The Nineteenth Trial

[hot_mess_express]

Who: Everyone
When: Day 43, evening
Where: The Mermaid's Beach

Come on, come on heroes...! Come hither!

[ There's a playful giggle and the sound of splashing as the Mermaid's beach appears in the clearing. ]

Let's play a game...!

Comments

[time5kip]

Should I get offended by that amount of surprise?

[schrodingerscockroach]

That's entirely up to you.

[time5kip]

This might come as a shock to you Dusk, but I know how to actually interact with people. I had 6 maladjusted siblings and a crazy father and had to release interviews.

[ he's not actually offended, though, it's clear he's just amused ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

So mileage may vary on that front.

[time5kip]

I feel like the rest of our team is appropriately maladjusted enough that I can think of it as home.

[schrodingerscockroach]

You're not wrong.

[time5kip]

It's not bad.

[ and that's the nicest thing he'll ever say about being forced in a team ]

What else have you got?

[schrodingerscockroach]

Let's see....

I need to make a bet.

[time5kip]

I'm in a gambling mood. Do you have any proposal or should I make one?

[schrodingerscockroach]

Let's here what you've got.

[time5kip]

Since it doesn't have to be something we cash in within the evening, I bet I'm older than you. If you remember and prove me wrong, I'll give you 500 sparks. If I'm right, then you i'll send them to me.

[schrodingerscockroach]

All right. Might be a while though.

[time5kip]

I can wait. I can be patient when the situation calls for it. Another one of my good traits.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Fair enough. So 500 sparks to whoever's older.

[time5kip]

500 sparks, and a drink. Let's add that one too.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Sure, as long as it doesn't have to be alcohol.

[time5kip]

Speak for yourself. I'm getting the alcohol.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Alcohol for you, non for me.

[time5kip]

I remember your limitations.

Met your friend by the way. Sweet girl.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Isn't she?

She's also a terror. [But he's very fond of her.]

[time5kip]

How long have you known each other for? Taking your memories aside — I know neither of your actually remember the other yet.

[schrodingerscockroach]

If we assume time travel didn't affect our aging, probably only a few years.

She remembers up to her late teens in Japan. No signs of scarring on her and everything was really normal except for some weird criminal dealings, but her father is a cop. Easy to see how she might have gotten pulled in.

And she looks to be maybe early twenties, so probably not even the last five years.

[time5kip]

No, not that. I meant actually know, in here, not taking any of your memory assumptions in consideration.

You're both surprisingly fond of each other based on a single pendant alone.

[schrodingerscockroach]

We both arrived eight days ago.

It's not just the pendant.

We both use hot chocolate as comfort, we both have a lot of similar taste in things, like media and pets, similar humors, which was just kind of weird coincidence at first. But we both also relax around each other without thinking, she's the only one I reach out to touch without it being a deliberate thought.

And when we met, she fell on me, and I reacted like a special ops guy would. The thing is, when I fought Rean earlier to test my abilities, it was hard to judge how to hold back to not hurt. With her, I could break her like a twig if I got a good hold on her.

I didn't even bruise her. I knew how loose the grip needed to be to not hurt, but be effective, I knew what kind of throw she could handle, and I was ready to counter her counter attack. Which was where it was really weird. It was like I had fought her plenty times before.

Then we realized we had the same pendant a while later and that's pretty much the point where it's weirder if it is all coincidence.

[time5kip]

Absolutely no part of that makes how attached you two got to each other any less weird.