Catch-All for Minato

[specialdog]

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[specialdog]

[ Oh. Akane startles and turns around. She would probably usually notice someone following her, but...? Well, she's spacy after the announcement, too. Isn't that natural?

When she sees who it is she walks back towards him to be closer. He's not exactly moving quick... She's quiet for a long moment, because she doesn't really know what to say, at first. ]

Hey.

[compendiem]

[ He's grateful that she stops and bridges the gap between them, legs stiff and achy from the lack of use in the past few days, though he tries to stand up a little straighter once they're facing each other. ]

I'm glad you're okay... It's... [ What is there to say? Nothing comforting comes to mind. ]

Excessive.

[specialdog]

I'm glad you're alright, too...

[ She reaches out with one hand to grab hold of the edge of his sleeve. That's all she wants, for now. ]

I was just with Nana. We were just together, and we made it through an escape room...

[compendiem]

[ He looks down at her hand, making as if he wants to reach up and take it in his, but he doesn't, just lets his arm hang loosely at his side. ]

An escape room...? Yesterday?

[specialdog]

[ She shakes her head. ]

Tuesday. But we got through it, so I guess I just thought...

[ That they, at least, would be safe? ]

[compendiem]

[ Tuesday is supposedly a while ago, all the days of the week blurring together in Minato's mind, but that's not what matters here. ]

I've never come across something like that, walking through the place. Unless you mean the freezer.

[ This is not the time for jokes. ]

Did somebody try to trap you two in a room?

[specialdog]

No one was there with us--no one to blame, I mean. It was just Nana, North, me, and Four...

We had to solve puzzles and purify the corruption or... Whatever. [ she doesn't sound too passionate about that duty, but. Her shoulders tense, pulling inward like she wants to shrink. ]

It was awful.

[compendiem]

[ He wants to ask so much more about that- what happened, what they did, whether it worked- but at the same time, he doesn't want to dredge up bad memories if he can help it, even though he still wonders. He likes puzzles, after all, even if he isn't always great at them. ]>

But you made it out, and you did purify the corruption... Sol told me so, anyways. It could have been worse, if you didn't.

[ Supposedly, anyways. He doesn't know how this works, or how things could be better than three of their numbers dead. ]

.......Did you encounter the darkness in there?

[specialdog]

[ Akane just... Nods silently. ]

[compendiem]

[ A shiver runs down Minato's spine, because while he can't imagine what Darkness looks like on its own, he had seen what it turns people into. If one of them four... ]

Will you tell me what happened? You all made it out, so... except...

[ Not Nana, but at least from that room, she did. Akane said it was Tuesday. Minato, having been in the same spot all weak, wouldn't be able to corroborate that, but Nana couldn't have died on Tuesday. And what of the other two? ]

[specialdog]

We all made it out. I guess it just didn't count for as much as I thought.

[ She's quiet for a moment, trying to figure out how to articulate this in a way she doesn't hate. ]

There were typical puzzles. Buttons to press and hidden things to find. And...

[ She opens her mouth like there's more, but shuts it again without elaborating. She doesn't think she can convey how much she hated it, but she's worried if she just says what happened it'll sound like it was no big deal. She's too anxious about wanting him to understand how much she hated it to risk saying it in a way that doesn't reflect enough... ]

[compendiem]

[ Minato nods slowly. It's fine. Some people just hate puzzles. There are elements that make it harder, he'll assume- confusion, time pressure, darkness looming over them- and frustration and helplessness can wear a person down. ]

...Must've been unfair. Taking something that's supposed to be fun, and making it not.

[specialdog]

Part of it switched our vision. We were still in control of our own bodies, but looking out someone else's eyes.

[ She says this kind of like she's trying to lighten the mood? Like, this clearly wasn't the part she hated the most, so she's just complaining and telling him a Fun Fact about their miserable adventure. ]

[compendiem]

That... sounds awful, actually.

[ That sounds disorienting???? wtf was that room ]

Or. Sort of like you're playing a video game, I guess. That's weird.

[specialdog]

It's easier to figure out in video games, though. From someone else's eyes... They blink, or they look away when you don't want them to.

At first we just fell down all over each other.

[compendiem]

Ha... I can only imagine.

[ He thinks he might have been startled, if he were to find himself in the same situation, especially looking up and seeing your own face staring back at you. ]

At first glance, it's like your body's been taken over. Scary.

[specialdog]

It was scary...!

But we made it through, so I thought we were done with the worst they had to throw at us for a while... [ But guess that wasn't the case for Nana. ]

[compendiem]

I'm glad you made it through. Sort of.

[ Nana ): ]

...Sorry I wasn't there to protect you from any of that.

[specialdog]

It's not your fault. It's not like you can be by my side all the time...

[ Besides, she wouldn't want him to see her in such a sorry state. She hadn't exactly handled herself well. Not to mention clearly not getting along with the other girls. ]

[compendiem]

Yeah... I'd like to, though.

[ How do you not get along with Nana...... North and Four are understandable, Minato's sort of scared of them. All the girls are scary, actually. ]

[specialdog]

[ She and Nana are in a perpetual smile-off, which Akane interprets as not getting along.





anyway. ]

... Do you want to stay the night, sometime?

[ in a platonic way. probably? ]

[compendiem]

[ Probably-- ]

Okay.

[ It's a quick answer. ]

If your roommate's fine with it. Tonight... I'll probably stay with Kazuaki, make sure he's doing alright

[specialdog]

I'm sure she will be. Milla-san doesn't need to sleep, so I always get the whole bed to myself, and I don't have to worry about keeping her awake.

[ Hmm. ]

That's probably for the best. Kazuaki-kun is pretty delicate, after all.

[ It was "Nanaki-kun" last time she said his name around Minato. Huh. ]

[compendiem]

[ Huh. The bird is making friends, he's glad. ]

Another one who doesn't need to sleep... I'd be jealous, but I like sleeping. You're getting along with Kazuaki? We could have a sleepover together.

[specialdog]

... When you need sleep, it's good to be well rested. And it's nice to take a break from the world, sometimes.

[ That's not healthy but okay!!!! ]

A sleepover with the three of us sounds fun. It's too bad we don't have video games or anything to play together.