𝖘𝖆𝖑𝖙𝖇𝖚𝖗𝖓𝖙 𝖎𝖓𝖇𝖔𝖝.

[abyssale]

WELCOME TO THE SALTBURNT NETWORK

USERNAME:
LEXI

text ❖ audio ❖ video

Comments

[abyssale]

( he sighs and sits up on the bed. ) Well you've managed to unlock it, so that's a good start. And you found the network, most people tend to use that.

( he holds up his own phone, screen facing Dani, to show on his own device. ) See, you move the screen by dragging your finger a direction. Play with it, you'll figure out the directions with time.

For the network, you touch what you want to look at. ( he touches on Astarion's post for example. ) As you can see, this one is written. ( he pushes a button. ) And clicking this button will make your screen go back to the previous page.

( now he scrolls through the screen until he finds a voice post. ) See this one? It has a a tiny picture next to the subject. This picture indicates that the post is given to us with someone's voice. ( he opens up the voice post and lets it start to play. ) Those ones don't require reading and you can interact with them. Answer them with your voice the way you did me before.

[godspark]

[ he looks closely, watching how lexi navigates it. with ease, apparently. that's frustrating. ]

But, I can't read. [ he looks up at lexi. ] When I answered you, your voice just came out of it, like you were there next to me. And I didn't make anything on the network for you to answer, you just found me. Somehow.

[ ...hmm. ]

How did you find me?

[abyssale]

( Lexi sighs. ) That's why I am telling you to look at the pictures. You'll need those. Ignore the written ones and look for the ones with picture that indicates the voice.

And I found you because there's a database of everyone in Saltburnt on this phone for contact purposes. I was perusing it and your name was suddenly on the list.

( he raises an eyebrow at him. ) I could show you, but honestly not everything has pictures for you to use to find things. You'll need to learn to read.

[godspark]

[ dani stares at him. he might as well have just told him to learn magic for how simple that sounds. ]

I...don't know where to start, I.

[ okay, that's. That's a problem for another time. He shakes his head. ]

Alright, well just show me the pictures to look for, then. If I answer one of those things, will they know who I am?

[abyssale]

They will. A picture of you and your name on the network will show for them. Like this. ( he opens up the voice post again and scrolls down to show a response. ) Again, this picture means that there will be voice.

( he scrolls down to a video response. ) This one means there will be video and voice. Video is like moving pictures. These are the types of things you can respond to without reading.

( he scrolls back up and shows Dani two buttons on the post. ) The left button means you want to send them a message back. Click it and it will ask if you want to write a message, record your voice, or record a video. Again, find the pictures of the voice and the video to choose to send those options.

[godspark]

[ he leans in to watch. there's more gibberish on the screen, which he presumes is the thing asking him what he wants to do. he chews his lip. there's definitely a barrier here. it's more than the technology not making sense. the gibberish matters, there was a whole element of this that he wasn't understanding. ]

Okay. I understand, so this makes it open and then that's for answering.

And, is there a way I can send...videos and voice, on this thing? [ there is, there must be. this is why people have their heads in the devices all the time. ]

[abyssale]

I just showed you how to select it. It will automatically turn on recording of voice or yourself when you do. ( he pushes the button for recording a voice. ) You just speak normally, then push it again to stop and send it.

( then he pushes for the video ) This one is for the video. ( the front facing camera turns on and he turns it towards Dani. ) Wave.

[godspark]

Yeah. Right, sorry.

[ he needs to memorise those little symbols. this is going to take a minute.

but then it's pointing at him and he sits up straight, eyes big like there's a weapon trained on him. he offers up the most stilted, uncomfortable wave known to man. ]

Like that?

[abyssale]

Didn't ask you to apologize. I was just reiterating.

See how you can see yourself on the screen waving? ( he brings it a bit closer for Dani. )

[godspark]

[ he stops waving, and stares at the screen. he puts a finger on his cheek. pushes it in. tilts his head, stares at it.

it's like a reflection, but not. it's weird.

and then, suddenly, alarmed eyes turn back to lexi. ]

They can't see me right now, can they?!

[abyssale]

( ... that makes him laugh.

he shakes his head. ) Not until you tell it to send the video to the other person.

[godspark]

Okay.

[ relief.

panic abating.

he almost reaches for the device, then stops. ]

Wait, show me how to find your name on the list of people. Show me what it looks like.

[abyssale]

( ah. fair.

he shows him how to navigate to find the list, then pulls down the list going until he finds it. ) This one is me. ( he points to a picture of himself. ) Those for symbols? The letters. They spell Lexi. Anytime you see those four letters together like that, that's how you read my name.

[godspark]

[ okay. those shapes, in that order. the cross in the middle. the line with the dot on top at the end.

he nods. ]

Alright.

[ a beat.

then softer, curious. ]

Show me what mine looks like.

[abyssale]

( ... he pulls back and goes up again until he finds Dani's picture. ) It says Dani, not Daniil. But this is how you write Dani.

[godspark]

[ he looks at that for a long time. that's how you write dani.

of course he has not actually written it, that being another thing he doesn't know how to do. but he's also never seen the shape of his own name. ]

Dani's okay. That's what you call me.

The end is the same. The line with the dot, the same as yours. Dani, Lexi. That's the 'eeee' sound.

[abyssale]

( he nods his head. ) That letter with the line and dot is called an 'I'. It makes the 'eee' sound when it's at the end of the word like that.

[godspark]

[ dani looks up at him, nods. this is how the letter i became the first one he ever knew. ]

Only when it's at the end?

What if it's... [ he scrolls a bit, then points to 'alina'. ] in the middle? Like here.

[abyssale]

( .... really. he would have to pick Alina. ) That name is Alina. It does make the 'eee' sound but for a different reason. ( he purses his lips. ) It gets a little more complicated... you really need the basics to continue.

( a glance at Alina's dumb face again. ) Also, don't talk to Alina. I've spoken with her and she has terrible manners. Absolutely feral.

[godspark]

[ is learning how to read names not the basics? that seems pretty basic, hang on til he just sasses lexi about th-- ]

You've made an enemy already? We've only just arrived, how is that even possible?

[abyssale]

( Lexi looks up at him and furrows his brow. ) She has terrible manners, I just explained it. I can't account for why she is like she is, but I'm doing you a favor sparing you a conversation with her.

[godspark]

[ dani eyes him, then reaches for the device. ]

Well, what did she say to you, let me see. Is it somewhere on this?

[abyssale]

( yeah here's the thing. ) You can find my name and picture on the network, but the post I made was written in text. And the conversation Alina and I had was all in text, as well.

( he waves his hand dismissively. ) She started by asking me about the knots of werewolf cocks and if they were real.

[godspark]

[ a frustrated exhale. ]

I have to get around this text thing, it's more than half of them! I'm going to miss-

[ ears catching up with brain. ]

--is that a thing you know?

[abyssale]

( Lexi shrugs. ) I'm over 200 years old. Of course I know. And yes, werewolves have knots on their dicks.

( he raises a hand to stop Dani. ) And before you ask, no. I have never taken a knot nor even fucked a werewolf.