don't bother passing the salt, he's got plenty [afternoon, day 2 of jaunt]

[cloudpotter]

[In his effort to come off as calm and unruffled, Yakumo might instead make his extreme bitterness apparent as he does his duty and informs the other Travelers of some Very Important Information.]

'Shooting Star' is Kinji in disguise. Don't bother waiting in any lines to see him.

Comments

[finalizes]

I can deliver additional proof of this, if someone shows me how to share memories.

[Pointedly putting that here. Perfectly innocently.]

Also Kinji is both Ken, the manager of that band, and David. He smells and sounds the same, he just doesn't look the same, so humans are easily fooled because they rely on sight.

[cloudpotter]

[he will find you]

That won't be necessary.

[finalizes]

[By all means do so commentary can happen.]

There might be vital information hidden in your conversation.

[cloudpotter]

You know full well that there isn't.

[finalizes]

[Sorry, he didn't catch that.]

[cloudpotter]

Bob.

[There's heavy warning in that tone. Don't do this, Bob.]

[finalizes]

Yes?

[He's working on it, don't be so hasty!]

[cloudpotter]

Do not.

[finalizes]

It will take a while.

[cloudpotter]

It isn't worth it.

Public -> Private

[thornsofmalkav]

... I can't believe I'm saying this, but sure. I'll teach you.

[Privately]

Okay, so. First off, you need to be able to show the network your sensory impressions. You also need to know how to do something like looking up old conversations on the network. If you don't know either, we have to start by teaching you those.

[finalizes]

[Should he take her up on this?

Probably not, but he doubts that she can actually harm him this way and speed is an important factor here. She'll probably hold it over his head later, but he'll deal with it when that time comes.]

I can show sensory impressions. [He's tried to look up old conversations before, but not yet quite gotten the hang of it.]

Private protected x2 5ever

[thornsofmalkav]

But not look up conversations?

Okay. So. First of all, can you read?

[He's a lupine. You just don't know with them.]

If you can't, then how do lupines pass down knowledge to each other?

[finalizes]

[Well, at least she's not just assuming.] No.

We talk to one another. And tell stories and such. [Homids and metis (?) probably do all kinds of text based memory transmission too, because they're human enough to like all that pinning down history and knowledge until it cannot move any more. But in general, and the Talons especially, they're just a very oral culture.]

[thornsofmalkav]

Okay. So. The thing about finding old conversations is that it helps to have a sort of metaphor to imagine in your head while you're looking. If you were computer literate I'd explain with emails. If you were anything literate I'd use books. As it is...

Okay, so imagine you're in a forest or cave or wherever and you're surrounded by representations of other Travelers. Maybe we're little totem statues or cave paintings or whatever. You go up to one of them and ask if they'd recite an older conversation for you. They give you options, going backwards in time, of what you can listen to and if it's one you want to listen to, you say so.

Try imagining according to that scenario.

[finalizes]

[Hm...

He has a couple of false starts with trying to imagine something that would work for this. In the end he needs to turn his thinking around to find a metaphor that works.]

As if everyone has a ansaphone that has whole conversations on it. [He might not be able to read and write, but he can work most basic phone appliances okay.]

[thornsofmalkav]

[Lupines understand voicemail. Who knew?]

... yeah, like that. Let me know if you've been able to find and listen to one and we'll head to the next step.

[finalizes]

[he had already been working on this skill, so that last bit of analogy pushes him over the edge easily and it takes only a few minutes (interrupted by Yakumo trying to keep him from broadcasting his encounter with totally-not-Kinji).]

I found some.

[He pushes aside the thought that this is such a bad idea, why is he learning from a vampire. Too late now to change his mind, isn't it?]

[thornsofmalkav]

Okay. So. Next you have to find your memory of memory of the incident with, um, David? Whoever he is. Once you do, you need to show it to everyone, like you were playing the answer phone record of it--except, of course, since it's a memory it'll have all the other sensory impressions.

[cloudpotter]

No--!

[HE DIDN'T MEAN FOR THAT TO COME OUT SO EMPHATICALLY]

I--I mean, he -- it's not necessary, if anyone's in need of proof I'll just approach him again and Livestream the conversation.

[after making very clear to Star that no flirting would be acceptable--]

[thornsofmalkav]

... are you okay, dude?

Also, who's David?

A while later [memory share]

[finalizes]

[The memory feed is disturbingly vivid, all senses almost painfully heightened - the scent of sun on asphalt, of sweaty humans, of small rodents, the sharp pain of someone who overdid it with their aftershave, perfume or deodorant, the sounds of the city, speech, cars, feet on the ground, the rattling of machinery nearby. But the attention of the feed is clearly focused on a group of humans nearby. A group of teenagers is currently speaking to the musician Shooting Star, and next in line to speak to him can be seen a familiar face: Yakumo, who going by his scent (for those who can interpret it) and just by plain sight is very excited and currently last-minute fixing his hair and clothes. Then the group of teenagers is shuffled away by a security guard and another security guard, this one standing next to Star calls out cheerfully, "Ginger, your turn!" towards Yakumo as the celebrity stands back up.

Yakumo's excitement is rising as he steps forward, clear in his scent even though he's letting his shoulders drop slightly, relaxing them, and while not in full it is certainly a mutual reaction as Star is now growing excited as well as he grins at Yakumo in delight.

"Enjoying it all?" Yakumo asks. To everypne's eyes, he's cool, calm and collected, at least until a flush rises in his cheeks, but his scent speaks a completely different language. Someone is a happy little fanboy with a crush and too many feelings to contain them all. "You're certainly making a lot of people happy."

Star bounces onto one leg, shifting his weight so his hip pops with the movement, lifts his pen to twirl between his long fingers, and winks at Yakumo so his delighted grin turns utterly roguish.

"All part a' the job! Wouldn't be makin' music if'n it didn't help a whole bunch a' people fer it!" His Texas twang only sounds stronger with how excited he is. "Y'all certainly helped make Ken happy last night!"

At first, Yakumo's response smells like he couldn't be happier and more excited, his scent the very picture of a pleased person in love, but then there is a sudden sharp stench of shock, and the POV notices a shift in his posture, his fingers tightening around the piece of paper in his hand. The tension relaxes slowly, though, and a quick shake of Yakumo's head follows along with the flush on his face growing deeper, though there's more awkwardness than excitement in his scent now, and a hint of nervouseness.

"I--ah, sorry. I don't think I did all that much. It was only a walk."

Star's scent however remains unchanged. "Naw, he seemed awful fond! He ain't the kind t'mention that manner a' thing normally, must a' meant somethin' fierce!" The pen stops twirling in his hand, and he uses it to point at the increasingly crumpled poster in Cloud's hand. "Now, is that one fer y'all or do I gotta make out someone else's name?" His grin only widens and his posture clearly portrays certainty and boldness.

The excitement on Yakumo's side has almost completely left his posture and scent at this point, and subtle changes in his voice portray the same. There's a distinct feeling of heightened concentration at the source of the feed as Yakumo grows more and more shocked, awkward, nervous, uncertain and antsy. Not to forget that the ninja's face is red enough now to fry eggs on it.

"I.." Yakumo clears his troath and his posture and general visible exterior gain some cool again, though the glance out of the corner of is eye at Star doesn't quite fit in with that. "Kinji." He clears his troath again. "He-- couldn't make it today, he's a bit...busy..."

Star gives the nearest security guard of his a slightly shit-eating, mostly pleading grin and gets a sigh out of her, but she seems amused more than annoyed as she steps closer to offer her back as a flat surface as he signs the large piece of paper Yakumo brought.

"Well that's a right shame. This festival's meant t'be our biggest show ever, he's gonna be kickin' himself that he missed it! Well, at least he's got a friend like y'all t'make up fer it!"

While Star is looking away, Yakumo's will and dignity just shrivel up and die, noticeable in every way possible. His shoulders slump just that little bit, his head turns away ever so slightly, and his eyes scrunch shut for a quick moment of self-admonishment. His scent has changed completely now, nothing but stress in it from shock, awkwardness, humiliation and a bunch of other sources. He pulls his posture back together (at least for human eyes) the moment that Star turns back to him, though. He's even smiling again, and his words are spoken with a friendly lilt to them.

"He certainly would have come if he'd known you'd be making a public appearance. But perhaps it's for the best he didn't. You seem to have your hands full already."

Star on the other hand responds with a genuine warm laugh, relaxed and bold and very, very flirtatious, his scent portraying both excitement and interest.

"Aw, this ain't nothin' I can't handle!" His right hand reaches up to his head - it seems en route to his ear, but it changes fractionally at the last second to brush a piece of stray mullet back into place. A casual glance sure wouldn't know that was probably not the originally intended destination, but the viewer's attention suddenly completely leaves Yakumo and hones in on that small gesture and the earring that it was aiming for, though the look on faint smell of ...something - the POV equates it to an electric kettle with hot water in it - is all that he can get.

Star lifts his eyebrows and tilts his head in a light shrugging motion. "But if yer ever wantin' t'see what I can really handle-" And he winks, openly and with an extra dose of flirt really thrown in hard. "-don't hesitate in lettin' me know, y'hear?"

In response, Yakumo's face turns bright red again, all flustered and the scent of stress like acid upon him.

"Ken--might not appreciate it. I'd--I'll let you return to your other fans, now. Thank you for your time."

With a cheerful salute, Star lets Cloud hop out of the line. The pair of girls that were waiting in line being Yakumo shoot incredibly jealous looks after Yakumo as he leaves, even as the security guard near Kinji looks like she's trying not to burst into laughter.

And the memory share ends.]

[whydoyoushine]

You only just now figured it out?

[cloudpotter]

And when did you?

[whydoyoushine]

When we ran into each other at the record store. My overlay knew him, but didn't know Kinji, you know?

Put the two together and figuring that out's a piece of cake.