one bite

[seeksherownsalvation]

[ video ]

[ CRINKLE ]

Hey, so, that machine lady--

[ CRUNCH. ]

Y'know, the one that starts nagging us right when we get here.

[ A lurching blur, another CRINKLE. ]

She's not so bright, is she, huh?

[ And the blurry, disjointed image on the communicator's screen finally resolves into something coherent: a teenage girl eating chips and staring at the device with a fiercely unimpressed expression. ]

If she's not gonna listen when I tell her I ain't no hero, she kinda sucks at this importing thing!

[ CRINKLE CRINKLE CRUNCH ]

Seriously.

[ She balls up the now-empty bag of chips and flings it away off-screen. ]

Someone better tell me how I get outta here soon or I'll just hafta mess up the place. That'd prove I'm no hero, right? But it's a waste of time if there's an easier way, so you should probably just let me know now.

Comments

[seeksherownsalvation]

What are you talking about? Japan's a country. I'm not gonna buy that "other world" stuff just yet anyway!

[ She subsides a little. ]

...it's a country. It's gotta be here too. I think.

[yelloweyesdarksomething]

I dunno, I've never heard of it. [ Monster hasn't heard of a lot of things. Also yes he has, he just forgot. ] What's it like?

[seeksherownsalvation]

What's it like? I'm no travel guide, so why you asking me?

It's easier to steal stuff there. You got more cops here and they're way more wound up and on edge.

[yelloweyesdarksomething]

Oh, are you some kinda rogue or thief or something?

[seeksherownsalvation]

Sure. Rogue? Thief? You call it that. I take what I want. It doesn't really matter if other people get bothered by it.

[yelloweyesdarksomething]

Huh.

I guess that means you get food whenever you want it. [ Sighs wistfully ]

[seeksherownsalvation]

That's exactly what it means. You wanna eat? You learn to take what you need.

[yelloweyesdarksomething]

Oh, I usually just wait around for people to feed me. It's more polite.

[seeksherownsalvation]

But I betcha get a lot less food than I do.

Anyway, that only even works if you find people who'll hand out charity! And those people are just suckers.

[ A catch of her breath and a pause that's just a bit too weighted before she adds: ]

That's all they are.

[yelloweyesdarksomething]

Oh, I dunno if they feed me out of charity. Maybe here, but people feed me for all sorts of reasons. Usually because they want me to do something or shut up or because they think I'm a child.

[seeksherownsalvation]

But that's still pretty pathetic, isn't it? Waiting for other people to give you food! Waiting--what if you have to wait way too long? It's bad, isn't it?

So you should take it. Just take it instead.

[yelloweyesdarksomething]

Well, um, sometimes I buy it? Does that count?