... I do have a friend from home living with me, these days, but he's not much for speaking. I tend to do all that for him — perhaps to a bothersome degree. Which may very well be why he's out at the moment, left to his own devices.
[Well, she arrives! Not long after they close up the talk. Perhaps ten minutes, since it's not a far flight. There's the crunch of boots on leaves outside, and then footsteps, and a knock at the door.
And on the other side? 1 Rei Hino, wearing a sunny smile.]
[A sunny smile indeed! Diarmuid is leaping for a tight embrace before the door even has time to finish creaking! It's much more pleasant to be hugged out of joyful reunion than from a terrified monk in deep, dark sinkholes, hm? After a moment he's all brightness and celebration as he pulls back to study her.]
How are you? Have you been well?
[A lot... has happened since she'd last seen him. Including yet another untimely demise.
[Oh, you know... Not wasting away! He's got the slightest bit of muscle, but the boy's still hopelessly scrawny under the heaps of robe he's always adorned in. Her thumb likely presses along the long, rigid scar that runs down his forearm as she clasps his arms.]
I've been doing well, yes...!
I tend to keep to my rituals, as I always do — the repetition helps keep me focused.
... Do you mean to say you've only been gone three days time, to yourself?
[Rei bobs her head, acknowledging. She looks no different, which is perhaps strange given the length of time they've been separated.]
I woke up in my bed. I went about a spring cleaning routine at my little shrine, and I did other normal chores. I didn't remember Deerington at all, which is disturbing, but I suppose it may be better that I wasn't able to dwell on leaving everyone behind.
You needn't apologize to the likes of me, Rei...! I'm relieved to find you'd had even a moment's peace, outside of the town. Would you like to sit down? I'm brewing some tea, if you'd like to try some...! I've been buying too much at the store, as of late...
[He ushers her to follow into the cabin, which is likely far more adorned than she'd last seen it. With all sorts of things! School books, nightlights, nail polishes and bins of yarn...!
Oh, yes! I've been studying perhaps a little too much.
[He moves to start preparing that tea for her — some honey lemon tea, because he really has been enjoying the flavor...! As he moves, he glances to his pile of textbooks, smiling exasperatedly.]
Just a few months left, and I'll be done with Junior year...
It's been difficult, but I've managed to keep my grades passing.
[He just has one more year, after this. And then he'll have a high school education.
I think I'm doing best in history. I think it may be because it's easier to follow when you're dropped into the middle of schooling. I have to admit, learning about things that have not happened yet... it's caused me some stress.
[Imagine, learning about the world wars and what happens in them — and not being able to do anything about it.
He'll be dead long, long before then.]
But it's not all bad; there is a lot of progress to be made with time.
[She's from that future, certainly, though she remembers watching them from afar, eons ago. Not well, but enough to know that mankind is capable of great strides...and of destroying themselves at the same time.]
But yes, I think that they've made great strides in the gap between your time and mine. Hopefully there are lessons you can learn, things to take back with you when we solve the mystery of this place.
But that is something he tries not to think about too much. He need not put his faith in the image of his death that Deerington has forced into his head. It could be as false as anything in this constantly changing place.
After a moment he'll be returning with that tea, careful to place it down for her.]
I imagine you've been looking into what's happened since you had departed.
[Rei doesn't comment on the dip in his aura's mood. No. That's not going to help anything. Better to just distract him if something's off, and not pry.]
I'm told that there was a sunken city, and a cruise ship, and that you were all attacked by Gojira.
We were on a ship called the 'Titanic', and a lot of memories had been altered there. I was fortunate enough to have not lost my recollection of Deerington or my life, but... many weren't so lucky.
[Weren't so lucky. Like Diarmuid hadn't drowned anyway.
He thinks he's taking it all rather well anyway.]
The underwater city was full of people they'd said were 'drug addicts'. They had some sort of 'injection' made that gave them special powers, but in return for those powers, their bodies were ravaged by the injection.
I shall hope we never see such a creation appear in town.
[He looks startled at the question, like she's a mom or dad who is asking if their teenager has any weed or porn mags hidden in their room — that is, he's sputtering to answer quickly, mortified at the thought.]
No! No, no, I would not. By the time I'd arrived and saw the effects of the Plasmids, I knew it would be a foolish thought... [He wrinkles his nose, glancing aside as he recalls his time there.] The people down there were reason enough to stay far away from it.
... That's not even accounting for the slugs people were eating.
[Okay. So, she feels bad responding with only that, but she'll come back around to not being in Big Sister Mode in a moment. Right now, what the fuck slugs?]
They were all over the place, and for some reason, people were eager to consume them for their powers... I think the 'plasmid withdrawals' had some hand in it.
[He of course says 'plasmid withdrawals' like a 13th century boy who has never had to deal with such words.]
[He sips his tea, curls flopping as he shakes his head with some exasperation.]
... Reappeared from the depths.
We had vanished in the midst of a new years celebration — and we returned to that very party, as if two months had not passed. It was as unpleasant as usual, and as confounding as Deerington strives to be.
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[She straightens up, beaming at the camera.]
Where are you staying?
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I'm a creature of habit, you know.
... I do have a friend from home living with me, these days, but he's not much for speaking. I tend to do all that for him — perhaps to a bothersome degree. Which may very well be why he's out at the moment, left to his own devices.
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[She grins at the camera, touching her heart and making it glow.]
You recall my...startling revelation...I hope.
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How can I forget something like that?
Especially something so astounding.
[He'll have to prepare some tea for them! Very quickly!]
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And on the other side? 1 Rei Hino, wearing a sunny smile.]
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[A sunny smile indeed! Diarmuid is leaping for a tight embrace before the door even has time to finish creaking! It's much more pleasant to be hugged out of joyful reunion than from a terrified monk in deep, dark sinkholes, hm? After a moment he's all brightness and celebration as he pulls back to study her.]
How are you? Have you been well?
[A lot... has happened since she'd last seen him. Including yet another untimely demise.
But he's not about to tell her as much.]
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I've been well enough. I was only at home for three days. Mostly doing cleaning and chores...nothing noteworthy at all.
[It's funny, because she figures a lot more significant stuff's happened here.]
You seem to be all in one piece. Have you been taking care of yourself?
[No more wasting away, yeah?]
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I've been doing well, yes...!
I tend to keep to my rituals, as I always do — the repetition helps keep me focused.
... Do you mean to say you've only been gone three days time, to yourself?
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[Rei bobs her head, acknowledging. She looks no different, which is perhaps strange given the length of time they've been separated.]
I woke up in my bed. I went about a spring cleaning routine at my little shrine, and I did other normal chores. I didn't remember Deerington at all, which is disturbing, but I suppose it may be better that I wasn't able to dwell on leaving everyone behind.
[Her expression dims, voice wavering slightly.]
I'm sorry about that.
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You needn't apologize to the likes of me, Rei...! I'm relieved to find you'd had even a moment's peace, outside of the town. Would you like to sit down? I'm brewing some tea, if you'd like to try some...! I've been buying too much at the store, as of late...
[He ushers her to follow into the cabin, which is likely far more adorned than she'd last seen it. With all sorts of things! School books, nightlights, nail polishes and bins of yarn...!
He's been a busy fellow.]
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[She's happy to follow him in, and eyes the little cabin with some interest. It's small, pleasant, and very...him.]
You've been studying.
[She waves a hand towards the schoolbooks.]
How are you progressing?
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[He moves to start preparing that tea for her — some honey lemon tea, because he really has been enjoying the flavor...! As he moves, he glances to his pile of textbooks, smiling exasperatedly.]
Just a few months left, and I'll be done with Junior year...
It's been difficult, but I've managed to keep my grades passing.
[He just has one more year, after this. And then he'll have a high school education.
How strange...!]
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[She walks over, picking up a science text and thumbing through it. Not really her forte, but she always was an excellent student.]
What's your best subject?
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I think I'm doing best in history. I think it may be because it's easier to follow when you're dropped into the middle of schooling. I have to admit, learning about things that have not happened yet... it's caused me some stress.
[Imagine, learning about the world wars and what happens in them — and not being able to do anything about it.
He'll be dead long, long before then.]
But it's not all bad; there is a lot of progress to be made with time.
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[She's from that future, certainly, though she remembers watching them from afar, eons ago. Not well, but enough to know that mankind is capable of great strides...and of destroying themselves at the same time.]
But yes, I think that they've made great strides in the gap between your time and mine. Hopefully there are lessons you can learn, things to take back with you when we solve the mystery of this place.
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[If I survive home.
But that is something he tries not to think about too much. He need not put his faith in the image of his death that Deerington has forced into his head. It could be as false as anything in this constantly changing place.
After a moment he'll be returning with that tea, careful to place it down for her.]
I imagine you've been looking into what's happened since you had departed.
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[Rei doesn't comment on the dip in his aura's mood. No. That's not going to help anything. Better to just distract him if something's off, and not pry.]
I'm told that there was a sunken city, and a cruise ship, and that you were all attacked by Gojira.
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And that was just recently.
We were on a ship called the 'Titanic', and a lot of memories had been altered there. I was fortunate enough to have not lost my recollection of Deerington or my life, but... many weren't so lucky.
[Weren't so lucky. Like Diarmuid hadn't drowned anyway.
He thinks he's taking it all rather well anyway.]
The underwater city was full of people they'd said were 'drug addicts'. They had some sort of 'injection' made that gave them special powers, but in return for those powers, their bodies were ravaged by the injection.
I shall hope we never see such a creation appear in town.
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...I do too. It's bad enough having simple drugs around.
[So sue her, she's pretty anti-anything that alters your brain chemistry.]
Did you try them?
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No! No, no, I would not. By the time I'd arrived and saw the effects of the Plasmids, I knew it would be a foolish thought... [He wrinkles his nose, glancing aside as he recalls his time there.] The people down there were reason enough to stay far away from it.
... That's not even accounting for the slugs people were eating.
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[Okay. So, she feels bad responding with only that, but she'll come back around to not being in Big Sister Mode in a moment. Right now, what the fuck slugs?]
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Slugs, Miss Rei.
They were all over the place, and for some reason, people were eager to consume them for their powers... I think the 'plasmid withdrawals' had some hand in it.
[He of course says 'plasmid withdrawals' like a 13th century boy who has never had to deal with such words.]
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[Actually beyond disturbing, frankly.]
How did you all get back here? Did you escape?
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... Reappeared from the depths.
We had vanished in the midst of a new years celebration — and we returned to that very party, as if two months had not passed. It was as unpleasant as usual, and as confounding as Deerington strives to be.
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[Rei takes a step closer and puts a hand on his shoulder.]
It seems you've grown quite a bit this year, my friend.
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