[ never did ryuu think that a familiar face could be a source of heartache. elation too, and surely relief - but the weight of being displaced twice over is nevertheless a cruel one, no matter how many silver linings he looks for. but with no way back, there is only forward through these new waters. there's only what his own two hands are capable of.
which may not be much, but armed with a thermos and a neatly packed meal, he travels through emerald park in search of its farmlands. lucky that he happens upon a few rangers who helpfully point him in the right direction. when he arrives at the barn, he ventures: ]
[On her own, Konoha might have found herself living in the modern apartments in the residents most of the other so-called "gembonded" were staying, but thankfully for her... She'd met someone that also had four legs who was a little more skilled at negotiation than she was. With the government's permission, they'd been allowed to find a landowner willing to let them stay in exchange for work...
But Konoha has never minded hard work. It gives her something to do in this place, where, compared to how busy she was with just survival back in her own world, there seemed to be so much free time created by modern appliances and conveniences. She's just started to spruce the old barn up, it's clean now at least, and at the sound of a visitor... she rushes to heave open the large barn door, eagerly looking and confirming... It is him. He looks just like she remembers... and Konoha hasn't changed much herself, beyond seemingly having a fuller bosom?]
Ryuunosuke, it is you!
[He might have said it on the network, but. This was real, in person... and she can't help but reach out, extending her arms to wrap around and bring him in for a tight embrace until she remembers, hnn, bad idea, and instead forces herself to just grab his hands instead, eyes alright bright with emotion.]
I'm so- I'm not... I'm not glad you're here, but... I'm so glad you remember...
[That he looked at her with recognition in his eyes, and not confusion over why a woman was suddenly declaring that he ought to know her.]
[ it's a rush. his distress folds instantly when sees that konoha is every bit as real and here as he is, somehow spirited away this second time. the experience is something he thought he could handle with grace enough to manage again, but that was before the first person he'd reunited with after lunatia looked at him as if he was a stranger. being looked away from, being forgotten... for him, it's a strike to the heart not so easily mended. konoha's presence is like a balm to that ache, though he can't take any joy in finding her upset. seeing the breadth of her arms, he looks ready to accept them - but the slip of hands into his instead has him squeezing her fingers in what he hopes is a fortifying gesture. ]
Yeah, it's me. It's really good to see you, Konoha.
[ there's a somewhat sad shift to his smile, unable to shrug off the circumstances. ]
I'm not sure what's happened between Lunatia and here, but I'd like to think that there's no way I'd be able to forget someone like you.
[ gracious and hardworking even when out of her element, much like he had been. ]
How are you feeling?
[ he asks when he has an idea, but it must be hard holding it in to get by. ]
[It's a rush that they're both feeling. She, too, has encountered the faces of people she has known in Lunatia who looked upon her with unknowing eyes, and no matter how sure she was that they had shared memories together, the conviction in another that they didn't was enough to shake her, leave her feeling like she might be the crazy one.
But she isn't. Ryuunosuke remembers her, and she desperately squeezes back on his hands, tearing up but managing (for the moment) to keep the glistening in her eyes and not on her cheeks. He asks how she's feeling, and she does want to be positive, she does, but... He knows her. She can be honest, he'd surely understand, and though she smiles shakily, happy in the simplest way that he says there's no way he could forget her-]
Awful...
[Relieved to see him, yes, but, overall? To be spirited away once more, again a lost woman in a sea of magic and technology but this time to be without the support of the man she loved- ?]
I... I got to go home, after Lunatia... It's been more than a year for me... and everything was so perfect...
[He said he wasn't sure what had happened, but she was distinctly aware of what she'd been forced to leave behind.]
[ hand in hand, the synchrony that grows from their touch dives deep, dredging heartache up from that well with no bottom. he's glad she speaks her mind despite his ability to feel it, though it's hard to stomach. there's so little about any of it that makes sense. even those with hearts forged by difficulties and hard work, whose shoulders can bear immense weights - it helps to know which way it rightside up. here, it's never been less clear. only his desire to be close to someone who still knows him anchors him to her emotions.
frowning, he steps in closer and draws his thumbs over her knuckles in soothing circles. unwittingly, his sapphire glows at the small of his back, latent healing magic flowing through his touch to try and ease the fatigue of konoha's sadness. ]
[She didn't want to face it either, how much worse it feels to have been ripped away this time, left wondering if she were cursed or if she'd somehow done something awful in a previous life to warrant having been taken not once but twice. But... She has to. She can't just run from it, even if she manages to find ways to keep herself busy with work.
Her lips tremble up into a shaky smile when he takes her hands so gently, though, not quite realizing just yet that the growing, softening sense of comfort she takes from the gesture is boosted by a sapphire.]
Mmm... I got married proper, with my parents there... and we went to Gonta's home on Mt. Tsurugi... I met his family, and they're so wonderful... then Komatsu came along, and she's-
[Even with the synchrony blossoming between their hands where skin touched, she can't help the hitch of emotion there, hearts aching, stumbling, but forcing herself forward no matter that it reminds her how desperate she was to hold the infant in her arms again, rock her to sleep, smooth her hand over her soft first coat, or tap a finger teasingly on a milk-chubby cheek.]
She's so perfect... I wanted- If I met friends from Lunatia again, I wanted to show them... You'd love her...
[ with an attentive ear, he listens quietly. a whole year passes in an instant between alien worlds, and yet holds so much life in it. they're all such admirable things - becoming a wife, starting a family. starting over is something that he's steeled himself against fearing, but having pieces of yourself and what you love taken away by such an unfathomable distance... it feels so merciless. those empty spots echo as if branded on his own heart, but he doesn't shy back from the juxtaposition of emotions. ]
A daughter...? [ he smiles with surety. ] If she's anything like you, I'm sure she's amazing. I think I can probably imagine it... baby jinba must be really cute.
[ giving konoha's hands a little shake, he jostles the bag he has fit into the crook of his arm. ]
Why don't we sit so you can have something to eat and drink?
[ it won't cure all that ails, but it's a good step to take. ]
[Maybe any mother would say that about her child, the babies of her own race, but that doesn’t mean Konoha isn’t going to claim it too, with full confidence. Their stubby, fluffy tails, their short first coats, their still slightly soft hooves, their bright eyes...]
She can’t talk yet, but she can walk... and she’s so curious... if- if time doesn’t stop again she’s going to run Gonta ragged trying to keep up with her...
[Her own glisten with the threat of tears but she does her best to keep them in there, her smile wavering but spreading on her face as she squeezes back firm on his fingers. Right. Of course.]
Mmm... “Food doesn’t fix everything but you can’t fix anything on an empty stomach”.
[Her own mother used to say that. And... she was hungry, it hadn’t just been an excuse to see Ryuunosuke again. She forced herself to let go of him and the warm flow of synchrony in order to wipe her eyes, opening the door wider to allow him into the barn that they were in the process of converting to a living space. They weren’t near done yet, but there’s at least hay nests with blankets, a cleared space with a simple table (and a single chair for human visitors), and a few other necessities.]
I don't know whether or not time will stop... it did for me when I left, and started again when I went back home after Lunatia too. If I were to guess, it might do the same thing now that we're here...
[ something they have in common, though ryuu - was much luckier this time. he's often one to count his blessings, but he lets them stay quiet in his throat. instead, he lets his hands slip free for the time being and follows her into the barn with a cursory look around. a smile flicks the corners of his mouth. ]
That's really good advice. Sounds like something my dad would say.
[ approaching the table, he sets down the bag and removes a few items from it: a covered dish of stir fry and some rice balls, a thermos of hot tea. nothing too fancy, but things that are hearty and easy to get down even when upset. ]
Here we are. [ popping the lid and preparing a pair of chopsticks, he glances to konoha. ] Is this where you're going to stay while we're here?
[She manages to summon a bit of lightness for the agreement, but... she truly did pray that was the case, more than almost anything else since coming to this place. She told herself it had to be, time had stopped the last time she'd left her world, after all, and so surely it would this time. .... It had to, because the idea of Komatsu growing up without her and how devastated Gonta would feel to be helpless to protect her, the worries over whether her sister-in-law could nurse her daughter or who would take take care of her Gonta's widowed aunt...
No. Time had to be stopped.]
Maybe our parents could be friends, too, then. That's my mother's line.
[Like parents, like child? Helpfully, she moves find a few things she'd taken from the apartment the Embassy had initially tried to appoint her, gathering up two glasses and placemats from an as-of-yet not organized soon-to-be kitchen corner, placing them on the table before she lumbers into the peculiar cross between sit and lay that made jinba more of a height for human tables. She can't help but sniff the dishes while murmuring words of thanks, her expression softening, comforted by familiar smells and the kindness he showed bringing them.]
Mmm... I think so. The government people gave me one of the apartments at first, but I didn't like it very much... but, oh, I met another jinba! Well, a "centaur", from Greek, [Greece, honey], and he convinced them to let us stay out here instead... It's not too far from you, is it?
[A question for his comfort, but also because... she wants to keep visiting. Meeting a friend from Lunatia here... That's precious.]
[ he knows it's difficult to run on blind faith. being a fish out of water twice leaves so much room for doubt, for the creeping what ifs to curl around hearts already bruised by homesickness. he's often wondered the same of his own flesh and blood - if he was away, would his little brothers grow up into men without him? would they have enough money to get by, or remember his advice? between them, they're the worries of an ordinary soul trapped in an extraordinary situation. but ryuu is nothing if not stalwart even in the face of the quieter tragedies. sometimes it just takes patience and a kind hand. ]
I think our parents would have gotten along well. So long as nobody minds seasongs and tall tales, that is.
[ he smiles a bit as he sets the dish in front of konoha alongside the pair of disposable chopsticks in a paper sleeve. uncapping the top of the thermos next, he pours out two cups of tea. it's still plenty hot and brewed nicely, the steam fragrant. with that all done, he sits, though not without giving his chair a scoot over closer to konoha. ]
That should do it. I hope it all tastes okay! I didn't have much time to look for the exact things I would have used back home, but I think it came out really close.
[ he sets his arm on the table to wrap a hand around his own teacup, enjoying the warmth of it while he looks about the barn. ]
This isn't too far! Especially not too far to visit with you. I was thinking... maybe I could help you fix this place up some more, you know?
[Being a fish out of water is precisely why she was so grateful to see him again here, even if she wished neither of them had to do so. Despite the vast differences in the years they lived, the bodies they occupied... Ryuunosuke was... normal, to her. Just these little comments they trade, about his his father's sea songs, about cooking...
It makes her eyes water up again, with happy tears this time, nodding eagerly even as she claps her hands together in thanks for the food, expressing her gratitude by beginning to dig in enthusiastically, using her hand to hide her mouth and cheeks still a bit full when she says,]
It's really good...
[She'd probably say it even if it weren't, but it really is good, especially with the scramble in a new world for ingredients that made sense. She knows, she's been trying to assemble some reliable things for the kitchen even though it wasn't set up yet. The barn is still... well, looking mostly like a barn, complete with some haybales in one corner that, judging by blankets and centaur-shaped indents, seem to be serving as bedding. But the floors and walls are freshly scrubbed, a few bits of furniture assembled and ready to be arranged, a tangle of cords in a sad and very confusing pile next to what looks like a generator? Look, she's working on it.
And his offer makes her smile, reaching for her tea to sip, both stomachs rumbling a little now that she had tempted them with some food.]
I'd like that...
[She couldn't even muster trying to tell him he didn't need to offer, because, well. She could use some help, why not, and more than that... she valued the company. Her fellow centaur that had left the second hay indent was a very capable person, but... she knows Ryuunosuke. And also... he's from a more future world than either of them, that, too.]
The space is really nice, it's just a bit old... I think it could be really nice with a bit of effort. And someone smarter than me about cords.
[ it's not as though ryuu thought he was going to actually get away with not explaining to momo why he has such intimate familiarity with all the things at play in their newfound home. synchrony, manna... and not only those, but the very concept of being taken from home and dropped somewhere new. it feels wild even to him, despite living it once before - living it now, even.
but he's a man of his word, momo's persuasive talents aside, so when his conversations ebb, he goes about pulling on a hoodie and leaving to visit his senior. it's not a long enough trip to get worked up on, but he still finds himself...
[As promised, Momo left the door open a crack anyway, but he's kind of expecting Ryuu to knock anyway - and is proven right in that guess very quickly. There's the sound of one last glass being placed on a table before the unmistakable aura of approaching Momo (which is usually just the sound of a person of extreme energy honing in on your location) comes to the door.]
You already know you can come in, Ryuu-chan, you don't have to knock! [He pulls the door open, waving Ryuu inside with one hand. Momo's apartment here is not too large for one person, per se, but it is very obvious it's actually intended for two people, even before seeing the closed door to an additional bedroom. And, besides a few small bits of decoration he's managed here and there, small pictures and trinkets (it actually looks like he managed to get some photos of Yuki from his home phone to his new one and print them...) the apartment is already turning into what all Momo domiciles that he's not sharing with Yuki currently turn into - "organised" chaos which mostly just looks like normal chaos. There's a bottle of wine and two glasses on the coffee table, but they're sharing the space with a bottle of nail oil, several more bottles of nailpolish, and a shirt that's half fallen off one side like it was thrown there at some point. There are soft couches on either side of it, and Momo drops himself onto one and crosses his legs, resting his head in his hands and wiggling his painted toenails in a rather silly image of curiosity.]
You've been settling in okay, right? You're in one of the houses, aren't you?
[How does he know this? Somehow. It's Momo, don't question it.]
[ despite the fact that he knows that energy is going to be inescapable in about five seconds, ryuu smiles anyway when momo comes to the door and admits him. his shoulders rise haplessly as if to say - he's a polite boy, how could be just barge in even when invited to do just that? ]
Hi, Momo-san.
[ entering the same with just that, he relaxes when he sees that it already looks lived in. necessities first, right? untucking his hands from his hoodie pockets, he ventures around to take a seat across from momo. ]
Yeah, I haven't had any trouble with anything so far. I tried an apartment at first, but... in the end, Gaku and Tenn decided to stay with me again after all.
[ well, more like he and tenn decided and gaku wasn't given a choice, but from ryuu's perspective, it's sorely needed familiarity. ]
[Momo clearly managed to get the space dirt off his orange hoodie since they initially met, because it's a whole hell of a lot cleaner than it was after Momo had faceplanted onto dusty ground multiple times. He might not be that good at housework, but he is in possession of a search engine and sometimes that's enough for this sort of thing.
As Ryuu explains the housing situation, Momo leans forward to unscrew the wine bottle - it's nothing expensive this early on, so it's not even corked - and pour himself some, and then lean over to pour Ryuu some as well. A visible amount more than Momo has, too.]
Well, it's nice to all live together, isn't it? And it's nicer that you actually got to choose this time. [Instead of being forced together by circumstance.] At least that'll make all of you easy to check on! But that's not really what we came here to talk about, is it?
[He winks knowingly before taking a sip of his wine, watching Ryuu with that dissecting sort of look he sometimes takes on when he's deconstructing someone for as much information as he can get without them speaking it.]
I'd choose it anytime, I think... [ necessity or no, though maybe it still feels a little like the best way to keep their balance. until things settle, anyway. speaking of - ] ...ah, yeah. You're right.
[ ryuu contemplates the wine glass for a long moment. it's obvious he's just using it as an anchor point to his thoughts, arranging his words in a way that'll hopefully make a lick of sense. that it's fuller than momo's glass, well. either he doesn't notice or thinks he might need the extra cushioning. near timidly, he reaches out to take it. ]
There's so much to talk about, I'm not really sure where to start.
[ a laugh. it's nervous. ]
Besides ending up in a similar place to the crater, that is.
[Momo has pieced some small amount together from what Ryuu mentioned and was trying to hide back on the planet surface, but he imagines going to a whole other world entirely needs a minute. So he'll give him a second to piece things together in his head, placing his glass down for a moment to add a tidbit of his own.]
By the way, the person who mentioned he'd met me somewhere else called that place Aefenglom, so I don't think it was the same one as you talked about. [It was still weird to hear that he was apparently in a whole other world and doesn't remember it, but hearing that Ryuu was in a similar situation makes it a bit more believable than hearing it from a total stranger.]
But starting from the beginning is fine, isn't it? We have the time to spare.
[None of them are yet at the mercy of a schedule quite as brutal as what they came from. It's nice, in a way, though to Momo it serves as too much of a reminder of what he's missing.]
[ for a moment, ryuu holds the wine glass without drinking any. a surefire sign that his poor brain is working overtime. the thought of other other worlds is certainly an alarming one, but he has to quietly stow that for later, or he'll never find focus enough to get through all the things he wants to say. ]
No, it's not the same place. [ from the beginning... ] I was in a city called Lunatia. It wasn't that different from here... there was a lot that reminded me of home, but there was a lot that was totally different too. Things like space travel, people who weren't human, mythical creatures. So much of it seemed like a storybook, or a television script.
[ heaving a breath, he leans back. ]
If you arrived there like I did, from another world, you were called Moonblessed.
[As Ryuu speaks, Momo adjusts his position slightly, crossing his legs in a slightly more comfortable manner, and grabs his glass again so he can lean back against the chair cushions. During the initial explanation, he takes another sip from it to disguise his consideration and processing of the new information. It sounds closer to this world than the previous one he heard about, so he can understand why Ryuu might be drawing comparisons.]
That's a cute title! Though if you were supposed to be blessed, was there something extra special about you all? [Getting closer to the point. Knowing now about the Synchrony system here, and the way Ryuu had asked on the surface whether there was anything happened when they touched, he has a working theory as to what the nature of the "blessing" might've been. Especially in consideration of what he's noted about Synchrony since they've arrived here.]
Since the people of this world seem to be asking us for something they can't do the same way themselves already.
[ he supposes part of what makes momo so easy to talk to is that he picks up on cues easily so ryuu isn't left to get caught up in how to convey the details. granted, that can be a double-edged sword with just how much he notices... ryuu finally takes a sip of his wine. a very long, fortifying sip. releasing the glass, he purses his lips in thought. ]
In this world, it's called manna... in Lunatia, it was called chroma. You could generate it by touching too, just like here. Instead of synchrony, it was moonlacing. [ which does clear up why he'd asked back in the crater. ] It was important, like food or water or anything else your body might need to survive. That's - how I got around to looking at it.
[ an indicator that such a thing hadn't been necessarily easy for him at first. ]
If you came to Lunatia from another world, you were influenced by one of its moons. There were three.
[That definitely explains why Ryuu had seemed to have some awareness of how things might work here in advance, and Momo's brows creep up a bit at the implication that Ryuu's been in two worlds that were similar in that respect. He's not surprised it took him time to come around - Momo's touchy-feely, but he's taking longer to come around to the idea of any Syncing deeper than a puddle - though at least not having the same kinds of rules on their work in a world like this might ease the process.]
"Influenced"? [That's a choice of word, and it's putting Momo in mind of werewolves or something similar. But presumably there's more to it than that, if there's three moons.] Was there any rhyme or reason to which one you were or what they did?
Um, well. You didn't get to choose. [ much like the nature of the gems currently embedded in their bodies. ] I'm not quite sure how it was decided... the only way to tell was that when a particular moon was in the sky, people under that moon changed.
[ and given the nature of the similarities here, he's a bit worried about what the potential physical changes could be, but he starts off easy. ]
People under Cordis, the blue moon, were thought of as amorous and indulgent. Iris was the purple moon... were really giving and affectionate.
[ he looks into his glass, remembrance making him hesitate. ]
The red moon was Sanguis. It made everyone under it violent and aggressive.
[Not getting to choose isn't a shocker given how things went here, but he did wonder if there were some kinds of traits that could be reliably identified within each group. It doesn't seem to be quite that simple here either, though, so he'll take the admission of not knowing easily enough.
He takes another sip of his wine, noting the lengthy pause before the third moon and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Ryuu is a little bit obvious when it comes to this sort of thing, after all, even if he still looks a tiny bit surprised at the information when he actually gets it.]
Huh. That's pretty rude of it, to put someone kind and gentle like you under its influence. [Honestly, that's the kind of thing Momo might've expected himself to be under if he was in the same situation, if there was an element of drawing on one's baser instincts there. An amorous moon and an affectionate moon does kind of give him that impression. The thoughtfulness is replaced by a gentle concern soon enough, though.]
You look like you might've done something you regret, though. You can always talk to me about that stuff.
[Even if it's not outright that, there's something there that's made Ryuu hesitant to broach the topic, so he wants to make things as comfortable as possible.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
▾ feb 2021, network mingle
▴ konoha
which may not be much, but armed with a thermos and a neatly packed meal, he travels through emerald park in search of its farmlands. lucky that he happens upon a few rangers who helpfully point him in the right direction. when he arrives at the barn, he ventures: ]
Konoha? It's me.
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But Konoha has never minded hard work. It gives her something to do in this place, where, compared to how busy she was with just survival back in her own world, there seemed to be so much free time created by modern appliances and conveniences. She's just started to spruce the old barn up, it's clean now at least, and at the sound of a visitor... she rushes to heave open the large barn door, eagerly looking and confirming... It is him. He looks just like she remembers... and Konoha hasn't changed much herself, beyond seemingly having a fuller bosom?]
Ryuunosuke, it is you!
[He might have said it on the network, but. This was real, in person... and she can't help but reach out, extending her arms to wrap around and bring him in for a tight embrace until she remembers, hnn, bad idea, and instead forces herself to just grab his hands instead, eyes alright bright with emotion.]
I'm so- I'm not... I'm not glad you're here, but... I'm so glad you remember...
[That he looked at her with recognition in his eyes, and not confusion over why a woman was suddenly declaring that he ought to know her.]
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Yeah, it's me. It's really good to see you, Konoha.
[ there's a somewhat sad shift to his smile, unable to shrug off the circumstances. ]
I'm not sure what's happened between Lunatia and here, but I'd like to think that there's no way I'd be able to forget someone like you.
[ gracious and hardworking even when out of her element, much like he had been. ]
How are you feeling?
[ he asks when he has an idea, but it must be hard holding it in to get by. ]
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But she isn't. Ryuunosuke remembers her, and she desperately squeezes back on his hands, tearing up but managing (for the moment) to keep the glistening in her eyes and not on her cheeks. He asks how she's feeling, and she does want to be positive, she does, but... He knows her. She can be honest, he'd surely understand, and though she smiles shakily, happy in the simplest way that he says there's no way he could forget her-]
Awful...
[Relieved to see him, yes, but, overall? To be spirited away once more, again a lost woman in a sea of magic and technology but this time to be without the support of the man she loved- ?]
I... I got to go home, after Lunatia... It's been more than a year for me... and everything was so perfect...
[He said he wasn't sure what had happened, but she was distinctly aware of what she'd been forced to leave behind.]
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frowning, he steps in closer and draws his thumbs over her knuckles in soothing circles. unwittingly, his sapphire glows at the small of his back, latent healing magic flowing through his touch to try and ease the fatigue of konoha's sadness. ]
That much time passed for you...?
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Her lips tremble up into a shaky smile when he takes her hands so gently, though, not quite realizing just yet that the growing, softening sense of comfort she takes from the gesture is boosted by a sapphire.]
Mmm... I got married proper, with my parents there... and we went to Gonta's home on Mt. Tsurugi... I met his family, and they're so wonderful... then Komatsu came along, and she's-
[Even with the synchrony blossoming between their hands where skin touched, she can't help the hitch of emotion there, hearts aching, stumbling, but forcing herself forward no matter that it reminds her how desperate she was to hold the infant in her arms again, rock her to sleep, smooth her hand over her soft first coat, or tap a finger teasingly on a milk-chubby cheek.]
She's so perfect... I wanted- If I met friends from Lunatia again, I wanted to show them... You'd love her...
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A daughter...? [ he smiles with surety. ] If she's anything like you, I'm sure she's amazing. I think I can probably imagine it... baby jinba must be really cute.
[ giving konoha's hands a little shake, he jostles the bag he has fit into the crook of his arm. ]
Why don't we sit so you can have something to eat and drink?
[ it won't cure all that ails, but it's a good step to take. ]
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[Maybe any mother would say that about her child, the babies of her own race, but that doesn’t mean Konoha isn’t going to claim it too, with full confidence. Their stubby, fluffy tails, their short first coats, their still slightly soft hooves, their bright eyes...]
She can’t talk yet, but she can walk... and she’s so curious... if- if time doesn’t stop again she’s going to run Gonta ragged trying to keep up with her...
[Her own glisten with the threat of tears but she does her best to keep them in there, her smile wavering but spreading on her face as she squeezes back firm on his fingers. Right. Of course.]
Mmm... “Food doesn’t fix everything but you can’t fix anything on an empty stomach”.
[Her own mother used to say that. And... she was hungry, it hadn’t just been an excuse to see Ryuunosuke again. She forced herself to let go of him and the warm flow of synchrony in order to wipe her eyes, opening the door wider to allow him into the barn that they were in the process of converting to a living space. They weren’t near done yet, but there’s at least hay nests with blankets, a cleared space with a simple table (and a single chair for human visitors), and a few other necessities.]
Here, make yourself comfortable...
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[ something they have in common, though ryuu - was much luckier this time. he's often one to count his blessings, but he lets them stay quiet in his throat. instead, he lets his hands slip free for the time being and follows her into the barn with a cursory look around. a smile flicks the corners of his mouth. ]
That's really good advice. Sounds like something my dad would say.
[ approaching the table, he sets down the bag and removes a few items from it: a covered dish of stir fry and some rice balls, a thermos of hot tea. nothing too fancy, but things that are hearty and easy to get down even when upset. ]
Here we are. [ popping the lid and preparing a pair of chopsticks, he glances to konoha. ] Is this where you're going to stay while we're here?
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[She manages to summon a bit of lightness for the agreement, but... she truly did pray that was the case, more than almost anything else since coming to this place. She told herself it had to be, time had stopped the last time she'd left her world, after all, and so surely it would this time. .... It had to, because the idea of Komatsu growing up without her and how devastated Gonta would feel to be helpless to protect her, the worries over whether her sister-in-law could nurse her daughter or who would take take care of her Gonta's widowed aunt...
No. Time had to be stopped.]
Maybe our parents could be friends, too, then. That's my mother's line.
[Like parents, like child? Helpfully, she moves find a few things she'd taken from the apartment the Embassy had initially tried to appoint her, gathering up two glasses and placemats from an as-of-yet not organized soon-to-be kitchen corner, placing them on the table before she lumbers into the peculiar cross between sit and lay that made jinba more of a height for human tables. She can't help but sniff the dishes while murmuring words of thanks, her expression softening, comforted by familiar smells and the kindness he showed bringing them.]
Mmm... I think so. The government people gave me one of the apartments at first, but I didn't like it very much... but, oh, I met another jinba! Well, a "centaur", from Greek, [Greece, honey], and he convinced them to let us stay out here instead... It's not too far from you, is it?
[A question for his comfort, but also because... she wants to keep visiting. Meeting a friend from Lunatia here... That's precious.]
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I think our parents would have gotten along well. So long as nobody minds seasongs and tall tales, that is.
[ he smiles a bit as he sets the dish in front of konoha alongside the pair of disposable chopsticks in a paper sleeve. uncapping the top of the thermos next, he pours out two cups of tea. it's still plenty hot and brewed nicely, the steam fragrant. with that all done, he sits, though not without giving his chair a scoot over closer to konoha. ]
That should do it. I hope it all tastes okay! I didn't have much time to look for the exact things I would have used back home, but I think it came out really close.
[ he sets his arm on the table to wrap a hand around his own teacup, enjoying the warmth of it while he looks about the barn. ]
This isn't too far! Especially not too far to visit with you. I was thinking... maybe I could help you fix this place up some more, you know?
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It makes her eyes water up again, with happy tears this time, nodding eagerly even as she claps her hands together in thanks for the food, expressing her gratitude by beginning to dig in enthusiastically, using her hand to hide her mouth and cheeks still a bit full when she says,]
It's really good...
[She'd probably say it even if it weren't, but it really is good, especially with the scramble in a new world for ingredients that made sense. She knows, she's been trying to assemble some reliable things for the kitchen even though it wasn't set up yet. The barn is still... well, looking mostly like a barn, complete with some haybales in one corner that, judging by blankets and centaur-shaped indents, seem to be serving as bedding. But the floors and walls are freshly scrubbed, a few bits of furniture assembled and ready to be arranged, a tangle of cords in a sad and very confusing pile next to what looks like a generator? Look, she's working on it.
And his offer makes her smile, reaching for her tea to sip, both stomachs rumbling a little now that she had tempted them with some food.]
I'd like that...
[She couldn't even muster trying to tell him he didn't need to offer, because, well. She could use some help, why not, and more than that... she valued the company. Her fellow centaur that had left the second hay indent was a very capable person, but... she knows Ryuunosuke. And also... he's from a more future world than either of them, that, too.]
The space is really nice, it's just a bit old... I think it could be really nice with a bit of effort. And someone smarter than me about cords.
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▴ momo
but he's a man of his word, momo's persuasive talents aside, so when his conversations ebb, he goes about pulling on a hoodie and leaving to visit his senior. it's not a long enough trip to get worked up on, but he still finds himself...
nervous. ]
Momo-san? [ he knocks twice. ] I'm here!
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You already know you can come in, Ryuu-chan, you don't have to knock! [He pulls the door open, waving Ryuu inside with one hand. Momo's apartment here is not too large for one person, per se, but it is very obvious it's actually intended for two people, even before seeing the closed door to an additional bedroom. And, besides a few small bits of decoration he's managed here and there, small pictures and trinkets (it actually looks like he managed to get some photos of Yuki from his home phone to his new one and print them...) the apartment is already turning into what all Momo domiciles that he's not sharing with Yuki currently turn into - "organised" chaos which mostly just looks like normal chaos. There's a bottle of wine and two glasses on the coffee table, but they're sharing the space with a bottle of nail oil, several more bottles of nailpolish, and a shirt that's half fallen off one side like it was thrown there at some point. There are soft couches on either side of it, and Momo drops himself onto one and crosses his legs, resting his head in his hands and wiggling his painted toenails in a rather silly image of curiosity.]
You've been settling in okay, right? You're in one of the houses, aren't you?
[How does he know this? Somehow. It's Momo, don't question it.]
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Hi, Momo-san.
[ entering the same with just that, he relaxes when he sees that it already looks lived in. necessities first, right? untucking his hands from his hoodie pockets, he ventures around to take a seat across from momo. ]
Yeah, I haven't had any trouble with anything so far. I tried an apartment at first, but... in the end, Gaku and Tenn decided to stay with me again after all.
[ well, more like he and tenn decided and gaku wasn't given a choice, but from ryuu's perspective, it's sorely needed familiarity. ]
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As Ryuu explains the housing situation, Momo leans forward to unscrew the wine bottle - it's nothing expensive this early on, so it's not even corked - and pour himself some, and then lean over to pour Ryuu some as well. A visible amount more than Momo has, too.]
Well, it's nice to all live together, isn't it? And it's nicer that you actually got to choose this time. [Instead of being forced together by circumstance.] At least that'll make all of you easy to check on! But that's not really what we came here to talk about, is it?
[He winks knowingly before taking a sip of his wine, watching Ryuu with that dissecting sort of look he sometimes takes on when he's deconstructing someone for as much information as he can get without them speaking it.]
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[ ryuu contemplates the wine glass for a long moment. it's obvious he's just using it as an anchor point to his thoughts, arranging his words in a way that'll hopefully make a lick of sense. that it's fuller than momo's glass, well. either he doesn't notice or thinks he might need the extra cushioning. near timidly, he reaches out to take it. ]
There's so much to talk about, I'm not really sure where to start.
[ a laugh. it's nervous. ]
Besides ending up in a similar place to the crater, that is.
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By the way, the person who mentioned he'd met me somewhere else called that place Aefenglom, so I don't think it was the same one as you talked about. [It was still weird to hear that he was apparently in a whole other world and doesn't remember it, but hearing that Ryuu was in a similar situation makes it a bit more believable than hearing it from a total stranger.]
But starting from the beginning is fine, isn't it? We have the time to spare.
[None of them are yet at the mercy of a schedule quite as brutal as what they came from. It's nice, in a way, though to Momo it serves as too much of a reminder of what he's missing.]
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No, it's not the same place. [ from the beginning... ] I was in a city called Lunatia. It wasn't that different from here... there was a lot that reminded me of home, but there was a lot that was totally different too. Things like space travel, people who weren't human, mythical creatures. So much of it seemed like a storybook, or a television script.
[ heaving a breath, he leans back. ]
If you arrived there like I did, from another world, you were called Moonblessed.
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That's a cute title! Though if you were supposed to be blessed, was there something extra special about you all? [Getting closer to the point. Knowing now about the Synchrony system here, and the way Ryuu had asked on the surface whether there was anything happened when they touched, he has a working theory as to what the nature of the "blessing" might've been. Especially in consideration of what he's noted about Synchrony since they've arrived here.]
Since the people of this world seem to be asking us for something they can't do the same way themselves already.
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In this world, it's called manna... in Lunatia, it was called chroma. You could generate it by touching too, just like here. Instead of synchrony, it was moonlacing. [ which does clear up why he'd asked back in the crater. ] It was important, like food or water or anything else your body might need to survive. That's - how I got around to looking at it.
[ an indicator that such a thing hadn't been necessarily easy for him at first. ]
If you came to Lunatia from another world, you were influenced by one of its moons. There were three.
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"Influenced"? [That's a choice of word, and it's putting Momo in mind of werewolves or something similar. But presumably there's more to it than that, if there's three moons.] Was there any rhyme or reason to which one you were or what they did?
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[ and given the nature of the similarities here, he's a bit worried about what the potential physical changes could be, but he starts off easy. ]
People under Cordis, the blue moon, were thought of as amorous and indulgent. Iris was the purple moon... were really giving and affectionate.
[ he looks into his glass, remembrance making him hesitate. ]
The red moon was Sanguis. It made everyone under it violent and aggressive.
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He takes another sip of his wine, noting the lengthy pause before the third moon and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Ryuu is a little bit obvious when it comes to this sort of thing, after all, even if he still looks a tiny bit surprised at the information when he actually gets it.]
Huh. That's pretty rude of it, to put someone kind and gentle like you under its influence. [Honestly, that's the kind of thing Momo might've expected himself to be under if he was in the same situation, if there was an element of drawing on one's baser instincts there. An amorous moon and an affectionate moon does kind of give him that impression. The thoughtfulness is replaced by a gentle concern soon enough, though.]
You look like you might've done something you regret, though. You can always talk to me about that stuff.
[Even if it's not outright that, there's something there that's made Ryuu hesitant to broach the topic, so he wants to make things as comfortable as possible.]
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