[network] @ADMIN; Arrival

[snowblindmods]

Welcome to Norfinbury. The time is E̛̬̞͖͖̫R҉͖̯̬R̼̻͉̰͎̳̙O̩͓͔̫͇͈̯R and the date is E̛̬̞͖͖̫R҉͖̯̬R̼̻͉̰͎̳̙O̩͓͔̫͇͈̯R. This network has been provided for your use. Please interact politely with everyone else on this network.

Comments

whoops, meant 7 anomalies, not 8, on days 80-83

[deus_ex_phs]

You're welcome.

Possibly. Or possibly another factor. The Admin has reported "adjusting parameters" for the wandering anomalies before. May also be due to variations in group size, number of beacons turned on, or normal fluctuations in encounter rate. Ten encounters isn't the best sampling size.

[Lack of information indeed.]

We collected a little more data over here.

[howdull]

I will collect more data myself.

Any further encounters, send me the information immediately, Soldier.

[deus_ex_phs]

[There's a slight delay on Kunsel's end, long enough to be the equivalent of a surprised blink.]

Already doing your research, I see.

I'll let you know what I find.

[howdull]

The clues were glaringly obvious.

[But yes, he will take that assurance and wait for more information.]

[deus_ex_phs]

I suppose listing myself as a contact in the guide with a military background would give me away.

[A bit of self-deprecating humor there that might show through in the text.]

[howdull]

More than a military background. Being a soldier is your life, and a large part of your identity.

[deus_ex_phs]

What makes you say that?

[Not that he's saying that Sherlock is wrong, but that's a little more in depth than he would have expected from one day of potential network diving.]

[howdull]

It's fairly obvious, don't you think?

[The clues are so glaring they could well be neon lights.]

[deus_ex_phs]

[Kunsel has to consider that for a moment or two, thinking back on what he's said, and what he can assume Sherlock's read about him. Some of it's telling, yes, but that last leap of logic...]

I gave you what amounted to a military report. Ingrained habit, even after months of being here. That's how you concluded that being a soldier is a large part of my life.

But my identity?

[He's done his share of reading between the lines before. That's part of why he'd been picked for the task of investigating corruption in ShinRa's Science Department.

Doesn't necessarily mean he can see what Sherlock sees.]

[howdull]

Your conversational skills are non existent on a personal level.

[He's not judging, his are too.]

You engaged me solely on business, despite my being new and potentially scared. Your contributions to the network have been solely information based - how to survive, etc. This suggests you have difficulty switching off your professional role and simply making friends. The amount of time here has not mellowed your responses in that regard, ergo your job is far more than just a large part of your life.

Without being a soldier, you wouldn't know who you were.

[deus_ex_phs]

[There is a long, long pause here, because holy shit, Sherlock. No one's ever nailed Kunsel quite like that. He is so grateful for text here, because his mouth might have opened and hung there for a moment as surprise wars with knee-jerk indignation and settles on being defensively impressed.]

My conversational skills aren't that bad. You weren't freaking out, you were asking calculated questions. You obviously didn't need reassurance. I responded with what you wanted.

[He responded like a professional to another professional who was managing to keep a cool head.]

[howdull]

They are severely lacking in interpersonal connection beyond a surface level.

[He knows he's right, he can feel it.]

Regardless of how I reacted, your response only cemented those truths.

[deus_ex_phs]

[He may be right, but good luck getting Kunsel to admit it.]

You haven't seen me in every social situation. You can't make that call.

[howdull]

Defensive arguing won't change the truth, plus it's boring.

[deus_ex_phs]

I'm not here for your entertainment.

[howdull]

Then stop bothering me.

[deus_ex_phs]

Alright.

[Let's just end that conversation right there. The way things were going, the next thing he knows, Sherlock might start making deductions about his love life.]