@Anonymous, throughout February 9th

[unlucky7]

[On February 9th, three network posts go up over the course of the day.]

[At 8:32 AM]
.-- .... .- - / .. ... / -.-- --- ..- .-. / ..-. .- ...- --- .-. .. - . / -- --- ...- .. . ..--..

[At 2:18 PM]
Bmfy nx dtzw kfatwnyj uqfhj ns dtzw btwqi?

[At 9:49 PM]
G71UAUH

((ooc: Translations! Feel free to reply with the code indicated in brackets without actually coding it for ease.

1. "Morse code: What is your favorite movie?" The neural implant WILL translate this for everyone!

2. "Caesar Cipher, shift 5: What is your favorite place in your world?" The neural implant will NOT translate this.

3. Untranslatable, it's a code used by Ginia's team. The neural implant will NOT translate this.))

Comments

@anon

[nonscriptum]

ymfy ijujsix.

uwtgfgqd xtzym frjwnhf. lzqk htfxy. itjx ny sjji yt gj rtwj xujhnknh?

@anon

[chardismastic]

what
no vignere to ask our favorite color? or childhood pet?

i know there isn't that much to do around here at the moment but jesus

[unlucky7]

[Impressive. South America. Earth-based then.]

tsqd nk dtz bfsy yt lt nsyt ijyfnq. bmfy rfpjx ny xujhnfq?

[unlucky7]

mshcsmabwqxjqormfhcsvsjjmvvcsasyxfrlrw

((ooc: The keyword is "enjoy".))

[nonscriptum]

n lwjb zu ymjwj. n qnpj ymj thjfs.

[ Vague, for a reason. Some things he prefers not to get into with strangers. ]

nx ymjwj f wjfxts dtz'wj fslqnsl ktw nskt ns htij? jajwdtsj'x fqwjfid fstsdrtzx.

@goro.akechi

[impede]

And none for the third.

Care to enlighten us as to the meaning?

[unlucky7]

sjajw xjjs ymj thjfs ns ujwxts. fqbfdx bfsyji yt.

rfdgj n'r gtwji.

[chardismastic]

[ It takes a minute to run through what sarcastic keys he'd come up with but then— ]

black is black in any year

but seriously
are you that pressed for a hobby that you're popping inane chitchat through the wringer
have you tried looking for solitaire in your techno tumor yet? maybe a couple games of freecell will get you by

[unlucky7]

And yet you're still replying.

[unlucky7]

[The first reply from someone who didn't arrive in this batch. Interesting. The same person who replied with law information too.]

No.

[chardismastic]

oh don't worry about me i'm multitasking just fine

i'm actually in the middle of a hot streak of minesweeper right about now while also trying to figure out what the hell you're trying to prove

[nonscriptum]

nk dtz bjwj gtwji dtz'i yfpj f bfqp.

ymwjj hwduynh rjxxfljx utxyji ns ozxy tajw ybjqaj mtzwx? htrj ts. htsywfwd yt utuzqfw tunsnts n'r sty xyzuni.

[unlucky7]

Have fun.

[unlucky7]

jajwdtsj mfsiqjx gtwjitr inkkjwjsyqd. fwj dtz fhhzxnsl rj tk xtrjymnsl?

[impede]

Is that stubbornness or is there something else at play here?

[chardismastic]

way i see it

a) you're bored and have no other productive way to spend your time
b) you think you're pretty clever and want to show off
c) you're testing what codes are still green in our new and improved google grey matter

door number three especially would be hilarious because of course codes are still going to work
translation is one thing but do you really think people were willing to give up their secrets just like that
be kind of ridiculous if you can just toggle to default and decrypt the internet

[nonscriptum]

bjqq, qjy rj qfd tzy ymj tuyntsx.

- dtz'wj gtwji. utxxngqj, gzy sty qnpjqd? bj'aj gjjs pnisfuuji yt f sjb inrjsxnts, ymjwj'x f qty yt yfpj ns.

- dtz'wj yjxynsl kzshyntsfqnyd. bj zxji yt it ymnx ns ymj btwqi bmjwj n lty bmnxpji tkk yt sty ymfy qtsl flt. yfqp yt jfhm tymjw ns inkkjwjsy qfslzfljx fsi xjj bmfy ywfsxqfyji fsi bmfy inis'y. bj bjwj ywdnsl yt htrj zu bnym f bfd yt htrrzsnhfyj yt fatni wtzxnsl xzxunhnts kwtr f gzshm tk xjrn-trsnxhnjsy jsynynjx.

- dtz'wj ywdnsl yt knsi xtrjtsj fsi zxnsl htij bnqq ljy ymjnw fyyjsynts, bmnhm nx jcfhyqd bmfy n btzqi gj itnsl nk n psjb fsdtsj kwtr rd btwqi kfrnqnfw bnym rtwxj htij bmt bfxs'y hzwwjsyqd fs fxxmtqj

- dtz ozxy qnpj kzhpnsl bnym ujtuqj

qjy rj pstb bmjs yt xytu

[unlucky7]

[That second bullet point is a real interesting one. That's something worth going through the network to see if anyone has brought up.

Ginia wouldn't even argue the other points are wrong. Multiple purposes for a simple thing.]

uqjfxj, pjju ltnsl. n qtaj ymjtwnjx.

[unlucky7]

If you can read it, you can read it. If you can't, you can't.

[There are exactly eight other people who can read that message and know how to respond. Anything else is moot.]

[unlucky7]

K :)

[nonscriptum]

what you love is me doing your legwork.

[ That's enough sharing without a name attached, he thinks. ]

do me a favor in return, would you?

[unlucky7]

Guilty as charged.

Depends on what it is, but I'll hear you out.

[nonscriptum]

if you want to gather intel, talk to people.

i'm not saying it's easy, or that your method is wrong, but it's a little disingenuous to milk everybody for information when we're all in the same crappy boat.

if you actually want to know more and you're not just playing around, i'm the bunk at the end of the second row. can't miss it.

[unlucky7]

I'll keep that in mind.

[Ginia marks out who is occupying the bed that evening but doesn't approach. Public network, anyone could have read the conversation, no doubt someone else is noting who is in the cot at the end of the second row as much as anyone who approaches. That it's someone she's already talked to is interesting.

Risk and reward. Information and allies. Ginia turns the cost of everything over in her mind again and again as she fails to sleep.

How would Anna have done things? Or Di or Fi? That question haunts her just as much.

It's not until the afternoon of the 10th before Ginia decides to go over to talk to Nathan. She goes over with a snack bag of peanut butter mealworm balls and a bottle of water. If he's not at his cot, she'll wait around until he returns.

If he's there, or when he shows up, she offers the bag of snacks and opens with a signed question:]

What's the ocean like?

[Also don't mind the black eye and other bruising.]

@anon

[snipedt]

qttpx qnpj bj lty f sjwi ts tzw mfsix