(no subject)

Enter a two-foot-tall creature in brown robes, wandering across the room miserably, grumbling to himself, rubbing a growing swelling on his sickly green forehead.

Looks like Jaken's just taken another unsuccessful shot at running through the door.

She blinks- a touch muzzily- and tilts her head. "Daijobu desu ka?"

[For the Fangirl Japanese impaired: "Are you all right?"]

The youkai stops. Head slowly turns to meet the query. Holds a steady glare for a moment, then-

"Does this Jaken appear to be?" He counters, a bit gruffly. Being bound to the bar wears on one's patience, specifically when it wears on one's skull as well.

She turns back to her glass, bowing her head. "I apologise... I am unfamiliar with any 'jaken' beings... Please forgive my rudeness.

"Unfamiliar!" The creature squawks indignantly, cradling its head in its hands with a moan and dancing on his toes in a manic circle. He seems to assume the apology guarantees him an audience for ranting. "Unfamiliar! Is everything unfamiliar!"

One hand tightening, as if clutching an invisible staff (Alas, Nintoujou is still missing!, a thoroughly ruffled Jaken rounds on the girl breathlessly. "To not know the name of a menial servant is excuseable, but have you any idea, child, how the noble name Sesshoumaru-Sama fails to turn heads in this place!"

...but a raised voice apparently does. Swallowing his temper, he folds his arms huffily into his robes and grumbles audibly, "Even those who know a youkai when they see one here act as if we are only things of peasants' folktales..."

She bows low. "Please forgive me," she repeats dully, "I am but a simple OS... I know very little of that sort of thing."

Her visage brigthens slightly- going from "gloom" to "partly cloudy with a chance of scattered curiosity"- and she peeks up. "Sesshomaru... is that your User?"

"Simple indeed..." comes the low mumble as he eyes her critically. Well, at very least this one is respectful. Which is more than can be said for most around the bar.

"Eh? Dou iu koto da?" He blinks once, then twice, saucer-yellow eyes blank and perplexed at the query. "User?" Best not to actually respond until he figures out what that means, lest he horribly insult his Lord without meaning to.

Hrrmph. "OS." He scowls derisively, mirroring her "...Is that the newest word for nosy half-wit?"

And the clouds gather 'round again, and her interest goes back to the remains of alcohol in her glass.

"I suppose not... you would know," she remarks mildly.

"OS- Operating System. We manage tasks for a User, including such functions as education, entertainment, graphics, and multimedia."

And because she doesn't want to seem completely rude, she bows to him again, adding, "Please forgive me- I neglected to introduce myself. I am Windows 95, OS to Tim Hunter."

The small youkai takes all this in with mouth half-open, a bit dismayed at the OS and its explanatory introduction. 'Managing tasks' he understands well enough, but 'multimedia' has his grey matter in a bit of a fuzzy whorl of non-comprehension.

"I thought you didn't smell quite human." He manages finally, although his expression is still unmistakably riddled. Clearing his throat, he draws himself up to an official stance for his own name-proffering. "I am Jaken. Retainer to Lord Sesshoumaru...I don't suppose that’s exactly the same thing as being an OS."

"Oh, no, I'm not human... I am only a program," she assures him humbly.

"You must have a very important job," she adds, without irony.

If he possessed teeth, Jaken would most assuredly be biting his tongue.

After all, carrying an heirloom staff (MentalNote:NintoujouStillLost), tethering the two-headed dragon to trees, occasionally checking on the progress of sword-forging, babysitting a particularly trying girl-child named Rin...all very important things. Maybe not so much in the eyes of his master, who generally considers Jaken pretty useless and annoying, but for reasons beyond this mun's understanding keeps him around.

Attempting to look relatively pleased, Jaken brushes a nervous chuckle of humility away. "Er....Why yes...yes I do."

And then, to abruptly change the subject: "What's a program?"

"A set of coded instructions that enables a machine, especially a computer, to perform a desired sequence of operations," she answers automatically, refilling her glass.

"You are a set of instructions?" Jaken repeats, brow furrowed, looking her up and down again. Then at the glass she's refilling.

Something completely mind-blurring sounds like it actually might help things along, at this point. Tapping the bar with a claw, he offhandedly orders something strong enough to maybe make some sense of all of this.

"I must admit, this is...all very new to me." he admits with a frank shrug, hoisting himself into a stool beside her. "Machines. Programs. Humans have come up with the strangest things to make up for all the abilities they are lacking. This is not entirely the case, where I'm from. Humans there are pathetically inferior."

She nods. "When I first came here, it was quite a shock. I thought that it was a BBS." With a wan smile, she adds, "It took a day of formatting to be able to properly function here, once I found out. I'm sure Toshiaki must have been worried..."

"Once you found out..." He prompts, wondering what one is supposed to 'find out' here. He's pieced together enough to get by...but still not yet enough to leave. Perhaps she knows a thing or two about being bound?

Finally, a name that sounds...almost normal. "Who is this Toshiaki?"

"When I found out that it isn't part of the internet," she answers simply. You can't imbibe this much Atlantean without some effect; though she's not obviously tipsy, she's having trouble remembering that not everyone is familiar with computer stuff.

"Toshiaki was my original User... before I was installed here."

"You cannot leave this place either, then?" he asks, not bothering to disguise his hope. It would be nice to known a non-human aquaintance who is equally stuck.

"ano... it is possible for me to leave, but..." She sighs. "I have no real reason to. I am not Bound, but I live here now." Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, she asks, "You are Bound, then?"

He hesitates for a moment, then nods, waiting for the knowing look.

"I am not sure if...is it something to be ashamed of?" He asks a bit anxiously. "They tell me many here 'go though it'. I'm a-ah, a first-timer, as they say, or so I've been for some time now." Jaken shrugs. "I do not know why I'm wound up here, or exactly why I cannot go back. Everyone seems to know how things usually work, but they're not so sure on why."

She nods. "It is a troubling situation, but... not one that should cause shame. Things seem to have some sort of reason, I have heard..." She regards the Atlantean quietly, then takes a sip. "It may be important that you stay here, for the time being. Of course, I cannot say; I do not think anybody here knows for certain."

"I'm afraid I don't see how its necessary for me to be here." He sighs broodingly, sipping at his double-femented boggywater, which is getting to be somewhat of a standard. Thankfully its not something in high demand, so the tab shouldn't be too bad...

"My services are required elsewhere." Jaken abruptly whinges, slumping over with a worried frown. "My master is elsewhere. My charge is elsewhere too (thank goodness)...Milliways is a fine chance of pace, but the pace isn't mine, and I'm of no use to anything here!"

Frowning, the OS sips her wine. Her midsection chugs gently in thought.

"Perhaps there is some service you can provide to people here?" she ventures timidly, "That is what I try to do... I help in the kitchen, and on the newspaper, and I try to help new arrivals become accustomed to this place."

Jaken seems skeptical. "I am uncertain Lord Sesshoumaru would approve of that" he frowns flatly. The message conveyed by his eyes, however, is something entirely different, a defiant: I-don't-intend-to-make-myself-that-comfortable-here.

"But if you're suggesting its possible to work your way out of being Bound, then I'll certainly attempt it. What needs doing?"

"Ah, if your User would be displeased, perhaps not," she agrees.

"I'm not certain you can work your way from being Bound... but there is often work to be done. There might be posts on the bulletin board," she gestures toward the pinned-up notes, "advertising that kind of thing. It is how I learned of the need for cooks. Perhaps you could become a waiter?"

"A waiter." Oh dear. A whole load of textual confusion, coming up! "There's a position for it? Isn't that what I am already doing at present?" He blinks, gesturing loosely to himself.

Think. Think hard. What skills do you actually possess? Jaken gulps. "I...I...can, er, sharpen swords?" He offers with a half shrug, scratching the side of his head.

"Ah, that could be very useful indeed!" She gives him a small smile. "Perhaps you should speak with Anita-san... she is setting up martial arts training, and perhaps she would know somebody who could use such a service."

And at last, the trusty wave of industrious determination so ingrained in a long-term servant's head finally takes over. Jaken takes a fresh breath, pushes his glass aside, and gives Win-95 a small bow of gratitude before turning his attentions to the bar-at-large.

"This is extremely helpful. Where might I find this Anita-San?"

She glances around. "Ano... I do not believe she is here at the moment, but she should show up soon. She might have a sign advertising the classes... though it's in English..."

She chugs briefly and projects an image of Anita Blake (http://www.livejournal.com/allpics.bml?user=animation_inc). She notes with relief that it is not a dinosaur.

"That is her."

[OOP: Mun requests slowtime/wrap, as she must to bed. Thanks for the RP!]