[Wandering around outside hasn't done Minato any good beyond leaving his fingers frozen, honestly; after that, it's inevitable that he would find himself wandering back towards the restaurant area in search of coffee or something else warm to drink and/or hold in frigid fingers.
He's distracted quite easily by a head of blue hair, though (that isn't his), and tilts his head contemplatively when he sees her inspecting the food options, his own expression contemplative.
[For the second time in as many days: she's had quite enough of the great outdoors, even though she knows that it's... probably still not the time to give up entirely on getting out of here before the deadline they've been given. This morning was a whole production, though, in so many ways.
So she's been whiling away some of the rest of the day exploring the restaurant that they held the meeting in, and supposedly found some clues in. Currently? Currently she just has a bowl of ramen, because comfort food is the order of the day. And when you're trying to figure out what the hell to eat in a foreign world, you start with the basics.
It's nice and steamy and wafting noodle scent.]
They didn't have a lot out that I wanted to eat, so I started requesting things. I've told them not to put anything a human shouldn't eat in here.
[Which. Is probably being too straightforward about it. But today has sure been a day.]
They can make a lot, I went to look in the kitchen.
It just seemed like the best thing to do... with the rats, and... things.
[She kind of waves a hand to the side with a wrinkle of her nose, brushing off the topic. There's been way too much talk of dead bodies and ghosts and rat feed and whatnot the past few days for her to really feel safe tucking in otherwise. She's used to like, robots preparing her food. Shit's clean as hell.
Anyway, there's a moment where she takes another bite and seems to contemplate.]
It's funny. I've never eaten anything the way I am now, but it tastes just like the shio ramen back home... Maybe even better.
[It's not long after their group pow-wow that Minato goes to find Aoi. He's got his regular clothes back on, and is trying to smooth down his hair after a failed attempt to imitate her hairstyle with it for a dare. It's still sticking up in weird ways.
(He doesn't have enough hair for that.)
Either way...!!
When he sees her... he has to head over, hands tucked into his pockets.]
Blue Angel-- [He's really getting used to calling her that, it doesn't even feel weird anymore.] --did you have a good time with the truth or dare thing?
SORRY THIS IS LATE this week got away from me so bad
[It sure had been a round of Truth or Dare last night.
Blue Angel herself had gotten away without too many physical dares, somehow, when the majority of what she took were dares. She couldn't feel her tongue for a while and her throat's a little scratchy from all sorts of sound effects, but all in all it could have been worse!
Thursday is a quieter day, especially after everything they went over in the impromptu meeting. It takes her a moment to switch gears back to Wednesday evening, but her mouth quirks up at the memory.]
... Yeah. I think it was good for everyone. [they probably all needed it, when today is the way it is] I haven't really played before, but I think I would again. How about you?
[They definitely needed it... it was a bright point in their week, especially with everything that looms over them, and that's probably why Minato's dwelling on it, at least a little.
Something positive is...nice.]
Yeah, I think so too. [A bit ruefully:] Even if some of the dares were a little tough, most of the things we did I thought were pretty fun.
[They've found themselves in this absolutely bizarre little pocket of time, some kind of uncanny time warp that they're still figuring out -- there are so many darker things about it, so when they can carve out a space or just a Wednesday evening for themselves it feels like a minor victory.
Minor victories these days? Pretty great.
It was strange, too, to be playing group party games like this. She never really pictured herself as a group games person, unless you counted Duel Monsters.]
Haha, some of the dares I saw and ran into were pretty creative? I was pretty impressed. [a thoughtful hum] Some people really are merciless, though.
Don't you think everyone's pretty amazing here? To be able to focus on games like this, and still stay positive together, even with everything that's happening...
We must have a really strong group of people here.
[WELL THAT SURE WAS...A WEEK... Minato's been spending plenty of time just wandering, just trying to get his head on straight and process everything that they just went through--
But.
Well.
Eventually, he stumbles across Aoi, surrounded by the animals in the animal cafe... he just kind of ends up wandering in and...flopping down to the ground next to her.
Eventually, a kitty comes near, and he reaches out to scratch said kitty behind the ears. This... is better.]
[She usually ends up surrounded by the bunnies and maybe a songbird or two, so the bunnies are currently trying to hide behind her again when the cat comes by. The rabbit migration would have alerted her to Minato's presence even if it weren't already a pretty small cafe.
She doesn't really say anything for the moment, though, letting the silence settle. It's oddly peaceful, just the chitters of the finches and the scrabbling of the rabbits and the cat making its little cat noises.
Eventually she lies down next to Minato and just... stays there, letting the bunnies bunch up next to her.]
[It's kind of nice to just be flopped here, the animals wandering about and coming closer and losing interest and drifting away in their own little worlds.
... It does, though, feel a bit like a dream when she puts it like that.
Minato lifts a hand, stretching it out towards the ceiling and staring at the back of it.
...]
Yeah. I'm really here. [Somehow...] I'm still here, and... we made it through okay.
[She puts up her hand too, gently prodding him in the arm and then the hand as though testing his solidity. Probably that. There's a brief shift when all the bunnies climb over her and onto him, once the cats drift away, and now they're just all in a bunnypile. She's going to lean her shoulder on his for now, leave it there.]
For now... we did okay. [there's still all kinds of things to worry about, but she's making an executive decision to defer those for Not Fucking Today] I don't think any of us can take another weekend like this, though. Seriously, if you died I'm pretty sure the living would have reverse-haunted you.
[Look, it's not much of a threat but she's pretty sure it's true regardless. Each death is terrible, but not many people were ready to let go of Minato this week.]
[It's kind of nice, honestly. He stays still while she checks to make sure he's solid and real, and then they're just in a bunny pile, and that's nice too. He lets his arm fall gently to rest his hand against his own chest, nestled amongst the bunnies, and finds that there's a shocking amount of comfort to be gathered just from that small press of their shoulders against each other.]
... I'm really lucky, you know? Everyone cares so much, and I...
[Sometimes, he feels incredibly humbled that he's gotten as much of it as he has.]
That... that sure happened. In all honesty, Minato still doesn't 100% know what happened last night (and boy, does he feel guilty for sleeping through all of that).
But.
He knows enough.
And soon enough, he's quietly knocking at Aoi's door Sunday morning, expression grim.]
[Last night was a whirlwind that more or less started at eleven and ended at twenty-one, if we were still working at sane or reasonable scales.
There isn't a great deal about Nakajima Atsushi's death or Rean Schwarzer's current state that is sane or reasonable, though -- the bodies and almost-bodies that have been recovered over the course of the night are just the icing on the unhelpful equation cake.
Somehow, though, when Aoi answers the door -- after a long, long pause -- she looks to have just been asleep. Her hair is curling at the ends and there are a few stray cowlicks, and she's yawning a little when she surfaces. Minato's grim expression gets a bit of a stare before she seems to register its significance and cautiously nods, opening the door a little wider.]
Hello, Arisato-kun. Um, you can come in, but just give me a minute.
[She'll leave the door ajar for him so she can go wash her face and stuff. You'd think she'd be a little more self-conscious about being caught napping, but either she's not awake enough yet or it just isn't the weekend or the Resort for that at this point.]
[It's a little muffled as she putters around the bathroom with washcloth and toothbrush and everything else, emerging in record time running a brush through her hair. She doesn't bother to pause their conversation for it; there's a lot of hair, and she's going to be at this for a while. Instead, she motions with her brush to the chairs scattered about.
Over the weeks, in addition to all the blueness of the room, the room has also been slowly covered in angel-themed, heart-shaped and other cute designs. There are fluffy cushions everywhere.]
It wouldn't have been good to sleep the day away, anyway. Last night was just... [there's a helpless wave of the hairbrush before she puts it back to work] I guess you've heard the news.
[... Minato nods quietly, hands tucked into his pockets.
After all, after everything he heard...]
I'm sorry I wasn't there to help.
[He's not sure he would've been able to heal a gunshot wound to the chest, but he could've taken care of Atsushi's poison. Maybe... maybe he could have done something.]
It's... not something anyone should have had to go through. [None of them deserved that, especially not Atsushi and Cynthia.]
[There's something in her that relaxes at the fact that he contacted her first. Of course, he isn't alone over there -- none of them are, and thank goodness for small blessings -- but of course she'd still be worried. Him and Akira, dealing with that damn bomb.
It would make her angry, if she wasn't too preoccupied. That she couldn't do anything, or perhaps (perhaps worse) that she could have. For now she focuses on the message.]
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week 1, Monday
He's distracted quite easily by a head of blue hair, though (that isn't his), and tilts his head contemplatively when he sees her inspecting the food options, his own expression contemplative.
Sure, he'll head on over.]
Do you see anything that looks good...?
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So she's been whiling away some of the rest of the day exploring the restaurant that they held the meeting in, and supposedly found some clues in. Currently? Currently she just has a bowl of ramen, because comfort food is the order of the day. And when you're trying to figure out what the hell to eat in a foreign world, you start with the basics.
It's nice and steamy and wafting noodle scent.]
They didn't have a lot out that I wanted to eat, so I started requesting things. I've told them not to put anything a human shouldn't eat in here.
[Which. Is probably being too straightforward about it. But today has sure been a day.]
They can make a lot, I went to look in the kitchen.
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That's probably smart. [Not anything he would've thought of doing, but something he's tucking into the back of his mind to remember later.]
How is it? Does it taste like ramen we'd get back home?
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[She kind of waves a hand to the side with a wrinkle of her nose, brushing off the topic. There's been way too much talk of dead bodies and ghosts and rat feed and whatnot the past few days for her to really feel safe tucking in otherwise. She's used to like, robots preparing her food. Shit's clean as hell.
Anyway, there's a moment where she takes another bite and seems to contemplate.]
It's funny. I've never eaten anything the way I am now, but it tastes just like the shio ramen back home... Maybe even better.
[It's so weird.]
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Oh... because of your virtual reality avatar thing? I guess that makes sense.
[Not much reason to eat in a VR simulation.]
I guess that means all of your tastebuds are still intact like this. That's probably good.
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week 2, thursday
(He doesn't have enough hair for that.)
Either way...!!
When he sees her... he has to head over, hands tucked into his pockets.]
Blue Angel-- [He's really getting used to calling her that, it doesn't even feel weird anymore.] --did you have a good time with the truth or dare thing?
SORRY THIS IS LATE this week got away from me so bad
Blue Angel herself had gotten away without too many physical dares, somehow, when the majority of what she took were dares. She couldn't feel her tongue for a while and her throat's a little scratchy from all sorts of sound effects, but all in all it could have been worse!
Thursday is a quieter day, especially after everything they went over in the impromptu meeting. It takes her a moment to switch gears back to Wednesday evening, but her mouth quirks up at the memory.]
... Yeah. I think it was good for everyone. [they probably all needed it, when today is the way it is] I haven't really played before, but I think I would again. How about you?
IT'S NO PROBLEM take your time!!
Something positive is...nice.]
Yeah, I think so too. [A bit ruefully:] Even if some of the dares were a little tough, most of the things we did I thought were pretty fun.
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Minor victories these days? Pretty great.
It was strange, too, to be playing group party games like this. She never really pictured herself as a group games person, unless you counted Duel Monsters.]
Haha, some of the dares I saw and ran into were pretty creative? I was pretty impressed. [a thoughtful hum] Some people really are merciless, though.
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[... But still...]
Don't you think everyone's pretty amazing here? To be able to focus on games like this, and still stay positive together, even with everything that's happening...
We must have a really strong group of people here.
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week 3, sunday
But.
Well.
Eventually, he stumbles across Aoi, surrounded by the animals in the animal cafe... he just kind of ends up wandering in and...flopping down to the ground next to her.
Eventually, a kitty comes near, and he reaches out to scratch said kitty behind the ears. This... is better.]
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She doesn't really say anything for the moment, though, letting the silence settle. It's oddly peaceful, just the chitters of the finches and the scrabbling of the rabbits and the cat making its little cat noises.
Eventually she lies down next to Minato and just... stays there, letting the bunnies bunch up next to her.]
I'm not dreaming, right? You're really here?
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... It does, though, feel a bit like a dream when she puts it like that.
Minato lifts a hand, stretching it out towards the ceiling and staring at the back of it.
...]
Yeah. I'm really here. [Somehow...] I'm still here, and... we made it through okay.
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For now... we did okay. [there's still all kinds of things to worry about, but she's making an executive decision to defer those for Not Fucking Today] I don't think any of us can take another weekend like this, though. Seriously, if you died I'm pretty sure the living would have reverse-haunted you.
[Look, it's not much of a threat but she's pretty sure it's true regardless. Each death is terrible, but not many people were ready to let go of Minato this week.]
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... I'm really lucky, you know? Everyone cares so much, and I...
[Sometimes, he feels incredibly humbled that he's gotten as much of it as he has.]
I'm really grateful.
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week 4, Sunday
That... that sure happened. In all honesty, Minato still doesn't 100% know what happened last night (and boy, does he feel guilty for sleeping through all of that).
But.
He knows enough.
And soon enough, he's quietly knocking at Aoi's door Sunday morning, expression grim.]
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There isn't a great deal about Nakajima Atsushi's death or Rean Schwarzer's current state that is sane or reasonable, though -- the bodies and almost-bodies that have been recovered over the course of the night are just the icing on the unhelpful equation cake.
Somehow, though, when Aoi answers the door -- after a long, long pause -- she looks to have just been asleep. Her hair is curling at the ends and there are a few stray cowlicks, and she's yawning a little when she surfaces. Minato's grim expression gets a bit of a stare before she seems to register its significance and cautiously nods, opening the door a little wider.]
Hello, Arisato-kun. Um, you can come in, but just give me a minute.
[She'll leave the door ajar for him so she can go wash her face and stuff. You'd think she'd be a little more self-conscious about being caught napping, but either she's not awake enough yet or it just isn't the weekend or the Resort for that at this point.]
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Minato blinks, and then dips his head in a quiet apology.]
Sorry--I didn't mean to wake you up.
[But even so, he'll take the invitation for what it is, stepping in quietly.]
I just wanted to check on you, really...
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[It's a little muffled as she putters around the bathroom with washcloth and toothbrush and everything else, emerging in record time running a brush through her hair. She doesn't bother to pause their conversation for it; there's a lot of hair, and she's going to be at this for a while. Instead, she motions with her brush to the chairs scattered about.
Over the weeks, in addition to all the blueness of the room, the room has also been slowly covered in angel-themed, heart-shaped and other cute designs. There are fluffy cushions everywhere.]
It wouldn't have been good to sleep the day away, anyway. Last night was just... [there's a helpless wave of the hairbrush before she puts it back to work] I guess you've heard the news.
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After all, after everything he heard...]
I'm sorry I wasn't there to help.
[He's not sure he would've been able to heal a gunshot wound to the chest, but he could've taken care of Atsushi's poison. Maybe... maybe he could have done something.]
It's... not something anyone should have had to go through. [None of them deserved that, especially not Atsushi and Cynthia.]
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week 5, friday
Hey...are you there? It's Minato.
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[There's something in her that relaxes at the fact that he contacted her first. Of course, he isn't alone over there -- none of them are, and thank goodness for small blessings -- but of course she'd still be worried. Him and Akira, dealing with that damn bomb.
It would make her angry, if she wasn't too preoccupied. That she couldn't do anything, or perhaps (perhaps worse) that she could have. For now she focuses on the message.]
I'm really glad to hear from you.
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Don't worry, please. I'm fine.
I'm okay. I'm definitely okay.
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You're not gone. I'm really glad.
[Is she getting sniffly here. Look. Apparently Minato is just destined to make her cry all the time.]
... But you literally... the role... I'm pretty sure that's not okay.
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And I...didn't feel it. You don't have to worry. The bomb was programmed to only go off when my heart stopped.
[SO THERE'S...THAT, AT LEAST?]
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