A Bar Scene? Who would have Guessed

Jazuhanzu
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Fresh from her recent adventure, Jazz has made it to the Hostess and taken a seat. She's waiting for her chance to get something to eat, actually, and she's got a hand-drawn map of the local environs unfolded in front of her. She's cleaning it up and making slight adjustments to some of it. She's presently drawing a little barn at one particular spot on the map and adding a little rat sitting next to it on its hind legs.
Gwen
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Gwen has been gone for while off on some quest and has only recently returned. The towering woman looks a bit drained she heads into the tavern.

"I'll take some apples and water."

"Don't you want anything else?"

"Not for now."

She sinks into a chair only since her father returned has she had any time for her new reality to sink in. She hasn't noticed Jaz just yet.
Jazuhanzu
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

"Oi, Shield Boss," says Jazz without looking up.

She dabs her quill in the ink and gets back to work, following it up. She's being extra careful not to drop, mostly out of inexperience of dealing with such things. "...oh my god how did people ever write with quills, this is horrible."
Gwen
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Gwen says "Because it was better than working with clay tablets, remeber we iterate off what we learn from those who came before. So what has you here tonight and just what are you working on there Jaz?"
Jazuhanzu
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

"I just got back from a walkabout," replies Jazz to Gwen.

"And yes, it's better than clay, but I mean, /it's a quill/. What is this even a feather of?!" She olooks down at the bright black and purple feather she's holding and then shrugs, dips it in the ink, and gets back to drawing. "Just adding some final touches to the countryside. Not even close to done with the map as a whole."
Gwen
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Gwen says "A Peco I'd guess, a map? That be useful if you could make more or evne just for your self. Mind if I join you?"
Jazuhanzu
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

"Be my guest," says Jazz with a shrug. She sticks her tongue out and it has the net effect of making her absurdly cute as she leans down to eyeball a section of her drawing more carefully.

She sighs.

"It'll have to do." She blows gently on the inked barn-and-rat to dry it.
Gwen
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Gwen sits down and will wait on her order and she says "Come on it could be worse. So they are still doing evacuation runs from Ezzo getting more Adventurers and landers out."

She notes as she gets her drink and food. If it is going to taste like water she might as well /have/ water right? "So exploring mostly? Found a guild yet that strikes your fancy? Being solo isn't the best idea these days given this isn't just a game anymore."
Jazuhanzu
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

"I got invited by William himself to the Silver Swords. I decided to accept it," remarks Jazz, thoughtfully, eyes on her parchment still. "There's another scheduled soon I'll probably go on. Last time didn't go so well, as you recall, but I expect the next one won't do any better." Of course, it was after that that Gwen dragged her off. She was indignant.
Gwen
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Gwen says "Silver Sword? Well you should not get much flak if you can keep up running with them. Even if it's a bad time we need to get people out of there? Then we need to start worrying about our own lives here as I got the feeling? It may just be for good and I for one? Won't miss earth that much."
Jazuhanzu
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

".... for /good/? Are you kidding me? We're in a *video game*. I have access to a menu. I can clean myself with a wave of my hand. This can't be for *good*. Are you telling me you won't miss hot showers? Coffee? Television?" She puts a hand to her face, "I wouldn't get too attached. I can't imagine how this could be for *good*. Noothing about this makes *any* sense but..."
Gwen
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Gwen says "Ever think of how many people who have been screwed up by the likes of Deadly flash and other mishaps? Or maybe the player was old and now they have a body that isn't ravaged by age anymore. Who's to say we can't get hot and cold running water back. TV is 100 channels of nothing good on generally, Coffee, okay you can make an argument on but if you think people are giving up on food."

Gwen darkens a bit.

"Given what I'm aware of about some of the new aspects of Full Dive tech there are possibilities I'd rather not go into, for the moment. Other than there might not be a way home for or more accurately this is our home."
Jazuhanzu
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Jazuhanzu is silent a moment.

"Yeah, I'm aware that there are people who like their new bodies better than their old ones. I can't blame anyone for that," she tells Gwen. "And I'm not. I'm not judging people for feeling a particular way about their body -- but let's not forget that we were all playing a video game. Just because it feels real, seems real, that doesn't *make* it the real world. Right now, there are people back home who're probably worried sick about... whatever's happening to us, whatever's going on here. I'm seperated from my best friend of twenty years and every day I think about how guilty he must feel with me being trapped here and him /there/. "

She lays her quill down.

She raises her gaze to peer at Gwen, intently, taking the full measure of her last sentences. She purses her lips.

It just makes her look pouty and adorable.
Gwen
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Gwen says "The people trapped here are real, and the world is just our brains getting the information right? Look I can get that. I don't have enough data yet to speak on some of my other ideas about this. Okay, I get that..." She'll put a hand on Jaz's shoulder.

"Easy look we're here why be miserable about it? We can't do anything about it for the moment. "Would they want you to be miserable? There's a whole world we haven't got to truly see out there."

She takes a bite of her food.

"I won't press on it again, all right?"
Jazuhanzu
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Jazuhanzu's expression twitches slightly.

"I'm not *miserable*," she counters. Of course she's miserable.

"You said you had reason to think this might be a permanent state of affairs," she adds, dread in her voice if not in her expression.
Jazuhanzu
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

"Well, now thart you've *said* it," says Jazz, "Yes." She gives her a look.
Gwen
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Gwen says "Are you sure? you want to hear it right now." Gwen looks at Jazz. "Ran into a man who was part of a company doing Full Dive development. They have hit a level where full direct brain access if possible. If they can map every hair and grain of sand and have full access."

She lets it hang for a moment "They could have the kind of hardware needed to copy a mind and digitize it. Thus copying it."
Jazuhanzu
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

"So you're saying we're just, potentially, copies?" She does not like the sound of that. In fact, she likes it even less.
Gwen
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Gwen grimaces "It's a possibility and I could just have gone full tinfoil hat. I'd rather not start a panic on that. Or we could be here, and this reality is just a bit game-like. Or we're trapped in a game somehow." She takes a drink.

"For now I'd rather be Gwen the Holy Knight rather than who I used to be."
Jazuhanzu
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Jazuhanzu licks her lips.

She's quiet for a long moment. "It makes a little sense," she agrees, "but I don't know how I feel about the possibility. Brain mapping that evolved seems far-fetched. Not impossible, given Dive tech, but how would we know it really got all of me? I feel like me. It'd have to be ... perfect. Flawless mapping. Simultaneously, of everyone, at the same time. With enough space to hold *countless* terrabytes of information, or to maintain an active, evolving consciousness. The amount of server space that would take is *enormous*. I'm not even sure they have the tech for *one* copy, let alone thousands, or even millions, depending on how many people were logged in and trapped at the same time."

"It's a possibility, but.."

She lets out a breath.

"If we're /just/ artiificially intelligent duplicates in some sort of mass ... experiemnt ... "
Gwen
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Gwen looks at Jazz for a long moment she thinks.

"If it is true? We're still people every moment since we woke up here? Is ours and ours alone. No one can take that from us."
Jazuhanzu
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

"Can't they? If your version is true, then all it will take is one black out and we'll never know," remarks Jazz, dryly.
Gwen
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Gwen says "That would be dying wouldn't it?" Gwen nots tilting her head. "We're here now we happened right?"
Jazuhanzu
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

"Sure," says Jazz.

"Sure. We're here right now. For now. As long as they keep things plugged in and going. Unless the answer is ... something else. No. I don't know. I can't know until someone tells us. Mmnn."

She lets out a sigh.
Gwen
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Gwen says "I think enough on such dour topics for now right? I have a few ideas for outfits for you, but what are you looking for? I'm certain you'd want at least something else than what you have now..."
Jazuhanzu
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

"...yes. Something that isn't a maid's dress would be lovely," says Jazz, looking down at it. "This is horrible," she adds, plucking at it.

Of course, it's *excellent*. It fits her very well. It goes with her general aesthetic and persoanlity! Gothy maid undine Jazuhanzu would be a great anime title.
Gwen
Alne - Hostess of Fertility

Gwen Says "Horrible? You look wonderful but if your not happy with it? I'll have to think of something then. I'll need some time as I do have a project I need to get strted on...Though you'll see when I'm done and I'll need your help testing some of it."