AUDIENCE: SHARON

[retellers]

Comments

week 0, monday

[retellers]

[ sharon will receive a message telling her to head to the station!

if she does so, she'll find fox there, sitting on a bench. ]

What can I do for you?

i make no apologies

[maidforservice]

[and Sharon will promptly go to the station! she has the plate of food with her when she goes, of course. it would be rude to show up without a proper gift!!]

[when she arrives, she curtsies fancily with one hand pulling up the corner of her skirt

Good afteroon, Master Fox. I certainly hope you haven't had lunch yet today.

[retellers]

[ they wave a hand. ]

No need for "Master". And I haven't, as a matter of fact.

[maidforservice]

My, everyone is so quick to give me permission to be casual. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with myself.

[SHE TEASES. she also takes a seat on the bench and offers them the fish plate]

Help yourself, if you'd like. I hope you find the meal satisfactory.

[retellers]

Haha, talk to enough of us and you might find someone who suits you better. 𝅘𝅥𝅮

[ they take the plate. ]

Looks good. I'm sure it's better than anything I could come up with, at least.

[maidforservice]

Please let me know if there are any dishes you enjoy more than fish. Next time, I'll make you one of those.

[folds her hands politely on her lap]

But I suppose I shouldn't pretend this isn't a business call for any longer, should I?

[retellers]

You're free to do as you want. I'm here to answer your call, for whatever purpose you had in mind.

[maidforservice]

[hmmm. . .]

I suppose I am curious about the criteria you and your fellow leaders used to divide onto teams.

[retellers]

[ they shrug apologetically. ]

That wasn't our decision. You were randomly assigned.

[maidforservice]

Oh?

[that seems to surprise her a bit]

By this "Realm," I presume?

[retellers]

Got it in one. [ a pause. ] Well, I guess that means it might not have been random, since it was beyond my control. Still, I'm afraid I can't offer any insight on the reasoning, if there is any.

[maidforservice]

Curious. . . you and your cohorts truly are just as powerless as the rest of us.

[she sounds thoughtful as she says that, and she takes some time to smooth out her skirt]

I suppose you can't offer any insight into what makes you different than the rest of us?

[retellers]

Not at all. I can't speak for the others, but I definitely can't think of anything about myself that would make me stand out. [ idly, their index finger taps against the bench. ] Haha, not that I'd remember, of course.

[ they take a bite of the food. ]

[maidforservice]

[oh right. . . she had overheard a conversation or two where their team leaders had spoken of their own lost memories]

Sometimes that which is special in us can only be perceived by others.

[a pause, her gaze growing distant, thoughtful]

At any rate, if I am to be on your team, then I promise I will give this mysterious competition my all. ♥

[retellers]

Wise words.

[ they tilt their head, smiling. ]

I'm not so arrogant to think that that promise is for my benefit, but I hope you will--for your own sake and that of everyone here. [ cheerfully, ] And I'll return the favour and do what I can, as your support.

[maidforservice]

[teehee]

And I cannot promise they are only for your benefit, either. But I imagine everyone here has something they believe is worth fighting for.

[retellers]

It would be very concerning if someone had nothing they cared about.

[maidforservice]

[. . . . . . .]

But, perhaps, not completely unheard of.

[retellers]

I take it that's not a completely hypothetical musing.

[maidforservice]

[heehee. lifts a hand to her mouth to hide a sly smile]

Who can say?

[. . .]

I do empathize with your position. It must be awful to have had your entire identity stripped away from you so suddenly and inexplicably.

[retellers]

Well, what I do know is that I somehow agreed to it, one way or another. So, I suppose I have no one to blame but myself, really.

[maidforservice]

. . . how convenient of the Realm, to allow you the memory of your agreement to be here.

You don't fear that memory may be falsified?

[retellers]

[ their finger taps against the bench. when they speak, their tone is still light, apparently unperturbed. ]

For now, what else can I do but trust my intuition? The lack of awareness of anything else--amnesia, after all--makes any other option difficult at the moment.

[maidforservice]

[a light laugh, not quite a giggle but also. . . kind of a giggle]

What can you trust if not yourself and your own instincts. . .? I understand.

[retellers]

It is what it is. I realize everything is rather difficult to believe.