megabytes | Inbox: Mask or Menace

Yeah, smell. Like ... I dunno, it's hard to describe? It doesn't smell like anything I ever smelled before.

[ It's really cool. Hiro kind of likes it the way better than people languages - none of that bullshit "exception" nonsense so far. Just precision. God, he wants to learn more of it. He wants to use it but isn't sure how to make the right ... well, noises. For lack of a better term. He furrows his brow for a moment as he tries to make a ping back. Something tells him if he could ping about the "smell" he'd get it just right. ]

[Got it in one. Megaman starts a bit at the ping and just stares at Hiro in surprise for a moment before breaking out into a grin. Then he's pinging right back: that same context data again, and another one that isn't immediately identifiable. There's no "scent" for this one, or any other sensation for that matter.]

I'm not surprised. I haven't smelled anything so far that's reminded me of data, and navis don't really have a sense of smell anyway. Not the human kind, at least.

So it must be me trying to parse something new.

[ Oh boy, more pinging. He hesitantly repeats the new "noise", unsure of what it means. Data type??? Gosh he's not sure how to ask questions yet. ]

-- How do I request a ping?

[Okay, he can't help laughing a bit at that ping-question combo. Either Hiro figured that one out somehow or he got hilariously lucky.]

That depends on what kind you want. Asking [And there's that mystery ping bouncing right back at you.] usually works.

[ Oh. His expression brights as realization hits him. He repeats it again, mimicking Megaman until he thinks he has the "sound" of it right. Gosh it's nice to be doing this in dataspace where he can feel exactly how far off he is and has a good sense of what adjustments to make. ]

Like that? [ ? ]

Exactly!

[This is rapidly deviating from the intended lesson, and Megaman honestly does not care one bit. It's been far too long since he's had a proper conversation with someone other than Magicman. He misses it.

He sends another, longer ping this time: query, then two new types of context data, all given just enough spacing to make it obvious where one ends and the next begins. Like the navi equivalent of enunciating.]

[ Hmm. He can figure this out, he's sure of it. He repeats the first new type, points at the data he thinks it refers to (audio?), then repeats the query tone more confidently. All without speaking a single normal "word." ]

[He is so happy right now, he can't possibly smile any brighter. He shakes his head in response to Hiro's ping, then repeats that type

reaches out

and gently taps Hiro on the chest.]

[ Oh. Gosh. That makes something well up deep inside him, hearing himself referred to in this new language for the first time. Or maybe it's just the equivalent of "you"? Or operator? He repeats the tone and queries, gesturing to himself again. ]

[It's more of a variable than anything, or assignment anaphora; it's also one that Megaman's never used before he came here, so for all intents and purposes, it does just mean "Hiro." He nods, repeats the ping and taps Hiro again, then points to himself and sends another new context data type. This one is functionally a pronoun.

He'd send his ID string too, but who even knows how Hiro's brain would handle that massive flood of info.]

[ Not well, not yet. Best to stick to simpler names and pronouns until he has a better grip on this. The good news is, he's so fascinated by it that he could easily work on this for hours before even noticing how long it's been. He grins, repeating his "name" again before starting to point at the rest of the stuff in his comm, one ping at a time... ]

[Megaman happily goes along with this, teaching Hiro the "words" for different types of data, for processes and programs, for the system itself...He mostly sticks to context data and file sharing as they "talk," using verbal communication only when he needs to explain a distinction ("that's only for smaller, currently running background processes, for a smaller inactive background process...") or correct Hiro's "grammar" or if there's just no other way to say something. Data can only communicate so much, after all.

He hardly notices how much time has passed, himself. It's just too much fun talking to Hiro like this. When they've finally exhausted every possible thing in the comm to "name," Megaman just turns to Hiro, smiling and pinging a sequence of data that he's repeated quite a lot over the last god knows how many hours: query, speaker's-surrogate-operator, task-being-started-by-listener.

What do you want to do now?]

[ Hiro, meanwhile, has been eating all of this up. He follows along excitedly, trying to stay in this new "language" as much as he can - only breaking into actual words when he's stumped or they get into the grammar-heavy sections. But he's exhilarated. He can't remember the last time he was this exhilarated about learning a language, of all things. But it's really just programming, isn't it? Programming he can do just by thinking and "speaking" what he wants to do ...

His stamina can't hold forever, though. Hours into it, he's finally starting to feel ... a headache? Is that what that is? He feels tired, his processes strained a bit too far. He needs time to let all this data settle properly into his brain. No matter how brilliant and mathematical he may be, he's still a human.

Statement-uncertainty, status, damage ... He hesitates for a moment, unsure of how to phrase "headache" in a space where he technically doesn't have a functional head. Himself, process? Now that he's thinking about it, he's really tired. Boy he might just sleep in here tonight... ]

I think I have a headache.

[Even before he finishes that data sequence Megaman's mood has changed completly, smile dropped and replaced with a flat, serious look that barely manages to not be outright scared. Damage, damage, Hiro's reporting damage why is he reporting damage? A headache? How, why, is it the same as for a navi or...?]

Plug out. Now.

[Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid he should've been watching closer he knows how dangerous the cyber world is for humans--!]

[ Only because he has no idea how to phrase ache in this context. But - he picks up on Megaman's mood immediately and pulls himself back out.

Probably a good thing - the headache falls on him like a ton of bricks as soon as he has a physical body to feel it with. That session went on a liiiittle bit too long .. He laughs, though, still kind of giddy from all of it. And then he winces, because ow his head. ]

I'm okay! I'm fine, just sore. It's been - [ He checks the time and double-takes. ] - ten hours?

[He follows Hiro out immediately because like hell is he just gonna leave his surrogate operator unsupervised right now.

Also that time announcement is not helping his paranoia in the slightest jsyk.]

Ten-- okay. Okay, come on, you're gonna go lay down for a while.

[You just spend ten hours having your brain be forcibly exposed to things it was never meant to deal with. Struggle all you like, Hiro, he's still going to be steering you towards the nearest viable sleeping place whether you want him to or not. He's got excessive strength and by god he will use it.]

Okay, okay ...

[ He goes along with Megaman peacefully enough. Fortunately, they're already in his bedroom, so it's just a few feet before he flops into his bed. He could definitely do with a nap. And some water. And maybe a snack ... ]

Sorry, I lost track of time. It was too much fun.

[Oh thank god. Once Hiro's laying down he sits on the floor next to the bed, settling in. If Hiro asks for anything he'll go get it for him ~~because he is going to fuss~~ but otherwise he's staying right here to keep an eye on him. Just in case.]

I know, I was having fun too, it's just...you need to be careful. I don't know what could happen to you in there.

[For the record - yes, a big part of him visiting Hiro's comm as often as he could when he was stuck there last month was him being paranoid about Hiro's safety. Now he's gonna be even worse.]

[ All he really feels like doing is lying with his head nice and cushioned while he waits for the room to stop spinning. But he should probably get water and some painkillers. ]

It's not like I can't get back out again. This is even safer than I was before.

... Why do you worry so much about it?

Bad things can happen to humans in the cyber world. You might not be able to get out fast enough. You might not be able to get out at all.

Bad things can happen to me in reality too. I'm safer having a failsafe like this.

Hiro, you don't understand. I've seen what can happen. You're not made to handle the cyber world, you need to be careful.

... What happened?

These people...they used these machines that can send a human consciousness into the cyberworld so they could synch themselves up to their navis. So they'd fight better. They lost. They had to be hospitalized - some of them ended up in comas.

[He curls up a little, small and scared. He remembers fighting them all too well. They were all bad people, especially Hinoken, but...he didn't want to hurt them like that.

And then Lan had almost...]

Dad said they were all lucky.

[ Hiro shivers a bit at the thought. ]

It's different, though. I"m not unconscious in the real world.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject