001; video (come be the first in line to shake the hand of mine)

[truthvalue]

[Eyyyy, so. Here's a face some of you may already recognize. Souji puts on his best crowd-pleasing smile as he turns the camera on himself, clearly comfortable with this method of public address. Observant types might guess he's probably had some practice with it, and they'd be right.]

Hello. I've already met some of you, but for those I haven't, my name is Souji Seta. It's very nice to speak with you all.

[He turns the camera around to show one of the uninhabited buildings in the city, possibly one that you've noticed before, and continues speaking:]

I noticed this empty building looks like it might have been a restaurant at some point in the past. I don't really know anything about building renovation, so I'd like to ask if there's anyone here who does know who would be willing to help me restore it.

[The view shifts again, back to Souji.]

Before I was brought here, I was on a ship, and I used to cook for the crew. I'd like to continue doing so, if you'll allow me. I think having someplace like this would be especially helpful for new arrivals while they're adjusting to life here, but I'd be happy to cook for everyone.

[A quiet yip yip can be heard from offscreen, drawing Souji's attention to something at his feet (it's a fox, shhh). He smiles and nods.]

Yes, even you.

Comments

voice forever. private.

[scarletcast]

[ There is a long pause. Her voice is sharp, ]

You know me. How?

also private, yes ;~;

[truthvalue]

I ...

[Come on, Seta, get it together. You know how this works by now. Souji takes a deep breath and forces a smile on his face.]

I'm sorry, I knew a different Wanda where I was before. We were friends.

[A little more than friends, really, but that's not really important to mention, is it? He is a stranger to this woman.]

It might sound strange, but we met in a dream. I mentioned I worked on a ship before - there was a fleet of these ships, and everyone who was on one of them also had an implant. [He points to the back of his head, behind his left ear.] There was some kind of malfunction, probably with the implants, and it allowed us to share dreams for a little while.

[scarletcast]

I see.

[ nnnnnoooo she really doesn't. People come here from alternate worlds all the time, and Wanda's never heard of anyone knowing her somewhere else. ]

[ Still, there's little purpose in lying to her, if Souji knows her then he knows her powers: she can't imagine hiding them. Nobody can lie to her. ]

What do you know about me?

[truthvalue]

[He does know she's powerful, though not the full extent of her abilities - somehow, it never came up before, and he didn't ask for an elaboration on what he was shown in the dream.]

I know ...

[What does he know? He's aware enough of the nature of different realities to understand that people aren't always the same across the board. In different places, he himself has different names, and in at least one, he is a serial murderer.]

If you're like the Wanda I knew, I know you're very strong.

[It's one of the things that drew him to her in the first place.]

You ... experienced great loss, and you blamed yourself for it.

[He thinks back to the vision he was shown, of Pietro's death, and what Wanda told him - that it was her fault he'd been killed.]

But it takes a strong person to keep going after something like that.

[He smiles sadly, thinking this time about Nanako and how what he did after her death could barely be considered strong. He'd retreated from his friends instead of seeking out their strength to help him through the aftermath of losing her, and even though it felt right at the time, he can see now that it was a disservice to all of them.]

You're also very kind. And you have a good appetite. If you're alike - I know it's possible you're not.