video (love event)

[64th]

[ Cashmere's lounging at home, alone. she's usually pretty content for alone time but it's felt extremely lonely recently. ]

I know a lot of you are like me - where there's no one else from your world here. Just you. It's for the best, honestly. I could be stuck with anyone. But sometimes I miss having people around who really know me. Who understand the things I understand.

So let's get to know each other a little better. What was your family like? Did you have a happy childhood?

[ she pauses, and grins. ] And if give me a really good answer, you can come over and take a nap with me.

Comments

[unphase]

I'm actually from a different planet. Bgztl. It's in perfect orbital and rotational sync with Earth, but it's in another dimension. And how many worlds...? At least a dozen. Most of them weren't too different, but they had their quirks. Like on Winath, everyone is born a twin. On Cargg, everyone can split into three people. On Titan, everyone can read minds.

[she bites her lip and looks down for a moment] That sounds like my mother. Her parents were diplomats, she was a diplomat, and she expected me to follow in her footsteps. [a pause] Plus, we'd been royalty three hundred years ago. So that kind of leads to high expectations, too.

[64th]

[ she laughs in surprise. ] Well, if everyone's twins, how would it be special? [ surprise, Cashmere is a twin. ]

Royalty, huh? We weren't anything like that. Just.. perfectionists with dreams of being close to royalty. [ she shrugs. ] It worked, so I can't really say she was wrong.

[unphase]

[she laughs] I don't know, I think it would be pretty special to have a twin, even I was from Winath. [that would've been fun growing up with]

Mm-hmm. They turned the old family palaces into museums for the public, but we were allowed to keep the money. [and she's curious] How did it work?

Oh, and I should introduce myself, shouldn't I? I'm Tinya.

[64th]

Cashmere. Nice to meet you. [ she waves. ]

Home is complicated. To make a long story short, we have a traditional competition in my country. If you win, you get a big, beautiful home, a lifetime salary, and fame. She knew what she wanted and both of her children ended up winning. [ she's still smiling but the tone of her voice doesn't match her smile. ] So, not royalty but... respect and riches.

[unphase]

[Tinya waves back] That's a pretty name. And it's nice to meet you, too.

[she notices that her tone doesn't match her expression and gets a concerned look on her face] Did she pressure you into winning? Even in my time, people are willing to do a lot when it comes to money and fame.

[64th]

We started preparing for it from a really young age. I didn't want to work towards something for a decade and not win. [ besides, it was win or die. ] My brother won the year before me. I had a lot to live up to.

[unphase]

It sounds like it. Having your brother win first must've really increased the pressure on you.

[64th]

It felt it wasn't optional. He didn't even want me to compete, though.

[unphase]

Really? Why not?

[64th]

He didn't see a reason if he'd already won. What's mine is his and what's his is mine. He wanted me to stay home where I'd be safe.

[unphase]

[her brows furrow slightly]

Was the competition dangerous?

[64th]

[ she nods. ] Very. People in my district train for years just to have a good chance.

[unphase]

[back home, Tinya was in danger all the time, but she chose that life when she joined the Legion. she's trying to see the competition in the same light, but it'd difficult. so she's changing tracks]

What's a district?

[64th]

Um - other people call them states. It's where my people live. Not everyone in the country but just the same people who live in the same area and we're mostly fair haired with blue or green eyes. [ it's home. which she thinks of her home, she thinks of district 1.]

[unphase]

Oh. I've heard of states before. On Earth? Is that where you were from? [when Tinya thinks of home, she thinks of Legion headquarters]