lingeringlegacy | 04 ☆ Exceeding theoretical boundaries

[She shook her head.]

That was all I could hear. I can't make guesses of the motivation behind it, but Huo—I don't know if you know him?—treated it as a sort of 'test'. We all heard different voices, each of someone we thought we knew. The little girl's voice... it felt familiar. In the same way as— you remember the man I turned into, do you? Like him. And... [Pausing, her gaze now straight at Gene, as if searching for something on his face.] ...like you.

[There was a distinct lack of 'Aim' there. By logical deduction, he should count among 'people she possibly knew' because of how she couldn't perceive his other name. But towards the others were the kind of familiarity she felt, not thought.]

[He nodded at the question of whether he knew Huo.] We've spoken over the journals once, I think.

[He wasn't at all surprised that she found him familiar in the same way she found the man she had turned into. He had seemed rather familiar to Gene as well. If they came from a similar background, it only made sense that they would know the same people. But as it was with her and Aim, his knowledge of her involvement in a life like his was academic, and all his personal experience with her came from his time in the Sphere. Looking at her expression, it seemed almost... expectant. He was missing something here, he knew it. But damned if he had any clue what it was.

Still, what he could do was help her figure this out with what little he did know. He swallowed a little, then parsed out what he knew of their situation.]

Well... I know that I've seen the man you turned into before. It was in this group portrait from someone else's birth dream, and he was standing next to other people from our world who have been here before. That makes me think he was part of the crew we talked about before. [The number in the portrait fit the numbers mentioned by Tieria in Adstringendum, after all.] So... do you think the girl was just as close to the group?

[Logically, a child should not be in the same situation as the rest of them. But for whatever reason, the idea didn't seem entirely foreign.]

[She eventually shifted her glance, focusing back to her half-eaten meal. Time and again, Gene's gaze lacked that recognition she sought, and it made a lump in her throat. If this place takes and grants memories as it pleases, she could only hope for the future to let him remember her. If he ever would at all.]

I don't know. Her voice was the only piece of information I get. It's not very helpful. [She pleaded with me, feared me. But it was another baseless conjecture.] How many people from our world have been here before? 00 told me one name, Dyad.

Mn. [One little voice wasn't much to go on at all, how frustrating.]

Yeah, Dyad came from the same place as us. Dark hair, two-toned eyes if that sounds familiar. Then there was Aurora, who had purple hair, glasses, and... wasn't the easiest to get on with. I found out his real name was Tieria and he had a twin named Yehuda. Then there was Cheers, a brunette woman with a bit of a drinking habit. And Gundam, who I never really had a chance to meet. I think Innovator may have been from a similar place, judging by his entries, but I never spoke with him in person. Then there's you, me, and Aim, of course. I think that covers it.

Oh. [She set the styrofoam tray on her lap aside, reaching to the cloth bag and took out a ringbound notebook. It was normal paper, courtesy of Tokyo. She flipped a few pages to one showing a short list of names:]

NOT HERE Black haired man with glasses Little girl? HERE Gene-1 Aim = _________? Stardust -> Stellaris Dyad Innovator?

[She crossed the question mark after Innovator's name and proceeded to append the list with new names along with Gene's description. At the name "Aurora" she slowed down and knitted her eyebrows together. Then her eyes widened as if in realization.]

Would Aurora happen to be friends with Smoke?

[He leaned forward to peer at the list as she wrote.]

He may have been? I don't know, I didn't keep track of his social circle.

Smoke once told me I said the same things, about liking stars and outer space, as a friend of his who is now gone. He didn't say the name then, but I think he wrote that name in a separate occasion. If Aurora was from the same place as us, then I suppose the facts fall into place. [She set the pencil down.] I hope it's alright for me to make this note. I tried compiling the scattered information we have about our world, and perhaps if others should come, they won't need to start from zero.

Would you fill in Aim's real name here too? Even if I can't see it, others may be able.

Hm. I suppose it does make sense. The Wilderness once turned into a moon base and it was hard to pry him or most anyone else from our world away from it.

[He waved a hand when Stellaris asked if it was alright to take notes.] It's not a problem with me. I do the same about plenty of things, so I'd hardly tell someone to stop.

[Gene blinked when she asked what Aim's real name was. The first thing that came to mind was his REAL, real name. Then it registered what she was more likely asking about. Too many damned names.]

You mean what he asked to go by? [He picked up the pencil and reached over to fill in the blank.] Do you want the names of that previous versions took on, too? Dyad, Aim, and Aurora have been through more than once.

[The mention of previous versions earned an head tilt of acknowledgment, but it was not surprising she was not the only one who had gone and returned.] Yes, please. If the images in our dreams are real and our names are keywords, then maybe we can derive something from them. Like a puzzle to solve.

[It was something Huo would likely say, she thought, with his unwavering sensibility even when no exit was in sight. Something she would like to learn.]

There was a puzzle in that cave as well.

Alright then.

[After writing down "Lockon" he took the liberty of writing Range before Aim's name and Sniper at the beginning of all of it. Before Dyad's name was written Raise and after Aurora was written Lithium.

He glanced up once she mentioned puzzles.]

It's possible. Every little bit helps. [The bit about the puzzle in the cave prompted him to tilt his head in curiosity.] Really now. What sort of puzzle was it? And what was it for?

[She paid attention as he was writing, stubbornly trying to guess Aim's name from the pen's movement, but static vision flashed over her gaze for a split second. The next thing she knew Gene's writing had already turned to inkblots. Apparently the Tree was more stubborn than she was.]

Oh. So even thrice is possible...

[She waited for him to finish writing, then flipped to the next leaf, containing the note she wrote after the Frost Mountain trip: The entrance was free, to exit has a cost. Answer the riddle and no more will you be lost. "What has roots as nobody sees, Is taller than trees, Up, up it goes, And yet never grows?" = MOUNTAIN]

A carving on the cave wall. We figured out the answer and as sudden as the entrance vanished, we found ourselves in the dojo.

And probably more than that is possible, though I don't think I've seen any record of it. [If only they knew how many times the various versions of Yuu Kanda had been through there.]

Huh. So the cave trapped you, required a riddle to leave... and left you on an entirely different island by the end of it? [He shook his head.] That doesn't make much sense. [Not like anything here did.]

I wonder if there was a reason behind it. It almost sounds like a test, but I don't know what it would achieve.

If reasons can be figured out by relative newborns, things would probably be different here, wouldn't it? [It could sound like a chide, but was just her expression of frustration. She leaned back to the cushion, exhaling her breath.] I'm glad nothing bad happened, but...

How do you deal with feeling so powerless?

Mm, well, sometimes it's just luck of the draw that some people find out what they do. But no, this place is hardly easy on the new people.

[Her question prompted him to stare at his hands for a long moment. How did he deal? Not always well.]

Gather what I can and hope it'll eventually make a difference in getting out of here. Whenever there's a clue or a tidbit that might help figure things out I try to write it down. Bide my time and try not to be obvious about poking into things. Basically trying to get the last laugh.

[He finally looked back up at her, his expression wry.]

And when it feels when that isn't getting me anywhere, sometimes it helps to just punch or shoot something.

[Sure, it didn't do anything, but it was cathartic. Sometimes catharsis was all you had.

He sighed, leaning back a bit as he sat sideways in his seat.]

I'm glad you came out of that all right, by the way. I'm sure getting shut up in a cave is anything but a good time.

[Seeing his retreat to silence, she grew a tinge of guilt for asking that question. Her eyes studied the somber expression on his face and thus directly meeting his gaze when he looked back up. "Hoping". "Might". "Trying". It never gets easier after all, perhaps.]

I guess those practice dummies are good to have in more than one way...

[The corners of her lips curled slightly up hearing his concern.]

Thank you, Gene. Ah... I know I'm not planning on going into any caves any time soon.

But speaking of gathering what I can... I seem to remember you mentioning about a walkie-talkie project. Any news on that? [She added a bit later, memory of that night of murders in her mind.] I bet the Watch would benefit from having something of the sort.

Heh, they're probably one of the better investments in the Sphere because of it.

[He nodded a bit at her admission that she would be avoiding caves. He'd probably be doing the same in her situation.]

It's coming decently enough, I think? I've been providing Genius with parts for a bit. I don't know exactly where he stands, though. I'll have to ask him if I get a chance to swing by Wellspring or his place.*

((*ooc: I think this conversation falls right before his convo with Genius on the journal.))

[Her eyes lit up with interest. Genius? What a proud name. She did not realize it was the same man she had a short exchange with in Ambassador's journal once.]

One of the books I picked up had a section about something called 'ham radio', and I think it's worth a study. If that person you know is working on something similar, I would be interested to exchange findings. I hope that the effort can... help improve response time in case something like that murder happens again.

Though if he is in Wellspring, it would be possible he and I passed by each other in the near future! What does he look like?

I'm sure the theories between the two technologies overlap at least a little. And knowledge of one might improve the range of the other.

[The mention of the murders got a somber sort of nod.] Yeah, the journals transmit instantly, but they don't have any way of catching someone's attention. The sound on a radio would remedy that.

[Gene pursed his lips in thought at Stellaris's question. Ah, how to describe Genius.] Ah, nearly my height and in his twenties. Floppy blond hair. Tends to wear plaid and wave his limbs about a good bit.

[She nodded at his assessment.] Mm. Blond, plaid, wave... limbs? [It sounded strange, but distinct enough to recognise if it was really a habitual behavior.] Thank you for the information.

I think... that was all I mean to tell you. I hope I haven't bored you.

[That was a lie, but she was not ready to share the last piece of information that was bugging her mind lately.]

[He reconsidered his description when she seemed confused by the limb-waving statement.] Eh, he's high strung, is what I mean. [Gene said with a dismissive wave.]

I was anything but bored. [He picked up his plastic fork once more, spearing a bit of the sausage and potato that had been neglected during their chat.] There's more I could tell you, you know. I didn't get to cover all of it in Tokyo.[Which may have been for the better, considering how there might be consequences when one learned too much too fast.]

Do you have the time to go over that now, or should we save it for another time? [He had no idea how long her lunch break lasted, after all, though he had time to spare since he was already at work.]

Edited 2010-10-01 04:43 (UTC)

[Actually, limb-waving sounded like a more easily observable quality. But she just nodded along, and smiled gladly at his reassurance about not being bored.] I'm glad.

[Her own portion of gratin got some attention back as well before she checked her wristwatch.]

Mmm... I don't need to return to the Petal for the rest of the day, because my next shift is in Section 4. So I still have some time. [And at the back of her mind, she did not want to go to soon. Perhaps she did not even mind going a little late, as long as she still finished her workload. Section 4 assignments usually get finished earlier than other sections, she thought.]

Good. It'd be a shame to get you in trouble.

[He started chewing thoughtfully on another fork-full of food as he pondered how to put all of this.]

During your last stint here, as Stardust, you received a couple of memories which you told me about. In one, you were in a base of some sort, and Dyad and Aurora were both there. Cheers, too, and she mentioned the ship they had docked there needed repairs and supplies. Apparently, you had mentioned how long those tasks would take. In addition to all that, it seemed like all involved were part of some cohesive group since they were all wearing the same uniform.

[He paused to let that information sink in, keeping an eye on Stellaris's face. It wasn't startling news, but people usually took on interesting and very telling expressions when they came across information from their past.]

[Few seconds passed in which she remained mum, facing Gene with her lips ajar and eyes widened in surprise. Her hands had likewise stopped processing the lunch. She had not quite anticipated Gene to come up with that much in one go.

But Edensphere had her used to being surprised by now, more or less. There wasn't much resistance in her mind to start fitting the new details to the growing tapestry of who she had been.]

...so that's how you came up with the conclusion that we were part of a group.

[The reaction was along the lines of what he had been expecting, but he had to hand it to Stellaris. She took it all in stride fairly quickly.]

It was one part in a few contributing factors that clenched that fact. When I first got here, the ones from our world were more or less acting like a group and found Gundam to be a common theme. When Raise came back as Dyad he mentioned that a few of us were in his dream. But I think the information from that memory was the first detailed account I'd heard that actually came from our past.

04 ☆ Exceeding theoretical boundaries

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