I wouldn't mind scuba diving is the thing. [ conversationally, because he is also thinking about sidon and his domain. but he shakes his head. also ray do you wanna memshare first or me. ]
I didn't really build him to be waterproof like that, no. I could ask for some materials to upgrade him, but I'm still trying to fix his hands myself. [ he should maybe fix his own hand, seeing how he still has what appears to be a metal arm attached over his actual arm. ] It's not a bad idea though.
[ i have two i think would be interesting for kazu but i'm so scared of their cr blowing up so let me think. anyway. ]
I won't say no to a good kind of different. [ but he shrugs. ] I wanted to see about getting something stronger so that his fingers don't cave next time he tries heavy lifting. I didn't anticipate getting locked in.
Yeah. I'm gonna look to see, at least. Wanna help? I could always use another set of eyes, even if you don't entirely know what I'm looking for.
[ not that they get too far in looking, because soon there is a rift! they are in a rift, and kazuki gets to witness something not great. in this dream-like memory state though, he does not see the girl in the white dress/cloak, and it sounds as if her voice is coming from mizuki instead. also for your own reference you may skip the section where you talk to everyone else who isn't amame, shoma or gen and tama & aiba cannot be heard. it goes to the end. yeehaw. ]
[ pats shoma. you can fit so much trauma in this kid... and kazuki, too, because this memory makes him tense up for so many reasons. so, so many. woof.
he is silent for probably longer than is polite, just. processing. ]
Did... Did she make it back?
[ maybe... he won't acknowledge the rest for now. ]
[ this was my safer option....also haha yeah! yeah. it's great, shoma is also extremely silent and tense once he registers what kazuki just saw, and he's staring as if he's trying to decide what, exactly, kazuki picked up from all of that.
but his shoulders droop just slightly, and he doesn't entirely meet his gaze. ]
They're keeping her at the detention center for now. [ a pause. ] ...her lawyer said that because of the circumstances, her sentence might be less. But right now we don't know.
Yeah. [ thanks, he appreciate it. he's just rubbing his face with his human hand. ] That was only like a week or something before we got here. It's the main reason I have to try and finish out this stupid contract and get home. I can't leave her.
[ ...interesting. he pauses, and he looks at him again curiously. ]
What do you mean by that? [ it isn't defensive, at least. it's just an inquiry of what kazuki thinks. and maybe there's another reason he's asking, too. ]
I don't know - you tell me. You're the one who was willing to make bombs, aren't you? Are you done with that, or what?
[ that was for revenge, sure. but if a person can willingly go that far, kazuki won't make assumptions about what else they'd do. adonis is example enough, in his opinion. ]
I'm out of materials. [ don't make this into a joke. ] And the bombs are gone. We needed them--[ god. never mind, he does not need to get into how those bombs actually helped save the world, because he's kind of getting that there are things kazuki isn't getting, and...maybe he's tired of not being as clear as he should be. ]
It doesn't matter. I'm not going to blow up the detention center just to get her out. Amame wouldn't want me to do that. [ ... ] I've...been sort of thinking about my options. Right now I think the plan is probably to go back to school. I dropped out, but...I can catch up, and graduation's not that far anyway. At least with a diploma even if I can't afford college right now I can work and save up until she's out, and then figure stuff out from there. I want to go so I can keep studying and actually become a robotics engineer but money might be an even bigger issue now. We'll have to see.
[ please don't make this a joke, shoma. his eyes narrow a bit in response to that, but otherwise... ]
Needed them. [ no, he's not dropping it that easily. ] For what? Something to do with those terrorists you mentioned before? What'd you call them... Naixatloz? That's who this "Tearer" guy was, right?
[ he wouldn't forget that when it sounds so similar to adonis. but shoma had said they'd already been stopped, so... he listens, frowning. ]
You will figure it out. If you care that much, then you'll find a way.
Yes. [ just plain and simple, yes. ] We needed them to stop the Nirvana Initiative. And we did. Things are finally slowing down again after all of that, and Naix is being disbanded and investigated. So are some of the other organizations who were a part of this plan.
[ he continues to stare at kazuki for a moment...but he decides he isn't going to press anything else and settles for a nod. yeah. he'll figure it out eventually. ]
Being here means having a little more time to think it through. So it's what I've been debating for the last couple of weeks. And then...you know. Murders started happening, so I put it on hold again. But I'll figure it out myself when I get back if I have to.
[ something seems to click in his head with that and he kind of goes "huh" internally. ]
We'll see. [ this is to both statements, but he has decided that he shared way too much and that maybe they should just talk about something else, unaware that kazuki's memory still has to show up, too. ] ...anyway, that's there and not here. Right now it's just about markets and solving things and trying to make the most of this shitty situation.
[ he sees what shoma's doing, and he's not that happy about it, but he doesn't see much point in arguing it right now. ]
It's not going away just because you aren't home, even if we have other problems here. It wouldn't hurt to use some of the extra time to think about it. And if they hold to the payout they told us about, you'll probably be set.
[ shoma doesn't even see what shoma's doing, but he at least figures he and kazuki are not going to agree on a few things and that's fine. he respects the guy enough he won't argue about things, and instead he's trying to salvage this. ]
Yeah...I've heard the stipend's supposedly enough money that if we really get it you'd be set for life. It's a big risk when we don't even know it's true, but if it is that'd solve...everything. [ ...he pauses, and he does decide to offer up: ] After my parents divorced, we didn't have a ton of money to be spending on extra stuff. A lot of the parts I bought for Robota and then later for Roboji were from a junk shop just because the price was right, even if I had to do some extra work to refurbish them. And then after my dad died...Amame helped me keep up by paying for bills and groceries for me and stuff. It'd be nice not to worry about that kind of stuff.
Yeah. Don't bank everything on it, but it'd be nice if it's true.
[ not that it will make people dying worth it. ]
I had to do a lot of work to afford equipment for my guitar, so I get it. [ to a point, at least. ] It's nice that she's always supported you, though. Even if it's hard financially... that's still pretty lucky.
Yeah. [ to all of that. an encompassing little yeah. ] ...I think it was half because she wanted to and half because she felt like there wasn't another choice. Amame's always taken on more responsibility than she should've had to. But...I can admit it was lucky. All the more reason I have to fix everything here first to get back there.
[ what? maybe it doesn't matter. it's kazuki's turn to share a memory (30:00 - 34:40):
your older sister returns home from work and calls your name, and sits you down to talk about something serious. you're confused, but you follow her lead, settling comfortably on the bed with a shake of your head, still unsure what to expect. and what she says... definitely isn't it.
"Hey, if everything gets resolved and Shinjuku returns to normal... let's go see Mom and Dad, and then have a proper talk with them together."
while you're too caught off guard to respond, ichika continues, acknowledging your dream more directly than ever, and offering support you never thought you'd receive. no, you don't want to run the family business. that was never going to be the life for you. but you expected to have to fight for it all on your own, to work as hard as you could to force your family to listen for once, to acknowledge that you are, in fact, your own person, and that your dream isn't out of reach. but here is ichika, insisting that you tell them together, offering you a helping hand you never thought you'd get.
"They'll never know if you don't tell them, so they won't understand until you do," she says. and you're surprised to find yourself smiling back at her, relieved and excited to finally have someone in your corner, promising to root for you.
...but even that doesn't assuage your worries. tomorrow is new year's eve. x-day is still looming over the city. so you ask with hesitation, a little afraid of the answer, if they'd caught adonis already. and ichika agrees, except--
"...We haven't caught all of them."
and that's what scares you. that's why you have to ask, "But you don't need to be in danger anymore. Right?"
all you want is for your ichika to be safe. you've been saying it for days, over a week now, and not once has she listened. it's always been that she had something important to do. but if they've caught those adonis guys, then maybe... just maybe, she can finally sit out, rest, and stay out of danger.
you're afraid, and the way she hesitates makes you feel a little desperate. akito, your best friend, has already disappeared, arrested for some unknown crime. if ichika does, too... what are you supposed to do? it was bad enough that time when you were kids. even now, you remember it in sharp clarity - how scared you'd been when she disappeared from your side, the terror of seeing your parents, who were supposed to hold up the world, fly into a panic - how you'd clung to her and cried and cried and cried when that kid brought her back, hair wet with blood and in a daze.
you'd gotten her back that time. but now...?
softly, you plead, "Don't you go dying on me without even telling me."
"...I'll be alright. I won't die and leave you alone." she reaches out, resting a hand on your head. she always did that when you were younger, whenever you cried and needed reassurance. "But, there are still things that I have to do."
again, with that. again, she's going to throw herself into danger, and she asks you to support her. that's her dream, she says, and what are you to say to that? she is committed, and you'd be a hypocrite to ignore her dream after working so hard for yours to be recognized. hesitantly, with tears threatening to well up in your eyes, you agree.
"I..." a false start, as your voice betrays your anxiety. "I've always had a bad temper, taking it out on you. Maybe I'm in my childish rebellious phase. I've been irresponsible, and I haven't tried to understand how you feel."
a breath as you steel yourself, and you vow to fulfill your dream.
"I won't just be coddled like I have until now. I'm going to help my big sis." neechan. it's the first time you've called her that in years, and it brings your smile back. "So, don't you die on me. You make sure you survive and come back home."
"Of course," ichika answers easily. with that, she leaves you to get back to work. and your smile fades quickly, as you watch her back disappear through the door, wondering if it will be the last time you see it.
soft baby boyyyyy. that's me, not shoma, although shoma seems to be registering what he's seeing quietly as he watches it unfold and he just...kind of frowns. ]
...guess older sisters are the same everywhere, huh? [ because he recognizes a lot of those sentiments, can recognize similar conversations he's had with amame. ]
You and me both. [ he does not like it, but that's the way it goes. ] ...she'll come back. I know that probably doesn't mean much coming from me, but she seems too stubborn to die.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I didn't really build him to be waterproof like that, no. I could ask for some materials to upgrade him, but I'm still trying to fix his hands myself. [ he should maybe fix his own hand, seeing how he still has what appears to be a metal arm attached over his actual arm. ] It's not a bad idea though.
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[ i don't have shoma's memshare written yet so if you're good then you may go no worries ]
...Is there something you're missing to finish it up?
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I won't say no to a good kind of different. [ but he shrugs. ] I wanted to see about getting something stronger so that his fingers don't cave next time he tries heavy lifting. I didn't anticipate getting locked in.
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The bar's low. Anything good is an improvement at this point.
Maybe you can find something out here...?
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Yeah. I'm gonna look to see, at least. Wanna help? I could always use another set of eyes, even if you don't entirely know what I'm looking for.
[ not that they get too far in looking, because soon there is a rift! they are in a rift, and kazuki gets to witness something not great. in this dream-like memory state though, he does not see the girl in the white dress/cloak, and it sounds as if her voice is coming from mizuki instead. also for your own reference you may skip the section where you talk to everyone else who isn't amame, shoma or gen and tama & aiba cannot be heard. it goes to the end. yeehaw. ]
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he is silent for probably longer than is polite, just. processing. ]
Did... Did she make it back?
[ maybe... he won't acknowledge the rest for now. ]
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but his shoulders droop just slightly, and he doesn't entirely meet his gaze. ]
They're keeping her at the detention center for now. [ a pause. ] ...her lawyer said that because of the circumstances, her sentence might be less. But right now we don't know.
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Yeah. Waiting... not knowing. It sucks.
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[ this seems genuine, not just something you'd say to mollify a precocious kid with big ideas in their head. ]
Good luck getting her back. [ a slight hesitation, before he adds, ] Maybe just... do it the right way this time, though.
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What do you mean by that? [ it isn't defensive, at least. it's just an inquiry of what kazuki thinks. and maybe there's another reason he's asking, too. ]
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[ that was for revenge, sure. but if a person can willingly go that far, kazuki won't make assumptions about what else they'd do. adonis is example enough, in his opinion. ]
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I'm out of materials. [ don't make this into a joke. ] And the bombs are gone. We needed them--[ god. never mind, he does not need to get into how those bombs actually helped save the world, because he's kind of getting that there are things kazuki isn't getting, and...maybe he's tired of not being as clear as he should be. ]
It doesn't matter. I'm not going to blow up the detention center just to get her out. Amame wouldn't want me to do that. [ ... ] I've...been sort of thinking about my options. Right now I think the plan is probably to go back to school. I dropped out, but...I can catch up, and graduation's not that far anyway. At least with a diploma even if I can't afford college right now I can work and save up until she's out, and then figure stuff out from there. I want to go so I can keep studying and actually become a robotics engineer but money might be an even bigger issue now. We'll have to see.
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Needed them. [ no, he's not dropping it that easily. ] For what? Something to do with those terrorists you mentioned before? What'd you call them... Naixatloz? That's who this "Tearer" guy was, right?
[ he wouldn't forget that when it sounds so similar to adonis. but shoma had said they'd already been stopped, so... he listens, frowning. ]
You will figure it out. If you care that much, then you'll find a way.
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[ he continues to stare at kazuki for a moment...but he decides he isn't going to press anything else and settles for a nod. yeah. he'll figure it out eventually. ]
Being here means having a little more time to think it through. So it's what I've been debating for the last couple of weeks. And then...you know. Murders started happening, so I put it on hold again. But I'll figure it out myself when I get back if I have to.
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[ wrong question. whatever. he'll keep the rest of his thoughts to himself for now, if shoma's going to close up on him again like this. ]
I'm sure she'll be happy for you when you do.
[ or maybe he's just projecting. ]
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We'll see. [ this is to both statements, but he has decided that he shared way too much and that maybe they should just talk about something else, unaware that kazuki's memory still has to show up, too. ] ...anyway, that's there and not here. Right now it's just about markets and solving things and trying to make the most of this shitty situation.
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It's not going away just because you aren't home, even if we have other problems here. It wouldn't hurt to use some of the extra time to think about it. And if they hold to the payout they told us about, you'll probably be set.
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Yeah...I've heard the stipend's supposedly enough money that if we really get it you'd be set for life. It's a big risk when we don't even know it's true, but if it is that'd solve...everything. [ ...he pauses, and he does decide to offer up: ] After my parents divorced, we didn't have a ton of money to be spending on extra stuff. A lot of the parts I bought for Robota and then later for Roboji were from a junk shop just because the price was right, even if I had to do some extra work to refurbish them. And then after my dad died...Amame helped me keep up by paying for bills and groceries for me and stuff. It'd be nice not to worry about that kind of stuff.
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[ not that it will make people dying worth it. ]
I had to do a lot of work to afford equipment for my guitar, so I get it. [ to a point, at least. ] It's nice that she's always supported you, though. Even if it's hard financially... that's still pretty lucky.
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[ what? maybe it doesn't matter. it's kazuki's turn to share a memory (30:00 - 34:40):haha. embarrassing. anyway. ]
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...guess older sisters are the same everywhere, huh? [ because he recognizes a lot of those sentiments, can recognize similar conversations he's had with amame. ]
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