[ he, too, is in a poncho. fortunately, the indoor stables provide shelter from the rain. the sound of water pelting the wooden roof is almost therapeutic as he watches a horse behind one of the stables.
[ when 45 arrives at the bonfire, zenitsu is already there. he's seated on a log bench and gazing into the fire with a permanent marker clutched in one hand. ]
We would have almost done so if I didn't manage to drag Minako into the lakeside cabin in time. But it's still not particularly well protected from the cold, so...
[ haha,
but she'll sit down besides him before leaning down to slowly gather snow into a pile. ]
Yes. There's a number of android animals out in the world, by my time...
[ maybe it's how she lets her thoughts stray briefly that allows the weekly effect of the camp this week to take hold, a memory etching itself into zenitsu's mind. ]
[ you're on a covered rooftop balcony. the doll hanging upside down in front of you was stupid indeed, to have come back after attempting to leave you in cyberspace, but despite yourself you wait for her to wake up anyway.
"uuu..."
"ah, you're awake?"
"...45? why are you standing on the ceiling...?" reina seems slow to get her bearings. well, apparently electronic warfare really isn't something most dolls can handle after all. "where is this place... am i still in cyberspace?"
your tone is light and mild. "no, you are most definitely in the real world now." let's see how long it takes for her to react.
it takes a long moment for it to sink in. "...eh?" says reina. "why am i... i'm dangling from the ceiling?! wait, no- you... how did you escape from the highest-level lockdown?"
oh, that's almost funny if you still weren't entirely unimpressed with the doll in front of you. "highest-level lockdown? who were you expecting to trap with petty tricks like that? it was just the firewall of a civilian server. however good it was, it couldn't last beyond a single hit. it didn't even meet the expectations of it i had when i scanned the server."
"huh? you mean... you took down the entire server?"
"what do you think?" she's the one who asked you to do so, wasn't she? of course you knew she'd been planning to run, but if you'd been anyone else you might almost feel a little insulted. civilian dolls really don't know what even defective tactical dolls are capable of, hm? "i found the lockdown logic on my first-pass scan and it gave me a rough idea on how they were restricting their dolls. i was prepared to destroy the logic and prevent them from committing any new crimes using the same methods... but you ran faster than i expected. you slipped away before i had the chance to do anything."
"so... you knew what i was planning from the start?"
you level her a flat, meaningless smile. "it's true that i guessed you'd bolt the moment anything happened. what i didn't expect was that you'd log back into the server again after."
it seems the more you say, the more confused reina gets. "then everything i did... did it just make me look like a fool?"
"yes, just like a fool." you shift your weight and cross your legs primly where you're seated. "and as punishment for running away, i strung you up before you regained consciousness so i could better savor the stupid-looking spectacle that you are."
reina makes another faint, shamed noise as her situation presumably sinks in. "i'm sorry... ah, but... why would you go this far for me? even among humans, they'd only pay a price that ought not to be paid for things like family."
"i don't care about any price or whatever," you respond, bluntly, flatly. "i helped you simply because i couldn't tolerate people like that controlling dolls in that way. it reminded me of some bad memories, and i'd hate for them to happen to others."
"...your past wasn't a nice place either, was it?"
she'll have to learn that hers is hardly the only sob story around, and you make a derisive noise to demonstrate what you think that that particular sentiment. "speaking of which, what were you hoping to accomplish by going back, anyway? do you even know how to disable a firewall's lockdown?"
"i... um, i don't. but at the time, my gut was telling me that i shouldn't just leave you like that..."
... ugh. you stand, and lower reina gently to the ground. "go. get out of my sight, and never show yourself in front of me again."
she looks bewildered. probably she's going to mention- "you... you don't want my credits? we had a deal..."
"i already checked. the savings you were talking about never existed."
another faint, bewildered noise. "... i don't get it."
"what don't you get?"
"why did you do this? there was nothing in it for you. you weren't going to get paid for it," says reina, outlining things you both already know. "you even knew i was going to betray you and run off by myself. even if you couldn't stand what those humans were doing, it wasn't worth you risking yourself for this!"
you eye her for a moment. "...i simply felt that you were very much like my former self. if someone who'd had the ability to bring it all crumbling down had been by my side back then, perhaps all those things wouldn't have happened."
"what do you mean?" asks reina, hopelessly lost. "i... i still don't understand..."
a small amount of humorless laughter comes to your lips unbidden as you turn to head to the door leading out to the balcony. "it's good that you don't understand. it proves that despite everything, you had a fairly decent life."
"wait," reina says. "where are you going?"
you pause only long enough to offer her some advice as you leave. "i told you, didn't i? the more you know, the more likely you'll be destroyed. there's nothing tying you down anymore. go do whatever you want to do." ]
[ ... hm. so, about that story she told, back in that first week... ]
[ going from such a basic topic to something far more complicated, zenitsu feels almost overwhelmed coming back from the memory. it's strange how everything 45 said made sense in the memory, only to become a garbled mess again in his own mind. it's not that he's forgotten—there's just so much to parse for someone who's largely unfamiliar with such technology and been given a wealth of knowledge in a single moment.
in the end, he just blinks as he looks at 45 in surprise. he remembers the story, vividly. ]
[ it takes her a moment to go from reliving the memory to taking in the present again, but her eyes focus relatively quickly as she fixes him with ... somewhat of a wry expression? ]
A squad shrouded in mystery. ▓▓▓▓▒ has met them once, and others can only guess at the members' identities from rumors. Members of the squad all have advanced AI and high capacity for independent operation. Rumor has it that Squad 404 usually deals with ░▓▒▓▓▓▒▓▓▒▒▒░░
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MONDAY, w3 fuck if i know when;
Date: 2020-06-30 05:04 pm (UTC)which is when she runs into zenitsu! hi zenitsu, how are you doing after uhhh, last week. ]
... Are you fond of animals?
time is an illusion
Date: 2020-06-30 06:54 pm (UTC)then 45 appears, and his attention goes to her.
please, do not speak of last week. ]
I like them just fine. Are you?
no subject
Date: 2020-06-30 07:54 pm (UTC)[ in future earth there are android birds, robotic cats, all sorts of things that blend in with the remaining fauna there, but... ]
Still, it's a long way from any of the other buildings to here. If you went through the rain for it it must mean at least a little to you.
no subject
Date: 2020-06-30 11:26 pm (UTC)[ and ducking into a lot of cabins and buildings along the way. it's a miserable outing, but the horses are pleasant. ]
Anyway, even if you don't have a lot of experience, your opinion still matters!
no subject
Date: 2020-07-02 10:27 pm (UTC)[ in the pouring rain? didn't he get struck by lightning? isn't the saying something like 'once burned, twice shy?'
apparently not. ]
Why would it? Shouldn't the opinions of people familiar with something naturally hold more weight?
no subject
Date: 2020-07-03 05:55 am (UTC)That doesn't mean yours are unimportant.
So? What are your thoughts on animals?
FRIDAY, w3
Date: 2020-07-03 10:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-07-05 04:04 am (UTC)... You knew them, right?
no subject
Date: 2020-07-05 07:47 am (UTC)Yeah. Not very well, though.
Are you okay?
no subject
Date: 2020-07-05 05:37 pm (UTC)[ and you find a fair couple of those while slumming it on the shadier side of life, anyway. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-07-05 05:40 pm (UTC)It's not an effect, though, it's what happens when you stay out overnight without keeping active... What about you, though?
[ 'are you okay' is the better question for him in this situation, but. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-07-05 11:25 pm (UTC)[ he doesn't fully understand what 45 is nor how she works, but he pictures luna in his head whenever he gives either some thought. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-07-05 11:26 pm (UTC)It must've snowed all night. Are you saying that you slept outside?
[ why do cute girls keep sleeping in the cold? please stop.
he scoots over on the log bench to make space for 45. ]
Here, you can sit next to me. The fire's warm.
no subject
Date: 2020-07-06 04:05 am (UTC)[ haha,
but she'll sit down besides him before leaning down to slowly gather snow into a pile. ]
You didn't answer my question though, Zenitsu.
no subject
Date: 2020-07-06 05:59 am (UTC)Huh?
[ wasn't she asking him if he was bothered by the cold? was she actually returning his question? ]
I'm fine.
no subject
Date: 2020-07-07 07:40 am (UTC)[ maybe it's how she lets her thoughts stray briefly that allows the weekly effect of the camp this week to take hold, a memory etching itself into zenitsu's mind. ]
"uuu..."
"ah, you're awake?"
"...45? why are you standing on the ceiling...?" reina seems slow to get her bearings. well, apparently electronic warfare really isn't something most dolls can handle after all. "where is this place... am i still in cyberspace?"
your tone is light and mild. "no, you are most definitely in the real world now." let's see how long it takes for her to react.
it takes a long moment for it to sink in. "...eh?" says reina. "why am i... i'm dangling from the ceiling?! wait, no- you... how did you escape from the highest-level lockdown?"
oh, that's almost funny if you still weren't entirely unimpressed with the doll in front of you. "highest-level lockdown? who were you expecting to trap with petty tricks like that? it was just the firewall of a civilian server. however good it was, it couldn't last beyond a single hit. it didn't even meet the expectations of it i had when i scanned the server."
"huh? you mean... you took down the entire server?"
"what do you think?" she's the one who asked you to do so, wasn't she? of course you knew she'd been planning to run, but if you'd been anyone else you might almost feel a little insulted. civilian dolls really don't know what even defective tactical dolls are capable of, hm? "i found the lockdown logic on my first-pass scan and it gave me a rough idea on how they were restricting their dolls. i was prepared to destroy the logic and prevent them from committing any new crimes using the same methods... but you ran faster than i expected. you slipped away before i had the chance to do anything."
"so... you knew what i was planning from the start?"
you level her a flat, meaningless smile. "it's true that i guessed you'd bolt the moment anything happened. what i didn't expect was that you'd log back into the server again after."
it seems the more you say, the more confused reina gets. "then everything i did... did it just make me look like a fool?"
"yes, just like a fool." you shift your weight and cross your legs primly where you're seated. "and as punishment for running away, i strung you up before you regained consciousness so i could better savor the stupid-looking spectacle that you are."
reina makes another faint, shamed noise as her situation presumably sinks in. "i'm sorry... ah, but... why would you go this far for me? even among humans, they'd only pay a price that ought not to be paid for things like family."
"i don't care about any price or whatever," you respond, bluntly, flatly. "i helped you simply because i couldn't tolerate people like that controlling dolls in that way. it reminded me of some bad memories, and i'd hate for them to happen to others."
"...your past wasn't a nice place either, was it?"
she'll have to learn that hers is hardly the only sob story around, and you make a derisive noise to demonstrate what you think that that particular sentiment. "speaking of which, what were you hoping to accomplish by going back, anyway? do you even know how to disable a firewall's lockdown?"
"i... um, i don't. but at the time, my gut was telling me that i shouldn't just leave you like that..."
... ugh. you stand, and lower reina gently to the ground. "go. get out of my sight, and never show yourself in front of me again."
she looks bewildered. probably she's going to mention- "you... you don't want my credits? we had a deal..."
"i already checked. the savings you were talking about never existed."
another faint, bewildered noise. "... i don't get it."
"what don't you get?"
"why did you do this? there was nothing in it for you. you weren't going to get paid for it," says reina, outlining things you both already know. "you even knew i was going to betray you and run off by myself. even if you couldn't stand what those humans were doing, it wasn't worth you risking yourself for this!"
you eye her for a moment. "...i simply felt that you were very much like my former self. if someone who'd had the ability to bring it all crumbling down had been by my side back then, perhaps all those things wouldn't have happened."
"what do you mean?" asks reina, hopelessly lost. "i... i still don't understand..."
a small amount of humorless laughter comes to your lips unbidden as you turn to head to the door leading out to the balcony. "it's good that you don't understand. it proves that despite everything, you had a fairly decent life."
"wait," reina says. "where are you going?"
you pause only long enough to offer her some advice as you leave. "i told you, didn't i? the more you know, the more likely you'll be destroyed. there's nothing tying you down anymore. go do whatever you want to do." ]
[ ... hm. so, about that story she told, back in that first week... ]
no subject
Date: 2020-07-07 07:44 am (UTC)[ hmmmm. the snow pile grows. ]
Are you really?
[ even if he hadn't known them well, it must be unsettling, losing others from your own world here. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-07-08 01:23 am (UTC)[ all things considered, he thinks that he's gotten off very lucky this week. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-07-08 09:22 pm (UTC)[ the base of a snowman forms itself. ]
no subject
Date: 2020-07-09 01:47 am (UTC)in the end, he just blinks as he looks at 45 in surprise. he remembers the story, vividly. ]
The traveler was you?
no subject
Date: 2020-07-09 01:51 am (UTC)D-did you do that?
no subject
Date: 2020-07-09 02:22 am (UTC)I've been making it this entire time...?
no subject
Date: 2020-07-09 02:30 am (UTC)Well. I certainly wasn't the girl.
no subject
Date: 2020-07-09 02:38 am (UTC)Right . . .
Is your body going to be okay, doing that?
no subject
Date: 2020-07-09 08:55 am (UTC)I've weathered worse conditions anyway.