[audio]

[thxforthememories]

[Behold! A new voice on the network. And... it sounds decidedly uncertain. Maybe a little shaky.]

[Hey, when you get electrocuted by thousands of volts out of nowhere before waking up somewhere you've never seen, you're bound to sound a little off. Not to mention completely overwhelmed.]

[And quite honestly, he doesn't know what to say right now. Asking the empty air for help? In a place he's never even heard of? Surrounded by sights and sounds and robots utterly foreign? That seems... odd. But what choice does he have?]

Someone... please. [He hesitates.] I don't understand what's happened.

I --

[And here is where the first bit of real panic seems to show through. Sure, he got the explanation, but--] I don't remember coming here. Or ever hearing of such a place.

Please answer me.

Comments

[wakizashi_straight]

The FirstForged. You should have the symbol of one on your shoulder. They are some kind of guardians for this world.

[He hasn't quite worked it all out yet. Though any of them going crazy seems like a bad thing.]

I suppose so. I am sorry that this causes you so much distress.

[thxforthememories]

Guardians. Did they bring us here? Are they responsible?

[Because hey, he doesn't have any memory of someone slapping an insignia on him.]

... You're sorry?

[wakizashi_straight]

I do not believe they are the ones that brought us here. But I think they will try to help us if we help them in return.

[He doesn't either. He just woke up with it. And it clashes with his tattoos.]

I am. I do not know how to help you with this but neither am I fond of another bot being in distress.

[thxforthememories]

Help them to do what?

[It's more of a rhetorical question than one he expects a real answer to.]

[This is odd, though. Why are all these strangers so eager to help? They don't know him.]

... Do you have a name for yourself?

[wakizashi_straight]

[He's not entirely sure of the answer himself, so he doesn't say anything. His name, though.]

I am Noisy Boy.

[Or Noisy for short, but most bots and humans around here figured that out quickly enough.]

[thxforthememories]

Hmn.

[They've got weirder names in his neck of the woods, so...]

I am Kagerou.

[wakizashi_straight]

[They're named after everything from mythology to locations on maps. His is pretty normal.]

It is nice to meet you, Kagerou.

[thxforthememories]

... Is it?

[WHAT AM SOCIAL SKILLS.]

[wakizashi_straight]

It is. You seem nice enough.

[IT'S K BRO, HE GETS IT.]

[thxforthememories]

Are you one of them? The robots from this world?

[wakizashi_straight]

No. I am originally from Japan, on Earth.

[thxforthememories]

Japan?

Where in Japan?

[wakizashi_straight]

Yes, Japan. I was conceived and constructed in Tokyo, but I traveled a great deal.

[thxforthememories]

What is it like? Tokyo?

[Built and trained in Japan and he'd never even left the training facility.]

[wakizashi_straight]

Crowded. Bright and loud; there were always lights on somewhere. But I liked it. It is still one of my favorite cities.

[He fit in there better than he did most other places.]

[thxforthememories]

... I wish I could have seen it.

[wakizashi_straight]

I am sorry you did not get the chance. Perhaps someday you will. It is nice here too, though.

[thxforthememories]

If there is no way home, how would I get the chance?

[wakizashi_straight]

There is always the possibility that a way will be found to send us home, eventually.

[thxforthememories]

Has anyone tried to find a way?

[wakizashi_straight]

Not yet. But that does not mean that it will not happen.

[thxforthememories]

No, it doesn't.

We need to try. I... want to see places like Tokyo. I can't do that here.

[wakizashi_straight]

Someone will. I myself am not capable. But we will find a way to get you to Tokyo.

[thxforthememories]

You... Are you offering to help? To return me to Japan?

[wakizashi_straight]

I am, if I am able to. I do not leave bots stranded.