thefoundation | nobody's in the mood for recording 6.9: the post-trial garden tea "party"

[He looks up at her with a smile.]

There's nothing you should apologize for. I'm simply not as prepared as I would have liked. That much can be said for all of us.

And no, I wasn't close to her. We only ever spoke during meetings.

[Oh thank god. She let out an inward sigh of relief.]

Yes, the same. No good can come from magic, it seems...

Not to speak ill of the dead, of course.

The dead are dead. Speak of them however you wish.

[Well. Not that the dead here can't exist in some capacity.]

Magic can be quite the source of trouble, yes. It's unfortunate that they both perished for it.

...They might speak back, so I'll exercise some restraint.

[A little shrug.]

Do you remember what happened when we first came in to the house? I heard something interesting... the other day.

About a certain...

[She mouths the word: "RO-BOT"]

The first day here was difficult to forget.

[What with that massacre and all. But he glances up from his laundry curious. He gives the laundry room a lookaround -- admittedly pointless because he can't see ghosts for shit, but then taps at his ear and motions for Rosa to come closer.]

[Her eyes dart around wary even though she's the same way. She speaks:]

She distinctly said she didn't feel pain that first day. Now? She does.

[He considers this for a moment, then moves to turn on a faucet. He's hoping the combination of the running water in the background and his own hushed tones might make this harder to eavesdrop on.]

She said she's gained the capacity for quite a few new things. Wrath, hatred.... [A beat.] But what do you find significant about pain?

She described it specifically as a constant, sharp, piercing pain.

...Can you think of any natural wound that would cause that? It sounds like something eating her up from inside...

What if there was something to distract her, or even relieve her?

Hm. You think it's literal.

[Not that this would be surprising. A lot of things have been pretty literal it seems.]

It could be something akin to phantom limb, perhaps. [Since we're going for literal here.] But I'm not certain how one can be distracted from something like that.

...Well if she thinks it's real, it becomes real, doesn't it?

[she bites her lip in thought.]

If the same was true for the first one, that's a theme.

[He'll consider this for another moment.]

Let me ask something, Ushiromiya-san. In pursuing this line of thought .... are you hoping to quell the miasma's rage and despair, or simply distract it long enough to find a way out of this house?

[She shrugs.]

I'm hoping to live a little longer than I am right now... No more or less than that. Whichever works to achieve that is fine with me.

Oh, but you don't need to be so formal, Haku-san! Calling me Rosa is fine with me.

[A nod at that correction.]

Just Haku is fine by me as well.

In any case, keeping other options in mind beyond trying to locate the room Turner described would be in everyone's best interests. I'll keep that in mind as well going forward.

...Yeah, that.

[whistles...]

You think that's possible? I mean, between you, and me?

[That's getting a few beats of silence before finally she gets a firm answer.]

Yes.

But I doubt we'll like the cost.

...I'm not liking the cost even if we don't get there.

But, I guess... from a point of view, we're lucky to have even made it this far.

[His expression softens at that.]

You're right. It's already been quite the cost.

[Honestly he keeps forgetting that for some people here it may be their first time seeing someone die and in such violent ways.]

By the end of this, many of us will have become masters at killing our own hearts the way ninja are trained to do.

My heart, maybe. My stomach...

[She rubs her head a little.]

Anyway, I'm glad we have you with us. ...Speaking of which, maybe I can do something for you? If you want something else to wear besides that uniform they handed out.

[Honestly he doesn't know that it'd be reassuring to tell her that it gets easier over time to a degree, so he keeps his mouth shut on that count. The offer, however has him blinking in surprise.]

Ah? But wouldn't that take a while?

What? You don't know about my power? I can just 'think' new outfits into existence.

It's not much, but it's all I have.

Oh? But that's a very helpful power. I wouldn't be so quick to say that it isn't much.

[It might have some pretty specific applications, but powers like Gio's and Rosa's definitely have some important roles too. At least Haku thinks so anyway.]

Would you mind showing me? I used to have a pink yukata that I wore when I wasn't on missions. I miss having it sometimes.

...I thought pink was your color.

[A bright smile, from Rosa.]

I usually trade for these because using it wears me out, but I'll make an exception for you, Haku.

Hold your hands out... let me make some measurements.

[He pauses for a moment, speechless. Then he smiles warmly as he holds out his hands as instructed.]

... thank you, Rosa. If there's anything I can do for you, please let me know. And of course, if it's too much strain on you, then you needn't do this.

I want to do it.

[She doesn't have tape, but she doesn't really need it. Just enough to get a feel for his sizes.]

Just a yukata? Let's see...

[She doesn't have the power to make it jump onto his skin, but soon a beautifully shaded light pink yukata appears, with a swirl of plum to resemble cherry blossoms scattering in the wind.

Complete with geta and obi as well.]

[He's quiet while she works, obliging with moving as she needs. He meant it when he said she didn't need to do anything like this, but he's curious and when the yukata, obi and geta do just manifest themselves his expression lights up in amazement.]

That's incredible, Rosa.....

[He's awed... on multiple counts, really. This is far more kindness than he's used to receiving from strangers. In fact, prior to arriving in this world there had only ever been one stranger who'd even acknowledged his existence back on a snowy bridge. It's honestly part of what made adjusting to this world so difficult. The others here, he's come to realize, are soft and gentle. People who come from worlds so vastly different from his own. People who aren't trained to be tools and weapons, but are expected to be human and everything that comes with it. It's hard for him to read these people; their goals and motives aren't as clear cut as when it can be assumed he's just a means to an end.

Maybe he really should know better than to think this may not be as transactional as any business dealing with Gatou had been, but he wants to take something at face value. Rosa is, after all, someone he knows is fighting for her loved ones, even if she may lack the ability. It's something he respects about her.]

It's beautiful. I... can't thank you enough.

(no subject)

golden_dream - 2020-05-02 08:58 (UTC) - Expand