've been our father. i guess that should've raised more questions, but back then i was just ecstatic that my grandma had done the same thing i wanted to do. if she did it, it felt like there was hope for me too. my sister said she'd support me, and that's probably why she wanted to show me the picture. it was going to be some kind of secret pact between us to pursue our dreams.
thanks to her, that was the first time i learned anything about our grandma. my father never talked about her or about his childhood, so i had a lot of pieces to put together from then on.
[ That's... enough, right? It's short, but she hadn't imposed a length, and it has all the plot twists and mystery that people love within one small snapshot of his life. He can even end it on a good note. ]
[Well, there's the detail he asked for (or the proprietress asked for, rather). It takes him a minute to read and process all that. The image he conjures in his head of a little boy tiptoeing into his father's study may not be very accurate; he's never met the sender in-person before. One thing's for sure, though: most everyone here had a more difficult childhood than he did.
He's curious to know what came next in the tale. But for a couple of reasons, he doesn't ask. One, the quest specified a "memory," not a life story. And two, he doesn't know this person! Which means he probably shouldn't nose into things.]
Thanks. That should be enough detail.
I said I don't know what she's looking for, but if I had to guess, I assume she's trying to find out what people consider important. A memory could be anything, but most of us would choose something we found significant. "What kind of lives did the 'guests' here lead? What were their formative experiences? And what did they consider precious enough to remember years after the fact?" Those are probably the things she's wondering.
Though that *is* just a guess.
Anyway, that should cover it. I'll leave you alone and report back later. But before I go, mind giving me a name? Otherwise I'll have to say "The Network user whose username is P-Zero-Nine told me this!" and that'll sound clunky. If you're shy, you can give me a nickname or an alias!
[ He'd thought there might be the possibility of follow-up questions and had prepared for it, answers of which some might be vague or dismissive or coy. Turns out he doesn't need to say anything at all, because Tomoe doesn't push it. It's more than he expected from someone boldly announcing how they're a shining light or whatever.
As for the rest, he lets the theories simmer for now—neither of them have anything much better than a guess. ]
it stands for player 9.
[ That's good enough for a name, right? Tomoe might even happen to find the same alias on a couple high score screens in the arcade, tell-tale of his mystery interlocutor's interests. ]
You're not the same "Player" that one girl's been looking for unsuccessfully, are you?
[Monika. He means Monika. But anyway,]
That's good enough, I guess. If her goal is just to learn more about us, then your choice of alias ought to tell her something. "Some people here like games, and they consider themselves 'players'!" That's another interesting fact she can add to her collection 😊
I have one more to gather after this. That one I'll get from my partner, so it shouldn't take too long. The most time-consuming part is eating her dishes for the rest of the month, since she asked me to do that too! But by the end, I should have some info to share. And then we'll hopefully be 1 step closer to getting home to our families and careers.
[That's the closest he'll come to referencing Tomura's memory.]
no. from the sounds of it, she's looking for a "player one," isn't she? regardless, i've never heard of the game she keeps talking about.
[ He's fine revealing this much; after all, this is the account he'd used to talk to Monika when she first appeared on the network. ]
now that just sounds like she wants someone to appreciate her hard work. guess the task could be worse. at least the food there is usually safe. i hope this info turns out to be as useful as you think it'll be.
I'm not sure anyone has, from the sound of it. Which points to one of two things: the game's really obscure, or else it doesn't exist!
[Aka she made the whole thing up. Though he is aware that different worlds have different famous figures, famous scriptures, different media and so on.
But enough about Monika.]
Yep! She seems like the no-nonsense sort who doesn't want people fooling around in her bar. Which is a breath of fresh air if you ask me. All the food I've had there has been perfectly nice - nothing gourmet, but they do listen to special requests, even if you're not a "royalty card."
And I do think her quest could've been worse. Rather than some long-lost treasure or impossible feat, she simply asked for memories. Which might suggest she's more interested in people rather than things. That's something we have in common. Though I do like shopping for pretty things, too, of course! 😊🛍️
[ This truly is so many words. For the most part he's very #okay about this all (did anyone ask about your shopping preferences, please...), so in complete contrast he's just gonna— ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
2/2
my father was pretty strict when i was growing up. there are cops where you come from, right? or some kind of law enforcement? that's the kind of job i wanted to do as a kid, and my father hated it. i'd get scolded whenever i talked about it, or he'd send me out of the house. stuff like that. i didn't really get it when i was that age, why the things i wanted were so wrong and why he was always unhappy with me.
the first time i figured there might be something more to the story was when my sister snuck us into his study. she said she had something to show me. in my father's desk drawer, at the very bottom, there was a photo. it was some woman and a kid i had never met. the way i remember it, they were almost hugging, and they looked happy, but what really caught my attention was that she was in uniform.
according to my sister, that was our grandma, so the kid must've been our father. i guess that should've raised more questions, but back then i was just ecstatic that my grandma had done the same thing i wanted to do. if she did it, it felt like there was hope for me too. my sister said she'd support me, and that's probably why she wanted to show me the picture. it was going to be some kind of secret pact between us to pursue our dreams.
thanks to her, that was the first time i learned anything about our grandma. my father never talked about her or about his childhood, so i had a lot of pieces to put together from then on.
[ That's... enough, right? It's short, but she hadn't imposed a length, and it has all the plot twists and mystery that people love within one small snapshot of his life. He can even end it on a good note. ]
no subject
He's curious to know what came next in the tale. But for a couple of reasons, he doesn't ask. One, the quest specified a "memory," not a life story. And two, he doesn't know this person! Which means he probably shouldn't nose into things.]
Thanks. That should be enough detail.
I said I don't know what she's looking for, but if I had to guess, I assume she's trying to find out what people consider important. A memory could be anything, but most of us would choose something we found significant. "What kind of lives did the 'guests' here lead? What were their formative experiences? And what did they consider precious enough to remember years after the fact?" Those are probably the things she's wondering.
Though that *is* just a guess.
Anyway, that should cover it. I'll leave you alone and report back later. But before I go, mind giving me a name? Otherwise I'll have to say "The Network user whose username is P-Zero-Nine told me this!" and that'll sound clunky. If you're shy, you can give me a nickname or an alias!
no subject
As for the rest, he lets the theories simmer for now—neither of them have anything much better than a guess. ]
it stands for player 9.
[ That's good enough for a name, right? Tomoe might even happen to find the same alias on a couple high score screens in the arcade, tell-tale of his mystery interlocutor's interests. ]
no subject
You're not the same "Player" that one girl's been looking for unsuccessfully, are you?
[Monika. He means Monika. But anyway,]
That's good enough, I guess. If her goal is just to learn more about us, then your choice of alias ought to tell her something. "Some people here like games, and they consider themselves 'players'!" That's another interesting fact she can add to her collection 😊
I have one more to gather after this. That one I'll get from my partner, so it shouldn't take too long. The most time-consuming part is eating her dishes for the rest of the month, since she asked me to do that too! But by the end, I should have some info to share. And then we'll hopefully be 1 step closer to getting home to our families and careers.
[That's the closest he'll come to referencing Tomura's memory.]
no subject
[ He's fine revealing this much; after all, this is the account he'd used to talk to Monika when she first appeared on the network. ]
now that just sounds like she wants someone to appreciate her hard work. guess the task could be worse. at least the food there is usually safe.
i hope this info turns out to be as useful as you think it'll be.
no subject
[Aka she made the whole thing up. Though he is aware that different worlds have different famous figures, famous scriptures, different media and so on.
But enough about Monika.]
Yep! She seems like the no-nonsense sort who doesn't want people fooling around in her bar. Which is a breath of fresh air if you ask me. All the food I've had there has been perfectly nice - nothing gourmet, but they do listen to special requests, even if you're not a "royalty card."
And I do think her quest could've been worse. Rather than some long-lost treasure or impossible feat, she simply asked for memories. Which might suggest she's more interested in people rather than things. That's something we have in common. Though I do like shopping for pretty things, too, of course! 😊🛍️
Anyway, talk to you soon! 👍🤗✨️
no subject
👋
[ Yep that does it! ]