Notail Simulator Beta (4/4)

You hand in your consumer survey after taking very little time to do it. The paper is dragged into an abyss. You stand there waiting for a response.

"Thank you. =)"

====================

You're on the ground now, and in the darkness you can see shapes now defined. With a quick jolt, you sit up, staring at these new figures.

It's other notails sleeping and a tree that hangs above you.

You just woke up from your dream.

But it didn't feel like a typical dream, it felt, strange and unlike any other you've dealt with. Thinking it might be the anomaly that caused this you crawl over to E-4 and shake them.

"E-4! =3"
"Uggggh, E-2732, it is the dead of the night. What could you possibly want right now, of all times? We better be about to get mauled. <:)"

E-4's annoyed tone told you to explain the situation quickly.

"I had a dream! =3"
"E-2732.....leave me to sleep. <:)"
"But that's not all! =3"
"Then don't sign off like you finished your statement E-2732. <:)"
"Oh, ok. Well, I think the anomaly was trying to get information from me by making me do a "consumer survey." =3"

E-4 groans at this and then lays back down. A few other notails who have been awoken by this conversation also grumble in anger.

"That's a perfectly normal dream to have E-2732. Now back to sleep. <:)"
"How is that normal? It was so vivid. =3"

E-4 rolls on their side to get a better look at you and then in a puzzled tone askes you

"You have never filled out a consumer survey before? <:)"
"No. Why are you acting like it's normal? =3"
"Because it is normal you idiot! +w+"

A notail who was awakened by your questions angrily shouts out, waking up even more of the group. You're starting to think you woke up from one dream only to end up in another.

"It's actually quite common E-2732, the fact that you haven't had one before is weirder than the dream itself. Most people have them at least once or twice a year. I had the first survey I could remember at five years old, but people say that they can happen as early as three. <:)"
"But, why does it happen? =3"
"It's just genetic disposition. A few people never get it, and some have it all the time. It's just in your genes E-2732. <:)"
"That's weird and not normal. =3"
"E-2732....some people get fistlung. An illness where you grow a hand in your lung and then die. It's just genetics who is going to die from fist lung and who isn't. I think growing a fist in your lung is far more unrealistic- well, unbelievable than surveys in your dream. <:)"
"Oh. That's disappointing. I had a good question I was going to ask too. =3"
"Kill my god! Stop asking questions on your surveys if you're sleeping anywhere near me! I end up having to look at them! +w+"

You stare at E-49133438, the notail who was annoyed about being woken up before and called you an idiot. You point in her direction.

"That doesn't sound normal. =3"
"It's normal E-2732, I swear. She has chronic surveys, that's why she's so angry. <:)"
"................What? =3"
"It's a condition where if anyone has a survey near you and asks a question, they have a survey dream with just your question on it. <:)"
"That's....not normal. =3"
"It's a rare condition that E-491....."

E-4 seems to squint while looking at her, trying to see what the rest of her numbers are, but it's far too dark to make them out.

"-that she has. It's not normal, you're right, but it's just genes, as I said before. See, the survey is just an effect of sleeping near other notails. You have a much lower chance of it happening. It's basically like this. Notails think of random things as they sleep. Normally when you are asleep you sometimes transmit "garbage signals," but you rarely pick up these signals yourself cause your antennas aren't taking in anything. It's a little like sleep talking really.

So when you get these surveys in your mind, it's like your antennas forgot to shut down for the day, and they stay active, picking up signals nearby, which are usually garbage signals. When you do these surveys you transmit it to basically everyone around you, and those who aren't able to disallow messages like her, get them. To put it in simple terms your antennas are just overly active sometimes and gives you a strange survey dream. If you know someone around you has the same condition as her, it's only polite to refuse the survey. <:)"
"I don't think any of what you said is real. I'm still dreaming. =3"

E-4 shrugs and rolls over so they could express their disinterest in your disbelief.

"Ok E-2732. Enjoy the rest of your dream I suppose. <:)"

You sit there trying to figure out a way to prove it's a dream when E-49133438 starts speaking to you.

"I can't wait till I get out of the woods. +w+"
"Oh, me too, dream person. It has to be better outside of here. =3"
"Out there I heard you get drug rations. I'm going to use it on stuff that makes sure I have a nice sleep at night. I asked the S-class here if I could have something to help me and he just laughed and said: "Well someone has to check all those surveys." in this stupid tone and told me having those dreams wasn't a big deal and to get over it."

She says mocking the dry humor voice of an S-class.

"But when I'm out, I'll never have to deal with this ever again. +w+"
"Ok sure, dream person. =3"

You write her off as nothing but a figment of your dreams and lay there thinking of a way to wake up.......


============


You do wake up, but only after you fall asleep. You told E-4 about your dream last night, but E-4 confirms to you that not only was this not a dream, but it was insulting to brush off E-49133438 as just a "dream person."

You spend the next few weeks avoiding eye contact with E-49133438 out of embarrassment. After thinking about it, you were being irrational. You've had more complex and stranger dreams than a survey before.

You guess you weren't thinking and felt a little weirded out.

You do wonder who was thinking about that one question about sectors and planets though.

.............That question was weird.

Fortuna rolls a 20 sided die. A 17 is rolled.

It seems E-4 is finally ready to take on the temple once more. You journey in with them and others, this time a bigger group.

"Ok, this time we'll be avoiding the inner ring, don't cross any of the inner ring lines without discussing it. We don't want any more deaths. Now, are there any questions? <:)"
"Can we drink the-"
"You cannot drink the pesticide. Do you want what happened to E-2732 to happen to you? <:)"
"E-2732 got cool horns and became second in command. :O"

You can physically feel people considering drinking pesticide.

"E-2732 also now has minor brain damage. <:)"

The thoughts stop.

"Any other questions? <:)"

No one seems to have any other questions and start grabbing their bags to head out on their given task. E-4 approaches you.

"Well E-2732, I'm going to be heading up as high as I possibly can. Will you be coming with me, or do you have your own plans? <:)"