1% // VIDEO

[designerchild]

[ FILTERED FROM SHION UZUKI AND KOS-MOS ]

[ Sunlight glints off silverware on the café table where he has set his bracelet. Leaning back in a chair, Jr. stares off at some distant point beyond the camera, gathering his thoughts. Eventually, he turns to address the transmission, expression—for those who know him—uncharacteristically solemn. ]

Got a question. If there are people here, people you knew from your own worlds back home… [ A tense pause before he plunges on to the crux of the matter. ] Well, say that they’re not, ya know, up to speed with you, like you’re from a point in their future.

[ He absently picks up a spoon and spins it, just to keep his hands busy. ]

What have you done about it? I mean, have you told them? Or…

[ The spoon clinks loudly as it spins into a glass. A nearby waitress gives him a look. ]

…or have you just kept it to yourself?

If you wanna filter your response to me, but aren’t sure how, I’ll show you. [ /brief tutorial on filtering transmissions. ]

So let’s hear what you’ve got.

Comments

[video]

[whatagoodgirl]

[She has her (by now) expected jolt of surprise and rush of emotion at seeing Jr. on her feed, and she almost turns it right off. But then she sees his expression, and she knows she has to listen.

When he's finished, she speaks with a deadly grim solemnity.]

If one of the pilots came who knew anything about the fights that I didn't - anything, the very worst thing, something that would change how I viewed myself and my entire life and every world in existence - I would want to know. I'd want to know everything.

[Even her suspicions that she might have slaughtered an entire world. She'd want to know even that. She's not lying in the slightest.]

[video] FILTERED FOREVER

[designerchild]

[ Jr. rests both elbows on the table and then digs his fingers into his hair, palms pressing heavily into his closed eyes. ]

Yeah. You'd have a right to know.

[ But his tone is forlorn. He's still not sure. ]

I thought...I thought I was finally done running from my past. That I wasn't the coward I used to be. But look at me now. I can't even tell her. How could I even tell her? Dammit.

voice; filtered

[takebow]

...Would it do any good to tell them?

voice; filtered

[designerchild]

More harm than good, in the case I'm thinking of. It's not good news.

[video; filtered]

[songspitzel]

Should that happen, I would keep the information to myself until it becomes advantageous for me to divulge it.

[video; filtered]

[designerchild]

Whaddya mean? [ Jr. suspects he understands, but wants to make sure. ] Advantageous in what way?

[ video // filtered ]

[entreats]

There's still the possibility that it slips out by accident. [ hi, ange here bringing option number three to the table. ]

Then there's not much of a choice left anymore.

[ video // filtered ]

[designerchild]

Yeah, that...I'm not even going to bother with a hypothetical pretense. That specific case already happened to me. I don't think she noticed it, though.

[ You can never tell with KOS-MOS... ]

You bring up a good point. It'd be a pain trying to filter your words to them, to make sure you didn't slip up.

video.

[shigeharu]

Mm, coming at this from the opposite position...I prefer honesty.

But there are plenty of mitigating factors to consider, in a decision like that. I was simply getting confirmation of what I already knew was inevitably ahead, for one - not everyone will take such a thing calmly.

video.

[designerchild]

So this has happened to you, then? Sorry, pal.

[ Whether you're the one from the past or the one from the future, it doesn't matter. It really sucks. Unless the future person tells you that you win the lottery or something. That might be awesome. ]

For me, this isn't something the other person will predict. It would definitely come as a shock. A bad one.

[Video] | Filtered

[dragonspeak]

I think it...depends on what you're keeping from them.

[He would say "don't mess with the past" but considering he's been doing some meddling himself...he won't.]

[Video] | Filtered

[designerchild]

Some pretty heavy stuff. It's definitely not anything to celebrate about.

voice;

[knickerweasels]

[ a short pause. ]

That's...actually possible?

video; || filter

[designerchild]

Yeah, but I don't understand why. Initially, I thought people were coming in from different points in history because...well, in their future, they were dead. But these bastards have taken people who were dead and still brought them here, giving them life. I can't figure out what the hell their objective of this is.

video;

[disinherited]

It depends on whether I thought the information would help them or hurt them.

[She leans back a bit, tipping her head thoughtfully.]

Ice cream?

video; || filter

[designerchild]

Seeing how I can't think of any possible way it'd help, it'd definitely hurt them.

[ He pretends to mull over this. ]

I was finished here anyway.

[filtered to Junior.]

[holmes_fanatic]

[Conan's silent a moment before he responds. He likes Junior and he's enjoyed their conversations. There's also been something he's been turning over lately, something that Junior, among others, made him question. It's not the same -- but maybe it's similar enough ... ?]

There's no one from my world that I know of here, Junior-niichan, so my situation's different, but there's a secret I'm keeping back home and I'm wondering if I should keep it here. It's hard to know what's best, huh?

[filtered to Junior.]

[designerchild]

[ Conan, you'd have no idea how much a person like Jr. would understand your secret... ]

Well, the fact that you're still keeping it here means that it's probably not about your family or friends. So I'm guessing it's related to you specifically then?

[ Absently, he wonders what a kid so young would have to hide. Conan seems like an honest, hard-working kid. Smart for his age. Maybe that's it? Maybe he knows something he shouldn't? ]

If it's something that bothers you, something you'd be happier getting off your chest, I'd personally tell someone I was close to. If there's one thing this place has taught me, it's that people are pretty accepting. I mean, they kinda have to be, what with talking ponies and hedgehogs...

video;

[lightinheritor]

[Oh boy, this time thing is still so confusing. ]

The one person here who's from my world, we're from about the same point in time, but if the situation were different... I don't know if I could keep such a thing from him, not if it was truly important.

video; || filter

[designerchild]

[ Oh, someone Jr. doesn't know. He gives a brief wave. ]

You two are close then?

video;

[orphean]

I think it would really depend on how big or important it was. [She voluntarily chose not to learn of what could be her own fate for that reason.]

[video; filtered]

[designerchild]

[ oh sup character Jr. was hearing about earlier ]

Cataclysmic big. If it wasn't, I wouldn't hesitate to tell her.

[text]

[briochetime]

[He's only recently learned more about the text function, so he's going to practice as much as possible. That's his story and he's sticking to it.]

i should say that i don't have experience with this. i'm sorry. but there are two things. one, will they believe you, and two, are you sure it will not create some sort of time problem. since they are from the past.

[text] 2/2 oops

[briochetime]

what is a filter

[audio]

[deadwhisperer]

[ Oh what jr ): this is completely different than Adel remembers you being, you little troll. Have a concerned sort of voice over the communicator ]

Jr...?

[audio]

[designerchild]

[ OH NO, NOT THE NEWBIE. Quick, don the troll mask...

...too much effort. ]

Hey! It's my new favorite pal. How've you been?

[ brb sweeping the angst under the carpet, nothing to see here folks. ]

video. /I'M SORRY ABOUT HOW LATE THIS IS AND AHHHH feel free to ignore, sob

[respite]

[ ... D:

she's... well, she's never actually thought about that before, actually. it seems like a really big and complicated thing-- she can't even imagine if maybe... someone might come from the future or the past or anything like that. but nill is sensitive enough to recognize that this is a weighty topic for him, and this... well, this makes her worry.

but it's not as though she's much help in a situation like this. therefore, she does the one thing she can do: curl up on the couch, offer her presence to the person on the other side of the bracelet, and listen. ]

video. NO IT'S FINE! sorry for late reply, I moved back to school and then got wicked sick D|

[designerchild]

[ When he receives the notification of another reply to his transmission, he’s pleasantly surprised to see that it’s from Nill. Smiling lightly, he waves to her, happy that she seems comfortable in her House. Better than holed up beneath a park bench, that’s for sure! He’s about to try and change the subject, to spare her from being burdened with his issues, but she reminds him painfully of Sakura, so he finds himself talking, words tumbling out of his mouth without his consent. ]

I like to think I’m a pretty straight-forward kind of guy, ya know? I don’t like keeping secrets from my friends, so I don’t. There’s a tiny part of me that wants to tell her everything, so I’m not alone in this, so I don’t have to shoulder everything by myself—and even if that niggling part of me is miniscule, it’s still there and it’s still weak. [ He rubs his face. ] I owe her the truth, but I also owe her peace of mind. If the future is inevitable, if we’re all just going to forget our time here when we’re sent home, why bother? Why burden her with our future? Of KOS-MOS’ death, or Jin’s, or chaos’, or anyone’s? Is there a right answer here? Is it staring me straight in the eye and I’m just too cowardly to meet it head on?

[ His shoulders heave with a sigh, and then he pauses, glancing up at Nill almost shyly. ]

S-sorry. It’s just…I don’t know. But thanks. For being here. For listening.