THE MOMENT
Willy had that look about him. He sat on the park bench near the sandbox with shifty eyes focused on everything at once and a hoodie decorated with unknowable stains in a rainbow of browns. It was a cold, blustery day and any polite person passing by would've made the same assumption about him; then, they would've continued walking without getting involved.
Given the weather that evening, the park was mostly empty and he was glad for it. There was no one to glare at him with judgement after leaping to the worst conclusion possible. After a few days, he'd developed the habit of looking down, or away whenever anyone passed by and he elected to avoid talking with anyone as much as possible. There were a handful of dedicated joggers still braving the frigid weather making the rounds and he automatically looked down at the concrete path in front of him at the sound of footsteps. It sounded like two distinct sets and they were walking rather than jogging.
"...this Earth....?" They passed close enough for Willy to hear the two women talking. Their conversation continued but Something bout the tone of her voice made Willy look up. The suddenness at which he looked up was enough to attract the attention of both women. One was a stern woman with silvery white hair and purple eyes wearing a white uniform that represented an unfamiliar military. She was furthest away and the woman closer to Willy was an attractive redhead with fiery orange eyes and a casual western outfit with cowboy hat, black shirt and jeans. It happened to be the one Willy found extra attractive that had been speaking. Part of her subtitles were still hanging in the air and he stared at them completely puzzled. He could read and understand the words, but he was astonished nonetheless.
[... we're running out of Earths to check. - Amber] it'd been a continuation of a what he heard recently, and now she'd mentioned the concept of 'this Earth' twice. As he frantically tried to think of how he could ask what he needed to ask the subtitles changed again. He gave up playing with the subtitle settings early on; but, this new revelation prompted him to check a fifth time. Maybe there was some obscure checkbox he missed, or an unexpected update was pushed since the last time.
[My eyes are up here, Jerk. -Amber] She replied as he flicked his wrist up to summon his Slate. The transparent pane of glass appeared in front of him. Now, at least, he wasn't strictly staring at her chest area. Instead he alternated his gaze.
[Maybe he doesn't understand you. - Marina] the other woman spoke up with a calmer tone and the subtitles appeared beneath her in purple to differentiate them from Amber's orange subtitles.
[He looks like he's looking for something. -Marina] she added. In the back of his mind, Willy relaxed slightly. He didn't find any settings he could change, but he could hear the authority in her voice and she seemed level-headed at least.
[Can I kill him? - Amber]
"There's nothing...," he finally admitted defeat and looked up when there was a lull in the questions. They hadn't said anything, but the subtitles were still right there, and Willy continued staring at Amber's chest.
[Not without a reason. -Marina] the reply also came silently, but subtitles still appeared and Willy turned to read the new set.
[Hold on. - Amber] Another unspoken utterance appeared under Amber and Willy couldn't keep himself from looking.
[You can read this, right? - Amber]
[Wow, I think you're right. - Marina] the words appeared with only the sound of wind.
"Are you okay?" Marina asked. Willy sighed, and shook his head. No matter how many times he'd tried, no one ever understood him. Amber was just the latest misunderstandings in a long line. Ever since he discovered the multiverse he'd been a little lost. Time and again he tried to communicate; but, without subtitles of their own they only saw him gesturing frantically at any woman's bust and speaking in tongues.
"I wish I could explain it in your language...," he said. "I have no way to turn on subtitles for you."
"We're speaking English, idiot," Amber replied. It wasn't until that moment that he'd realized he understood every word they said. His eyes grew wide and and he hopped up enthusiastically to hug Amber.
"OH MY GOD! I CAN UNDERSTAND YOU!!!!!" he cheered as he shook her.
[Is this a reason? - Amber] The text appeared, still in front of him, but now above her head to be in his view. he flashed back to their previous interaction and dropper her immediately.
"SORRY!" he said. "I've been trapped on this Earth for almost two weeks now! My node glitched out completely and my Slate won't let me make a portal or get a mod." he apologized as he gave Amber space.
"On behalf of Io Limited, I apologize for the inconvenient timing of our expedition here," Marina said. "Our corporation was searching for something we believed might be on this Earth and we quarantined it from the AlterNet while we conducted our search. We're finishing up and you'll be free to leave in a couple of days if you're not ready just yet. Or, if you want to leave as soon as possible, Amber will be happy to deliver you to any Earth you'd prefer," Marina gestured at the redhead. Willy wanted to leave soon; but, he wasn't sure he trusted her.
"Is it safe...?" he asked.
"Pffft..," Amber burst into a fit of giggles with the question. "You'll be fine, Marina already said I couldn't kill you, right?" she looked at the older woman with a nod of respect. Marina returned the nod.
"Amber has a mild bloodthirst; but, she always follows orders," Marina said.
"See? A promise from Captain Stormhold is as good as gold," Amber laughed.
"I'd like to leave and join the regular AlterNet again," Willy nodded.
"Fair enough. Then, I'll leave you in Amber's care," Marina agreed, then turned to Amber. "We'll finish the conversation later. Io still has a few leads."
"Got it, Captain," Amber replied as a black portal appeared behind Marina and she stepped backward into it. Then she and it disappeared.
"So, where do you wanna go, pal?" Amber turned to Willy with a sharp grin and a gleam in her eye. It was enough to make him hesitate.
"Uhh...," he took a step back and Amber laughed again.
"Don't be scared of me, darling," she smirked.
"You're right...," Willy said. He needed to be brave in that particular moment. And, to illustrate to himself how brave he was, he even let himself antagonize her a bit. "I trust Captain Stormhold," he said as he met her eyes. "She said you can't do anything to me."
"That's right!" Amber winked at him with a playful pat on the shoulder. "As long as you don't give me a reason to."