omaru | ( empatheias ) ic inbox.

[ The feeling is mutual in a way, the way Red's face brightens too upon hearing she knows the pair. It's pretty exciting when you meet someone who knows the same people are you! ]

Really? Thanks for coming! All those rituals helped Peromei out by the looks of things. She was tired when she got to us, but I don't think she would have without everyone's help!

[ And even Sosyne was able to keep her head together during the whole fiasco, as difficult at times it had been. It's a genuine feeling of gratitude. ]

But you're right, that was me with him. I wanted to help him talk, but... [ He looks away, tipping his head slightly. ] I was more tired than I thought after the trip.

[ It makes him feel a little guilty, but nothing he was going to sit on, looking back over to the older girl. ]

They're going to be holding more soon. I think... from the ninth? To give people time to settle and meet anyone from home. [ Which should be happening soon, shouldn't it... ] We can always do with anyone who can come along if you can make any again!

No need to thank me. I'm happy I could help. [ She looks a little sheepish, but there's also a sense of happiness at his gratitude, even if she insists he doesn't have to thank her. ] I'm actually aligned with Peromei, so I wanted to do whatever I could to help her... I'm glad she was able to make it there safely.

[ She feels that she should get around to talking to Peromei and get to know her personally, but only once she's fully recovered. ]

And I'm sure nobody blames you for being too tired to talk back then. I can't imagine who wouldn't have been tired, having to face Elios like that...but I'll definitely show up to this next set of rituals. Do you know what Arehtei they're for? I'm guessing Elios might be one...

[ Though, they're trying to lower him to make him more balanced, right? She's not so sure if she can help on the "hate" front. ]

Peromei, huh? Like Nagito!

[ Which is obvious, but he says it with a fond note--as well as getting to refer to Nagito by his first name, too. ]

Elios is one of them. We won't have any for Peromei this time; she doesn't like her emotions swaying too much, and she wasn't that bad after everything was over! [ Which is a big thing, after the state she had been in for so long. ] There's going to be a couple for Sosyne though, just in case people aren't feeling too happy this month, and then there's Aiada. She's been suffering from the same problem as Elios, so we need to bring her down.

[ A beat, and he'll ask- ] Do you know what emotions go with who?

That's right! Komaeda-san's taught me a lot about Peromei, and this world in general...I guess that kinda makes me his underclassman?

[ Pretty much everything she knows about Empatheias, she's learned from him. ]

That's relieving to hear, though. Hopefully, she'll be back to normal soon. [ At his next question, she nods her head. She remembers reading about them in the welcome pamphlet when she first arrived. ] Sosyne is...calm and anger, right? And Aiada is envy and appreciation. So for Sosyne, you'll need more calm, and for Aiada...more envy?

Underclassmen...? [ Huh. ] Is that something special in your world?

[ He's never heard of anyone describe another person in that way before. ]

But you've got it right for Sosyne and Aiada--oh, and there's Thras too! Bravery and Fear! [ Ah, he nearly forgot! ] He needs more bravery! But, you don't need to think on the extremes. People get worried they need to really envy someone or think about a really bad time, but just small things help, you know? Or it'd get exhausting fast.

They're not always fun anyway, even though they try to make it easy to concentrate on the emotion... but it's worth it, with the way things are. The Arehtei need it or--well, [ he tip his head, a small rueful smile crossing his face, ] we've seen what happens. And I don't like the idea of any of them going through that.

Eh...? [ She blinks in surprise at his question. She knows people come from different worlds and cultures, but she didn't think she'd ever have to explain upperclassmen and underclassmen. ] Oh, um...it's a pretty common thing in Japan. It signifies seniority, like if someone is in a higher grade than you...or, in my case, Komaeda-san is a representative and has been here longer than I have. ...Does that help explain?

[ She looks sheepish, hoping that it did. She's never had to explain it before, so she's never put much thought into how to convey it to others. ]

I don't like the idea of them going through that either, so...I'll try to help as best as I can. [ Negative emotions are things she doesn't like to dwell on, but she had to confront her despair last month to help Peromei. If it's for the sake of the Arehtei being healthy, then she'll at least endure that much. ] I'll make sure to attend a ritual for each of them.

[ He understood some type of school-relation to the word, but he hums as she explains, not knowing how it even worked outside of that context, eventually nodding. ]

I get it! ... back home, we'd just call him a nice guy!

[ He says it lightheartedly, grinning playfully a little afterwards. You learn new things everyday. ]

Thanks! Ah... feels like this ice is gonna be the bad kind, huh? [ Whatever else he might have to say about the rituals or the Arehtei, Red's steps slow with his attention caught by what's ahead. They're some hundred yards from the ice now, but the feeling, like a tug of a wanting love comes from that frozen wall ahead of them. Noise of jackhammers ring at his ears, the flow of fire, but there's enough room to work into portions for them. Brow pulled and mouth pinched, he holds the blow torch close to him as he moves a hand down near his waist, around the band of his jacket where he keeps it as he looks to the girl. ]

Hey, are you okay with dragons?

[ there's only one right answer fyi. ]

...Huh? Dragons?

[ That's a very sudden question, and it's enough to make Komaru pause from shifting her own blowtorch into a position for use. She can't see what relevance it has to melting the ice, or why he's so curious about her opinion of them, but she'll at least answer the question in spite of her confusion. ]

I don't have a problem with them? I mean, they look really cool in manga with how they can breathe fire and fly!

Great! [ There's probably more he should say, right? But he's taking the red and white ball off his belt and into view, giving just a -- ] He can breathe fire and fly, but he's never eaten a human in his life, okay? He's the nicest dragon you'll ever meet!

[ That's all the reassurances she'll get before Red pushes on the centre button and lets out a light from inside the device that jerks open in half, light turning into a shape and then into a very real body, all within an instance, a flare of fire coming to life at the back of a long, thick orange tail.

And that's a dragon-looking guy. Maybe not the most dragon of dragons, only around six feet in height, but that is.

still dragon looking. or pokémon-looking, whichever one Komaru knows first. Red, returning the ball where it came from, motions with that free hand to Charizard if there's no ongoing screaming or horror taking place. ]

Meet Charizard! He's my best friend!

[ There isn't any screaming or horror going on, but she is pretty awestruck. She's standing stock still, staring up at Charizard with her mouth agape, completely at a loss for words. To her credit, she doesn't look terrified than she does dumbfounded. She thought she saw some strange things in Towa City, but a dragon materializing in front of her certainly takes the cake. ]

Th-That's...That's a dragon! A-An actual, real life dragon...!

[ ...She'll recognize it being a Pokémon later, but she just has to reestablish that fact first. ]

[ bless for her knowing what a pokémon is. But 'dragon' usually works as a apt description for Charizard for most, even though he's technically flying/fire!!! Let's be real, he's a dragon.

Charizard doesn't appear to take any offence to how she looks at him, he himself rather...having a somewhat hard look on his face, but that may just be his bone structure, as he appears to be rather quiet and relaxed otherwise, tilting his head, but standing still for the person he doesn't know. The tiny fiasco may be getting a few look their ways, but nothing Red and Charizard aren't used to by now. ]

Uh huh! [ Yep, sure is a dragon there. ] He breathes fire, so I'll help make his flames more effective on the ice, and that way we can break through it quicker!

[ He looks up at his dragon friend, his dragon friend looking back down at him, and they share a nod at that plan. ]

[ Now that she's mostly recovered from her shock, she...can't exactly deny that it's a good plan. A unlikely plan, but a good one. Even if it's the last thing she expected to see today, a dragon would definitely be useful in thawing out the thick ice, even more so than these flamethrowers. And it's a dragon, which makes it far cooler than going the ordinary route.

So she nods in agreement, unable to hide her enthusiasm as she does. ]

I...I see! That plan is genius! Let's do it!

[ This time it's to the girl that Red nods to, and then he turns to face that of the ice, its possessive need reaching them in the way that a chill carried through the air would from a far more ordinary wall of cold. His eyes close and his breathes, his shoulder twitching in what appears to be an involuntary way, Red rolling it after more consciously. Hatred for the ice, a rejection of its want. It's an emotion he's forced on himself plenty, but the days spent recovering after the Elios mess makes his body feel wary of it. But, he won't let it get to him.

Just some should be fine. When he speaks up, it's a little louder, to get over the noise of the drilling near to them. ]

Have you ever channelled hate into an object before? We can help each other out if you need it!

[ Otherwise, they really can get going with this. ]

Um, no, I've never done it before...

[ Hatred, along with despair, were two emotions that Komaru didn't like to dwell on, what with them resurfacing bad memories that she would like nothing more than to forget. It didn't help that the person she could say that she hated was present in this city, but she could at least channel her energy on that person to help her out with the process. She had to do it, for the sake of helping with the cleanup. She had come this far, after all. ]

I really wouldn't mind the help, though. Have you done it before?

[ He nods, and with that he comes closer to her, angling the instrument in his hands to point forward, but leaning it, as if inspecting it. There on his, there's a faint red glow at the top of the nuzzle that hadn't been there before. ]

They've made these to pick up on hate, so they should work without much concentration... as long as you can focus on something, it'll put that emotion into the fire when you release it!

I can help you keep it up if you think it'll be hard to do; it's a skill I learned a while back, helping a person keep feeling a way. You don't even have to think about something too awful--it's better if you don't. Me, I prepared before I came here...

[ His face scrunches up, the red glow now brighter than before, and the disgust on his face leaks into his voice as he shares between them-- ]

I took a bite out of a pickled egg.

[ fuggen GROSS. ]

Ewwww, that's so disgusting!

[ She just has to get that complaint out there, even huffing her cheeks a bit, before she stops to mull over his words. So something as simple as that would help with melting the ice, huh...? It was relieving to know she didn't have to think about truly horrible things, like the ordeals she went through. She feels a little more confident that she'll be able to do this now. ]

But that sounds pretty simple. My turn. Let's see, um...

[ She thinks for a moment before a thought finally comes to mind. Oh, this one is gonna be good. ]

Manga artists who draw their characters with small eyes are totally disgracing the art of shoujo manga! That's completely unforgivable!

[ KOMARU. ]

[ Komaru, that's--! ]

Who would do that!? What's the point!?

[ DISGRACEFUL. He probably has no opinion in reality on small eyes in comic books, but the level of dislike already swishing in him and her own reaction causes it to come out instantly, and he might as well think that it's a injustice to all shoujo manga everywhere.

He's ready to salt about anything, and that level of salty dislike between them, he can keep that up, the winds carrying the desiring love in the air unable to reach them now. ]

Know what else is bad? Videogames without checkpoints that are so hard, everytime you die you get sent back to the first stage! And stupid long passwords sixty characters long! [ But that kind of hate dips into another area, when he bemoans: ] And I miss them!

[ Huff!! ] Stupid videogames!

[ Komaru are you ready for this ice, it is definitely time to hate on some ice. ]

[ Red, you're speaking her language??? ]

Ugh, I know! Like, I'm already bad at those kind of games, and the fact that you have to start all the way over if you die just makes me feel even worse! And then it gets to the point that you don't even want to finish the game anymore, so then you end up with a pile of unfinished video games! And...And! When you finally decide to start playing it again, you're completely lost and don't know what to do, so you'll have to either use a guide or start over!

[ Stupid video games indeed!! She could rant about this all day, honestly. ]

And you know what else is worse? Math, and other complicated subjects like computer science! Why the heck do we have to learn those subjects in school anyway? [ Though, she may just be salty because she's bad at those subjects... ] It's not like we're gonna need them in the real world or anything!

( empatheias ) ic inbox.

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this got lost in my inbox, i am so sorry for the very late tag...