homo: alex

[damp]

itp: a normal teenager friendship!

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[damp]

[ With the ball, he runs up to the net and jumps... and tosses the ball into the net. ]

Yeah? [ He picks the ball up again. ] So you went to normal school?

[camena]

Nice!

[ tall.......... ]

Like, a public school? Yeah. It's not like my family is fancy enough for private schools or anything. I don't even... know if we have those nearby?

So did you—uh, not? Go to normal school?

[damp]

[ he laughs a little sheepishly ]

I meant more like... A school that wasn't in space. Or full of magic. Or part of the military.

[camena]

Oh, like Setsu.

No, just a normal school in a small town.

[damp]

Ah, same as me then.

[ tilts his head ]

Where're you from, anyway? America...?

[camena]

Yeah. I'm from Oregon. It's—out west, by the coast.

What about you?

[damp]

[ Rin only knows like three American states, but he nods. ]

I'm from Japan. No where close to Tokyo though, my town was on the southwest coast.

[camena]

[ it's fine. ] Huh. But this city looks a little like Tokyo, right? The same way it looks like big cities that I would recognize.

So weird.

[damp]

It does look like Tokyo, it was kind of disorienting at first. [ ... ] But there's no room for a huge IKEA in the middle of most cities I know.

[camena]

I don't think they're that uncommon in my local big cities. But I hadn't been to one before.

It's fun, though. Lots to, uh... Look at.

[damp]

You think?

[ He looks up at the sky. ]

I thought all I'd need is a pool but... It'd be nice to have some other restaurants. Maybe a movie theatre.

[camena]

I'd definitely take more restaurants already. Theater's less important, but it'd be nice.

[ hum ]

You like swimming, huh? It's in your profile.

[damp]

[ He looks a little more pensive. His sports history... ]

Yeah, it's been pretty much my whole life since as long as I can remember. Feels a little like I've been living with blinders after talking to everyone else here.

[camena]

To be fair, I bet everyone is feeling that way. We all only know what we know. And with different worlds that's—a really small amount, no matter what you've been doing.

[damp]

That's true.

[ Looks up at the sky. ]

It's still a little overwhelming... There's so many worlds there are out there.

[camena]

... Homesick?

[ that's kind of the opposite vibe of what he was saying, but it's how hearing about all those worlds makes her feel. weirdly. ]

[damp]

[ he blinks, looking surprised ]

... Yeah. It feels like I should be excited and adventurous but... yeah. I feel homesick.

[camena]

[ she pauses, like she's not quite sure if she wants to say this or not, but. ]

I'd been thinking of going out of state for college. It's not for a while, but...

I don't know. I wanted to get away but now I'm homesick, too.

[damp]

[ That makes him smile a little. ]

I know the feeling. I actually just got back to Japan a few months ago, and I hated being back... It felt so stifling.

But now I'd give anything to be back there.

[camena]

What about it was so stifling? Just... the familiarity, or?

[damp]

Yeah, I think so. [ he shrugs ] Is that why you wanted to leave for college?

[camena]

Basically.

[ anyway ]

You said you just got back to Japan. Where had you been?

[damp]

I was studying in Australia for the past five years. It's pretty different from Japan. It might be more similar to what it's like in America?

[camena]

Iiii wouldn't know. I've never been to Australia. But they speak English, so that's... something?

[damp]

[ fair enough ]

It seemed similar from the movies I've seen. School dances, prom... We don't have that stuff in Japan.