[ he hadn’t taken responsibility for every abduction, but two out of three isn’t a great track record. ]
I’m back home now... I would have said more earlier if I could have. I only got a few messages out to Ruca before I couldn’t anymore, so...
[ he catches the shuffling and her more obvious frustration, but there’s little he can do with either from a distance aside from offering reassurance and support. it may not be enough, but it’s what he has. ]
[ he’s pretty certain he knows what’s coming, and he’s—tired, but he owes this much. he had made time for Lucy, for Ruca. he can find it for Inaba, too. ]
[ he might cry, Otonashi doesn’t add out of respect for the other boy’s privacy. trusting that Inaba will understand, he follows up by sending over the address. ]
[There's a lengthy pause, but not entirely because she's mulling it over in her head - she is, but she's obviously also rushing her way out.]
Got it.
[She can always figure out alternatives and she's already doing so in her mind - as for what she's wearing? It's a lazy black shirt (with the text 'not today' in bold) and skinny jeans. It's casual, but who cares - it isn't as if she's going to be out for very long, she supposes.]
[ he can take whatever she needs to get out, whatever she feels is owed, but to put Ruca through another round of having to watch people fight and being compelled to step into help—he can’t put anyone else through it.
so, he sets his device into one of his pockets as he sets out two freshly cleaned cups for tea, setting the kettle on. with any luck, he can finish prepping everything without burning the place down or oversteeping the tea, but that depends entirely on how quick Inaba herself is. ]
While she's not just walking at some easy, casual pace; no, she's running as fast as she can, just a little frantic. Half because she knows the Sanguis moon is still up - not that she's thinking about that much, in spite of the warnings she's been given of how dangerous it is - and half out of dire concern.
By which, that means she is completely out of breath the very second that she gets to the door, only heaving a bit to collect herself, calm down, and knock. That, at the very least is polite.]
[ he calls out from the other side, finishing up the two small cups of tea and setting them neatly up on the table. they might grow cold, but a lukewarm drink is so far beside the point that he can’t find it in himself to give it much more than a passing thought.
he had asked her to keep their discussion away from Ruca, so he has to do his part in taking himself away from where his roommate might see. so, when he cracks the door to confirm that yes, it is Inaba, he offers her a weary, knowing smile before motioning to the side. ]
Hey. Glad to see you... tea’s done. We’ll have it after we talk. [ but we talk where he can’t see or hear. finally, Otonashi steps outside and quietly closes the door behind him. ] I don’t mean to be rude, you’re welcome here anytime, it’s just— I’m trying to take it easy on him. He’s sanguis too, so....
[ and the last thing Otonashi wants is a protective, shockingly powerful moon-crazed teen rushing into the scene to muddle things (again). ]
...Honestly, I should have invited you over in that case, but then we'd have completely different issues.
[Living alone is both a blessing and a curse, but she is very much aware of how overprotective Sanguis people are, and she does not want to bring a fight to herself when it can easily be avoided.
She sighs a little pathetically, running fingers through her bangs before straightening himself out and shaking her head.]
And don't worry about it. Moons are, well — themselves, really.
[She might not be a Sanguis, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't understand the turmoils of the moons. She starts to make her way in, although she pauses once she's barely inside to ask, even if it's something silly and simple--]
Are shoes okay in here?
[Force of habit from living in Japan. While she's good either way, she doesn't want to be a rude guest.]
I really don’t think he would have allowed it. I mean, if the circumstances were different then it’d be fine, but...
[ but he had only just returned. turning around to run out again after an earlier mishap with Lucy... it feels wrong. he couldn’t do it. ]
Ah? Oh, your choice. I try to take mine off unless I’m really exhausted or in a rush... [ so, his entire day today. he won’t begrudge her for an old habit that had been his just as much as it is hers. ]
Speaking of, write me your shoe size. I’ll have a pair of slippers made.
[She sighs something a little heavy, her shoulders sagging slightly. Hence why she mentioned 'other problems' to begin with before going to take off her shoes. Might as well.]
Oh, it’s... it’s actually not a big deal. I can make them pretty easily.
[ he shrugs passively, giving her a weary smile. neither of these had been the purpose of her visit, but the chat comes naturally. who is he to fight it? ]
I don't know if I should be concerned about that or not, honestly...
[That he can make it so easily that it isn't a big deal. And now she's kind of disheartened that it wasn't. Rather, that to him, it was just something simple.
...Ah, she's an idiot for even daring to have her hopes up.]
Alright, but if you use this information for something weird, I'll be judging you.
[As if she had any room to judge anybody in the first place. But she'll give him her shoe size - they're rather decently sized; not too small, not too large.]
[ this speaks to both of her points: that he’d make a production out of extending kindness to someone else (unless a production was wanted and warranted, he supposes) and that he would do anything untoward with information like that. ]
I don’t even know what weird thing a person could get up to with a shoe measurement.
[ which might be exposing some of his innocence here, but. ]
... Apparently, my answer will have to now be changed to a complete and utter virgin.
[You can hear the dripping sarcasm in her voice, because she's not entirely serious about that. Or rather, it wasn't as if she thought he wasn't before, but now it's take in a completely different light.]
[ she did not, and he had invited it (unknowingly, true, but still), and yet he still has it in him to be surprised.
and the fact that he does, the fact that he can react and raise his voice as though he hadn’t been gone, and he hadn’t been trapped, and he hadn’t lost the very virginity she speaks of and can joke about is comforting in its way.
it’s this solace that gets him to laugh, dry, tired, but still his own. ]
[She absolutely did not, but it's easy to joke about it to provide some levity. But she finds herself laughing alongside him. Even if it's a large contrast to his dry and tired laughter, as she instead fills the air with her own amused giggles.]
[ perhaps it is his exhausted laughter, and her cheerful giggling that helps soften the blow enough, shortening the length of what would have otherwise been a miserable, uncomfortable pause. ]
Hah... I didn’t deny it, but maybe I really should be.
It does imply that you’re really invested in telling me that I’m acting like a shy virgin. So...
[ the way she jokes about it so easily provides its own sort of odd comfort, taking something he’d considered an uncomfortable admission and stripping it of any sentimental value. ]
Maybe not... I guess I was just hoping for things to feel different than they do. I’m trying to just... treat it like a job now. Maybe that was always the right answer?
[And that seems to clue Inaba in on things a little more, frowning with a mixture of emotions. A lukewarm disappointment, but more so than that - concern.]
... Haah. [Maybe she should take it just a little more serious and put in some concern. Because that concern is genuine and growing the more this conversation is going on.] Sorry.
[She feels like she really should say that single word, at least.
And more so than that, she feels like she's getting some serious deja vu.]
If I were to give my honest opinion... I'd disagree. Because if you keep on doing that, how are you expected to enjoy yourself? You should be allowed to.
Don’t be. I’m dead. I know, before you say it—yeah, there are things that can be worse than that. But, you go through that, and... I don’t know. Kinda seems like anything else is just a footnote?
[ she is free to offer counterpoints, of course. he’d consider them. currently, though, there’s something comforting about speaking about it as if it really couldn’t be worse.
it also means he has nowhere to go but up, or just plain nowhere. ]
I’m allowed to, but... it doesn’t mean I should always expect to. Doing the right thing might not be enjoyable, but it’s... still the right thing to do. Chroma is needed to live here. It won’t always be fun.
[Deep breaths, Inaba Himeko! You promised you wouldn't show too much of your anger when Otonashi's roommate could potentially walk in.
But there is definitely something bubbling there. Annoyance, perhaps?
Which is why she just reaches out to grab his cheeks and pull at them, hanging her head to hide her expression, her hands by her sides clenching into tight, shaky fists.]
Don't say something like that. It makes it sound like you feel obligated to do the right thing, instead...
[ he rubs at one of cheeks, shaking his head quickly to shake it off. ]
Maybe I worded it badly, but...
[ he would still maintain that there are times when the right choice isn’t pleasurable or straightforward. it could be easy, tempting, even, to choose the path of carelessness when the weight of obligation threatens to suffocate.
but it isn’t who he is, so Otonashi looks to her with a mild, understated concern that betrays how deeply it actually runs. ]
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[ he hadn’t taken responsibility for every abduction, but two out of three isn’t a great track record. ]
I’m back home now... I would have said more earlier if I could have. I only got a few messages out to Ruca before I couldn’t anymore, so...
[ he catches the shuffling and her more obvious frustration, but there’s little he can do with either from a distance aside from offering reassurance and support. it may not be enough, but it’s what he has. ]
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[She sounds absolutely livid and for many good reasons. And a part of her has her doubts, honestly.]
I can't do this over the phone. Are you free right now?
[Please tell her that he is so she can go kick his ass in person.]
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I... yeah, I can be. Should I put tea on?
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Mostly.]
Yeah.
Send me the address too.
[For obvious reasons, naturally.]
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[ he wouldn’t be so bold as to insist, except: ]
Not in front of Ruca... okay? He’ll be upset.
[ he might cry, Otonashi doesn’t add out of respect for the other boy’s privacy. trusting that Inaba will understand, he follows up by sending over the address. ]
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Got it.
[She can always figure out alternatives and she's already doing so in her mind - as for what she's wearing? It's a lazy black shirt (with the text 'not today' in bold) and skinny jeans. It's casual, but who cares - it isn't as if she's going to be out for very long, she supposes.]
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[ he can take whatever she needs to get out, whatever she feels is owed, but to put Ruca through another round of having to watch people fight and being compelled to step into help—he can’t put anyone else through it.
so, he sets his device into one of his pockets as he sets out two freshly cleaned cups for tea, setting the kettle on. with any luck, he can finish prepping everything without burning the place down or oversteeping the tea, but that depends entirely on how quick Inaba herself is. ]
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While she's not just walking at some easy, casual pace; no, she's running as fast as she can, just a little frantic. Half because she knows the Sanguis moon is still up - not that she's thinking about that much, in spite of the warnings she's been given of how dangerous it is - and half out of dire concern.
By which, that means she is completely out of breath the very second that she gets to the door, only heaving a bit to collect herself, calm down, and knock. That, at the very least is polite.]
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[ he calls out from the other side, finishing up the two small cups of tea and setting them neatly up on the table. they might grow cold, but a lukewarm drink is so far beside the point that he can’t find it in himself to give it much more than a passing thought.
he had asked her to keep their discussion away from Ruca, so he has to do his part in taking himself away from where his roommate might see. so, when he cracks the door to confirm that yes, it is Inaba, he offers her a weary, knowing smile before motioning to the side. ]
Hey. Glad to see you... tea’s done. We’ll have it after we talk. [ but we talk where he can’t see or hear. finally, Otonashi steps outside and quietly closes the door behind him. ] I don’t mean to be rude, you’re welcome here anytime, it’s just— I’m trying to take it easy on him. He’s sanguis too, so....
[ and the last thing Otonashi wants is a protective, shockingly powerful moon-crazed teen rushing into the scene to muddle things (again). ]
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[Living alone is both a blessing and a curse, but she is very much aware of how overprotective Sanguis people are, and she does not want to bring a fight to herself when it can easily be avoided.
She sighs a little pathetically, running fingers through her bangs before straightening himself out and shaking her head.]
And don't worry about it. Moons are, well — themselves, really.
[She might not be a Sanguis, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't understand the turmoils of the moons. She starts to make her way in, although she pauses once she's barely inside to ask, even if it's something silly and simple--]
Are shoes okay in here?
[Force of habit from living in Japan. While she's good either way, she doesn't want to be a rude guest.]
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[ but he had only just returned. turning around to run out again after an earlier mishap with Lucy... it feels wrong. he couldn’t do it. ]
Ah? Oh, your choice. I try to take mine off unless I’m really exhausted or in a rush... [ so, his entire day today. he won’t begrudge her for an old habit that had been his just as much as it is hers. ]
Speaking of, write me your shoe size. I’ll have a pair of slippers made.
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[She sighs something a little heavy, her shoulders sagging slightly. Hence why she mentioned 'other problems' to begin with before going to take off her shoes. Might as well.]
Huh? You don't have to go that far...
[That seems just a little excessive?]
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[ he shrugs passively, giving her a weary smile. neither of these had been the purpose of her visit, but the chat comes naturally. who is he to fight it? ]
I want you to feel welcome. That’s all.
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[That he can make it so easily that it isn't a big deal. And now she's kind of disheartened that it wasn't. Rather, that to him, it was just something simple.
...Ah, she's an idiot for even daring to have her hopes up.]
Alright, but if you use this information for something weird, I'll be judging you.
[As if she had any room to judge anybody in the first place. But she'll give him her shoe size - they're rather decently sized; not too small, not too large.]
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[ this speaks to both of her points: that he’d make a production out of extending kindness to someone else (unless a production was wanted and warranted, he supposes) and that he would do anything untoward with information like that. ]
I don’t even know what weird thing a person could get up to with a shoe measurement.
[ which might be exposing some of his innocence here, but. ]
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[You can hear the dripping sarcasm in her voice, because she's not entirely serious about that. Or rather, it wasn't as if she thought he wasn't before, but now it's take in a completely different light.]
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[ she did not, and he had invited it (unknowingly, true, but still), and yet he still has it in him to be surprised.
and the fact that he does, the fact that he can react and raise his voice as though he hadn’t been gone, and he hadn’t been trapped, and he hadn’t lost the very virginity she speaks of and can joke about is comforting in its way.
it’s this solace that gets him to laugh, dry, tired, but still his own. ]
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[She absolutely did not, but it's easy to joke about it to provide some levity. But she finds herself laughing alongside him. Even if it's a large contrast to his dry and tired laughter, as she instead fills the air with her own amused giggles.]
Besides, you aren't denying it.
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[ perhaps it is his exhausted laughter, and her cheerful giggling that helps soften the blow enough, shortening the length of what would have otherwise been a miserable, uncomfortable pause. ]
Hah... I didn’t deny it, but maybe I really should be.
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[There's a teasing lilt in her voice, honestly not serious in the slightest bit.]
... And why exactly should you, anyway? It's not as if you need to find any shame in being one or not. I certainly don't care one way or another.
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[ the way she jokes about it so easily provides its own sort of odd comfort, taking something he’d considered an uncomfortable admission and stripping it of any sentimental value. ]
Maybe not... I guess I was just hoping for things to feel different than they do. I’m trying to just... treat it like a job now. Maybe that was always the right answer?
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... Haah. [Maybe she should take it just a little more serious and put in some concern. Because that concern is genuine and growing the more this conversation is going on.] Sorry.
[She feels like she really should say that single word, at least.
And more so than that, she feels like she's getting some serious deja vu.]
If I were to give my honest opinion... I'd disagree. Because if you keep on doing that, how are you expected to enjoy yourself? You should be allowed to.
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[ she is free to offer counterpoints, of course. he’d consider them. currently, though, there’s something comforting about speaking about it as if it really couldn’t be worse.
it also means he has nowhere to go but up, or just plain nowhere. ]
I’m allowed to, but... it doesn’t mean I should always expect to. Doing the right thing might not be enjoyable, but it’s... still the right thing to do. Chroma is needed to live here. It won’t always be fun.
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[Deep breaths, Inaba Himeko! You promised you wouldn't show too much of your anger when Otonashi's roommate could potentially walk in.
But there is definitely something bubbling there. Annoyance, perhaps?
Which is why she just reaches out to grab his cheeks and pull at them, hanging her head to hide her expression, her hands by her sides clenching into tight, shaky fists.]
Don't say something like that. It makes it sound like you feel obligated to do the right thing, instead...
[Instead of really wanting to.]
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[ he rubs at one of cheeks, shaking his head quickly to shake it off. ]
Maybe I worded it badly, but...
[ he would still maintain that there are times when the right choice isn’t pleasurable or straightforward. it could be easy, tempting, even, to choose the path of carelessness when the weight of obligation threatens to suffocate.
but it isn’t who he is, so Otonashi looks to her with a mild, understated concern that betrays how deeply it actually runs. ]
... Inaba?
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/caaaaasually sets him up for a gut punch...
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/weeps quietly for these sad teens
they are very sad teens ;w;
they need so, so much help. SO. MUCH.
they do ;w;
minus the ‘what’ in “all of that”* ... ipad tagging gets pretty weird ;;;
that's fair enough!
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