Tomimi: Brand New Life

Operator Record Brand New Life
Can you be both hedonistic and head-over-heels in longing? Unlock conditions Raise Tomimi to Elite 2 Level 1. Have at least 50% Trust with Tomimi.

Characters
Gavial Passerby Liberi (Astesia) Tomimi ??? (Blue Poison) Field Operator Logistics Operator Medic Operator ??? Field Captain
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“

Gavial is away from the Island on an urgent mission, putting Tomimi down in the dumps. Fortunately, with a little help from her friends, she overcomes her negative feelings, and gradually adapts to life without Gavial at Rhodes Island.

”

<Background 1>
Rhodes Island Landship Dormitories, outside Gavial's room
[Tomimi walks in front of Gavial's room and knocks the door.]
Tomimi	Good morning, Gavial, it's time to get up.
......
Tomimi	(She's not here...) (That's really weird. Did Gavial wake up early today?) (Maybe she's eating breakfast already. I'll check the cafeteria.)
<Background 2>
[Tomimi looks around the R.I. cafeteria for Gavial, but does not find her.]
Tomimi	(Gavial's not here either...) (She's not sleeping, and she's not here eating.) (She probably had something important to do today.) (I don't think she had any field missions coming up, so the only place she can be is Medical.)
<Background 3>
Tomimi	Whuh–huh?! Wh–what's going on?!
Medic Operator	I only overheard it from my other colleagues. We had an emergency call last night from a nearby settlement. It's a complex situation. We had to send out an accompanying Operator with both combat and medical experience to ensure the other operators' safety. And out of the whole department, Gavial's the best fit for times like these. The mission really was urgent. Every Operator who took up the call for deployment headed out right away.
Tomimi	Why... what's...
Medic Operator	She probably left you something, right? A message, a slip of paper, the sort.
Tomimi	Let me look! (Turns on comms terminal) N–Nothing! But why... (Ever since we left Acahualla, she–she's never come to say hello...) Gavial couldn't have... couldn't have abandoned me again, right?!
Medic Operator	Er, you're overthinking it...
Tomimi	I'll go help her right now!
Medic Operator	Wait, wait, wait, hold on! How are you gonna get there? Walk?
Tomimi	I... I'll drive over!
Medic Operator	Settle down. You need to get permission from the motor pool, not to mention you don't know where you're going. And that's before we get to the part where you don't know how to drive.
Tomimi	I–I could... I... Uwh–wuhh...
Medic Operator	W-What are you crying for...? Oh, come on, quit it.
Tomimi	*whimper*...
Medic Operator	I know you're worried for Gavial. But you oughta know. It's Gavial, what's to worry about? No one could ever lay a finger on her.
Tomimi	I'm scared she'll... get... get a graze...
Medic Operator	... She's a Medic Operator. She can cure wounds like that herself just fine.
Tomimi	But, what if she–
Medic Operator	Alright, alright, you weeping here isn't gonna solve anything, is it? Just go back and rest for a bit, settle your emotions, and do something to cheer yourself up, okay? It was an urgent mission, but it's nothing tough. Give her, maybe, three, four days to her triumphant return. Don't scare yourself.
Tomimi	O–Okay... I'm sorry for being such a pain...
Medic Operator	No harm done, ha ha. Go on, head back and relax.
Tomimi	I will...
[Tomimi leaves.]
Medic Operator	I didn't think going Gavialless would hit her so hard. Must've left a deep impression on her when Gavial up left home the first time. I've gotta remind Gavial, you tell your loved ones before you go. Or else we'll get a repeat of this. What if Tomimi cries the department six feet under water?
[Someone enters the room.]
???	Something that sad could happen?
Medic Operator	Who knows? Take a seat, Blue Poison. Are you feeling unwell anywhere?
<Background 1>
Tomimi	Gavial... Gavial's out on a mission... I want to go on a mission with Gavial too. Do something to cheer myself up... What should I do? Is there anything I can do? *Sigh*...
[On her delirium, Tomimi wanders to places in the R.I. landship she haven't been before.]
Tomimi	If only I could be as strong as her... Um... Um? Where–am I? I'm lost in Rhodes Island again. If Gavial finds out, she'll bonk me... (Someone's over there. Maybe I can ask her.) Um. Hello?
Passerby Liberi	Hello, Archosauria. Is there anything I can assist you with? (Graceful curtsy)
Tomimi	Wuh, uwh-wah. (Imitates the curtsy) Hello, could I bother you to tell me where I am?
Passerby Liberi	If you mean your specific position, we're in a corridor to the Rhodes Island hangar.
Tomimi	Thank you, Miss Liberi!
Passerby Liberi	Make no mention.
Tomimi	......
Passerby Liberi	You seem as though–you're a little bewildered. Do you need my help?
Tomimi	I'm lost...
Passerby Liberi	Ah, I see. Where did you lose your way?
Tomimi	?
Passerby Liberi	I'm sorry, I seem to have asked a silly question. Ahem–in that case, where do you want to go?
Tomimi	I want... to buy a fashion magazine. I haven't read one in a long time, since leaving Acahualla. I'm feeling the itch.
Passerby Liberi	A magazine, hmm. I understand. If you want to buy magazines, take the elevator there up two floors, then turn right when you come out and go straight; after you see the little fountain, turn left, and you'll find a bookstand. The prices might be a little higher than in the city, but they have stable suppliers, a varied selection, and you can order in any publications you'd like.
Tomimi	Alright. Thank you, I'll go take a look right now.
Passerby Liberi	Just wait one moment. Before you leave, could I hassle you to assuage a small doubt of mine?
Tomimi	Huh? Um, you can just ask, no need to be so polite.
Passerby Liberi	Very good, I'll keep that in mind~ Archosauria, does the burden on your shoulders weigh on you?
Tomimi	Burden? You mean my backpack? (Weighs backpack in hand) It's alright, it's not that heavy. It's all my specially selected treasures inside. I need to keep them close to me.
Passerby Liberi	Can't you put them in your dormitory? That's your little slice of home at Rhodes Island.
Tomimi	But I'd be really sad if I ever lost it. I can't let even one thing go missing. I'm better off keeping it with me.
Passerby Liberi	Your recollections, your keepsakes, hmm... Have you ever thought of putting them in a safe?
Tomimi	No, no way! My treasures will be angry if I lock them in a box!
Passerby Liberi	Well, then, give your dormitory a proper furnishing, and turn it into your very own museum. Maybe that'd be nicer? Knowing to bear your recollections is a good thing, but perhaps in learning to unload burdens and adorn them, there's more significance still.
Tomimi	Um, I don't really, get what you're saying.
Passerby Liberi	It's nothing. Just a solitary Liberi's meaningless soliloquy. My question has already found an answer. Thank you. Ah. Do you want me to guide you?
Tomimi	No, it's okay, I think I can find my way! Thank you!
Passerby Liberi	Then I'll bid farewell, Archosauria. Perhaps we'll meet again very soon. (Sargonian dialect) May your outlook be as boundless as the great forest. (Graceful curtsy)
[The passerby Liberi leaves.]
Tomimi	(She looks like she's really in a hurry.) (Is that Liberi at the other end her sister?) (They seem really close.) (That's so nice.) (......)
<Background fades out and in>
Tomimi	(I've reached the tiny fountain. Turn left...) And this should be it. Waah, Rhodes Island has stalls like this too?
Logistics Operator	It's your first time shopping at ours, isn't it? The store's too cramped, and sometimes when we can't fit all our stock, the stall comes out. Of course, it's all approved and filed on record in advance. There's no shady business here. What are you looking to buy?
Tomimi	I wanna buy the latest fashion magazine.
Logistics Operator	Fashion magazines come in many varieties. See, ones for getting into pendants and jewelry, ones putting out celebrity news, ones for announcing what's trendy in clothes, and–
Tomimi	Please give me the ones about clothes, thank you.
Logistics Operator	This one's... all sold out on the latest issue.
Tomimi	Okay... (I'm having the worst luck today...)
Logistics Operator	But you're in luck. The Operator who bought the last copy's still here. If you really want to read it, you could go ask her if she'd be willing to share with you.
Tomimi	Okay! Which one is she?
Logistics Operator	Over there, the one with pink hair.
[Tomimi looks at the one with pink hair, who is none other than Blue Poison.]
Logistics Operator	She's called Blue Poison, and she's the first in to buy magazines every time. Seems she got held up today, and almost missed out. Go give her a shout. She'll share with you, I think–
Tomimi	Alright, thank you!
[Tomimi rushes off to see Blue Poison.]
Logistics Operator	Wait, I'm not done, she– ...... Whatever, sometimes less is more. Maybe Blue Poison'll make a new friend this way.
<Background fades out and in>
[Tomimi reaches Blue Poison and greets her.]
Tomimi	H–Hello... would you happen to be Blue Poison? I'm Tomimi.
Blue Poison	(So this is Tomimi? What a fine coincidence.)
Tomimi	(Holds out hand)
Blue Poison	?! You want... to shake hands with–me?
Tomimi	Oh, I just thought, um, it's the polite thing to do and... If you don't want to, then–
Blue Poison	(Shakes Tomimi's hand) I'm Blue Poison. I'm very happy to meet you. Because of... reasons... most people aren't too happy to–make contact–with me. So I was surprised when you held out your hand. Sorry for that. Did you need something from me?
Tomimi	I want to borrow your magazine to read a little, is that okay? I'll give it right back.
Blue Poison	Magazine? You mean this issue of Me Maze?
Tomimi	Yes. I'm sorry, my Victorian isn't too good, so I can't read the words here so well.
Blue Poison	I only just picked it up, so I haven't read it yet. There's too many people around. Let's find somewhere to sit down and have a read at our own pace.
Tomimi	Okay, I'll follow you.
<Background 3>
Blue Poison	......
Tomimi	Um. I'm done reading. Thank you, Blue Poison.
Blue Poison	Hm? Oh, no problem. Miss Tomimi.
Tomimi	You can just call me Tomimi. Adding a title to a code name is a little weird...
Blue Poison	Ah, alright, Tomimi. This morning... what happened? An operator at Medical said you could've cried the whole department six feet under water.
Tomimi	It's... kind of embarrassing to say.
Blue Poison	You'll feel better getting it out. Give it a try.
Tomimi	...... Well, it's like this...
<Background 1>
Tomimi	That's the whole story, more or less. Please don't laugh at me...
Blue Poison	Of course I wouldn't. You know, I've heard that Archosauria never shed tears.
Tomimi	Tears are a sign of weakness, so you can never, ever cry in front of anyone else.
Blue Poison	But even so, you'll still cry for Gavial. And there's nothing embarrassing about it at all.
Tomimi	Ohh, thank you.
Blue Poison	I see you have an interest in clothing and fashion magazines. Does your homeland have such publications too?
Tomimi	No, but sometimes Inam would bring some from the outside for me. She's the one who does business in our place, so she always brings interesting stuff back. She taught me the outsiders' languages. After I learned them, I bought books from her to read, and I really liked the stuff in some of them, so I kind of ended up reading more.
Blue Poison	Such as?
Tomimi	City Beauty and other ones like that.
Blue Poison	Mm-hm, that was a fairly notable fashion magazine for sure. But... their works have been too streamlined, too cookie cutter. They've definitely lost a lot of their mystique... *sigh*... I hear a few editors and photographers of theirs want to jump ship and set up their own shop. Who knows yet if that'll come to anything.
Tomimi	You really, really know a lot about fashion, Blue Poison. You're incredible...
Blue Poison	Not quite. I just read around, and have some of my own tastes and opinions, that's all. How about you, Tomimi? What is fashion to you?
Tomimi	I'm not too sure. My mother tongue doesn't have the vocabulary to talk fashion. It has plenty for hitting people, though.
Blue Poison	Hahah...
Tomimi	I think, fashion is probably nice-looking clothes, and simple and pretty jewelry. Acahualla doesn't have anything like that. The first time I opened that magazine was the first time I learned clothes could come in colors like that, and designs like that. Some clothes I probably couldn't ever imagine in my life, but someday or other, they'd appear in the magazines Inam was selling, and I could say for sure– –I really liked those clothes.
Blue Poison	There you go. I'd call you knowledgeable any day.
Tomimi	Actually, the clothes I'm wearing right now are from when I saw some I really liked in a magazine, so I worked on making the whole outfit and adjusting it myself. Although it's a little rough...
Blue Poison	Ah, I think it's ringing a bell... Hm... (Opens and flips through her own personal notepad) MARTHE... Mad Wild... Fury's Call... Swimming Suit series... Coral Coast... Found it. Take a look. Was it this outfit?
Tomimi	Oh, it was! How do you know it?!
Blue Poison	It's in my collection. Sometimes, if I meet with a design I particularly like, I'll cut it out and stick it in this notepad, and then write my own gains from it.
Tomimi	Y–You cut them out? Won't that ruin the magazine?
Blue Poison	It's–how do I put it... I suppose it's a personal habit of mine. Cutting and pasting magazine pictures does spoil the print's intactness, but to me, it's a shortcut.
Tomimi	Shortcut?
Blue Poison	Taking all the knowledge you want most from a magazine, and putting it in one place. And through that shortcut, it ends up in here.
Tomimi	In your head?
Blue Poison	Mm-hm. This notepad I'm holding is my sixth one already. I only ever pull out the first few to flick through when I want to feel nostalgic. Inside them, save for memories, there's nothing left at all. The truly important things have all gone into my brain. They've become my aesthetics, tastes, styles.
Tomimi	Can brains really remember that much?
Blue Poison	Of course not. What's left behind is only the parts you least want to forget. Such as, your choices and aspirations for beauty. Or maybe, in your case, um– Gavial?
Tomimi	Oh, you're right. I definitely couldn't forget Gavial.
Blue Poison	The most important memories, they're always in your head. Sometimes, things are just keys for opening them up. Once you consolidate the memories and they're like an automatic door, you'll never need the key again.
Tomimi	That... that makes sense. Keys... treasure... Memories... ......
Blue Poison	Tomimi, have you ever tried styling outfits before?
Tomimi	Styling? No, not yet.
Blue Poison	Then let's go to the shops and try on some clothes, what do you think?
Tomimi	Try them? Can–can I?!
Blue Poison	Sure. Though the selection's not as complete as stores in the big cities, I can take you to experience it at least. If you don't mind, I can take us to visit a tailor, to get you even more style suggestions.
Tomimi	I–is that–really something you can do?!
Blue Poison	Of course. If you want, we can even have a whole outfit custom-made for you here at Rhodes Island. (Small mutter) Although the prices aren't too customer-friendly...
Tomimi	O–Okay, I, uh, I, I'll get ready. We're gonna try on clothes in a moment, right?
Blue Poison	Mhm.
Tomimi	Then I–I, I need to put my backpack in my dorm first, and then it'll be less tricky when I'm trying them on.
[The passerby Liberi from before shows up.]
Passerby Liberi	The fact you've gained awareness of this is something worth celebrating, you know.
Tomimi	Ah, it's Miss Liberi from just before!
Passerby Liberi (Astesia)	I forgot to introduce myself previously. Do forgive me for my negligence. Astesia Urbica. Most usually call me just Astesia. Pleased to make your acquaintance.
Tomimi	Hello, Miss Urbica. (Holds out hand)
Astesia	(Elegantly shakes hands)
Blue Poison	Good afternoon, Miss Urbica.
Astesia	Good afternoon, Blue Poison.
Blue Poison	I want to take Tomimi to try on some clothes. If you could–
Astesia	As luck has it, I want to pick out some new clothes for myself too. It would be my greatest pleasure to go with you. As for Bibeak, I wager she's still at the bookstand, buying the print.
[Bibeak is seen looking at books in the bookstand.]
Astesia	Oh, my. It seems I wagered correctly.
Blue Poison	(You really can't get anything past her...) I'll go give Bibeak a heads-up. See you in a bit.
[Blue Poison leaves to see Bibeak.]
Tomimi	(Hushed) Astesia, Miss Urbica!
Astesia	(Hushed) What's the matter?
Tomimi	(Hushed) You said before, about furnishing into a museum. How do I really do that?
Astesia	(Hushed) Here. See that little water fountain?
Tomimi	(Hushed) Mmhm.
Astesia	(Hushed) There's a sculpted relief on top of it. Isn't it pretty?
Tomimi	(Hushed) Mmhm.
Astesia	(Hushed) If that fountain was your own meticulously preserved piece, would that make you feel, well, delighted?
Tomimi	(Hushed) Um... mmhm!
Astesia	(Hushed) And that's the way it works. (Hushed) Placing beautiful memories on pedestals specially made for them–it always has the power to cheer oneself up. (Hushed) If you need it, you can install further equipment on the pedestals too. You can protect things from outside damage, and greatly extend their lifetimes.
Tomimi	(Hushed) That sounds pretty good. (Hushed) Then, if, if you have time, could I ask you to, help me, um, plan it out?
Astesia	(Hushed) Of course. (Hushed) Choosing decor has its own particularities. When you're done trying on clothes, we can take our time with research. For now, we'll go meet up with Blue Poison and her friends. It would never do to keep them waiting.
Tomimi	Okay!
Astesia	Tomimi.
Tomimi	What is it, Miss Urbica?
Astesia	Do you feel in a better mood now?
Tomimi	Yes! Doing what I like–makes me really happy.
Astesia	Oh, that's wonderful. Let's go, then.
Tomimi	Alright!
<Background black>
Tomimi	The difference between Rhodes Island and Acahualla is kind of big. There's a lot you can't do here, and the rooms are pretty small. But I don't mind it that much. I can learn so many new things, and make new friends. There's nothing that makes me happier. Maybe I can become a fashion expert, or an explorer, or a Caster. Or maybe a fashionable Caster with an exploring spirit? And what fun stuff might happen in the future? I'm really looking forward to it. I guess when Gavial chose to stay at Rhodes Island, and not in Acahualla, this was why. ...... I wonder what Gavial's up to now?
<Background 5>
Gavial	Hold still! It'll just hurt for ONE moment.
Field Operator	Ow, gentle, you're killing me!
Gavial	I said it'd hurt, not kill you. Hm? Hmph. All bound up. You put some pressure on that wound, and I'll give our guests a warm welcome.
[Gavial rushes off to the attackers, which were a gang of bounty hunters. As the bounty hunters approach Gavial...]
Gavial	Hah!
[...she attacks them...]
???	Urgh...
[...easily taking them down.]
Gavial	Hey! What's with these punks creeping up here?
Field Captain	Sorry, Gavial! We only let that one guy slip, the others are all done and dusted! Everyone, rest up where you are, and stay vigilant!
All Field Operators	Understood!
[Gavial meets up with an R.I. field operator.]
Field Operator	Phew. It's finally over.
Gavial	Yep. Long as you're all alright.
Field Operator	Gavial.
Gavial	Hm?
Field Operator	You had real short notice for this mission. Did you ever send your hometown friend any regards?
Gavial	What regards am I gonna give? I know her.
Field Operator	Not sure about anyone else, but the one who keeps coming to Medical, same race as you, right? You could at least give her a shout. What if she didn't find you, and cried Rhodes Island under water?
Gavial	Us Acahualla expats are all strongest of the strong. Tomimi sure as hell isn't that weak. Besides, I ran some work with Astesia pretty recently. Anything happens, and she'll be there to help manage, guaranteed.
Field Operator	Fine, yeah, you got it all worked out already. Pretend I never asked.
Gavial	Less yapping, more helping me figure the post-mission out. Where are we linking up with the R.I. landship?
Field Operator	Oh, yeah, one sec. Um... here. Landship'll be calling at this city for rest and resupply. Hear it's a holiday city too. Giant coastal beach in there, wide open to tourists. Thinking what I'm thinking? We can take a vacation.
Gavial	Doesn't that work out. (Holiday city... coastal beach?) (How about I buy her an outfit for the waterside? She oughta like that.) (Yeah. Call it an apology.)