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[lethechained]

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sender: sora

[oathkeeper]

hey naminé what's the first thing you do when you get caught in the rain?

[lethechained]

[ Caught unawares by the message in question, Naminé spends a few long moments after she finds it squinting at the paper and the name attached before answering. (Surely Sora's not one for hidden meanings--) ]

I suppose I usually make sure my sketchbook is covered, if I have it with me. I don't mind the rain as long as the papers are safe.
Although when it's raining starfish I do try to get out of the way of those first.

Why?

[oathkeeper]

i was just wondering! the last time i got caught in the rain i nearly caught a cold because i almost slipped in a puddle

but i kinda miss the rain because it's been so hot the last few days

[lethechained]

[ ! ]

Were you running? You're usually good at staying on your feet.

[ Fortunately it was an 'almost,' so it's only a mild concern, but... ]

It is pretty hot, but I don't mind it so much.
It reminds me a bit of somewhere I'd like to go, so it's a little like having a piece of that place here.

But I guess since you're used to the heat it's probably just annoying for you, isn't it?

[oathkeeper]

i was! but i didn't fall completely, it turned into more of a sliiiiide

and growing up on the island it was usually always hot except for when the rainy season rolled around, yeah. but i dunno this heat feels different, you know?

[lethechained]

Was it the kind of slide where it feels like you're going to do the splits by accident?
Or the kind where you might skin your knee?

[ Not that it matters too much, but she might be trying to assess whether to offer medical services as an option, since she's been practicing. ]

Maybe that makes sense. After all, a lot of things are different here.
Even if we've been here a long time, this is still a dream, so whatever happens here is probably never exactly like it would be in reality.

[oathkeeper]

hahah definitely the second one. i almost smacked my knees but i'm okay! it's not the first time I've banged up my knees!

and yeah, that's what i'm thinking! i mean things like to just show up out of nowhere. what's the weirdest thing you've seen in this world so far?

[lethechained]

[ Her sympathetic wince is late, expression scrunching a little. Not the first time he's banged up his knees, indeed. ]

Well, next time you do hurt your knees, I can try to look after you if you need it.
Since we live so close together it could be convenient.
I've been practicing magic, but it's hard to learn to heal without someone who's injured, so you'd really be the one helping me.

[ And it'd certainly give her both worry and peace of mind at the same time to be of assistance that way.

But that question he poses does take some thought. Her pen dots the paper once or twice as she considers. ]

It was pretty weird when everything got covered in starfish.
Then again, being a pumpkin or a doll was pretty strange too, but those weren't really things that I saw.

[ So much as physical experiences. And honestly, you know she's seen some stuff when what strikes her as most odd is something semi-normal being out of place, rather than the full-on fantastical shenanigans like candy corn golems. ]

Although I think that the most unusual sights I've ever seen weren't in this world at all, or part of any dream.

[oathkeeper]

[Sora notes the help she offers for later. He'll do his best to check in the next time be bangs himself up. For now, he's curious about the rest of her writing.]

you turned into a pumpkin? that sounds fun.

but what's the most unusual thing you've seen then? was it something back home?

[lethechained]

[ Whether he'll take her up on the offer Naminé doesn't know, but she'll hope. ]

It sort of was.
I wasn't really expecting it at the time, so I wasn't prepared, but it was pretty interesting to try something that new.

[ Pleasantly unexpected, even! But her hesitation is lengthy this time around at his question, and it has a lot less to do trying to find the right answer. ]

No, it wasn't anything from our worlds.
What I saw was a part of the world I visited before this, where I spent a few months.
But I'm not sure

[ Tap, tap - the sentence hangs a few seconds before she finally concludes, ]

how I should describe it, or if I should at all.
Although it seemed to be a living creature, it wasn't like anything else I've ever seen or heard about.
Not even the Heartless or any Nobody could compare to that.

[oathkeeper]

that sounds a little uh spooky

could you maybe draw it? i mean only if you want to

[lethechained]

I only caught a glimpse of it for a moment. I could try to draw it but
even if I did, it wouldn't really help explain what it was like.

[ She contemplates it for a moment; there's a brief smudge on the page, as if she started to set some kind of image she was picturing into it but thought better of it at the last moment. ]

I suppose it wasn't so much that the creature looked strange as how it felt to be near it.
When it was around, I could barely even bring myself to glance in the direction that I knew it was.

And aside from that, just being near it made me feel as though I wasn't myself anymore.
It was like there were more of me, if that makes any sense.

[ So yeah, definitely spooky. ]

[oathkeeper]

wait, naminé? this sounds a lot weirder than just something you dream about. you said you saw this in the last world you were in? how long were you there?

were there a lot of monsters or something?

[lethechained]

I was there for several months, although it was a little hard to keep proper track of time.
That creature was only there briefly, though. They wouldn't let it or any of the others stay for long.
I think they thought it was too dangerous.

[ Which was a lot more help than she would have expected from their prison guards at the time, but... There's a brief pause as she considers how much to admit to Sora, but since he's asked directly, ]

Yes. There were monsters.
They appeared every now and again, but we were never really sure what else might have been out there since the woods made it hard to be certain.

[oathkeeper]

[It's kind of alarming to read what she's saying. But also a little confusing too.]

from the looks of it you were in some sort of scary world? like halloweentown but worse? did you get hurt there?

[Maybe this would be a better conversation face-to-face...]

[lethechained]

[ It's hard to be honest sometimes, especially when causing him concern is just what she wanted to avoid, but-- ]

You could say it was a little like Halloweentown, yes.
It's just that the people who wanted to scare us there weren't as nice about it.
Other than the others trapped there with me, though, we didn't see anyone else most of the time.
Whoever it was that was keeping us there, they stayed well hidden.

[ Did she get hurt? That might depend on how one defines the term. There's a long beat before she answers, then, ]

Some things happened, but I was safer than a lot of people.

[ Doesn't sound like a 'no,' Naminé. ]

[oathkeeper]

[That really doesn't sound like a no. And Sora feels some dread because of it. Because of how he is he feels a little guilty that he wasn't there for her in that place. A place so far away from everything they know. Dangerous and scary.]

hey namine? could you tell me more about this place sometime? not with the journals i mean. can you come over soon?

[He wants to talk with her more about this. But he doesn't feel like the journals are a great place to do it.]

[lethechained]

[ Despite her desire not to cause him any worry, she didn't quite anticipate further questions because of it. That's rather counterproductive for her hopes of avoiding the subject, and faltering, she gets through part of the letter 'I' before stopping, then continuing a beat later. ]

I can come over whenever you like.

[ That'd be a nice thought were she not so preoccupied; after so long, they've finally got the opportunity to meet and talk so easily. At the moment, though, she's busy preemptively imagining how to describe the past. ]

And I'll answer any questions that you might have about it.
But [ and there's a hovering pause here, too, ] only if you're sure that you want to know.

[oathkeeper]

[Truthfully, Sora started this conversation as a way to joke and chat with her for a little while. He hadn't meant to bring up such bad memories. But it makes Sora realize just how much he doesn't know about her outside of what he knows.]

yeah, i definitely want to know. i wanna know more about you, namine. that's important to me.

come over soon, okay? i'll catch up with you soon.

[lethechained]

[ There's a lot of complicated history in her life that it's easy to stray too close to without intending as much. Perhaps if Naminé were less honest a girl, there'd be less risk to it - but alas, she finds it hard to deny anyone a truthful answer, Sora especially.

Which causes her some amount of nervous fluttering in her ribcage when he mentions wanting to know her. How much does she dare tell him? How much can she safely tell him, without jeopardizing anything? But, with the same amount of truth, ]

I'd like that too, Sora.
It seems like a lot of things have happened for both of us since we last met before coming here.
It'll be good to finally catch up.

[ She's holding her breath without meaning to. Letting it out with a bit of force, ]

I will.
Talk to you soon.

[ For better or for worse. ]

sender: link || backdated to feb. 1

[skyglider]

Naminé? Are you busy?

[lethechained]

[ Technically, Naminé does have a pencil in hand when she registers that a message has come in. Still, she hardly waits to finish that latest sketchy line before setting the little stick of wood aside in favor of her journal. The sender, when she discovers who it is, is not an expected one, but apart from her brief moment of blinking realization, the pleasant surprise doesn't delay her much. ]

Not at all.
Is there something that you need?

[skyglider]

[Now that she's answered, Link finds himself both relieved and perhaps a little uncertain of actually how to ask for her help.]

I was wondering if you'd like to practice your healing magic.

[... It's going to take him a few minutes to realize that this might be the dumbest way possible.]

[lethechained]

[ --....



Well, that's ominous. Her pen hovers a moment; there really isn't any way to interpret that offer that makes it sound like good news, is there? But, er, maybe she can approach this... delicately... ]

I wouldn't pass up the opportunity, as long as no one's getting hurt on purpose.
Is someone in trouble?

[skyglider]

[Hm...perhaps there's no good way to ask without causing concern. As soon as he sees her response, he quickly starts,]

No. The trouble has passed.
Just one or two lingering concerns.

[A beat.]

Thank you. Where can I meet you?