net slum preparation

[dzelkva]

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[insinning]

[ If Sinclair could, he'd lend Hani some of his fire, a small spark to bring Hani's patchwork of colours back to a vibrant life. He hugs Hani, firmly, but gently letting go only to take the note to read]

One more? Who else did you--oh! Haru!

[ He brightens a little further when he sees Haru too. It made sense; Haru was the perfect person for this job]

[tinged]

[ hani tilts their head at the mention of her name (her real name, perhaps? it’s beautiful; they think it suits her) but aside from that, they don’t comment on it. ]

Hello, Noir-kun. Thank you for coming. [ and they should probably explain a little! they nod to the note in emil’s hand. ] Zelkova-kun has… left us a kindness.

[ to emil: ]

I believe in Noir-kun’s heart, so I asked her.

[rebelles]

[ She feels a little embarrassed, but happy that Hani believes in her. ]

I'm glad to help. If Zelkova entrusted Hani with it, it must be important. Let's get to it!

[ Accented with a little pump of her fist. She hasn't even read the letter yet, but she's fired up! ]

[insinning]

[ Sinclair hands the letter for Haru to read, already thinking about what they could do]

It's a big job, but I know the three of us can manage.

[ He thinks about the AI and Hani's shoulder. Hmmmmmm]

[tinged]

[ hani will give her a chance to read it before gating them to… the netslum! a brief description (taken from mods, more detailed ones to follow): "rogue AI roams the cramped metal streets of the net slum, a low level of light filtering in through the small pieces of space between buildings where the sun can actually poke through. they'll see building upon building stacked up on another everywhere, build haphazardly by what they can presume might all be the work of rogue AI."

where they continue the conversation: ]

We can. And don’t worry, this area is very safe!

[ what about their shoulder there’s nothing wrong ]

[rebelles]

[ Haru reads Zelkova's letter, hearing his voice in each word, pausing over the line where he says he's been 'taken away' with renewed hope that he's alive somewhere. Then they're stepping into the net slum itself. She looks around with fascination. It reminds her of the Warehouse Kawasaki, and the AI roaming about it gives the place a strange kind of life. ]

Zelkova was always thinking of us. This is just the place we need to rest and recover.

[ Not looking at Sinclair but she means you, pal. ]

[insinning]

[It's not Sinclair's first time here - Hani had brought him in before - but it never fails to surprise him when he steps in. It's a different atmosphere from the rest of Fragment, buzzing with an energy that reminded him how much worked to keep this world together behind the scenes]

Mm. I agree. So we need to set up supplies, an infirmary and a meeting space. What are we thinking of?

[He feels the accusations even though no one is looking at him. Why...]

[tinged]

[ hani’s eyes go to sinclair’s stomach. ]

The infirmary first.

[ it’s decided! they start leading the other two to zelkova’s pseudo hub where they had received help from him once before in the form of hugs and ki the grunty plushie. ]

This is where Ki came from. … I hope… once we are done with setting this all up, we will be able to get Zelkova-kun back. I don’t know where he is, but he keeps trying and trying for us.

[ they know some people don’t think he does much, but hani thinks he does a lot!! ]

[rebelles]

Me too. He's done so much for us, I hope we can return the favor.

[ For now, what they can do for him is to carry out the task Zelkova left for them. ]

For an infirmary, we'll need beds and medical supplies. Maybe extra chairs for visitors.

[insinning]

We should make sure there's a comfortable space for entertainment too or people will go crazy. Can we add pot plants and comfortable blankets?

[ Pulling on his dusty memories of what an actual hospital was like, but also]

Books and games should help kill the boredom if people need to stay overnight

[tinged]

[ hani nods along and thinks about what to add. oh - ]

Snacks! And ropes!

[ they don’t elaborate as they open the door to zelkova’s hub, or as it’ll be known as soon: the new meeting room! the large screen catches their eye first and they wander over to it, watching the various root towns. ]

Should we write this down? Or maybe draw out the layout? We’ll have to ask one of the AIs to show us to the right buildings…

[rebelles]

[ Ropes? Oh...for the stubborn patients you need to care for aggressively. Haru sees no problem with this. She nods along to the suggestions. ]

I'm all for making the space comfortable. I wonder if there's a building with windows and ample sunlight. We can add curtains so people can rest any time of the day. Let's start a list so we don't forget.

[ Is there pen and paper around?? Or she can take out her gardening notebook and flip it open to a blank page. ]

[insinning]

[ Sinclair has note book and pen (not his journal). It's full of all sorts of strange scribblings, but otherwise:]

I'm sure I've got enough materials in my inventory to craft things down here. This is Zelkova's place?

[ Some seating. Something comfortable that put everyone at the same level.

He'll craft some ropes too]

[tinged]

Mm! Ki came from over there.

[ they type in the air with one hand and then use it to point at the console. ]

That's also where the note was left... [ they trail off thoughtfully. ] I... um... this place is very important to him - all of it, so let's take care of it. The AIs also built this entire city, from a long, long time ago, so they are quite intelligent.

[rebelles]

Who is Ki?

[ Haru looks up from where she is jotting down their infirmary supply list. She's heard their name a few times now. ]

[insinning]

It's the cute grunty doll Zelkova and Hani made to help cure the plague.

[Haru might have missed that entirely, actually. Hm. ]

Do you think Ki would like to be down here to watch over the infirmary or meeting place?

[tinged]

Where is Ki anyway?

[ they think the last person to have it was... hector maybe? but that was so long ago, and their memory, y'know ]

[rebelles]

Oh! I knew the plague was cured but not how. So it was thanks to Ki-chan.

[ She adds Ki to the list of to-finds. There might not be a plague anymore but surely Ki would boost morale. ]

[insinning]

Mmm, who gave Ki the last hug? We'll ask.

[Ok, they've got a good list. Looking around the meeting room]

I know Zelkova's note said chairs...should we look at couches instead? So people feel more at ease. I don't have many good memories of board rooms...

[He barely has any now but the feeling remains]

[tinged]

Hector-kun I believe.

[ thinking hard… ]

Couches so everyone can share! I like that. Or… floor cushions! So everyone is on the same level.

[ hani’s level of tall! ]

[rebelles]

Yes, we should make it feel cozy. I don't like how stuffy meeting rooms usually are. What if we add a fireplace and push the seats around it? And a table for snacks and drinks?

[insinning]

I like that idea. I have enough to craft a few couches now if we can get the space cleared. small>[couches and cushions, go!] And I'll message Hector, to see if he still has it.

[tinged]

[ they don't have anything in their inventory that's craftable, so... ]

I will move the furniture around.

[ because they are strong. ]

[rebelles]

[ Haru pencils in more notes and turns to a new page. ]

Lastly, we need a storage area. Should we finish planning before we jump into it? We can also ask the AI here if they're willing to help.

[ She knows Sinclair isn't in the condition to be dragging furniture around, and Hani, well idk if their shoulder injury is visible but they're smol and so is she. ]

[insinning]

Maybe we can plan what we think it should look like, so we don't have to go back and forth. We'll need a building with lots of shelving. Meat in one area, herbs in another and so forth. Something dark, but dry.

[Rereading Zelkova's note again]

We might need someone to help manage the storage area. Someone who is good at looking at things analytically, and making good decisions, like Miharu.