homo: ylfa

[damp]

itp: rin desperately tries to look and ends up bullying a young girl

Comments

week 0; saturday

[honkinbigteeth]

[how are you. where are you. would you like some ikea meatballs.]

[damp]

[ :pleading emoji:

yeah, they can be in IKEA. rin mostly looks exhausted, and is shovelling food in his mouth. ]

That was terrible.

[honkinbigteeth]

[oh i figured she brought some back to the base but wherever you want.]

...Yeah. Maybe she had something very serious to get home to.

[damp]

[ wait that's so much better ok they can be at the base and cozy ]

... Do you think it's understandable?

[honkinbigteeth]

[she sighs a little.]

It's hard. I think it depends on how easy it is for you to believe in other people. Or if you're used to only relying on yourself.

If there's a way to get home that doesn't require doing what she did, it's not something any of us could make happen by ourselves. So I can see how it could feel like the thing she could make happen on her own was the only way out.

[damp]

[ that's the actual theme of free season one.

he thinks it over. ]

Yeah, I get it. Especially if you believe that only team is going back, it might as well be hers.

[honkinbigteeth]

[it's a sports anime so i knew it was.]

Exactly. If that's the only way out, and the teams who don't hold back get more points than we could ever get from tasks [assuming we turn them in] then everyone who doesn't win is going to be erased in the end no matter what.

But I don't think it's wrong to want something better than that.

[damp]

[ I'M SORRY!! ]

Mm, it's an impossible situation to be in. These are the rules of the game, we have to play by them. [ Still... ] Is that what you want to do? To win?

[honkinbigteeth]

I want everyone to have the chance at a better ending. I'd rather share that than win.

[damp]

So you're banking on that being possible?

[honkinbigteeth]

[good question.]

We need to do our best to win on our own. But I don't think there's anything wrong with believing it's possible and trying for that kind of ending.

[damp]

[ Fair enough. ]

I feel like... there are so many people here from so many different worlds and backgrounds.

Anything could be possible.

[honkinbigteeth]

I agree. At least we shouldn't give up so easily.

[damp]

Yeah. Maybe we'll learn more now that the Reapers are here too. They're in a weird place of not being players but still here.

[honkinbigteeth]

They don't seem like they would have signed up for this just because they enjoy watching people kill each other.

[damp]

[ yeah, well, hopefully not ]

Exactly. [ eats a meatball ] ... It's really messed up that if we vote for the wrong team, they have to pick who gets erased though.

[ he just went in a totally different direction but he has to establish that that's messed up ]

[honkinbigteeth]

...I hate that part too.

[damp]

Knowing that, and having that loom over our heads, I could barely focus in that last hour.

[honkinbigteeth]

If that ever happened to us, I wouldn't vote to sacrifice you or Haru. So don't worry about that.

[but that's sort of the problem.]

[damp]

[ . . . ]

Ylfa, I don't think either of us would ever vote for you or Gerard. [ well, maybe gerard, but he doesn't say that. ] I'm not worried about that.

I'm more worried about us volunteering ourselves.

[honkinbigteeth]

...I know.

[that doesn't surprise her at all.]

That's what I really hate to think about.

[damp]

[ he's silent for a long time after that, a little disappointed in himself for managing to rob ylfa of the determination that she usually carriers.

wordlessly, he picks up a meatball with a fork and offers it to her. ]

[honkinbigteeth]

[she takes a bite of meatball.]

...Thanks, Rin. I feel better already.

[damp]

Yeah? [ he smiles, taking one for himself ] Are meatballs your favourite?

[honkinbigteeth]

My favorite? Ooh, they're up there. They're pretty amazing.