OCHAKO

[chanteuser]

Comments

[chanteuser]

... It must be something important, if it was enough to make him kill.

[infreefall]

The way they put it, it was a problem with Brick-san... Maybe, if someone's nova starts to splinter, they're a threat to the stability of the Realm?

[chanteuser]

Or that's what someone's told. And then... they have to be removed? Either legitimately for the Realm's safety, or something's persuading people that's what needs to happen.

[ hmmm. ]

[infreefall]

That's what it sounds like. But I don't know where that information came from, or how to find out more, without asking the leaders. It's like they've been just as lost as the rest of us, though.

[chanteuser]

Have you spoken to your leader much?

[infreefall]

Mm, but not about things like this. Mostly we've just talked about normal things, besides the disturbances we experienced last week. I figured most people will be asking about that stuff, so... maybe they could use a break from it.

[ now she's starting to wonder if that was the wrong thing to do. ]

[chanteuser]

You can mix it up. I worry about asking them too much, but they didn't seem to mind it. We usually do something fun while we talk, like cook or have a snack.

[infreefall]

Oh, that's a good idea! Though some of them have told me they're getting a lot of food from their teams...

[ hmmmm ]

They can summon things, right? I wonder if they’d be able to summon games so we could play with them.

[chanteuser]

Maybe we need to think of new things so they don't get overwhelmed with food. I wonder...

[ ... well. ]

There's no harm in asking. Maybe we should just do one of those coupon books, and they can cash them in for us to bring them a snack of their choosing, or do a task for them or something.

[infreefall]

Oh, I like that idea! We could make one for each of the leaders!

What should we put in it? Obviously snacks or tasks, but maybe things like seeing movies or reading books, too?

[chanteuser]

We’d need to have the movies available for them to watch for that ti work...

[ maybe there will be a moving theatre one week? amazing ]

[infreefall]

True... I hope we can get a theater or something sometime. There are so many people here who don't know about movies, it's crazy.

[chanteuser]

It'd be nice if there was a way to show movies for everyone then. We could all watch it together.

[ ... oh. ]

Oh, I was going to explain the dogtags, wasn't I...?

[infreefall]

Yeah! It would be fun. We could make popcorn and everything.

[ she didn't want to push alex that hard, but now that it's come up, ochako nods. ]

They belonged to someone you knew, right?

[chanteuser]

Mm, yeah. They're my roommate's.

[ ... ]

I'm actually a little worried they're here? He probably needs them.

[infreefall]

Why would he need them? Is he in the military?

[chanteuser]

Sort of?

He's supposed to carry them at all times. It's like an identifier.

[infreefall]

Just him...?

[ curious. an ID is one thing, but somehow it doesn't feel like it's quite the same here. ]

He must mean a lot to you, though, if that's what they gave you here.

[chanteuser]

Him, and people like him.

[ she looking at the tags now. her... expression is complicated? that's the best word for it. ]

I guess. He saved my life, technically speaking.

[infreefall]

Technically speaking? What do you mean by that?

[ she'll circle back to the other part later. she wants to know how he saved alex. ]

[chanteuser]

I think Worick persuaded him to spare me. But ... he's protected me in his own way since then, so -- [ she shrugs ] A lot's happened since then.

I was scared of him when at first. But... that was more on me and my own ignorance.

[infreefall]

[ hmmm. ]

I wish you weren't put in a situation where your life was in danger at all. But I'm glad you're okay, and that you have him to help you now.

[chanteuser]

That'd be ideal, but... it being in danger in the first place is how they got me out of a bad situation, so...

[ good? good. ]

It's a bit complicated.

[infreefall]

Mm, seems like a lot of stuff is, huh?

[ ochako is only fifteen, but she's already learning that life is just like that sometimes. ]

...What did you mean by "people like him," anyway?

[chanteuser]

[ gruff man voice from a 1930s mafioso movie: life is hell, kid ]

Oh, that. Nicholas is a Twilight —- which is different from a regular human. They have naturally enhanced strength and speed, but normally in exchange for a shorter life span and the loss of something else. [ she holds up one of the dog tags, one with A/0 on it ]

They’re all tracked and ranked in terms of strength. D is the lowest, S is the highest. And the numbers reflect each rank — 5 is the lowest, and 0 is the highest.