01 in which technology wins

[themalice.livejournal.com]

[ It's been at least a couple weeks since Yuri's arrival at Garden. So far, so good. Classes are crap, but he slogs through it. The food is good. There's only one thing...

The greatest hurdle to overcome, by far. The Great Wall to his Huns. The heel to his Achilles.

He sits in a chair turned backwards in a quiet corner of the library. He's seen everyone else doing it, and they don't seem to have any problem...so he should be able to figure it out too, right?

The BBS. Cruel, taunting machine. The screen of the computer, permanently fixed at the menu, mocks him and the keys of the keyboard look like some kind of elaborate puzzle. He briefly considers kicking it, but settles instead for pressing as many buttons as he can simultaneously, to which the computer beeps loudly in protest. He's going to be here for a while. ]

Comments

[brokenbrand.livejournal.com]

[ It's a sari. ]

I know how to write in little messages on that bulletin, for one thing.

But of course that's not what you're trying to do, is it? Because that's simple enough, even a big rock like Snow can do it.

[themalice.livejournal.com]

[ Okay now you have his attention. He stops abusing the keys long enough to let the computer recover from the onslaught, at least. ]

Bulletin? That's what it's called? ...

[brokenbrand.livejournal.com]

Mmhmm. Bulletin board. They say it's like pinning paper up to a cork board, only it's all imaginary or something like that.

[ She props one elbow on the terminal, inserts chin into palm, then leans over a bit to peek at his screen. ]

[themalice.livejournal.com]

[ There's nothing interesting there, sorry to say. Getting the buttons figured out is only the first step. Then he has to figure out how to actually communicate with it. It's a process. ]

Imaginary....then what... what's the point? I don't get it.

[brokenbrand.livejournal.com]

The replies, yeah? They're real. Just the paper is imaginary.

[ Okay, okay, she'll reach over there and just...okay, now that the login boxes are cleared of all the gibberish, it's time for a fresh start. ]

See there's little numbers on these keys? Use 'em, and make your ID number show up in that little area there. Go on.

[themalice.livejournal.com]

[ You lost him, but he'll just nod and pretend otherwise they'll be here all day. ]

Oh, now you're gonna help 'steada sitting there all high and mighty huh? Alright, like this?

[ He hunt and pecks his ID into the specified box. ]

[brokenbrand.livejournal.com]

I thought I'd wait until you asked for it, but I'm a generous gal at heart.

[ She nods in answer to his question. ]

Now, see how that says "enter"? Press that one. And remember it, too, 'cause you'll be pressing it a lot.

[themalice.livejournal.com]

He he. [ Juvenile humor get. ] Okay, I got it.

[ houston we have liftoff. ]

The screen changed? It's supposed to do that, right? Oh, man. It just brought up another menu. I don't think this kind of thing is for me.

[brokenbrand.livejournal.com]

[ She doesn't laugh...on the outside. ]

...Are you taking that IT class? You should be.

Really.

[themalice.livejournal.com]

IT? "It"?

[ GOD fang you and your fancy words. ]

[brokenbrand.livejournal.com]

[ She shrugs. It isn't like she paid attention to what it stood for, either. ]

It's a computer class, scruffy.