[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.
[ catching sight of the unshed tears returning to her eyes, he smiles. a little wanly, but sincere. this time, he was lucky... not everyone remembered him, and that cut deep, for someone whose only wish was to be seen and heard, for the world to know his name as part of the group he loved. but he didn't come alone this time, and having the two closest to him nearby to bolster his heart gives him the conviction to do things like this. to be stripped of that, of a life beyond these worlds - it aches to see, and he knows that what he'd feeling must be a drop in comparison to what konoha feels. it doesn't feel right to not offer everything in his power, even if his power in this context is limited.
food is a good way to assuage some immediate discomforts, but his expression pulls even warmer at the agreement to let him help. ]
It is a cute space, isn't it? I may not look it, but I really enjoy this style of decorating!
[ giving his fingers a gentle drum on the table, he glances about. ]
A kitchen with lots of sunlight and fresh air... maybe a garden. [ a far cry from a farmstead, a balm versus a tourniquet, but he hopes these little things will be encouraging enough. ] I'm usually not on the tech end of things like cords, but I'm sure I can manage.
[She's not going to lie. Ryuunosuke remembering her is the most comforting thing about this moment, but the food is also helping. More like food made by Ryuunosuke is helping, but, still... food.]
Mmm... It is, and it's much better suited for us than the apartment buildings.
[Even the ones that had been spacious inside, there was usually some sort of stairs or elevator or hallway somewhere to deal with... not to mention the lack of natural sunlight and cold walls and... well, it just really wasn't the sort of life she was used to. For her first few months in Lunatia she'd dealt with it, but... once her husband had arrived and they'd been able to afford leasing the farmstead... then she'd gotten used to living on Mt. Tsurugi...
She didn't want to go back to that sort of thing.]
Ehe, any kind of "better than me" at cords would be helpful... and then there's setting up the shelves, the wash area outside, repainting in here, setting up some better bedding... we need some blankets if the winter here is going to be longer...
[It might be a balm and not a tourniquet, but the balm still helped. As they talk, her posture relaxes bit by bit, gratefully sinking back into the comfortable familiarity of their interactions in Lunatia, still eating steadily throughout. ... She had been hungry.]
[ it makes him all the happier to watch the food disappear as they chat - mission success. ]
I'd help out around my hometown doing things like this when I was younger, so it shouldn't be too hard! If you have a list of things you might need, I can keep an eye out when I'm in the city...
[ and in no time, he's sure they can get the old barn looking right as rain. luckily he's never minded putting in some of his muscle and time for a good cause. especially not where a friend is concerned. plus, as helpful as essentially free housing is, it's another start over in another new place... a third time, if he counts his move to tokyo. at one was of his choosing. but surmalok doesn't seem to be eating away at his adaptability any more than lunatia did - remembrance is going an incredibly long way. ]
I'm a bit more used to apartment living, but even the basic units only go so far, you know?
[ he likes a much more prepared kitchen. and more comfy beds. ]
[And then she can work on her handwriting? Her reading, while still elementary, had improved hand over fist since she'd arrived in Lunatia, but actual penmanship... well. Ryuunosuke's youngest brother probably had her beat unless she spends an hour on it. That's fine! Practice makes perfect!
Moving a hand to cover her mouth so that she can speak up a bit while still... absolutely devouring the meal now that she's perked up more, she can't help but be curious- even if it was harder for her to visit the apartments, she sometimes did, so!]
[ imagine how heartwarming it'll be for him to receive such a list. he's ready.
noting the improvement in the overall air since she's started eating, ryuu finally lifts his tea to take a thoughtful sip. that's much better. it doesn't cure all but it sure does make things go down a little smoother. with a tap of the cup against his lip, he gazes up at the rafters of the barn with a long hum. ]
A basic kitchen is a really helpful thing to be given, but I love to cook, so I always want to add more things! Even back in Lunatia, I felt like there wasn't much I could do in the event that something really crazy happened... but preparing food for the people in my building went a long way.
[ just ordinary people things! his expression warms as he continues. ]
I won't be living alone this time because my other group members are here, so a bigger space with more comforts is necessary.
[She is going to write it so good!!! ... And she believed in her mother's saying, okay, that woman had been right when she'd said eating helped people solve problems. Cooking, kitchen plans... it was something that would keep her brain occupied, allow her to keep trying to outrun the fears and worries that came from being separated from her family and her world.
But her ordinary people (ordinary jinba) thoughts skid to a halt a moment, because-]
- Eh? The people from your...
[She's so bad at remembering certain modern people concepts and slang that she didn't have a point of similar reference for... like "idols"... hold on... what's the word...]
They are! Gaku and Tenn... somehow, we all ended up here this time.
[ it's left his heart considerably lighter than if he arrived on the other side of this dimension all alone again, but it's also hard to celebrate when he knows he got lucky - for some, like konoha, that wasn't the case. but he's honest in his relief, the love and closeness present in his voice. ]
It means we can continue on with our activities as three still. I'll bring them by and introduce you sometime... I bet you'd love Gaku. If I told him about wanting to fix this place up, he'd want to help out too!
[It seemed that this time, he was the lucky one. And as jealous as she was, to hear of others coming to this place with people they knew, like she'd been fortunate enough to in Lunatia... It's Ryuunosuke, she's so glad for him at the same time.]
I'd love to meet them...
[She finally makes sure that her mouth isn't full to smile properly, to reach over and lay a hand over one of his, squeezing gently. She might have heard some about his work in Lunatia, as difficult as it was for her to imagine the idol industry of modern times, but-]
How long have you all been working together?
[She'd much rather hear that, than dwell on her losses.]
[ little gestures like that are ones that he loves. he responds in kind, bringing his free palm to cover hers and sandwich her hand between his. his hands are warm and dry, a little rougher than one might expect of someone who's tasted stardom - but he still grew up on the sea. ]
It'll be four years soon. It sounds so short when I put it like that, but I feel like I've known them all my life.
[This is why Konoha was glad that, if they had to do these chroma things, these manna things... at least easy affections like this counted. This came easy, gladly shared between friends when she didn't have to worry about things like the more rigid social classes of human society in her time.]
Four years is plenty enough time to become a family...
[If you ask her. After all,]
I asked me husband to take me as a wife after three months, ehe... and I guess if you're making music, then, that must take a lot of practice being in sync...
[... She thinks you'd need that for music, anyway. She's used to practice for festival songs, anyway, and that was only a few times a year.]
Three months! [ not a judgment, he honestly sounds impressed... ] It must be true that you know when you meet the right one!
[ if he's being honest, as much as he's warmed up to the concept of generating chroma or manna, he still prefers this. easy intimacy that suits his casual nature, the way he doesn't hesitate to reach out. thoughtfully swiping his thumb over the back of her hand, he gazes at the comfortable overlay.
his heart has never been closed off, so the emotions that flow through the manna are just as vivid: he adores them. ]
There were a lot of things that took practice for us, but some things came really easily. We aligned so naturally that I don't think I would have chosen anyone else to sing or dance with.
I know it's a different thing, but I think, thanks to that... synchrony is something I can view as important.
Yeah... I almost messed it up, but. I'm glad I asked.
[To think she'd almost kept silent and let him go.
When it came to the quickness, though... Konoha hadn't actually thought it was too odd herself until coming to Lunatia and being told that many of the people from the more "modern" worlds thought that was too fast, seeing as many marriages in her time were arranged. But his comment just makes her laugh a little, squeezing his fingers as she nuzzles a bit unconsciously into her own shoulder, lacking her husband's withers to lean against.]
If your group is here, are you going to be doing those show things? Like the, um... what was their name like the BTS... the BTSB people?
[ when your bravery lands you a wholeass husband... powerful. ]
That's not the first time I've heard that comparison! [ incredibly ] Even though I'm unfamiliar, haha. But we're going to aim to have live shows! I love performing too much to let it go. We'll have to go from the bottom up again...
[ he doesn't look daunted by the task though. third time's the charm? ]
I'll just find other work in the city until we can get off the ground here.
[She's sorry, that weird singing group from Amegahara is her only real education on idol groups... What had it been... Prismagram girl... ? ♫♪]
Ryuunosuke is a hard worker though, so I'm sure your friends must be, too, right? I bet you can do it.
[She doesn't have any doubt, actually, even if she's completely ignorant of what kind of things go on behind the scenes to make a production like that come together. (What do you mean you don't just stand on the street and perform and people throw money at you?)]
I'd offer you a job myself, but I'm not a farmstead wife anymore, am I, aha...
[Actually, she... really misses that. Not that she'd chose it ever over being where she actually belonged, on Mt. Tsurugi and not the little farm in Lunatia named after it, but. It had been nice, to be able to live somewhere that looked like she was used to homes looking, to work the land and be able to keep somewhat apart and safe from the more confusing city, answering to little and, thanks to her husband's presence and their chroma fed crops, being in financial position to help others.
... Actually she hadn't thought about that. She really hopes hand-holding manna has a decent conversion rate to buy groceries.]
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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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food is a good way to assuage some immediate discomforts, but his expression pulls even warmer at the agreement to let him help. ]
It is a cute space, isn't it? I may not look it, but I really enjoy this style of decorating!
[ giving his fingers a gentle drum on the table, he glances about. ]
A kitchen with lots of sunlight and fresh air... maybe a garden. [ a far cry from a farmstead, a balm versus a tourniquet, but he hopes these little things will be encouraging enough. ] I'm usually not on the tech end of things like cords, but I'm sure I can manage.
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Mmm... It is, and it's much better suited for us than the apartment buildings.
[Even the ones that had been spacious inside, there was usually some sort of stairs or elevator or hallway somewhere to deal with... not to mention the lack of natural sunlight and cold walls and... well, it just really wasn't the sort of life she was used to. For her first few months in Lunatia she'd dealt with it, but... once her husband had arrived and they'd been able to afford leasing the farmstead... then she'd gotten used to living on Mt. Tsurugi...
She didn't want to go back to that sort of thing.]
Ehe, any kind of "better than me" at cords would be helpful... and then there's setting up the shelves, the wash area outside, repainting in here, setting up some better bedding... we need some blankets if the winter here is going to be longer...
[It might be a balm and not a tourniquet, but the balm still helped. As they talk, her posture relaxes bit by bit, gratefully sinking back into the comfortable familiarity of their interactions in Lunatia, still eating steadily throughout. ... She had been hungry.]
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I'd help out around my hometown doing things like this when I was younger, so it shouldn't be too hard! If you have a list of things you might need, I can keep an eye out when I'm in the city...
[ and in no time, he's sure they can get the old barn looking right as rain. luckily he's never minded putting in some of his muscle and time for a good cause. especially not where a friend is concerned. plus, as helpful as essentially free housing is, it's another start over in another new place... a third time, if he counts his move to tokyo. at one was of his choosing. but surmalok doesn't seem to be eating away at his adaptability any more than lunatia did - remembrance is going an incredibly long way. ]
I'm a bit more used to apartment living, but even the basic units only go so far, you know?
[ he likes a much more prepared kitchen. and more comfy beds. ]
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[And then she can work on her handwriting? Her reading, while still elementary, had improved hand over fist since she'd arrived in Lunatia, but actual penmanship... well. Ryuunosuke's youngest brother probably had her beat unless she spends an hour on it. That's fine! Practice makes perfect!
Moving a hand to cover her mouth so that she can speak up a bit while still... absolutely devouring the meal now that she's perked up more, she can't help but be curious- even if it was harder for her to visit the apartments, she sometimes did, so!]
What do you want to do to the apartment thing?
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noting the improvement in the overall air since she's started eating, ryuu finally lifts his tea to take a thoughtful sip. that's much better. it doesn't cure all but it sure does make things go down a little smoother. with a tap of the cup against his lip, he gazes up at the rafters of the barn with a long hum. ]
A basic kitchen is a really helpful thing to be given, but I love to cook, so I always want to add more things! Even back in Lunatia, I felt like there wasn't much I could do in the event that something really crazy happened... but preparing food for the people in my building went a long way.
[ just ordinary people things! his expression warms as he continues. ]
I won't be living alone this time because my other group members are here, so a bigger space with more comforts is necessary.
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But her ordinary people (ordinary jinba) thoughts skid to a halt a moment, because-]
- Eh? The people from your...
[She's so bad at remembering certain modern people concepts and slang that she didn't have a point of similar reference for... like "idols"... hold on... what's the word...]
Your singing group? They're here, too?
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[ it's left his heart considerably lighter than if he arrived on the other side of this dimension all alone again, but it's also hard to celebrate when he knows he got lucky - for some, like konoha, that wasn't the case. but he's honest in his relief, the love and closeness present in his voice. ]
It means we can continue on with our activities as three still. I'll bring them by and introduce you sometime... I bet you'd love Gaku. If I told him about wanting to fix this place up, he'd want to help out too!
[ handsome, manly, chivalrous...
ryuu also loves gaku. ]
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I'd love to meet them...
[She finally makes sure that her mouth isn't full to smile properly, to reach over and lay a hand over one of his, squeezing gently. She might have heard some about his work in Lunatia, as difficult as it was for her to imagine the idol industry of modern times, but-]
How long have you all been working together?
[She'd much rather hear that, than dwell on her losses.]
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It'll be four years soon. It sounds so short when I put it like that, but I feel like I've known them all my life.
[ bashfully, he chuckles. ]
They became a second family to me so quickly.
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Four years is plenty enough time to become a family...
[If you ask her. After all,]
I asked me husband to take me as a wife after three months, ehe... and I guess if you're making music, then, that must take a lot of practice being in sync...
[... She thinks you'd need that for music, anyway. She's used to practice for festival songs, anyway, and that was only a few times a year.]
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[ if he's being honest, as much as he's warmed up to the concept of generating chroma or manna, he still prefers this. easy intimacy that suits his casual nature, the way he doesn't hesitate to reach out. thoughtfully swiping his thumb over the back of her hand, he gazes at the comfortable overlay.
his heart has never been closed off, so the emotions that flow through the manna are just as vivid: he adores them. ]
There were a lot of things that took practice for us, but some things came really easily. We aligned so naturally that I don't think I would have chosen anyone else to sing or dance with.
I know it's a different thing, but I think, thanks to that... synchrony is something I can view as important.
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[To think she'd almost kept silent and let him go.
When it came to the quickness, though... Konoha hadn't actually thought it was too odd herself until coming to Lunatia and being told that many of the people from the more "modern" worlds thought that was too fast, seeing as many marriages in her time were arranged. But his comment just makes her laugh a little, squeezing his fingers as she nuzzles a bit unconsciously into her own shoulder, lacking her husband's withers to lean against.]
If your group is here, are you going to be doing those show things? Like the, um... what was their name like the BTS... the BTSB people?
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That's not the first time I've heard that comparison! [ incredibly ] Even though I'm unfamiliar, haha. But we're going to aim to have live shows! I love performing too much to let it go. We'll have to go from the bottom up again...
[ he doesn't look daunted by the task though. third time's the charm? ]
I'll just find other work in the city until we can get off the ground here.
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Ryuunosuke is a hard worker though, so I'm sure your friends must be, too, right? I bet you can do it.
[She doesn't have any doubt, actually, even if she's completely ignorant of what kind of things go on behind the scenes to make a production like that come together. (What do you mean you don't just stand on the street and perform and people throw money at you?)]
I'd offer you a job myself, but I'm not a farmstead wife anymore, am I, aha...
[Actually, she... really misses that. Not that she'd chose it ever over being where she actually belonged, on Mt. Tsurugi and not the little farm in Lunatia named after it, but. It had been nice, to be able to live somewhere that looked like she was used to homes looking, to work the land and be able to keep somewhat apart and safe from the more confusing city, answering to little and, thanks to her husband's presence and their chroma fed crops, being in financial position to help others.
... Actually she hadn't thought about that. She really hopes hand-holding manna has a decent conversion rate to buy groceries.]
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