fortunefail | Appointments

My housemate is out right now. [Which doesn't entirely answer the question. He's sure Souji is thinking about Martel, that's a topic he'd like to avoid if he can help it.]

[He is, yeah. Thankfully, he doesn't recall her enough to directly mention his 'mom', so it doesn't take much to misdirect him. ...At least, for the moment.

When he does, though, surely it'll get a little pressing for Yuan once he asks again. <_<;] Nothing to worry about, then, I guess. [...A little saddening, isn't it?] Anything that I need to know of? It'd be nice to know if something's changed.

[Something that's changed... It takes Yuan a while to come up with something. Luceti's been going through the same cycles of arrivals and departures, the same incidents of experiments and drafts. Same old, same old.]

I don't know if you were told, but Catherine- the Malnosso's CEO was targeted by the rest of the organization. They were desperate to retrieve him from the village, but he died in our care a few weeks ago, if I'm not mistaken.

He's gone?

[...Well, that's news to his ears...a Malnosso of all things, dead. And from the sound of it, they couldn't bring him back from the brink. That's...troubling, to say the least.] ...What led to this in the first place?

It's hard to say. There's been conflict within the organization for years now, possibly even centuries. We can't claim to know even half of what truly keeps the Malnosso occupied, nor can we distinguish the truth from lies.

[He absentmindedly rolls the apple between his fingers, thinking.] Catherine died of old age and sickness. He was likely revived outside the barrier within a week, but nobody's heard from him since. There's no telling who got to him first.

Edited (Whoops, used the wrong word to describe that) 2012-07-24 22:04 (UTC)

...That isn't a good sign, is it? [Granted, it's someone he didn't have the best of chances to talk to, but...]

Tno telling how much longer it's going to last, either, is there? [Maybe he's looking into this too deeply. Maybe not. Still, it's a legitimate worry as long as they're stuck here as far as he's concerned.]

Edited 2012-07-24 23:47 (UTC)

No, there's not. We can only hope he still has enough influence outside the barrier to keep himself safe. We can't count on the Malnosso to keep us updated on the situation, or even to tell us anything remotely useful.

[Oh, how much he would love to get to the bottom of all this.]

[He does, too, Yuan. Trust him on that.] Or in general, for that matter, if things are as messy as they sound.

Indeed.

[He takes a bite of his apple, still contemplating the matter. It's not like anything they know can be considered the truth, taking the Malnosso's Shifts into account. For all they know, they already got to the bottom of it all a while ago and the Malnosso altered their memories of it.

Are thoughts like that paranoia or common sense? It's hard to tell.]

[It wouldn't surprise him if it was the former, given everything the Mallies are willing to do...

...Still, he'll peek over in the direction of the stove after a brief beat.] Is it ready yet?

[One might think that Yuan's forgotten about the kettle, but he's been keeping tabs on it just by listening. His hearing will pick up on it the moment the water starts to boil.]

Not quite yet.

Mm. [A little more waiting, then. :|a In the meantime...what else is there to discuss...? Oh, right.] Has Shirogane-san been well? [He couldn't find out from Kouki...who he vaguely recalls as being close to Naoto during that odd shift.]

[It takes Yuan a few seconds to realize that by "Shirogane-san", he meant Naoto. He'll never get used to this habit some people have of referring to people by their last name.]

As far as I can tell, she's been just fine.

That's good to hear. I can't help but worry, though, seeing that she's been stuck here without me to help. [A little guilt there in his tone. ...Given his long-term disappearance, is it so surprising? >_>;]

Hm... [He remembers visiting Naoto after she announced that her friend had been sent home. She was obviously upset, but the way she handled the situation was still more composed than anyone would expect from a girl her age.]

Naoto is stronger than you give her credit for.

...I know that much from experience. It's just... [It's just hard, being unable to support her over the last year. He shakes his head, looking a bit more visibly unhappy with himself.]

[Oh Souji. Part of Yuan wishes he could offer proper advice, but this concept of Luceti is something the boy needs to come to terms with himself.]

No one chooses to leave their companions behind in this place. It's just an inevitable truth. Most residents console themselves with the idea that being sent home is better than remaining here for much longer. [Even though disappearing from the barrier was never entirely confirmed as 'being sent home'. It's just optimism that leads people to believe that's what happens.]

[If only people would think realistically about this situation.] And at the same time, it's...not really the most encouraging of thoughts, to have someone you trust suddenly disappear. [There's still downsides to being 'sent home'. One less person to confide in in trying times can make a vast difference.]

Edited 2012-07-29 12:56 (UTC)

... I know. [He knows better than anyone. Yuan is never the one to be sent home, rather always the one to watch others disappear. He can't imagine what it'd be like to be the one who abandons the others, for a change.]

It still can't be helped.

I suppose not... [There's still a hint of uncertainty, but, he can put his mind off his troubles, for now. He has to keep his chin up.

...Though, the matter of making sure he stays that way might be a different story. He peers at Yuan again.] ...You know any way to keep the mind off these things? [He's already got a few ideas, but...he'd appreciate suggestions, too.]

[Keeping the mind off these things... Yuan could suggest staying away from the village for a few days- just exploring the mountains and enjoying the solitude, but... That's the kind of thing that would only work for him. He can't suggest this to someone who would need the comfort of friendship. So there's still the other alternative.]

Hobbies. Just doing whatever you can to keep busy.

That's a sensible enough idea. [Asking around if anyone needs help is another good place to start, but...he'd really like a few things for himself, too.] Hm. Beyond that, would you mind the occasional visit? [Yuan seems trustworthy enough, to him. It's the least he could do.]

[He's mildly surprised at the question. He would've expected something like this from Naoto, who lost her real parents at a young age and has a bit of a fascination with Yuan. Souji, on the other hand... Well, how much does he know about Souji, really? Either way, he doesn't need to consider the answer too much.]

I wouldn't mind at all.

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