worldisyours | IC Inbox

[Sometime on his second day in Ryslig, if he checks his laptop (per Shoka's suggestion), Rindo will find something hopefully familiar waiting for him: a message from Swallow.]

hey, rindragon!

how are you doing?

[After Rindo retreats to his new room that day, he finds the laptop's manual in the Lighthouse bag and flips through it. While the laptop's outdated technology is nothing like what he's used to, it's not too complicated, and he soons figures out how to respond to Swallow's message… but not what he should say.

Now that they've met in person, things are different, and not in a good way. It's harder for him to open up, knowing they can meet face to face any time. It feels far more vulnerable… But despite everything, she's still Swallow—she'd proven it. And she's the only person here that he can call a friend. So after giving it some thought, Rindo decides he'll be honest, just like back home. Maybe they'll be able to talk like normal… To, just for a moment, pretend that he's not in an unfamiliar house, in an unfamiliar world, away from everything he knows.]

hey swallow!
ngl im not doing great...
its just been one thing after another
and it sounds like its only going to get worse

[He looks over his messages and feels a pang of guilt for his one-sided complaining as he recalls the events of the day prior. Swallow wasn't doing well either, their mismatched memories clearly causing her a great deal of grief, and yet here she is checking on him anyway. He may not understand why things are like this, but he's sure of one thing: she's hurting, too. Even if he has no clue what it is Swallow remembers about him that he doesn't, he still wants to be there for her. So he adds:]

btw im sorry about yesterday
so much weird stuff happened and i just couldnt deal with any more...
i didnt mean to snap at u like that :(

[The apology is unexpected, but not unwelcome. Though the switch to network conversation had been more for his comfort, she finds herself soothed a little by it, too.]

it's okay!
i know all of this is a lot
it's really rough for most of us at first, even w/o dealing with strangers acting like they know you lol
tbh i'd be more worried if you were feeling at 100% by day 2...

[sorry our first irl meeting had to be like that for you, she types then, only to delete it and send instead:]

you talked with the rest of the house yet?

yeah i can imagine
its messed up here... idk if i can deal

[Being completely honest, Rindo is convinced he can't deal. But that feels… rude to express outright when Swallow and everyone else he's met so far has been so invested in helping him adjust.]

anyway i met joshua, nanami, beat and neku
is that all of them?

[He really hopes that it is. Four strangers is already far more than he's comfortable with, but if it's the price to pay to live alongside Swallow in Ryslig, he'll take it. It's much better than staying at the Lighthouse or getting an apartment on his own. There's no way he'd ever be able to handle this place by himself.]

yep, you've got em all! lol
they might've seemed a little rough around the edges, but you can trust them
they've always looked out for me for as long as i've been here
i know they'll look out for you too
in a place like this, the best we can do is have each other's backs, you know?

like fango monsters? lol
good to know tho
its just weird bc i dont know them, but joshua knows me apparently. and he also knows my friend
the one u told me to talk to
his name is fret btw

[Where we're going, Internet safety rules no longer matter!]

so howd u meet them? whats ur relationship? it sounds like youre pretty close

exactly like fango monsters! XD
oh yeah...you know how i could recognize you but you didn't recognize me?
josh is like that too
we both knew you before
sorry :( i know all of that is beyond weird

[It's the same case with Beat and Neku too, of course, but... baby steps.

Or... so she hopes, right before he asks that question. The full truth is way too much to explain, so she tries to keep it simple.]

we're friends obvi lol
feels more like family now though...
you go through enough bs together, you wind up being p close ig
we all came here from shibuya, so we met even before ryslig
all of us except chiaki. i met her here
but she and i have been dating for a while now so...yeah. we're close lol

[ Everything's moving too fast this month. Nanami's only just gotten her solidity back entirely, before the expedition happens - and THAT takes a whole day. And Nanami knows that after that, it's a matter of days before whatever madness the peninsula has to endure next, comes around.

So one afternoon, while it's still early, Nanami brings her massive binder into the living room - gives a soft hey to the only other person in the room - and plops the binder down on the couch before sitting down next to it. The binder is full of sheets of paper that are dog-earned and highlighted and marked with various colored tabs.

Nanami opens her supply of pens - carefully picks out one that has a little octopus monster engraved on the silver barrel. Then realizes... this is going to cause a problem. Her fin-hand is almost too big to hold the pen. It's gonna take some dexterity.

She barely takes notice of the television program that's on; or the other person in the room, idly watching the screen. Peninsula of Passions is just background noise by now - and Rindo may be a new presence, but this is still Nanami's home, so she's gonna go ahead and get her stuff done regardless! ]

[With Beat, Joshua, and Nanami all gone on their expedition to the wastes, the house is unusually quiet. Even so, Rindo won't get away with holing himself up in his room for the day. It's barely afternoon before there's a knock on his door, followed by a familiar voice.]

Hey... Rindo? It's me.

[Shoka waits on the other side of the door, back in her usual Kelpie form after a mercifully quick and discreet transformation the night before. Early in the month, they'd had to stick largely to communicating only through the network, but more recently, Rindo had—in a rare show of initiative that she appreciated more than she could say—taken to checking up on her directly, too. She figures, this once at least, that it's fine to skip a warning text and come straight to his door.]

[With the Pale Fog behind them, things had returned to normal—insofar as the word "normal" could be used to describe life in Ryslig. Even though he'd turned out to be the only one in the house spared from lost and leaking memories, Rindo had still been rattled by the ordeal. He had not known the others for long, but they'd all ended up behaving in strange, unnerving ways that even he could notice. And of course, the Swallow rescue mission he'd gone on with Nanami had been a shock to his system. He'd been extra worried about Swallow since.

On some level, he always knew that she must have had her own problems she kept secret, but because she shared so little about herself, there had never really been any opportunities for him to support her the way she supported him. Ryslig had put this fact into sharp relief, making him feel guiltier than ever for the one-sidedness of their relationship. He'd started talking to her in person more as a way to make amends, as a show of support, and to get to know her better.

So when Swallow knocks at his door, interrupting his idle browsing of the network, it's a pleasant surprise.]

Coming!

[He closes the laptop and sets it down on his bed before making his way to the door. When he opens it, however, it's not a Merperson he finds standing there.

He was expecting Swallow to change back to Kelpie soon, because Joshua and Nanami had returned to their usual monster forms earlier that month, but he still needs a moment to take in her new appearance. Even with her horse features and her grey skin, now she looks… more human. He has no trouble picturing in her place the girl he'd dragged out of the pool just a few days ago, who'd collapsed into him with tears rolling down her cheeks. But… it's okay, she's safe now.

…He blinks, willing himself back to reality as he realizes he's been staring. He quickly averts his eyes in embarrassment.]

Um… What's up?

[Should he… comment on her Kelpie form or something…?]

Edited 2023-04-09 23:37 (UTC)

[Even with all the very serious and very unpleasant problems posed by Ryslig so far, it's not like the more mundane issues of life have ceased to exist. So Rindo finds himself extremely bored on this particular day, enough to venture out of his room and sit down in front of the TV.

They're running episodes of a show called Peninsula of Passions, which is definitely not to Rindo's taste. Even putting that aside, he's struggling to follow the plot; he's clearly picked it up partway through a season, and the lack of context is making the convoluted storylines impossible to follow. It's more frustrating than entertaining, but he doesn't really have anything better to do with his time.

As such, Nanami's arrival is hardly disruptive. He echoes her greeting, and tries to not reflexively move away when she sits down near him. The melting may have ceased for now, but old habits die hard, and he doesn't trust Ryslig nonsense to just… stop as scheduled, so he's staying wary.

It's impossible not to notice the large binder Nanami brought with her. He notes her struggle with the pen, another example of the kind of thing Gladion mentioned the other day—monster changes making basic things a hassle. Rindo holds back a sigh; he's very much not looking forward to his own transformation. He is, however, curious about what Nanami's working on. He gestures at the binder as he asks:]

What's that?

[ She's finally gotten a grip on it, and has started slowly drawing her first Hiragana, when Rindo speaks up, and Nanami looks up. ]

The Guide. Oh-- there's a book. Hold on.

[ She flips to the front of the binder, where a little hardcover book sits inside the front pages. Wrenches it out of its storing place, and passes it over.

Spengler's Guide to Monsters, the cover reads. It looks well-read, well-used. Notes on most of the pages, dog-ears, little post-it notes of different colors sticking out of it. ]

This is a guide to all of the different monster types on the peninsula. I'm working on the expansion.

[Rindo takes the book from Nanami, observing the cover. He had been meaning to learn more about monster types even though he'd been… burned a bit by Gladion's intensity when he asked him for info. He can't say he's in a significantly better mental state than back then, but surely he can handle flipping through an informational guide…?]

Do you mind if I borrow it at some point? That sounds really helpful.

[Then he looks back at the binder. It's huge. The Guide isn't small, so whatever's Nanami working on must be really detailed.]

What's in the expansion?

[Rindo reads the messages one by one as they come in, and at first all he feels is the same frustration he's been dealing with since his arrival, nagging at him. He's talking to Swallow, just like back home. That should be a good thing… but it feels wrong.

It's everything, really. Swallow being a monster, and all the implications that come with that fact. Her somehow knowing him. Her knowing the rest of the household—being close friends with them…

It's that last message that hits Rindo the hardest, tipping his emotions into uglier territory. He… hadn't known Swallow liked girls (which is fine, he doesn't mind that, he just… hadn't expected it, he guesses). But really, if the past day's been any indication, he hadn't known much of anything about her. Maybe he wasn't that special to Swallow. Then her dating Nanami, combined with what Nanami had told him yesterday—"We play together sometimes"… After a year in Ryslig, Swallow must have moved on from their friendship entirely.

There's parts of him that protest against that conclusion—he recalls Swallow's moment of sincerity, when she'd convinced him of who she was; and he's well aware that he's being petty, that Swallow had no choice in being sent here either, that she must have made the best of what she had. But their voice is weak, oh so close to being snuffed out… Not quite there yet, though. He sits on those feelings, adding them to the pile. Grimaces, as he realizes his go-to method for dealing with his problems cannot be used in this situation.

…Surely he can manage this one thing on his own. Steering the topic away from Nanami seems like a wise choice.]

oh i see
ig you were friends back in shibuya too then?
did the 2 of us meet there or smt?

[…He hadn't thought that lying to Swallow, even by omission, would be this upsetting. That said, he is still genuinely curious about the circumstances of his and Swallow's supposed meeting back home. He wants to understand just why she reacted the way she did at the sight of him.]

[ She waves vaguely in his direction, as she begins to write Faerie out in neat Hiragana at the top of a page. ]

Yeah, yeah! You can borrow that one if you want. I've made some notes in it, though, so if it's hard to read-- there's fresh copies at the apartments...

[ His next question pauses her mid-thought, as she's considering how to begin her entry. She flips to one of the tabs in the binder. ]

Submissions. The Guide-- Spengler-kun made a good start, but it's... kind of general. So I'm taking notes from other monsters about what it's like to be what they are.

[ The entry she's flipped to reads Nymph. There's a few pages in this section of the binder. ]

[Rindo flips open the book as Nanami speaks—the pages are indeed covered in her additions. It looks readable enough, though.

What she says about the expansion makes him suddenly recall her words from the day they met. She had offered to tell him about changes, hadn't she? She seems busy, though… He glances at the entry she's looking at. Nymph? Like Gladion…]

Um… If you aren't too busy… Do you think you could tell me about monster types? Most of you are Mers right now, but that's not usually the case, right?

[Beats watching Peninsula of Passions. If Nanami says no, he still has the guide, at least.]

[Shoka greets him with an apprehensive almost-smile... which becomes more of a frown the longer his gaze lingers on her. She's so flustered in this moment that it doesn't even occur to her that he might be staring because she's switched forms yet again. Very horselike, she pins her ears back and gives an agitated swish of her seaweed-tail, but before she can throw an accusatory What? at him, he speaks up.]

Nothing. [There's an awkward pause before she continues to mumble,] A whole lot of nothing with most of the house gone on that dumb trip... Which is sort of why I'm here, actually...

[Ahem!]

It's way too quiet around here, so I'm going out. And I figured... maybe you'd wanna come with. Like our own expedition, or whatever. [A small hint of her earlier smile makes a hesitant return.] Nothing that crazy though. I was thinking of just hitting up a cafe, then maybe the Cube... Unless you've got something better to do.

[Well, if she won't acknowledge the Kelpie thing, he won't either…? But her bashful reaction is kind of… cute. Especially the way her ears move. And she's a little taller now, isn't she? …No, stop staring and start listening, don't make it worse! Focus!

It's true, everyone except Neku and Swallow had departed for the wastes, leaving the house rather empty-feeling. He didn't have the details, but it sounded dangerous, so he was more than glad that Swallow had elected to stay home this time, especially after the lake expedition incident.

Normally, her offer would make him happy, but in those circumstances, it's hard not to feel like she's just defaulting to him for lack of other options. And her wording doesn't help. It… kind of stings, actually—so much so that he doesn't notice the hint of a smile on her face.]

Not really. But, uh… are you sure…? You don't have to force yourself to bring me along or anything…

Edited 2023-04-16 02:41 (UTC)

[At first she snorts, sounding at once confused, amused, and faintly annoyed.] Uh, yeah, I'm sure?

[Then he finishes his thought and she realizes, with a pang of guilt, why he asked that. The way she said it, couched in excuses... It's a natural compulsion for her, but of course he wouldn't take it well. Frowning, she makes an effort to soften her tone and allow herself more genuineness.]

Yeah, I know I don't have to. It's not like that. I want you to come, dummy. Wouldn't've asked if I didn't.

[A pause, then, as she tries to think of what else to say—if she hasn't already blown it.]

Y'know, at the Cube... FanGO works there. It's not exactly the same as back home, but... we can finally play together in person, you know? I've been wanting to show it to you, but there was so much going on, and... Ugh.

[It's the truth, so of course she feels a little too vulnerable saying it. She averts her eyes, turning her scowl onto her hooves.]

["It didn't sound like it", Rindo's mind initially protests. But then as Swallow continues talking, he realizes that this is just like the day he arrived in Ryslig—her prickly, distant veneer melting into reluctant sincerity. It makes him wonder if she, too, has an easier time communicating through text. That would explain why she acts so differently in person…

Were she looking at him, she'd see his face light up almost immediately at the mention of FanGO.]

You… You really want to? I'd love to play with you!

[He'd all but given up on FanGO. He'd sorely missed both the game itself and bonding with Swallow over it, but even knowing about the Cube's ability to simulate it, he'd convinced himself that she'd lost interest in playing it with him. More than an offer to hang out, to Rindo, this was a sign that Swallow still thought of him as her friend—as Rindragon. So is it any wonder that he's beaming at her right now? He hasn't smiled this wide in weeks.]

Yeah, I really do.

[That doofy grin of his is infectious. She smiles more easily too, then, at once relieved and fond.]

Well, lucky me! [By force of habit, she starts to reach for one ear of her hoodie—but, since she isn't currently wearing it, she winds up fidgeting instead with her actual ear when she adds, more gently,] Thanks... Seriously.

Thought I'd add the cafe just for winding down. Bet we could both use it after... y'know, everything. I was thinking Kit-Tea-Kat—the cat cafe we've got here. You haven't been yet, right?

[Belatedly, she wonders again if it was the right move to send that message so casually. Then again, why wouldn't she? It's only a matter of time before Rindo figures it out himself. Still, she can't help wondering if his reply is more avoidant than understanding.]

yeah, we did
it was a little while before you figured out who i was
but that's where we met irl for the first time

wait
how come u knew who i was if i didnt recognize u?
and why didnt u tell me who u were?
i dont get it...

[This… isn't helping Rindo feel better, at all. Was Swallow disappointed to see what he was like in person, or something?]

[It feels… really nice, seeing Swallow smile like this. She can be so distant, sometimes, but that makes those rare moments of genuineness all the more precious. And it's because he accepted her offer… If that's really all it takes to make her happy, he must be important to her, right? A pleasant warmth spreads at the thought—and at the sight of her fiddling with her ear. It's adorable… (He may be blushing, just a tiny bit.)]

Of course!

[And… a cat café? That's even better!]

No, I haven't. [He's hardly gone out, so…] I didn't even know there was one here… It's a great idea. I actually really like them.

[…Maybe she already knows that? He hadn't told her—it'd been a fairly recent discovery, in fact—but perhaps the Rindo she knew had mentioned it. The newfound worry tempers his happiness, just a little. It's not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things, but reminders of their uncomfortable situation are never welcome.]

i don't blame you lol
it's a lot to explain...

[There's the matter of the Reaper's Game: how she'd seen him long before he got dragged into it without him having even the possibility of seeing her, invisible in the UG—how, when he was made a Player, they became enemies, and he became better off not knowing who she was. But then, even after she was stripped of her Reaper wings and brought onto his side, she still hadn't been able to tell him (that is, not in her timeline). Sensing his insecurity, she figures she owes him a little bit of an explanation for this part at least.]

but you've seen how i am irl now
not the whole monster thing ofc, but the rest of it
ig i didn't want you to treat me differently
or think any of it was fake
i just wanted you to get to know me

[All of me, she thinks but refrains from typing, not just part.]

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WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, RINDO KANADE. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 4.28.13.9 * rindragon** has joined 4.28.13.9