"Did you have to do that?" Bo groans, slowly picking himself off the ground. Neo gracefully floats down, heel digging into one of his hands. "Ouch!"
She shrugs and shuts the umbrella. Walks onwards with a happy skip she doesn't quite feel. Lucky her, the carpenter is the first building. Neo yanks open the door, smile full of teeth.
"Welcome!" greets the large man behind the desk. A young man off to the side stops sanding to watch. "I don't believe I've seen you before. Are you a newcomer to the island?"
Neo does a quick introductory sign, kicking the door shut behind her and in Bo's face. The cashier – Dale – signs back and introduces first his dog, Boss, and then his son, Luke. When the teenager finally gets the door open and stumbles into the building rubbing his forehead, Dale cheers, "Hello, Bo! Is the bridge fixed?"
"No," the kid shoots a glare at the tiny woman. "She threw me over the ravine."
"Whoa," Luke laughs, and Neo can't help but preen a bit at the respect the guy eyes her with, giving her two thumbs up. "That's awesome! Can you toss me over when you're heading back?"
"Luke!" Dale snaps. "You can take the minecart like everyone else. And Neo! Please do not throw anyone over the river. It is very dangerous."
She rolls her eyes, that's the point.
"Neo, huh?" Luke hums, fist going to rest under his chin. "You have already heard, but I'm Luke! Hey, pops, how come you know how to sign?"
"I was taught it a long time ago," Dale sighs, seeming to realize that no one is learning any lessons today. "So, Neo, what brings you to our town?"
She gives him the summary – mayor, farm, lack of bed – which has the owner of this establishment nodding.
"I see," Dale nods, but Neo's not feeling all that great with how serious his frown is. "Unfortunately," there it is, "the wood hasn't been growing well here in a while. Even if there was enough to chop down, we wouldn't be able to gather materials and work until the bridge is fixed. For appliances, you can find them in the general store next door. I do have a catalogue of furniture if you would like order some things now."
'Absolutely,' Neo's at the front desk in a flash. There are not too many options, a lot of it screaming country bumpkin to her, but it's better than nothing if she has no chance of getting out of this place. Ringing it in, there's nothing more satisfying than not making a dent in the value on her lien card.
"Thank you for your business," Dale's smile is as tired as most of this town. "Please use the minecart until the bridge is fixed. It shouldn't be out of order much longer."
"Come back soon!" Luke waves like crazy, exuberant in a way that's real. Not like Maya, where it feels like the sound of popping bubble wrap with none of the relief of the action. More like the ignorance of being unable to read a room but also never stepping on toes. While she doesn't have more than two thoughts about him, Neo might just put him in best-of-the-worst position if Luke doesn't prove to be the pretty-boy-jock stereotype he's presenting.
Bo mumbles out a, "Goodbye," when Neo turns her shark smile on him.
Despite not getting the house fixed any time soon, Neo's skip is a lot more reflective of her mood as she continues the unfortunate tour of the mountainside. Next on the list of people to meet, Barbara, the owner of the general store. Not only does Barbara give a free guide about the town, but the shop owner also acts enough like all the dealers that Neo's used to interacting with that it's relaxing. The familiar sound of upselling and no-bargain attitude would have made the green haired woman completely alright with Neo, except Barbara doesn't know how to sign.
And Neo realizes then that she's been spoiled compared to what she's used to.
Turns out Barbara is married to Simon, the photography guy. As Neo waves goodbye, a small, curious thought comes and goes with the uptick in background music. Why do so many people here know sign language?
Most hunters and huntresses know at least a little by virtue of needing signals. Some parents will learn if their children are not old enough for surgery. In the world of Remnant, Neo is an oddity choosing not to express herself with words. Since the advancement of medical sciences, everything can be solved with technology according to Atlas' finest. Can't talk? They get a vocalizer. Hearing loss? Take an implant. Blind? Why not have some new eyes.
Sign language is dying in Remnant, has been over the past hundred years. For a world all about finding ways to express themselves, it has ruined several things with its progress. Several spoken languages, gone with the implementation of a common tongue. Wheelchairs are only if the spinal injury is too bad, otherwise why not cut off a limb for the prosthetic? Braille is practically a myth. And yet, if a person does not have the money for any of Remnant's recommended changes, then they're stuck in a world that offers them zero accessibility.
Before ending up here, Neo could count on one hand all of those who were fluent in Remnant's sign language. Everyone who can sign here is fluent. Why though?
She doesn't linger on the thoughts because, until she finds someone with troubles hearing or speaking, all of the this lends credence to the I'm dead and it's a long-standing time loop theories.
Well… another part of why Neo doesn't spend too long questioning the customs of this place is because her mind goes blank the moment she locks eyes with the small child at her feet. The door to the general store shuts behind her, and Neo would like to say that she's handling this very well. Her disgust at the unsupervised child should be well hidden, and with slow movements Neo shuffles around the creature.
"Hi!"
Oh no, it's talking.
"My name is Chloe!" says the orange haired being of energy, chaos, and positivity. The child holds up a hand covered in an oven mitt. "What's your name?"
With a mental groan, Neo doesn't take the hand but signs 'N E O.'
"Huh? What are you doing? Oh! Are you shy? I have a friend who was shy but he's doing better now! Come with me! My grandpa can help us!"
When the girl lunges to grab her hand, Neo recoils back. Barely manages to stay standing with her umbrella for balance.
The tiny person's smile drops to a pout, "Well, fine then! You can just follow me! Come on!"
Just like Roman when he was younger, is the sour thought that accompanies Neo as she follows the child. Doesn't have his eyes though.
Neither does Owen, Chloe's older cousin who greets them in front of the shop. In fact, he also doesn't know sign language, doesn't have the bright hair Roman rocked, and acts more like a himbo then a beefcake upon first meeting. In fact, for how much Chloe acts like young Roman, Owen seems to be the opposite of the missing man.
Then Neo meets the blacksmith, Ramsey. The grandfather of Chloe and Owen translates and signs for Neo, a keen glint in his eyes all the while. He talks about the fire being poor, but it's nothing the rest of the town hasn't told her already. Owen is told to give Neo a mining hammer – it takes all her strength not to laugh because who do these people think she is – and helps her put the thing in her rucksack.
"That must have been made by Shelly," Ramsey chuckles after the hammer shrinks and drops into the bag with no problem. "She must like you."
Weirded out by the property altering pocket space she's been carrying around, Neo quickly mimes her goodbyes and bolts out of there. Vaguely she registers the jewellery store, mentally tabbing it as a good mark for when she eventually gets out of this place. After all the practice stealing dust, a store in the middle of nowhere would be easy. What's not easy is accepting that non-officiated pocket space is handed out like candy here, apparently.
Neo stumbles across a path between the general store and carpenters. It leads into the forest, and if Neo was a civilian then she would surely be murdered by a town crazy in there. Instead, this place seems to think some perfectly normal wildlife is going to stop her. The bears have nothing on ursas, the monkey is a bit odd but barely reaches her hip, and- is that a rabbit hissing?
What a joke.
The woman bares her teeth, killing intent obvious as she readies her umbrella.
The wildlife scream and scatter like the cornered animals they are. Neo snorts and swings her umbrella back onto a shoulder. It's gross that her boots squelch along the muddy path, but secrets are meant to be discovered. If someone doesn't try to kill her, then obviously this path leads to some clue to solving her situation. Why would instinct-based creatures band together otherwise?
The overgrown grass in the path eventually starts being taller than her, but the path is visible so Neo marches on. She spits out a piece of weed that whaps and breaks her illusion. With an aggravated breath, Neo reforms the image with white and brown eyes that she wishes could cut this foliage with a glare. The sword comes out of her umbrella and she goes wild.
Panting and maniac smile, Neo eventually slashes down weeds to reveal the remains of an abandoned temple. A huff accompanies the sword sheathing. Neo click clacks across stone and over water, stopping in front of the dying tree that is probably what the religious nutjobs back in town believe to be causing all of their problems. She doesn't remember that Wizard guy talking about it, and since the tree still stands then the townies must not blame it enough to get rid of it. So, Neo wonders, what is it they are trying to do to revive it? Blood sacrifice or burying dead bodies under the roots?
Just then, a light flares from the tree. Neo hisses and jumps back, umbrella flared out and ready as a shield. Nothing comes as an attack, and when the light finally dies down the criminal slowly lowers her blocker.
A floating woman with blue hair and wings. Neo decides then and there that it doesn't matter if the time loop theory is real. These people worship an insect Faunus with a blinding semblance. She is in the worst timeline, and if this isn't purgatory then Neo is going there soon because she is about to try and end a cult.
"I am the Harvest Goddess. I need your help- wait, what are you doing?!"
Umbrella tip out and ready to stab, Neo leaps.