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I'm
I'm doing alright

[ That is a lie, considering what she posted rather recently. It's also probably blatantly obvious that she's hiding something since it took her more than five minutes to reply. ]

[YEAH he noticed that.]

nanami

if something's bothering you
do you want to meet up and talk about it/?
youre not bothering me
really

There's nothing bothering me
So you don't have to worry
I'm fine

Edited 2015-11-03 04:20 (UTC)

ok

[He really doesn't believe her, but he's not pointing out the contradictions over weirdass laptop channel.]

i was thinking of going to grab something to eat anyway while i wait for kzuruyu and tanak to get back to me
want to meet up?

Okay
Where? The same place where we all met up before?

where, the bookstore?
yeah that sounds good

i'll see you there in a couple minutes?

Mm, okay.

[ And she will indeed be there in a few minutes, wearing her hood up as to avoid other people's gazes, which may be why she's not paying attention to when Hinata shows up, either. ]

[He doesn't beat her there, instead arriving maybe a minute or two after she does. Immediately he notices the hood and frowns. She might be able to hear the concern in his voice as he addresses her, footsteps quickening.]

H-hey, Nanami, it's good to see you... wanna go inside? I can get you tea or cocoa or something.

[ Although she may hear it, Nanami doesn't address it, instead just nodding quietly. She doesn't go inside just, yet, just gesturing to him so they can get moving. Although she's going to be slow... and rather quiet, actually. ]

[He'll match her pace, entering the bookstore and holding the door open behind him so she can follow. If anything, he's only growing more and more concerned, trying to subtly peek under her hood. Was it another change?]

Do you... wanna go sit down? There's a table over by the window that looks pretty quiet.

[His first instinct is to ask her to sit at one of the tables while he buys them something from the counter, but he doesn't really want to leave her by herself until she says it's okay.]

[ There's only one really noticeable change from before,though it's rather hard to see it from the outfit she's wearing that covers her neck. But if he tries to look at her, she doesn't seem to be reacting... at all, if anything, instead just adjusting her collar uncomfortably as if to hide something.

Regardless of how much she tries, however, it's nearly impossible to hide the word that seems to be stamped around her neck. It should be familiar to Hinata by now. What is wrapped around the front of Nanami's neck is pretty much a huge giveaway to who she is, after all; it's like a stamp that says "you belong to them". The word future, along with the diamond symbol that follows that represents the Future Foundation is wrapped around her neck, as if choking her.

Ducking her head, she nods. ]

Mm... I'll be fine sitting here. [ She tries to be reassuring as her voice remains even, regardless of what she may feel. And then, she smiles, as if to make that lie, that she's okay a reality. ]

[...And he does notice it, steps catching for a moment as he nearly stumbles. That's... he can read as well as anybody else, and there's no mistaking the significance of that.

Is the Future Foundation here...?! Did they do this to her?!]

H-hey, Nanami, [he says again as he sits down, voice a little softer as he tries to hide a sudden rush of anger. If any of them had done this to her, he'd... well. He's not sure what he'd do, but it would probably be fairly violent.] What... what happened to your neck?

[ If it's about that, all Nanami can do is press her lips together tightly. She knows the significance of it more than anybody else, but having already seen it herself earlier after taking a picture of it in her last network post, all she can do really is shake her head. ]

... I don't know. [ She really, really doesn't. ] I woke up, felt as if something was being stitched on, and found out about it... later.

You didn't see anybody doing anything to you, though...?

[Though... isn't there magic, of a sort, here? Would someone even have to be in the same room to do this?]

Have you... you haven't met anyone from the Future Foundation here, right? That could have done this?

[Could it have to do with what happened to the mountain...?]

[ There's a silent shake of her head on both accounts. ]

I haven't seen anybody... from the Future Foundation here. [ As far as she knows, anyway. Not like she's been actively been looking for them, either. But if one did show up, they'd easily be able to tell who Nanami is. They've probably gotten the reports by now.

They should already know about the events that occurred. ]

I was sleeping, [ A slight, short pause ] a little, in the bathtub. I didn't hear the door open... or unlock.

I don't know...

[But he knows at the very least that he has the ability to turn invisible, so who knows what else is out there?]

Why were you sleeping in the bathtub...? No, wait, sorry, that's not important. Are... does it still hurt? You don't have to hide it, Nanami.

[Speaking of not hiding things, if she'd taken a look at him any time since they met up, she might notice a dark red to his irises that he'd definitely been hiding behind sunglasses last time they'd seen each other.]

I thought it would be easier to get water that way.

[ Since, you know, she's a mermaid. Next question. ] It... doesn't hurt anymore.

[ Implying that yes, it was hurting earlier, but not outright saying it aloud because there's no need for it.

And even though Nanami does notice his eyes not being hidden by him wearing shades (guess he took it off so he wouldn't be too shady) she doesn't say anything about it in the slightest, instead just opening and closing her mouth at the sight.

If only because his red eyes remind her of something else but that's neither here or there and she doesn't think that he'd want to hear her thoughts on that. ]

I'm... okay, so, you don't... have to worry, Hinata-kun. [ She twirls around a strand of hair, her hood still up regardless of the fact that they're indoors now. But she doesn't seem to be messing around with her collar anymore, at the very least. ] Or rather... there's no need to worry about me. I'll be okay, as long as everyone is fine.

[ Everyone else > Herself at this point, really. ]

Edited (fuck my wording, i just realized.) 2015-11-08 05:43 (UTC)

No, that's wrong, Nanami.

[It's not a full objection, just a quiet statement of fact as he ducks his head a little, trying to peer up under that hood. It might look a little silly, but if it makes her smile, that's all that really matters in the end.]

That's... what I thought, too, you know. That everybody had enough to worry about, and I didn't want to bother them with something else. But that's not it...

[He gives a bit of a small, wry smile.] You can thank Kuzuryuu for putting my head on straight. We're all going to worry about each other because we're friends, right...? And you'd want us to tell you if something were wrong, so... don't think that doesn't go both ways. Please?

...

[ She's quiet, eerily so. Her gaze lowers rather guiltily, and she doesn't say anything. She can feel herself turning fifty shades of pale for a flicker of a second before she shakes her head.

All that comes from her lips is a soft: ]

I'm sorry. [ That's all she says, balling up the fabric of her skirt with discomfort. ] I'm sorry, Hinata-kun.

...

[That's... not exactly the response he was expecting from her, and it shows on his face as that smile fades. Did he say the wrong thing...? Hajime's never thought of himself as being good at this kind of thing, in spite of how his classmates perceived him, and the discomfort to her voice has him fighting back a shiver.]

Hey... [he matches her volume, though he tries to make his voice sound more comforting than anything else. He'll even go so far as to reach across the table and gently touch her arm. He can't see the hands balled in her skirt, but he can see the tension.] You don't have to apologize, okay? I know it's tough but... if we all work together, we can get through this. I'm going to find a way to get everyone who wants to go back to go back, and... you're coming, too.

...

[ She closes her eyes, and shakes her head. Biting on her lower lip, she brings her arms to her shoulders, hugging herself as she tries her best not to shudder. ] Then, Hinata-kun... can I ask you something?

[ He brings up the words "if we all work together", and she has to ask. It's now or never. But she doesn't wait for him to answer her question before she follows up with: ]

Hinata-kun. If we're going to work together, then... I want to ask this. Does that include killing somebody?

[He pulls his hand away at that question, lowering his palm to the table. This time, its his turn to avoid her gaze, letting out a quiet exhale. To his credit, he doesn't answer immediately; it's Chiaki asking, so he'll give the question serious consideration. Most of him, a large part of him, still balks at the idea of killing someone. He knows what this place is capable of, what the Fog God has turned them into, and it's almost painfully naive to think that he'll be able to find a solution before any of his classmates need to kill anyone to survive.

The future that everyone's created for us should hold more possibilities than that, right...?

The hands on the table clench into fists, and he shakes his head.]

No. After everything we've been through, I think... I think we can work together to find an alternative. There's enough killing going on around here, I don't want any of us to have to be a part of it.

It's already... too late for that.

[ She sounds distant as she tries to muster enough courage to say that, though she seems to tug at the hood as if to hide herself even more, shrinking back into her chair. Although it's to be expected - she would have probably said the same, if the situation were in reverse - but there's still a strange panging in her chest that she doesn't understand.

It hurts just to admit it. It hurts just to say it. Remembering it also seems to cause migraines. ]

...Huh?

[It's a quiet noise of confusion as he draws his hands back to himself, sitting up straighter in his chair. He... has to be misunderstanding, right? He misheard, or maybe she misspoke, or he just missed something, some indicator that this is her attempt at a joke.]

W...What are you talking about?

[Yeah. Best to ask for clarification before jumping to conclusions, even though there's a cold, icy clawing right in the pit of his stomach.]

[ There's a pained expression on her face, it's clear that she doesn't want to talk about it at all... in fact, she honestly prefers to keep it to herself. Shaking her head in denial, all she can do is keep a soft voice that seems to almost crack as she speaks. ]

Hey, Hinata-kun. Do you know how mermaids feed?

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, NANAMIN. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 003.14.005.70 * NANAMIN has joined 003.14.005.70 <NANAMIN> This is Nanami Chiaki. <NANAMIN> ... <NANAMIN> Feel free to leave a message. <NANAMIN> I'll get back to you as soon as I can. <NANAMIN>** Thank you.

< tetris >

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< tetris > and to action I guess yeah

yeah yeah yeah

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sdr2 spoilers-!

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