Series Placement: The following Shard takes place between Fragments 77 and 78.
"So this device can access the cumulative knowledge of mankind?"
A boisterous laugh echoed through the room. "Yes! Yes! Isn't that great!? It'll even show you how much better my ideas were than Tesla's!"
Helena sighed, but smiled contently. Wrapped in a warm black cardigan, scarf, and dark jeans, she sat cozy in the salon's dining area as Edison handed out their new phones. She was used to his constant boasting and excited chatter, but the suit-clad caster was certainly more eager today. Not that she could blame him. With the help of the Vigil's counterpart, Chaldea's security-enhanced phones and other personal electronics had newly arrived.
She stared at her plain black smartphone in her hands. Truthfully, she just let Edison pick one for her like he did for Karna, so she didn't even know its model number or not. She still trusted him. If nothing else, he'd always give them the best, or at the very least, something fitting.
"Oh there's so much to explore! I can't wait to show you all the inventions that have come from my own patents!"
Quietly, as Edison continued to ramble on, she glanced to Karna across from her. Near-silent, the lancer in a gold sherwani stared confounded at his phone. In truth, he looked as stoic as any other day, but Helena and Edison could pick the slightest nuances from their good friend… So long as Edison was paying attention. Which he wasn't.
So, as usual, it was up to Helena to identify and address concerns from her favorite boys.
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Shard 46: A Modern Conundrum
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As Karna experimented with using his index finger or thumbs, Helena smiled. "You can use any finger, Karna. Thumbs are more natural."
"I've begun to notice," he nodded in agreement as he tapped on the screen. He tried to adjust to such foreign acts, but he proved slow.
Helena quirked her head. "There weren't phones in your war?"
"None like this, and the circumstances meant they were unnecessary for the war effort," Karna supplied as he stared at his screen. As the moments flicked by, and Edison finally grew curious, the lancer's eyes filled with an unsettling, rare sight: nervousness.
As her smile faded a touch, Helena's caring instincts kicked in. "Is something wrong? You look uncomfortable."
"Not with the phone, I hope!" Edison quickly chimed, making the other caster throw a brief, exasperated glance his way.
"The words carry no emotion or tone. What the others are typing feels soulless," the lancer quickly pointed out. Ah, so he was quick on the uptake on how to access Thronebook, at least. "…I can't tell if anyone is telling the truth. How does anyone tell over this impersonal interface?"
"That's the thing. You can't." Helena and Karna turned to a suddenly stone-faced Edison. The lion-man crossed his arms and let out a tired breath. "One can get better at identifying it, but without the human voice or face, it's hard to tell whether someone's being genuine or sarcastic… The other me says it's not uncommon for someone to make a demeaning comment, but when another calls them out on it they claim no one can identify sarcasm. It's easy to fake anything on the internet."
"Then is anything on the internet trustworthy if it can be manipulated so easily?" Karna quickly pointed out. "Hackers did much in the Moon Cell to spread misinformation during the wars. Wouldn't this be similar?"
Edison sighed. "The internet is a blessing infected with the ancestral whims of the slow and cunning alike. I can't say everything is trustworthy, but much is certainly credible! Certainly! That quote loving commander had a quote, uh… Trust but…. Trust but verify!"
"Whoever said that has a point if there's no altering context," Helena nodded quietly, but then stared at the now disappointed Karna. "The internet is still young. It's bound to have problems and ethical dilemmas. Not all can be guided rightfully by Mahatma."
"I understand. I must get used to being unable to quickly discern truth from lie on soulless words…" Karna admitted, but Helena was quick to smile.
"That's what we're here for, right? You can always ask us for a second opinion on things," she nodded adamantly. "Just like we helped you with some modern sayings and etiquette before! We're your friends, right?"
He nodded with a tiny smile as Edison laughed loudly in agreement. As a Colonel Olcott zipped into view to move aside some scattered tabletop packaging, Helena beamed. "Good! Now how about we help you set up a profile for Thronebook so you can participate too?"
"I still don't see the need for an internet forum when we can talk telepathically."
"What's the need for any of it? We do it because it's fun and new and modern!" Edison boomed with an eager grin. "It's like telepathy for the employees to join in too! You can't send pictures mentally, right? What about-"
"I think he gets it, Thomas," Helena giggled as she observed Karna. He still looked a shade uncomfortable dealing with technology, but that was only to be expected. During his past war, it was apparent he was focused only on that and not modern advancements; That's him alright. He should really learn to take things a little easier, and after Goetia's defeat, it was an opportune time.
Eager to teach, Helena stood and walked over to Karna's side. Edison could likely be a better teacher for this, but he was definitely going to go on more tangents than necessary. So, by Mahtma, it was up to her with her friends. As always… but she loved to assist the two who had each other's backs during the Fifth Prime Singularity.
As she began to help set up his profile, it became just the first of many teaching instances now that they were a part of the real world. Moments later, with his account setup swiftly, he was scrolling down the throne feed at the first of many posts from their large community. Helena watched too as Edison rambled on another long tangent she'd admittedly tuned out.
That's when Karna paused at a shared link, then stared. "…It's called a Segway? What a strange chariot."
"Oh, I've heard of those," Helena commented. "They move based on body movement and balance. They're like electric-powered bicycles."
"Then why wouldn't one buy an electric bicycle? Isn't that cheaper?"
Edison's eyes gleamed with delight, and Helena's exasperation grew. "Oh? I see it's time for your next lesson! Both in modern trends and the delightful consumer luxuries brought forth by scientific advancement and capitalist enterprise! So where should I start!?"
Both Helena and Karna shared a tired glance, but that never stopped their friend. "Let's begin with the timelessness of the bicycle and the need to create new siblings for the more tech-minded generations!"