[She blinks at him, then lets out a little oooh of comprehension.]
Sorry, I thought I told you. Where I'm from, there was something called the Dark Hour. It's really complicated to explain, [code for: it's too much work and she doesn't want to,] but basically there was a whole hour where like... unless you had the potential to awaken a Persona, time kind of stopped for most people right at midnight. We called it the Dark Hour. These monsters called Shadows would wander around. Usually they were in Tartarus, but every full moon, a really strong one would escape and try to wreak havoc in the city.
[She keeps swinging her feet and eating her sandwich, even as her smile falls into something more neutral and less cheerful. They'd thought they had to fight them, but... well, things would have been better if they hadn't. Best not to dwell on regrets, though! Just live in the moment.]
[That's... so weird, a whole hour where the only people that can walk around are Persona users and these Shadow creatures. It really sounds like something out of a book or movie, but Scott doesn't second guess her at all. He's the guy that shoot lasers, hard to really doubt the extraordinary from other worlds-- Earths, even. So, Kotone and her friends probably saved the city multiple times from these monsters.
She really is cool, huh? He'll stop simping sometime
He thoughtfully bites into his sandwich again, wanting to ask her how it feels to live 25 hour days, but as his eyes shift to hers, he notices the drop in her smile and he feels that question die in his throat.]
[Oh, shoot. She'd forgotten to control her expression. She'd been working on that so hard with Dazai, so people wouldn't ever suspect anything was wrong.
>Tell the truth >Lie
Explaining everything involved with the choices they'd made, the regrets they'd all had as a result... that sounds like a lot of difficult things to try to talk about when they're supposed to be having a nice time. So she just summons her smile back to her lips as if it had never faltered in the first place.]
[Oh, that makes sense... especially since Shinji is probably gone. It's sort of the reason why he suddenly wanted to hang out with her, because he knows that his disappearance has hit her hard, unless he is magically still here. But Scott hasn't seen him, not even at breakfast, grumbling and making eggs for anyone that stopped by.
It really does kind of suck.
He thought about prolonging this conversation a little longer, but maybe it's time to dig into a bit little more. Kotone sort of brought it up first, right? So, it's probably okay. Still, Scott doesn't return her smile, almost staring solemnly out at the town below.]
[This time, she makes sure not to let her smile falter.]
Uh-uh. [She shakes her head, inhaling quietly through her nose and holding it for a moment. Goro had gotten really angry at her for even trying to search, and of course no one had found him out there. He really is gone.
Her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes, but she's trying.]
Thanks for helping me look, though. Maybe he's back home, like Fyodor-san had been when he disappeared! So it'll be okay.
[So he is gone, if Kotone is that certain about it. Scott knows that she didn't give up hope for the longest time, but guess even she knows when to call it quits. It's definitely a bummer though, even as he gives a slight nod in acknowledgement to her words.
Well, at least he's back home, as she said.]
Yeah, he's probably making scrambled eggs for everyone back in Japan by now. [He smiles, doing his best to cheer her up. Even if she's still putting up a cheerful façade, Scott can at least tell right now that she's pretty upset about her friend's disappearance. Like, who wouldn't be?] He'll probably have a whole breakfast saved up for you by the time you return.
[Scott's smile falters slightly at the thought. They all need to return back home at some point and he wants to, really. But also... it's going to really suck saying good-bye to Kotone, if he even gets a chance to. Fuck, don't get emotional about crap right now!! He's supposed to be cheering her up!!
He shoves a large piece of his sandwich into his mouth, but despite the flavors hitting his mouth, Scott can't really taste anything now.]
It's like he'd punched her in the gut with that simple statement, her throat closing up and her brows knitting together as she tries to fight back a sudden, dizzying wave of emotions. He's not making scrambled eggs for everyone -- he's in the hospital fighting for his life. And even if he wakes up, she won't be there to have his breakfasts. Not ever again.
Her fingers pick at the corners of her sandwich. She'd dealt with this sense of loss before. She'd accepted it. It feels cruel to have gotten to see him again, only to have him taken away again.
>Lie >Lie >Lie >Lie]
Yeah, [she manages, trying to swallow back the ugly, sickening feeling of tears threatening to gather in her eyes and taking a deep breath. In spite of it, she still tries to keep her smile.] Maybe!
[Distracted by his own thoughts, he doesn't fully notice the subtle change in Kotone's demeanor, and it's probably something that is difficult for Scott to catch on a good day. He just swallows thickly past the piece he bit into, while doing his best to push back that small ache. He just has to appreciate what time he has with Kotone right now. It's what he can do, without anyone telling him otherwise, and it's far better than counting the days of when she might be gone.
R-right, think he managed, this time at least.
He bumps his shoulder into hers, figuring that any residual pain she has right now is due to missing Shinji still. It's hard saying bye to a friend, even if they are back home for you.]
It's okay to say if you miss him, Kotone. Or say 'fuck this place for taking him away.' [He adds a slightly teasing tone.] I promise to keep it between us.
[Shinji had made his choice back then, and so had she. It's okay to feel sad about things that have happened, but she can't stop moving forward. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, forcing herself to push away that rising emotion. Scott had been counting on her back in the desert to keep her calm. She has to be like a leader for him too, doesn't she? So...
She forces a smile, then huffs a little humorless laugh through her nose as she turns that slightly-watery smile back on him.]
I'm okay. Really. I miss him, but I'll be okay. [She leans closer and rests her shoulder against his, swinging her feet.] At least I've still got you!
[For now. Eventually, she knows she'll lose him; one of them will leave the other, and it'll probably be her. But she has him for now, and that's enough.]
Really? Don't wanna shout it from the roof? Might be fun.
[Seeing her so close to him though... Scott swallows tightly as he tries to fight off the rising heat to his cheeks. Nope, he's going to play it cool this time. He won't blush like some maiden on a school dance. He's Scott Summers, the... totally in control and cool mutant guy. Yeah.
...Should he wrap his arm around her shoulders? Or is that too much? UHHHH]
[She snorts, then can't help it-- she bursts into laughter. It's not malicious, at least! Even if that's kind of a cringe thing to say, she genuinely thinks it's funny.]
Corny! [she manages through giggles, but she also hasn't moved away from him yet, so that's... something? It at least seems to have dissolved some of her earlier melancholy, anyway, so mission accomplished at the cost of some of his pride. In fact, she shifts to rest her head against his shoulder.]
[He sighs, just accepting his fate and loss of pride. But it could be worse, Kotone definitely looks happier now compared to a few seconds ago and so Scott considers that a success. It's totally a downer seeing her upset about crap, because it's... definitely not her. Well, at least not a demeanor he likes seeing on her, for obvious reasons. Like, who would, unless you're a freakin' psycho!
[She giggles a little bit more and finally takes another, smaller bite from her sandwich. No good to let the whipped cream get warm, after all, even if it's a little awkward to chew with the side of her head resting against his shoulder.
Comfortable letting them fall into silence for a little longer, she takes another bite, chews, and swallows before asking,] Is there anyone from home that you miss...? None of your friends are here, right?
[He finishes the rest of his sandwich before tossing the bag behind him for now. He'll pick it up later, probably!]
Yeah, none of them are here.
[Not to mention being the only mutant and everything too at least for now. He's gotten past that lonely feeling, mostly because of Kotone and the other members of TWAT club, but Scott won't lie and say he wouldn't be super ecstatic if Jean or Kurt arrived. He'd definitely get them introduced to everyone else. Of course, there's also his brother, but he's an old fart and would do just fine on his own anyway!!]
I guess I miss them. I mean, I've really only known the other mutants at school for like a day before coming here. [Small shrug.] It's okay.
[No friends at the old school? Girlfriend? She finishes the last of her sandwich and just balls up the bag next to her, keeping her head against his shoulder and gently kicking her feet. The people at her school, her team, are the most important people she can imagine. Maybe that's why Shinji's disappearance hit her so hard. It's not like she wouldn't be sad if Rio from Tennis Club or Hidetoshi from Student Council had been here and disappeared, but it's different when it's someone from SEES. If Ken disappears too, she'll...
[As in, Scott didn't really have friends at his old school.
Sure, guess there were some other guys he'd sort of hang out with here and there, but he doesn't find himself missing them at all. It was just a dumb school in the suburbs that he didn't really click with, so of course he had to cause a little trouble when he was feeling particularly pissed off and speak with the principal as a result of that. Whatever. It doesn't matter anymore.]
[Well, for her, anyway. It's not like she didn't know people who'd had a hard time at Gekkoukan -- she'd helped a few of them, after all! -- but it was pretty easy for her.]
I mean, there were some people who weren't great, like this one guy who kept taking pictures of me in my gym uniform, and these other girls that were bullying one of my friends for a while, but... it all worked out in the end. I miss it, kind of. I'd have liked to do my third year there, anyway. Or at least go to the Cultural Festival!
[Scott's face visibly scrunches upon hearing that, especially the 'guy taking pictures of Kotone in her gym uniform.' That's some real weirdo behavior, hopefully he got punched or something because freak!! But besides that and the bullying, it sounds like her school is pretty cool, especially if it had a view of the ocean.
He looks over the town once more.]
Hm? Is there a reason why you aren't doing your third year there?
[Her feet stop swinging for a moment, and if he glances down, he'll see her smile fix to her face for a moment. Hm. Treat him like a baby duck, right...?]
Some stuff happened! [she says after a beat too long of a pause, after her feet start swinging again.] So I can't do my third year there. It's okay, though. You've met Ken-kun, right? He's from my future, kind of, so he's told me about what all my friends have been up to after I was gone.
[Oh. Okay. Maybe she had to move or something? That happens a lot, but... Scott bites his lip, suddenly feeling like he's missing something. It's not that he thinks she's lying, but Kotone is also being really vague. She could've just said she moved, or maybe it is pretty personal??
Scott keeps his gaze focused on the town still, although he sounds serious, if just for a moment.]
It's okay if you don't want to tell me-- you can just say that.
[But he's moving on with this slight change in topic.] I actually haven't met Ken yet, but geez, you made him tell you all about the future? [He lightly ribs her.] Pretty sure that's against time laws.
[A wince. She can almost hear the lack of approval points in that response, even as he ribs her. It's not even something that upsets her that much, usually, but it upsets other people. The way Ken had cried when he'd first seen her here had really driven that home.
The only other ones who know are Goro and Dazai. Does she want Scott to know...? It wouldn't be better for him to know. But maybe it's fair that he knows?
She wasn't supposed to have to think about all of this!]
...I just don't want you to be sad. [She glances sideways at him with her normal smile. Even if it's smaller than usual, it's still as genuine as ever.] I really like spending time with you, so...
[He'd be sad, she's sure of it. He's not the type to be bitter or judgemental like Goro, or flippant like Dazai. He's too normal for that.]
[Scott asks, a light frown forming across him as his eyebrows furrow. It feels like an odd thing to hear and he tries to ignore the rising anxiety that builds in his chest. Maybe he's just taking things out of context, but it feels a little ominous hearing this.]
It's so much easier to lie, to brush it off, to ignore it and pretend it doesn't bother her and focus on other people. Talking about herself feels self-centered at best, heartbreaking at worst. But it almost feels like her parchment is burning a hole in her pocket as she opens her mouth to reassure him that it's fine. That's her crime, isn't it? Duplicity. Lying.
Maybe she should tell him. It's only fair. They're friends, aren't they? Shinji had hid that he was sick almost the entire time she'd known him, and she'd been so angry at him for not trusting her. It's not like there's anything she could have done. But it would have been better to know.
Belatedly, she realizes she's been lost in her own thoughts for several seconds too long. Yeah. She should tell him. He'll be upset, but just like with Shinji, it's better for him to know. Her smile fades into the barest, resigned quirk of lips as she meets his eyes again.]
[This is actually happening, right? He didn't just step into a weird dimension where everything is fucked and Kotone is telling him that she's going to die. Scott isn't sure what's going on anymore, and how things went from innocent sandwich eating to this. His mouth parts slightly, although no words come out, not at first.]
...What?
[His voice comes off as shaky, almost in disbelief, like he's not sure if he heard her correctly.] What do you mean...?
[She keeps swinging her feet, looking back out over town rather than meeting his eyes. It feels like she should choose her words carefully, but she doesn't know which ones to choose. Telling him it's a joke doesn't feel right, but...]
I mean, everybody does eventually, right?
[She gives him a quick flash of a smile, hoping it's reassuring before looking back toward town.]
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[She blinks at him, then lets out a little oooh of comprehension.]
Sorry, I thought I told you. Where I'm from, there was something called the Dark Hour. It's really complicated to explain, [code for: it's too much work and she doesn't want to,] but basically there was a whole hour where like... unless you had the potential to awaken a Persona, time kind of stopped for most people right at midnight. We called it the Dark Hour. These monsters called Shadows would wander around. Usually they were in Tartarus, but every full moon, a really strong one would escape and try to wreak havoc in the city.
[She keeps swinging her feet and eating her sandwich, even as her smile falls into something more neutral and less cheerful. They'd thought they had to fight them, but... well, things would have been better if they hadn't. Best not to dwell on regrets, though! Just live in the moment.]
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She really is cool, huh?
He'll stop simping sometimeHe thoughtfully bites into his sandwich again, wanting to ask her how it feels to live 25 hour days, but as his eyes shift to hers, he notices the drop in her smile and he feels that question die in his throat.]
...Is something wrong, Kotone?
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>Tell the truth
>Lie
Explaining everything involved with the choices they'd made, the regrets they'd all had as a result... that sounds like a lot of difficult things to try to talk about when they're supposed to be having a nice time. So she just summons her smile back to her lips as if it had never faltered in the first place.]
Just thinking about home! I miss my friends.
[It's not a total lie. It's a truth, certainly.]
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It really does kind of suck.
He thought about prolonging this conversation a little longer, but maybe it's time to dig into a bit little more. Kotone sort of brought it up first, right? So, it's probably okay. Still, Scott doesn't return her smile, almost staring solemnly out at the town below.]
...Did you ever find Shinji?
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Uh-uh. [She shakes her head, inhaling quietly through her nose and holding it for a moment. Goro had gotten really angry at her for even trying to search, and of course no one had found him out there. He really is gone.
Her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes, but she's trying.]
Thanks for helping me look, though. Maybe he's back home, like Fyodor-san had been when he disappeared! So it'll be okay.
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Well, at least he's back home, as she said.]
Yeah, he's probably making scrambled eggs for everyone back in Japan by now. [He smiles, doing his best to cheer her up. Even if she's still putting up a cheerful façade, Scott can at least tell right now that she's pretty upset about her friend's disappearance. Like, who wouldn't be?] He'll probably have a whole breakfast saved up for you by the time you return.
[Scott's smile falters slightly at the thought. They all need to return back home at some point and he wants to, really. But also... it's going to really suck saying good-bye to Kotone, if he even gets a chance to. Fuck, don't get emotional about crap right now!! He's supposed to be cheering her up!!
He shoves a large piece of his sandwich into his mouth, but despite the flavors hitting his mouth, Scott can't really taste anything now.]
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Oh no.
It's like he'd punched her in the gut with that simple statement, her throat closing up and her brows knitting together as she tries to fight back a sudden, dizzying wave of emotions. He's not making scrambled eggs for everyone -- he's in the hospital fighting for his life. And even if he wakes up, she won't be there to have his breakfasts. Not ever again.
Her fingers pick at the corners of her sandwich. She'd dealt with this sense of loss before. She'd accepted it. It feels cruel to have gotten to see him again, only to have him taken away again.
>Lie
>Lie
>Lie
>Lie]
Yeah, [she manages, trying to swallow back the ugly, sickening feeling of tears threatening to gather in her eyes and taking a deep breath. In spite of it, she still tries to keep her smile.] Maybe!
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R-right, think he managed, this time at least.
He bumps his shoulder into hers, figuring that any residual pain she has right now is due to missing Shinji still. It's hard saying bye to a friend, even if they are back home for you.]
It's okay to say if you miss him, Kotone. Or say 'fuck this place for taking him away.' [He adds a slightly teasing tone.] I promise to keep it between us.
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She forces a smile, then huffs a little humorless laugh through her nose as she turns that slightly-watery smile back on him.]
I'm okay. Really. I miss him, but I'll be okay. [She leans closer and rests her shoulder against his, swinging her feet.] At least I've still got you!
[For now. Eventually, she knows she'll lose him; one of them will leave the other, and it'll probably be her. But she has him for now, and that's enough.]
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[Seeing her so close to him though... Scott swallows tightly as he tries to fight off the rising heat to his cheeks. Nope, he's going to play it cool this time. He won't blush like some maiden on a school dance. He's Scott Summers, the... totally in control and cool mutant guy. Yeah.
...Should he wrap his arm around her shoulders? Or is that too much? UHHHH]
Yeah I'm stuck to you like glue.
[The fall from the roof is a fast death, right.]
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Corny! [she manages through giggles, but she also hasn't moved away from him yet, so that's... something? It at least seems to have dissolved some of her earlier melancholy, anyway, so mission accomplished at the cost of some of his pride. In fact, she shifts to rest her head against his shoulder.]
I'm glad you're still here.
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[He sighs, just accepting his fate and loss of pride. But it could be worse, Kotone definitely looks happier now compared to a few seconds ago and so Scott considers that a success. It's totally a downer seeing her upset about crap, because it's... definitely not her. Well, at least not a demeanor he likes seeing on her, for obvious reasons. Like, who would, unless you're a freakin' psycho!
Anyway.
Scott smirks slightly over at her.]
Well, that makes two of us.
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Comfortable letting them fall into silence for a little longer, she takes another bite, chews, and swallows before asking,] Is there anyone from home that you miss...? None of your friends are here, right?
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Yeah, none of them are here.
[Not to mention being the only mutant and everything too
at least for now. He's gotten past that lonely feeling, mostly because of Kotone and the other members of TWAT club, but Scott won't lie and say he wouldn't be super ecstatic if Jean or Kurt arrived. He'd definitely get them introduced to everyone else. Of course, there's also his brother, but he's an old fart and would do just fine on his own anyway!!]I guess I miss them. I mean, I've really only known the other mutants at school for like a day before coming here. [Small shrug.] It's okay.
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[No friends at the old school? Girlfriend? She finishes the last of her sandwich and just balls up the bag next to her, keeping her head against his shoulder and gently kicking her feet. The people at her school, her team, are the most important people she can imagine. Maybe that's why Shinji's disappearance hit her so hard. It's not like she wouldn't be sad if Rio from Tennis Club or Hidetoshi from Student Council had been here and disappeared, but it's different when it's someone from SEES. If Ken disappears too, she'll...
She doesn't know what she'll do.]
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[As in, Scott didn't really have friends at his old school.
Sure, guess there were some other guys he'd sort of hang out with here and there, but he doesn't find himself missing them at all. It was just a dumb school in the suburbs that he didn't really click with, so of course he had to cause a little trouble when he was feeling particularly pissed off and speak with the principal as a result of that. Whatever. It doesn't matter anymore.]
I don't miss it.
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[Well, for her, anyway. It's not like she didn't know people who'd had a hard time at Gekkoukan -- she'd helped a few of them, after all! -- but it was pretty easy for her.]
I mean, there were some people who weren't great, like this one guy who kept taking pictures of me in my gym uniform, and these other girls that were bullying one of my friends for a while, but... it all worked out in the end. I miss it, kind of. I'd have liked to do my third year there, anyway. Or at least go to the Cultural Festival!
[But- well. That won't be happening.]
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He looks over the town once more.]
Hm? Is there a reason why you aren't doing your third year there?
[JUST. CASUAL.]
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Some stuff happened! [she says after a beat too long of a pause, after her feet start swinging again.] So I can't do my third year there. It's okay, though. You've met Ken-kun, right? He's from my future, kind of, so he's told me about what all my friends have been up to after I was gone.
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Scott keeps his gaze focused on the town still, although he sounds serious, if just for a moment.]
It's okay if you don't want to tell me-- you can just say that.
[But he's moving on with this slight change in topic.] I actually haven't met Ken yet, but geez, you made him tell you all about the future? [He lightly ribs her.] Pretty sure that's against time laws.
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The only other ones who know are Goro and Dazai. Does she want Scott to know...? It wouldn't be better for him to know. But maybe it's fair that he knows?
She wasn't supposed to have to think about all of this!]
...I just don't want you to be sad. [She glances sideways at him with her normal smile. Even if it's smaller than usual, it's still as genuine as ever.] I really like spending time with you, so...
[He'd be sad, she's sure of it. He's not the type to be bitter or judgemental like Goro, or flippant like Dazai. He's too normal for that.]
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Why would I be sad?
[Scott asks, a light frown forming across him as his eyebrows furrow. It feels like an odd thing to hear and he tries to ignore the rising anxiety that builds in his chest. Maybe he's just taking things out of context, but it feels a little ominous hearing this.]
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>Lie.
>Lie!
It's so much easier to lie, to brush it off, to ignore it and pretend it doesn't bother her and focus on other people. Talking about herself feels self-centered at best, heartbreaking at worst. But it almost feels like her parchment is burning a hole in her pocket as she opens her mouth to reassure him that it's fine. That's her crime, isn't it? Duplicity. Lying.
Maybe she should tell him. It's only fair. They're friends, aren't they? Shinji had hid that he was sick almost the entire time she'd known him, and she'd been so angry at him for not trusting her. It's not like there's anything she could have done. But it would have been better to know.
Belatedly, she realizes she's been lost in her own thoughts for several seconds too long. Yeah. She should tell him. He'll be upset, but just like with Shinji, it's better for him to know. Her smile fades into the barest, resigned quirk of lips as she meets his eyes again.]
'Cause I'm gonna die.
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...What?
[His voice comes off as shaky, almost in disbelief, like he's not sure if he heard her correctly.] What do you mean...?
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I mean, everybody does eventually, right?
[She gives him a quick flash of a smile, hoping it's reassuring before looking back toward town.]
It's okay.
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want to wrap this up? :>