5th Memory [Text]

[in_loveless_memory]

[He doesn't want to talk to anyone. He doesn't want to see anyone at the moment either. His brother is gone, his other best friend is gone... Soubi is gone. While he knows he'll see Youji again when he gets home... however long... But Soubi and Seimei? He doesn't know. Like so much in his life, he doesn't know if he'll see them again.]

How often do people return after they leave? Is there... some sort of rate of possibility?

[Because if he can have it in numbers, have it in some sort of concrete fact, he can rationalize it better. He can handle the possibility of percentage about seeing his brother again. At home he has no idea when he might see Seimei again, but here, here couldn't there just be something... concrete?

He knew there wasn't. He knew that it was as unpredictable as anything else.

He was just in denial, it was something he was good at.]

Comments

[emulation]

Can I--? [she points at the photographs, not really waiting for an answer before she draws closer and takes a good look. The animals are the ones that really draw her in.]

They're really neat. I like this one a lot.

[in_loveless_memory]

Sure. [Not that she would have taken no as an answer, apparently. She reminded him of Natsuo and Youji in that regard. He came up next to her, following her gaze to the animals. She was looking at a photo of a hawk in flight at the park, his talons extended and near the water of the lake.]

Oh, yeah. It was a pretty neat hawk that was in the park. I was surprised I caught him so well as he was flying. The ones where he actually caught a swear toad all came out too blurry, unfortunately.

[emulation]

No way! Man, I would've liked to see that. [but the picture is obviously still wonderful. It really does remind her of those documentaries she liked so much.] Do you wanna go pro with these?

[in_loveless_memory]

Go pro? What, no. This is... I don't know what I want to do when I get older. Not really something I've focused on. Have you? What with your... school and all?

[emulation]

Oh - [he has a point.] ... no, not really. You're kinda expected to do what everyone else is doing when you grow up. Hunt the demon-gods.

[in_loveless_memory]

All of you hunt demons? Exactly how many are there?

[emulation]

Dunno, but there's a few hundred girls in the school, so. There's bound to be a lot more out there.

[in_loveless_memory]

I still can't believe how apparently ineffective you guys sound at killing such a major threat.

[emulation]

[crossing her arms without much care,] You do it if you're so smart.

[in_loveless_memory]

[He was suddenly standing in front of her, locking gazes with her.]

You wouldn't like it.

[emulation]

[welp. Not that Katie tenses, not exactly, but her smile fades.]

That's probably why we're so ineffective, then.

[in_loveless_memory]

Probably. [He responded as he pulled away, turning on the laptop he got from Utgard and looking something up before the printer also started. When it was done he handed her several photos of the hawk.]

Here.

[emulation]

[the environment seemed to settle a little when he pulled away. Katie eventually followed with curiosity, peering over at the laptop, then at the pictures.]

Oh.

[she paused, watching them in her hand. her smile was bright.]

That's real nice of you. Thanks.

[in_loveless_memory]

[He's quite an intense individual, Katie, you're one of the few who get to see it.]

Don't mention it. [His tail flicked.]

So now you're here.

[And he seriously doesn't know what to do with you, Katie. You're not pushy enough to make him active, you're not concerned enough to be asking stupid questions. His tail swishes.]

[emulation]

[She presses her lips, still pleasant, looking over the pictures, one at a time.]

Yeah. [she brushes her hair behind her ear.]

Wanna go out for a bit? We could get ice-cream or something.

[in_loveless_memory]

[His ears perked even if his face showed nothing. His tail swished and then he looked at her.]

Yeah... okay. Ice cream sounds good, and I hate this house.