cancry | Night Patrol

Night Patrol

Iris wakes up on the train.

Being dead and having total amnesia is a lot of nothing to process, so she stays on the train for a while. The prospect of getting off at the first stop and just exploring at random is daunting, so she stays on the train as it makes a full revolution around Limbo. When it's clear that the train isn't stopping anywhere else, she gathers her courage, and steps out into the station.

Rather than seeking out any specific services or businesses, Iris's first instinct is to just wander the streets. She doesn't know why that feels right, nor does she know what she's looking for, but quietly going down random streets and alleyways feels more comfortable than barging in somewhere to ask big existential questions to complete strangers. There's just too much she doesn't know - why is she here? Are these other people also dead? Is there something she's supposed to be doing?

None of the answers are revealing themselves from just walking around the city at random, but there's something just a little bit comforting about it. Moving feels better than staying still, and if she needs to be doing something else, hopefully it will make itself apparent soon. Until then, Iris wanders, sometimes stopping to look at the few people who immediately stand out from the crowds - Executors, she would eventually learn - but never approaching them directly. She'll work up to that.

Eventually.

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I'm Iris... and, um... one of my eyes looks weird...?

[Is that a health condition?]

Ooh, that is interesting. [Medic tilts her head and peers at Iris'... well, iris.] That's some fascinating patterning, is it affecting your vision at all?

[She reaches into one of her pockets and pulls out a cheap penlight she bought from the conbini.]

Do me a favor and look directly at the light for a moment, okay? [It really is like a doctor's visit... Hopefully she doesn't have a tongue depressor and a little rubber hammer in those pockets somewhere, too.]

[Out of panic, Iris does as Medic asks, looking into the light.]

I-I don't know... wait, hang on, what's... what are you...

Hmm-mm! [She clicks the penlight back off and smiles brightly.] Both eyes tracking and focusing properly, pupils dilate in light as expected, no visible cataracts, discharge, jaundice, or excessive redness.

I'd say you're in good health, eyes-wise. [There's a beat and then she realizes the rhyme there and snickers at it, because she has absolutely no shame about laughing at her own jokes, intentional or otherwise.]

W-Wait, wait! I'm not... I didn't ask to see a doctor, so, um...

Oh- whoops. [Medic blinks.] Was this one of those things I'm supposed to have you sign a medical consent form for, first? Darn, I'm terrible at keeping track of which ones mean I need to do that.

[She looks idly thoughtful.] I wonder if I was better at it before all the death amnesia...

[She wasn't.]

But enough about me! [She claps her hands together, back to smiling.] How can I help you, Miss Iris?

[Thank the Founder, she relented... is what Iris would think, if she remembered the Founder.]

I guess... for now, I need to find a place to stay... I don't want to impose, but I also don't want to just sleep out on the street...

[Medic nods. Sure, that seems perfectly reasonable. ...admittedly, she's not sure why they still need to sleep, since they're all dead, but she hasn't had time to experiment with that yet.]

Well, there's always the hotel, if you don't mind abnormal geometries. None of the doors seem to open to the same room twice, so that makes it hard to find things again if you leave them behind, but if you want somewhere to sleep for the night it's fine.

Or you can just pick one of the houses that's empty and set up shop in there. People don't really seem to stop you, if they aren't already staying in it?

Really? That isn't... illegal, or anything?

[Is space not a commodity for some reason? What kind of city is this?]

You know, I'm not entirely certain this place actually has a legal system? I've been living in the library for multiple days and no one's attempted to remove me, so your odds are pretty good!

[She pauses and adds:] Also some of the architecture seems physically impossible, so I'm not completely sure this city is real.

[Wait what.]

[She gestures illustratively around them with her hands as she speaks.]

This is an afterlife, everyone's in agreement on that. Given that we don't have physical bodies, we shouldn't really have physical needs anymore, but we seem to still be drawn to things like food and sleep. I don't think it's meant to be a real, functional place, exactly. It's just here for... well, for fun, I think! Which is really nice of someone, assuming anyone's responsible for this place in particular.

That's just a theory, though. [A game theory- wait no.]

[Iris does listen. That's a lot of rambling, but, well, it's interesting rambling.

The implications are hard to think through, though.]

If this is supposed to be fun... I don't think it's really working so far...

Really? I've been having a blast! [Apparently totally sincere. At least someone's having a nice time.]

But people keep telling me I'm a little weird, so maybe my tastes aren't the most universal. [A pause, trying to think of something Most People would like.] ...There's a cafe, do you like food?

I guess... Wait, do we still have to eat food? Since we're, you know...

[She doesn't like to say it out loud.]

I'm still running preliminary tests on whether we have to- the average human can potentially survive up to three weeks without food, so it'll take a while to be completely certain.

[Medic... why...]

We definitely still can eat, though! It tastes pretty good.

[Hoo boy, that's dark. If you need any volunteers, don't look for Iris.]

Well, I guess I'm pretty hungry... do you know any good places...?

[Just don't sign any of her paperwork and you'll be fine. Probably.]

We've mostly all been going to the cafe! They do drink and pastries and stuff. There's also a store that sells a lot of stuff, like snacks and office supplies? They might have things you like.

Just don't touch the box in the back of the drinks freezer, please. I'm keeping samples in there. [Samples of wh- yeah no never mind, better not to ask.]

Oh, um... I don't have any money...

[And no parents around to provide for her, either. O cruel afterlife.]

Also not a thing the afterlife has! Well, sort of. It's actually kind of interesting, the Specters will pay each other money but if you order something and just take it no one tries to make you pay, they just act like you already did- I've been recording my observations on their behavior to see if there's a pattern to which of us wake up!

[At least ghost capitalism is optional.]

Really? I'd feel bad for taking something without paying for it...

[Iris is a good girl.]

I've been paying them in knowledge! [Well, that's not worrying coming from her or anything...] Every time I take something, I tell them a neat science fact. The more expensive it is, the more interesting the fact.

It makes things fair. [Does it???]

I don't know any interesting science facts... or if I did, I forgot them...

[Being a dead amnesiac makes everything so COMPLICATED]

You could look some up? There's a library, it's free! [Well, everything's free, but libraries are actually supposed to be.] Or just tell them something else you think is interesting. Maybe you could make up stories?

...I guess for now... if it's true that nobody minds... I'll just take stuff...

[Already, her new death has stripped her of her morals. How tragic.]

[Lightly patting her on the back.]

That's the spirit! You can always pay them back later if you change your mind.

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Night Patrol

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