(1) Welcome to Erde

[Jonathan Meer]

She was made of buttons. Buttons were grounds for nervous energy, and she was made of it. It wasn't a conscious decision, as though she sat down one day and realized what she needed were grounds, and buttons were the logical choice. It was sneaking and gradual. A few extra buttons along the center, to keep the garment tight on the shoulders. Maybe a few more pockets, each double-buttoned. An ornamental button, or two, or more. It was a quirk, and if she had known about it, she would have stripped most of them from her clothing.

But buttons aren't ugly teeth. Most polite people won't comment on jaggedy teeth, but it comes up. You see the cringe. People are tolerant of an excess of buttons, such that a person can almost swim in buttons without any social tension.

I'm not trying to imply she's a caricature. She's not. The buttons are incidental; one of those brute facts that aren't useful for understanding a person, but are simply very noticeable. The first thing a person might think if they saw Karen was 'Button.' She was, of course, more than just buttons.

Today, she did something off. She presented herself to Johan, to help with tracking down the murderers. She had no skills for the task, but she did have faith. She emphasized that point with Johan. She didn't know where he stood on faith (these days, you just never knew), but she had to say it. It's what she had to offer. She could pray, like no one else. There were fewer spiritual obstacles between her and the divine. And if anyone knew how to resolve these murders, if anyone could protect them, it would be the gods.

Johan was a nice boy, but very unhelpful, and Karen knew she wasn't making an impression. With no other way forward, Karen knelt next to the body, and prayed aloud.

[ooc: no clue what the religion is of this place. just making it up. polytheism ftw]