[And as promised about twenty minutes later there's...suddenly a crash outside of Rei's apartment, along with a chipper and robotic "oh no" following. It sounds like someone had his hands full and tried to open the door. There's a muffled "Baymax, open the door" before it swings open and the walking marshmallow waddles his way into the apartment, immediately seeking out Rei. Hiro follows, loaded down with a huge thermos and a couple of grocery bags hanging off of his arms.]
[Rei is seated on the couch with a book in her lap, looking up with mild amusement as Baymax wanders in. She hadn't asked where the marshmallow had been during the invasion, she had a guess and she hadn't wanted to upset Hiro further. But, it was nice to see him again.
Closing the book she sits up a little straighter and nods.]
Hey. You look like you have your hands full. Do you need any help?
[Considering he was in full panic mode, that was for the best. Still, Baymax is very conscious of the space around him and tries not to knock anything over as he joins Rei in the living room, leaving Hiro to juggle everything. It's not due to his lack of trying, it's more that Baymax has learned Hiro will be stubborn about certain things and that independence is an important part of adolescence.]
I'm good! Where should I put everything? [He says as a box starts to fall and he's quick to grab it, almost dropping the thermos as well.]
[Baymax seems to be helping by clearing a path at least for Hiro to follow and Hiro approaches the table.] I'm not going to spill anything. I've carried heavier trays than this at Lucky Cat during lunch rush.
[And probably spilled those once or twice but whatever, it's just because he's short with noodle arms. Everything's set down though one of the bags falls to the floor instead of on the table, the thermos being set down especially carefully.] The tea might've been brewed a little strong but it should be okay. [He crouches down to grab the bag before he starts setting out a bunch of boxes of chocolates...dark chocolates, almond chocolates, strawberry chocolates, green tea chocolates, chocolates with wafers in them, some white chocolate...he might have gone overboard. Let's not talk about where he got the money to pay for this stuff. Whatever the Senshi don't want he can always take home with him, no big deal.]
I wasn't sure what you guys would really like so I brought a little of everything. [He leans over to tap the boxes for the strawberry chocolates.] These're my favorites, but the green tea ones are pretty good, too.
[That is far, far far more chocolate than she has any idea of what to do with. And she doesn't even want to think about how he got ahold of that and paid for it. Not on a student salary, anyway...but she will reach down and open up the strawberry box and daintily take just one of them]
You...really went all out. Thank you, Hiro-kun. [She chews thoughtfully, impressed with the quality. Not what she'd expected out of him in the slightest.]
Um. There's teacups on the counter in the drying rack. If you don't mind getting those. I'll serve at least, but even I have to admit that on my wobbly legs, I don't need to be carrying glass.
[He really feels like he has a bit to make up for, sorry, Rei. This is what happens when you work two jobs, don't go to school, and your older brother pays for everything anyway. He can't help but look relieved when she does take one of the offered chocolates and seems to like it, immediately bouncing up to move.]
Don't worry about it, I got it. [And off he goes into the kitchen, carefully picking up two tea cups and carrying them back at a slower pace to set down on the table. He eyes the thermos anyway.] You sure? I don't mind serving...it's just pouring it into the cups, isn't it?
[Stop being a butt, everyone is scared sometimes. But she isn't going to turn down food. Especially chocolate.]
There's a rite and ritual to it, Hiro-kun. A host never allows themselves to be served. I'll pour. It'd be improper and invite bad luck not to. And the last thing we need is more bad luck.
[Everyone is scared sometimes, but it's not allowed to be seen when you're supposed to be a hero. Or when you're an arrogant 14 year old boy who doesn't want people to see everything.
Still, he tilts his head at that because he probably should know that but it's escaped him. Or he's just used to working at the cafe and just rolled all of that together. Still, he nods and settles back on the couch then.]
Tell me about it. I'm hoping we might actually catch a string of good luck soon...isn't that how it's supposed to go? String of bad luck followed by good?
[He's leaning back into the couch and letting Rei serve their tea, only moving to sneak forward and take a piece of the strawberry chocolate.]
You mean besides totally embarrassed about the whole thing? Yeah, mostly. [There's a short pause.] The nightmares aren't as intense at least. I think the ghosts were affecting those, too.
[And to absolutely nobody's surprise he's busy dumping a lot of cream and sugar into his tea...]
About what they normally are? [He shrugs, slightly awkward and more focused on stirring his tea than looking at Rei. He doesn't seem to mind admitting this to her at least.] Every couple of nights, sometimes I wake myself up before they get too bad, sometimes I don't. I couldn't sleep at all when the ghosts were around. I want to know how they were really causing all of this.
Negative energy, most likely. Particularly violent deaths or unhappy spirits can just swath themselves in a kind of bleakness, and it affects the air around them. The entire colony was thick with it. Even you should've felt it. That thick, cloying sense of dread in the air.
[Rei takes her tea with no condiments, setting the tray down and sipping the bitter liquid with an approving nod.]
Of course I did. [He didn't like it, but he certainly felt it.] That much was obvious even before the ghosts showed themselves, but at the same time it was hard to figure out what was causing it at first. [He takes a sip of tea.]
They're the same ghosts that were inside the tower when we went in there the first time, aren't they?
[Rei's not going to dwell too hard on the negative energy that's passed. That would only really serve to agitate Hiro, since it's not a thing of science, she thinks.]
They're absolutely the same ghosts. They sought me out like I said, and marked me again this time.
[He's starting to delve into the supernatural side of things, but it's still not really making sense to him.]
Right. But did they explain why? Or what they really wanted from us this time? [Everything from the last couple of days sort of blurred together. He's still sorting everything out.]
They said to me that CERES is built on top of a sacred ground, and they didn't want me to let CERES to seal them away a second time. It seemed imperative that they remain free.
[Obviously she agreed.]
They also warned me that whatever's on the other side of that wall is aberrant, unnatural, and far, far worse than their fellows. That's why I sealed it.
Like their ancient burial grounds? I mean I've heard a ton of stories back home about ghosts that haunt people because they're on their burial grounds and people get sick or tragically die or whatever, but...wonder if that's why they all didn't agree on the contract with CERES. The natives, I mean.
...wait what? [Hold that thought.] Unnatural...how? We're on an alien planet, how much more unnatural can we get?
Could be that. Or some other sacred territory. A religious site maybe?
[That would make sense. Hiro's theory seems sound.]
Us being here is unnatural to the planet, but I imagine it could be something from hell? Demons maybe. Or artificial things. I'm not exactly clear on what's considered unnatural by the undead, though.
Considering the spirits have shrines that's actually a solid theory, too. We know that the natives have gods or whatever you wanna call 'em because Caeli, Maris, Ardeo and Occidi exist. And we know that sacrifices have been made on this planet...
[Which isn't something he wants to think too much about.] Have you ever wondered how we can be code but we can still get hurt, bleed, and can die? [Way to be morbid, Hiro.] You're right, our whole existence here is unnatural. But I didn't think about that. And that's not really the kind of thing we can find out from the library so what's our next step?
Spirits. I'd hesitate to call elemental spirits true gods. They're too limited.
[Bound up in their element and all. A god can act outside that domain, as far as she's concerned. But she's with him there. This is not the best thing to talk about.]
I have wondered about that, yes. It doesn't really make a lot of sense to me but I'm not very knowledgeable about computers and code. I don't even own a television set, so I'm afraid I'm a bit out of my depth where that goes. [She understands practical applications but the minutia are hard, okay?]
Our next step is to continue what we've been doing, and that's taking opportunities as carefully as we can, learning what we can, and piecing it all together. I guarantee the ghosts will return, or plan to. Otherwise they wouldn't have marked my arm a second time. I'll try to wring more out of them, if I can.
Except for maybe the Bridge. [An off-hand comment, but he drops it after that.]
Even without being knowledgable about tech it's still something that doesn't make sense. If we were code, you'd think being out in the colony would be just like ViViD where injuries and stuff aren't carried over. I know Tellus is real and everything in the colony's real, but what does that mean for us? I don't understand it. [And it's driving him crazy.]
You might be protected by the ghosts, but what about the rest of us?
I'm working on a solution to that problem. I don't have the materials to make shrines, but I have enough to have warded this entire apartment floor. I'd like to expand it, but I need time. For right now, it's...an alright bomb shelter, at least.
[And then the ever-faithful question:] What can I do to help? What materials do you need? Is it something we can find here? [Because if it's about price he can probably help. Or fetching the items. He could do that, too.]
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[And as promised about twenty minutes later there's...suddenly a crash outside of Rei's apartment, along with a chipper and robotic "oh no" following. It sounds like someone had his hands full and tried to open the door. There's a muffled "Baymax, open the door" before it swings open and the walking marshmallow waddles his way into the apartment, immediately seeking out Rei. Hiro follows, loaded down with a huge thermos and a couple of grocery bags hanging off of his arms.]
Rei?
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Closing the book she sits up a little straighter and nods.]
Hey. You look like you have your hands full. Do you need any help?
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I'm good! Where should I put everything? [He says as a box starts to fall and he's quick to grab it, almost dropping the thermos as well.]
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Rei just points to the table near the couch and slowly gets to her feet to move a few papers out of the way.]
Right here's fine. Easier to get to. Here, don't...let anything spill, okay?
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[And probably spilled those once or twice but whatever, it's just because he's short with noodle arms. Everything's set down though one of the bags falls to the floor instead of on the table, the thermos being set down especially carefully.] The tea might've been brewed a little strong but it should be okay. [He crouches down to grab the bag before he starts setting out a bunch of boxes of chocolates...dark chocolates, almond chocolates, strawberry chocolates, green tea chocolates, chocolates with wafers in them, some white chocolate...he might have gone overboard. Let's not talk about where he got the money to pay for this stuff. Whatever the Senshi don't want he can always take home with him, no big deal.]
I wasn't sure what you guys would really like so I brought a little of everything. [He leans over to tap the boxes for the strawberry chocolates.] These're my favorites, but the green tea ones are pretty good, too.
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You...really went all out. Thank you, Hiro-kun. [She chews thoughtfully, impressed with the quality. Not what she'd expected out of him in the slightest.]
Um. There's teacups on the counter in the drying rack. If you don't mind getting those. I'll serve at least, but even I have to admit that on my wobbly legs, I don't need to be carrying glass.
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Don't worry about it, I got it. [And off he goes into the kitchen, carefully picking up two tea cups and carrying them back at a slower pace to set down on the table. He eyes the thermos anyway.] You sure? I don't mind serving...it's just pouring it into the cups, isn't it?
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There's a rite and ritual to it, Hiro-kun. A host never allows themselves to be served. I'll pour. It'd be improper and invite bad luck not to. And the last thing we need is more bad luck.
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Still, he tilts his head at that because he probably should know that but it's escaped him. Or he's just used to working at the cafe and just rolled all of that together. Still, he nods and settles back on the couch then.]
Tell me about it. I'm hoping we might actually catch a string of good luck soon...isn't that how it's supposed to go? String of bad luck followed by good?
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[That's the honest truth, bad luck was just going to follow them and follow them. It would also probably come anyway, but no sense in asking for it.]
Anyway. Sit. Let me take care of that. [A beat.] Are you feeling any better?
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You mean besides totally embarrassed about the whole thing? Yeah, mostly. [There's a short pause.] The nightmares aren't as intense at least. I think the ghosts were affecting those, too.
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They probably were. I haven't had any since then, myself.
How bad have they been since?
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About what they normally are? [He shrugs, slightly awkward and more focused on stirring his tea than looking at Rei. He doesn't seem to mind admitting this to her at least.] Every couple of nights, sometimes I wake myself up before they get too bad, sometimes I don't. I couldn't sleep at all when the ghosts were around. I want to know how they were really causing all of this.
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[Rei takes her tea with no condiments, setting the tray down and sipping the bitter liquid with an approving nod.]
That can affect dreams, I think.
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They're the same ghosts that were inside the tower when we went in there the first time, aren't they?
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[Rei's not going to dwell too hard on the negative energy that's passed. That would only really serve to agitate Hiro, since it's not a thing of science, she thinks.]
They're absolutely the same ghosts. They sought me out like I said, and marked me again this time.
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Right. But did they explain why? Or what they really wanted from us this time? [Everything from the last couple of days sort of blurred together. He's still sorting everything out.]
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[Obviously she agreed.]
They also warned me that whatever's on the other side of that wall is aberrant, unnatural, and far, far worse than their fellows. That's why I sealed it.
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...wait what? [Hold that thought.] Unnatural...how? We're on an alien planet, how much more unnatural can we get?
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[That would make sense. Hiro's theory seems sound.]
Us being here is unnatural to the planet, but I imagine it could be something from hell? Demons maybe. Or artificial things. I'm not exactly clear on what's considered unnatural by the undead, though.
[Ain't that the truth?]
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[Which isn't something he wants to think too much about.] Have you ever wondered how we can be code but we can still get hurt, bleed, and can die? [Way to be morbid, Hiro.] You're right, our whole existence here is unnatural. But I didn't think about that. And that's not really the kind of thing we can find out from the library so what's our next step?
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[Bound up in their element and all. A god can act outside that domain, as far as she's concerned. But she's with him there. This is not the best thing to talk about.]
I have wondered about that, yes. It doesn't really make a lot of sense to me but I'm not very knowledgeable about computers and code. I don't even own a television set, so I'm afraid I'm a bit out of my depth where that goes. [She understands practical applications but the minutia are hard, okay?]
Our next step is to continue what we've been doing, and that's taking opportunities as carefully as we can, learning what we can, and piecing it all together. I guarantee the ghosts will return, or plan to. Otherwise they wouldn't have marked my arm a second time. I'll try to wring more out of them, if I can.
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Even without being knowledgable about tech it's still something that doesn't make sense. If we were code, you'd think being out in the colony would be just like ViViD where injuries and stuff aren't carried over. I know Tellus is real and everything in the colony's real, but what does that mean for us? I don't understand it. [And it's driving him crazy.]
You might be protected by the ghosts, but what about the rest of us?
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[And the best she can do for the moment.]
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Ty get out, I caught those lyrics.
I'm helpful.
you are
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