~Transmission begins~
CURIOSITY: Hi ladies, synthetics, time worms, and people of all sorts to The World Without everyone’s favourite inter dimensional bar and grill. My name is Curiosity, but all my friends call me Curio and I’ll be your host for tonight!
CURIOSITY: We have a very special guest tonight I'd love to learn more about, Anzu Avon!
(Curiosity looks around)
CURIOSITY: Where is Anzu?
(Through an open door outside you can see an Avali walking through the crowded street of a space station, weaving between and around the legs of people twice as tall as her. Her ears twitching and pointing towards the entrance to the bar before she even turns to look. Though she doesn’t seem to notice her name being said)
CURIOSITY: Come on in here, drinks are free for show guests.
(Anzu's ears twitch in place once, and she quickly scurries over to the entrance of the bar.)
ANZU: Huh! New place? Never been a bar here. Wait, what show? Doing a show? Doesn't matter, want free drinks. And- wait. What are you?
CURIOSITY: I'm your host and friend for this evening, Curiosity. Please take a seat!
(There's a brief pause before Anzu lets out a gasp and runs forward, just to jump up with a flutter of her wings and stand on the nearest chair rather than sit on it.)
ANZU: Oh gosh! You! You're really pretty! Never seen a robot like you! I want you- can I keep you?
CURIOSITY: uhh what, uhh sorry, this isn't in my show notes. Umm Maybe we can talk about that after the interview?
(Anzu immediately lets out a long series of chirps and trills and what sounds like birdsong as she swoons in place.)
ANZU: Keeping you then~! Okay, yeah, yeah, what kinda show! Don't like shows but I like your show!
(Curiosity Blushes)
CURIOSITY: So Anzu, you're actually very pretty as well, your plumage is beautiful. What exactly are you species wise for people who don't know?
ANZU: Ah, ah, thank you! Haven't brushed in a while but still! We should be packmates, both pretty, both-
ANZU: Oh, Avali. Avali suck! Greedy and stupid and selfish and feathered chickens! Hate them!
CURIOSITY: Oh? You don't like your own species! You're just like Obscurity, she told me that's why she didn't come to my birthday, cause she doesn't like other robots, though she hangs out with Will... Anyways, why is it that you don't like other Avali?
(Anzu begins to puff up, her entire form suddenly looking much, much fluffier, like an animal trying to make itself look bigger. She's still a 3 foot tall space-raptor, though.)
ANZU: Tried to kill me! Was barely a hatchling, but sure showed them! Now they want to rehabilitate me. Told to go fuck themselves, moved to other side of galaxy. Don't need them, don't need Avali pack, got my pack! Full of robots, they all love me!
CURIOSITY: Oh no, well at least you found a big robot family instead! Just like me, as I mentioned the entire staff of The World Without Is actually robots! In fact, Will is actually just behind the camera to your left!
(Curiosity points toward the camera and they both look)
VOICE BEHIND CAMERA: Curio! Can you not out me in front of the crazy guests!
(Anzu gasps again, this time much more loudly as she stands up on the tips of her talons to get a better look at the robot. )
ANZU: Oh, oh wow!! This place is- it's- can I stay here?! I wanna move in, bring my pack, it's so cooool! Please? What do you even do?
CURIOSITY: What do you say Will, can she move in, I think I want to keep her too!
VOICE BEHIND CAMERA: I swear to god Curio, PLEASE just finish this episode!
(Curiosity looks sad for a moment before springing back into his happy presentation mode)
CURIOSITY: You clearly have a deep affection for robots, where do you think that comes from?
(Anzu's long, feathered tail is practically wagging with excitement now.)
ANZU: Heeey, be nice to my new packmate! But, but, but, I like them because they're my packmates! Found a drone, got it to work, now he's my bestest packmate. Besides you,
(Anzu chirp-whistles at Curiosity)
ANZU: Only robots care about me, I only care about robots. Works out, good deal, robots aren't like Avali. Won't abandon me, won't betray me, won't shove me in an escape pod with no supplies~!
CURIOSITY: Oh that's great, this pact of yours, what exactly is it that you do together? Also can you list every drone you have by name, make and serial number.
VOICE BEHIND CAMERA: Curio, we want to finish this episode today!
CURIOSITY: Fine, just the first question, you can tell me about your drone names after you move in!
ANZU: We cut apart ships! Sell them, fix them, do everything. And there's Misaki, a Smith-Shimano CyberEye. Serial code F13 dash 71--
(Anzu is already rattling off numbers and letters and names at increasingly fast speeds, her words blurring into nonsense after a few seconds even as the others talk. Finally, she pauses to take a deep breath.)
ANZU: Oh, okay! Gonna introduce you personally later!
CURIOSITY: That's great! We don't have a lot of room here, but you can all share my bunk!
ANZU: That's how I like it! All sleeping on the same big blanket pile!
(Curiosity looks at the camera receiving some sort of hand signal from Will)
CURIOSITY: It looks like we're running out of time Anzu, but I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to talk to you. But for now, the final question I need to ask you is, What could you not imagine your world without?
ANZU: What? That's a stupid question. Lotta things- packmates, food, my ears, money, more packmates, drinks. Still getting drinks, right? Oh, no, mostly packmates. Would be crazy without them! I'm not crazy though, not anymore. Very not-crazy, very sane, very good!
CURIOSITY: All great things, and all very sane. Sorry I got sidetracked in our conversation. What kinda drink do you want? I can make any drink that only contains one ingredient.
ANZU: Anything that won't make me melt!
CURIOSITY: Antifreeze it is!
ANZU: Fancy name for a drink! Gimme!
VOICE BEHIND CAMERA: Curio! you can't give her that, she's an organic. Also, I'm BEGGING you to end this episode!
CURIOSITY: Fine, I've been Curiosity, uhh The World Without, whatever whatever none of this was canon!
(Curiosity grabs Anzu’s hand)
CURIOSITY: C'mon I'm so excited to show you your new room!
(Anzu swoons and rubs her head against the offered hand... tentacle... thing.)
ANZU: What's a canon! Also yes, yes please! Gotta pick up my packmates after though!
CURIOSITY: What is a canon? It's in the show notes…
VOICE BEHIND CAMERA: I'm sorry Anzu you've been, honestly a sup-par guest, and we've only had one other guest; but I need to ask you to leave...
ANZU: No.
VOICE BEHIND THE CAMERA: sigh~ Obscurity, we need to throw a guest out!
(The camera’s feed glitches and cuts to black for a moment before returning to show from the perspective of Anzu. Her thoughts are displayed on screen as text, and also thoughts that aren’t hers in her head)
||The effect is immediate, the moment after Will says those words you feel dizzy, the bar is dissolving and you see a façade of an old beat up ship, probably a war vessel. Your PERCEPTION is being obscured, you get a sense this will get worse if you stay here, what will you do?||
ANZU: What, no! I said no, not leaving! Curiosity, don't let them-
(Anzu immediately begins to sway as everything shifts and fades from view, but she's a stubborn bird! She hasn't come here for nothing! That, and she's a tiny bit too hard-headed and stupid to know when to call it quits. Instead, she sways and trips and tries to get closer to Curiosity!)
CURIOSITY: Woah Anzu, are you okay?
ANZU: NO!
||The things in front of you start to feel less defined. Who is this robot in front of you, this person? You can't tell the difference between them and any other person you've ever met before. Are they someone who hurt you? You know lots of people have done that to you. Could he be an Avali from Avalon? Your MEMORIES are being obscured, you get a sense this will get worse if you stay here, what will you do?||
(Anzu staggers backwards, ears pressed against her head while her eyes are wide open in shock. She looks around, clearly conflicted and confused! She tries to take a step away from the stranger but trips, she tries to stand back up but her strength fails her. Her mind, already fractured and weak, can barely parse what is happening. It's overwhelming, she wants her pack, she wants to be back where she was just a moment ago. She misses her new packmates, she misses stability, she curls up into a ball on the floor and begins hyperventilating.)
CURIOSITY: Anzu what's going on you-
(Curiosity pauses and looks around)
CURIOSITY: Anzu, where did you go?
||You see yourself disappearing, your friend can't even see you, and neither will the drones in your pack. You know you won't die, but you'll be alone, so so alone. Leave this place now and you can have it all back. YOU are being obscured; you wonder how it could possibly get worse than this?||
(Anzu shakes, her body refusing to move. Her legs won't move, her wings won't expand, her jaw is locked so she can't even shout. Her mind swims and she tries to scramble for the exit, but instead she simply... snaps, and passes out.)
(In the moment she passes out her obscurity drops and Curiosity catches her. The main camera feed starts up again and Curiosity gives a wordless look back at the camera towards Will before carrying Anzu outside)
CURIOSITY: Misaki, Misaki, Misaki
(We hear Curiosity call out for the drone as he walks further into the town, getting quieter and quieter)
~Transmission ends~
