Second Floor Common Room [Tuesday afternoon]

[rings-of-grace.livejournal.com]

It had been several weeks, now, since Po had arrived in this strange land, and he felt fairly educated about his new surroundings. The indoor lights and running water had fascinated him, certainly, as had these mysteries called "electronics," but he felt confident that now, at least, he understood these things in theory, if not wholly in practice.

Today, though, he was left with questions as he stared in confusion at the television. He had been told these devices were for entertainment, and thus he'd happily watched as people behind blue boxes bearing their scrawled names had answered questions about this world, moments earlier. But for the last twenty minutes, an older man had appeared and attempted to convince him that comfortable sleep was nigh unto impossible.

Po frowned as he watched, unsure what this strange man's purpose was. He made sleep seem as though it were a mission that could never be achieved without this pillow -- surely the same audience that so enjoyed the questions before wouldn't fall for this spiel? It seemed like misplaced advertising.

And, also, a really stupid pitch for a fairly useless-sounding product, but Po supposed that was neither here nor there.

[this post brought to you by the endless My Pillow infomercial that has been airing on every TV I've happened to see this week. Open!]

Comments

[pursuedthestars]

Jim ambled into the common room with no real purpose in mind. It was something to do and sometimes people tended to be around which meant he didn't have to be alone.

And lo and behold, there was someone in the common room and he was watching something about...pillows.

"Huh," Jim said after staring for a little longer than needed at the television. "This seems really stupid."

Stating the obvious there, Jim.

[rings-of-grace.livejournal.com]

"Doesn't it though?" Po asked, fascinated the way one might be with a particularly gruesome car accident. "Is this common for this world? Do people require assistance in finding a pillow this badly?"

[pursuedthestars]

"Your guess is as good as mine, man," Jim admitted. "I'm getting the feeling it is, though. I'm not exactly from this time. Where I'm from, people are a little too busy to wax poetic about a freaking pillow."

It was a pillow!

[rings-of-grace.livejournal.com]

"Same," Po agreed. "As far as I can tell, pillows are a sack with some feathers in it, and you rest your head upon it. Not that I've often been involved in the construction of pillows, but surely it needn't be this complicated?"

[pursuedthestars]

"You know that and I know that but people are still gonna buy this," Jim said, shaking his head. "And then they'll go to sleep at night and realize...they just bought a really expensive pillow that feels just like they're other pillow."

[rings-of-grace.livejournal.com]

"Moreover, they've wasted minutes -- possibly hours, depending on how long this gentleman insists on talking -- on hearing about this same pillow," Po marveled. "Do people of this world really not have better uses for their time?"

[pursuedthestars]

"People waste a lot of time doing absolutely nothing of value," Jim said. "Me included but even I know better than to ramble on about a pillow."

He snickered and shook his head. "Guessing this means you're not gonna spring for this pillow, huh?"

[rings-of-grace.livejournal.com]

"On the contrary, I might buy them for my whole family," Po declared. "My parents would be delighted to have versions of this pillow arrive for every person living in our castle. The first of many gifts from my new school, I'd tell them. And then, I'm equally sure, I'd either be summoned home immediately or have my spending money reduced substantially."

[pursuedthestars]

"Unless they really liked the pillows!" Jim pointed out. "Then, they might ask you for more and your castle -- "

First guy he'd met with a castle.

" -- would just be filled with pillows. At least no one would ever have to go without one where you're from."

[rings-of-grace.livejournal.com]

"Pillows for every citizen of Lienid!" Po declared, throwing his arms wide. "No man, woman or child will be without the comfort of one of these very odd pillows!" He paused, and added, "These sorts of declarations remind me why it's best that I'm a younger son and my kingdom will continue to go on without such rulings."

[pursuedthestars]

"And your kingdom is the lesser for it!" Jim joked with a laugh. "They will never know the glory of these pillows."

That was probably for the best. The pillows were pillows, after all. "The important thing is that you have their comfort in mind, at least."

[rings-of-grace.livejournal.com]

"I care only for the support of their necks," Po said, nodding to the television. "Look how uncomfortable that poor woman is! Tragic."

[pursuedthestars]

"Extremely," Jim agreed with a heavy (oh so heavy) sigh. "And only an expensive pillow can save them. Hopefully, if chronic neck pain becomes a problem where you're from, they'll listen to your advice and buy a boatload of these pillows."

[justbeingbay]

"This is what I said," Bay agreed from her post at the counter. "I think infomercial people may be a different, dumber breed from the rest of us."

[pursuedthestars]

"Infomercial?" They weren't really prevalent in his time but he thought he got the gist of what they were. "It's just...it's a pillow! Do people really need a sales pitch this long? Are some people really that hard up to spend money?"

[justbeingbay]

"Don't ask me, I don't make them," Bay joked with a shrug. "But seriously, there are way better ways to spend $29.95. Like ... buying a better pillow not from TV."

[pursuedthestars]

"Yeah, you would think so, wouldn't you?" Jim said, chuckling. "But, if this thing got on TV, then someone somewhere must have shown interest and that is just so sad."

[justbeingbay]

"And also somebody had to invent it," Bay pointed out. "Probably to solve an actual problem they had. Which is just as sad. Maybe sadder, I'm not sure."

[pursuedthestars]

"If they'd kept their invention to themselves, I wouldn't have had another thought about it but going out and selling it?"

It was stupid but hey, Jim couldn't really fault someone for trying to make money. And the inventor was going to make money because people bought stupid things.

"It makes me think I could go out and buy a broom and say it was a magical broom where you'd never have to sweep again. And I'd get rich. I'm pretty convincing."

[justbeingbay]

"Uh-huh," Bay said with teasing skepticism. "Go ahead. Convince me of something."

[pursuedthestars]

Jim laughed because he did like it when people called his bluffs. It just made things interesting.

"All right," he said after a second. "I'm from the future. Like way, way, waaaay far in the future. We're talking spaceships and aliens being the norm. Space isn't this tiny little universe that people here think it is. It's massive. We're definitely not alone and anyone who believes that is gonna get a rude awakening once this planet wakes up and gets themselves together technologically."

That was pretty good for a start. "But, despite that, I'm from Iowa. Lived on a farm. I could hitchhike down the road though and see a massive spaceship, bigger than this island docked because it's a broken down piece of crap but it's there. And then I could go back home and eat some carrots and go to bed a on a pillow that isn't nearly as expensive as that thing but still comfortable all the same. The end."

[justbeingbay]

Bay considered it, eyeballing him. "I believe the stuff about space and the spaceship," she said thoughtfully. "But not that people who have all that as an option still live on farms in Iowa."

[pursuedthestars]

"Why not?" Jim questioned. "People still have to eat. And vegetables are a cornerstone of any good diet."

[justbeingbay]

"Sure, but can't they grow them on spaceships?" Bay wondered. "Like, hydroponics and stuff?"

Bay did not actually know if hydroponics worked in space.

[pursuedthestars]

"And what about people who can't afford to just live on spaceships?" he asked, curious as to her answer. "Living on spaceships costs money and people can still be poor in the future. And what about people who don't live on spaceships? They gotta have something to do."