koiwamizuiro | 2nd Dive: Exploration [Action]

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2nd Dive: Exploration [Action]

[Some time has passed since Ai first entered Luceti, and even now she was growing accustomed to life in the village. Slowly, but steadily. It was a much quieter place than what she was used to back in Kibitou.

The draft had come and gone, but the girl hadn't taken part in it, and she was thankful for that. Her recent entrance into this peculiar world was enough to deal with on its own, though she had kept herself as informed as she could as to what exactly was going on.

Today, she had initially tried to simply soothe herself with another walk around the village. It had developed to be a certain routine for her that she often practiced, and the weather was more pleasant than it had been before, warmer. She was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and blue denim jeans, along with her yellow jacket on top that she had regained possession of upon entering Luceti.

However, curiosity got the better of her and she ended up heading to several places that she had intended on checking out earlier, diverging from her walk a bit.]

Action I.

[Firstly, Ai found herself near the Bakery in the morning, a certain scent inviting her to come even closer and see what was available that day. The girl had wondered whether she would be able to find anything like her favorite Imagawayaki dessert here to buy later (or get, rather), so she would inform herself of what was offered here. Besides, she was also feeling hungry now, so her timing couldn't have been better.

One may find her right at the time she has an inner discussion with herself as to what to get, or they may find her wandering close by later with a croissant in her hand, already eating it contentedly.]

Action II.

[Then, Ai found her way to the front door of the Battle Drome. From what she had understood, this fascinating facility wasn't just a combat simulator, and she wanted to test out its capabilities for herself. She had read about it and already had a few scenarios in mind, but that didn't necessarily mean that she couldn't use the help of somebody around offering to help her understand it a bit more.]

Action III.

[The Library was also a place the girl wanted to check, the last location on her route today, though she didn't have anything particular in mind upon entering it as she simply went on browsing. Maybe there was something informative as to the worlds of the other people she met here? Or perhaps there were different works of fiction made by authors from these other worlds that could intrigue her? Regardless, she wouldn't mind having some reading material to go through before she went to sleep each day.

Ai would spend quite a bit of time here, thinking as to what she would get and what would spark her interest the most.]

Action IV.

[Finally, when the sky has already darkened, Ai would take a small break near the river close to her new come, Community Housing Building #2, and clear her head some with her eyes watching the stars and her body resting on the grass. Anyone wandering around this late would be able to catch her there.]

(OOC: You can stumble upon her anywhere along her route. Reading the reflections post I have linked to is not necessary as it simply shows her initial thoughts and impressions of Luceti right after she gets herself an apartment.)

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[About himself... Hmm. Diamond takes bites out of his chosen breakfast, chewing the thought over. He knew how most Pokémon and people felt, he was the rock that tied Pearl and Missy down, he was strong in his own right... But nothing like the people here.

Though he did do that he did in order to protect the ones he cared for, so he can't say he's not like them at the same time. It's best to answer this truthfully.]

Well... Everyone has something they're good at. Like, really good at! Pearl's eyes are just a part of that, but his true strength is in his will - he never gives up and finishes what he starts no matter what. I'm really good at cooking and I'm good with Pokémon too, even ones that belong to other trainers, but I wouldn't say I'm like the rest of them. [He was inspired by a television show to save the world. He's just a kid. He's not as strong as Pearl, or as smart as Missy, but...]

Neither Pearl nor Missy can cook very well, so that's that, and both of them tend to look at their feelings before someone else's... They're better about it now. I'm pretty ordinary, as far as my friends go~.

[It's cheerfully said, and he takes another croissant to give to Lax. Strawberry filled.]

It is the same! I was born at the beginning of this month, so that's why I'm called Diamond, and Pearl was in June... Ruby's is in July then, huh.

[She leaned a little on one of the railings in the bakery as she looked at Diamond, sometimes also glancing at Lax to see what he was up to as well. Whatever the flavors of the croissants they were all eating were, everybody seemed to be enjoying them.

Ai only spoke after Diamond had said everything he had on his mind on the matter, keeping the smile on her face as she did. For as young as he was, the boy certainly had what to take pride in.]

As you said yourself, everyone has something they are good at. That seems to be the case for you as well. [She nodded her head as she said it, having gulped down another piece of her croissant before doing so.] And you are still pretty young, too. With time you can become even better at whatever you would like to be good at, Diamond-san. [It had certainly taken her a long time to become as proficient at swimming as she was now, for instance.]

I can cook some things well enough myself. I managed an oden stall for a while back home, too. [And she had volunteered to do so as well, having had fun with the activity, which had left her happy with how much her classmates apparently liked what she had prepared.]

[She then gestured towards the door of the bakery, an inquisitive expression on her face.] Would you like us to head outside?

[At whatever he wanted to be good at... There was manzai, but that was a given between him and Pearl.

Oh.

Not so, not really anymore, since they'd decided to put it on hold here, too... Diamond turns his gaze away, trying to push the thoughts away the best he can, and nods.]

Mm, let's go outside... Maybe when it's winter again, we can make oden together! We'll share it with everyone too.

[His voice doesn't really match up with his words, since it's kind of sick sounding from the thoughts that keep pressing into his mind uncomfortably, and Lax scurries outside as if to hurry them.]

There's some noticeable limits, but I don't know the extent it goes for the scenarios. But in theory, we can make almost any scenario.

[He start pressing the console's touch screen, bringing up the setting option.]

What do you want to make? It'd be easier to show you if I have an example to work with.

...Can't be that cold. Not still.

[ but he sounds as though he doesn't quite believe himself. ]

[His suddenly less cheerful tone didn't go by unnoticed by Ai as she walked beside him, her croissant in her hand as she chewed on it, the two of them now out of the bakery along with Lax. Her features displayed her curiosity as she took in both Diamond's words and what his body language was telling her. Perhaps she had hit a sore point without realizing it...]

That sounds like a good idea, Diamond-san. [She still answered, giving the boy a smile as she did.] I would like that. Perhaps there are even things you can teach me. [After all, she wasn't that skilled to manage everything on her own, and she would not be opposed to finding out more about potential otherworldly delicacies either.]

[But then she also wanted to ask as to what had brought the subtle shift in the boy's tone, doubtlessly caused by something she had said.]

...What is on your mind? [Another piece of her croissant was about to be gone while she waited for his answer.]

[The girl nodded at Kouki's words with understanding. Perhaps she would find out more and would get a better idea of how things worked only until after she had actually seen a scenario created with her own eyes. And she had to even interact with one, for starters.

She then glanced at the touch screen with her brows furrowed when Kouki began fiddling with it, eventually turning her gaze back to him to answer.]

Well, I was thinking about creating a pool that looks similar to the one I used in my high school... [She then scratched her cheek a little before adding anything else.] ...But if that is difficult, then I guess any pool in general would do.

[There was also the fact that Kouki didn't even know how it looked like to begin with, so... for now, at least, that limited her options a bit.]

[And picking up on that, Ai didn't answer him, seemingly not needing to argue with him on the matter. Both knew it would be quite unpleasant and neither wanted it to happen, especially right now. If she wanted to swim here, she would want to prepare herself adequately anyway, preferably without getting any of her clothes soaked.

So, instead, in a few seconds, she said brought up a different topic - or rather, one that Sharpe had been mumbling about for a fair amount of time just a minute ago...]

You still cannot find your way around the village, then? [There was a short pause before she added anything, an amused expression on her face.] How long ago did you arrive here? [He didn't have the look of a New Feather, and she hadn't heard of anybody new coming in here for a while now.]

[ sheepish: ] ...A year ago, miss. But -- ah -- I only moved house a few weeks past. Used to live in that great block of flats. Still think I do, some nights.

[She glanced his way with her brows lifted a bit before gazing into the river once more, making herself more comfortable on the grass again.]

Hmm... I think that is still enough time to get used to the change. [At least she would, anyway, as she didn't have much trouble finding her way in the village anymore.] I have only been here for about a month, though I have always lived in this community housing building. That, I cannot mistake it for my apartment back home. [She would admit that much, at least, so perhaps there was the possibility that she could get confused herself. Just maybe.]

[It sure did feel like she had been here a lot longer than she actually did, though, and it intrigued her, made her think on the matter. In fact, that was what had been on her mind before he interrupted her train of thought.]

[Diamond nods, liking the idea of cooking with Ai. It'd be fun. Lax trots beside the two dutifully, his own breakfast long gone into his stomach and a roll coming out of his fur. Yeah.]

Oh, well, see... Pearl and I do manzai, right? [It would've come around.] Well... Back home, we put our dream of being the best on hold so we could protect Missy, but after that we started doing out acts again. And now here, since we've, um, seen the draft and all [for better or for worse] we've decided to stop again...

[It's not that he's hesitant to talk, persay, but the meat of the matter is slowly being exposed. He wants to have something to occupy his mind. Manzai does that, but now that it's stopped that's one less thing to keep thoughts away. He touches his right arm slightly.]

It's because I got hurt, too. He got really angry-- [Diamond cuts himself off, because he doesn't want to think about it or talk about it, and shakes his head. His hands are trembling a little.] He's a real worrywart sometimes.

[Ai frowned a little as the boy spoke, the conversation clearly heading into sensitive territory for him. She was glad that he was sharing this with her, but at the same time she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable if she could help it.

One thing was for certain: Diamond wasn't the only somewhat scarred by the draft, and while she was not one to talk about this, seeing as she wasn't there herself, she could still take a guess as to how he might be feeling.]

...To protect Missy again? [She blinked curiously while she took another bite from the croissant.] She cannot take care of herself?

[Certainly the draft would have made whoever went there even more aware of the dangers Luceti posed, especially a relative newcomer to the scene like Diamond. And herself, for that matter.]

[She saw him getting a tad distraught over thinking about Pearl, so she interjected concernedly.] It is okay, Diamond-san. That is in the past, right? You are both over this.

We get a lot of time to ourselves here in Luceti. [The girl looked forward as the two of them walked side by side, Lax not too far from them either. There was a thoughtful expression on her face as she went on speaking.] Even if things like the draft happen sometime... I think you should still continue doing manzai. As a way to relax and so you can have... something good to contrast the bad things that come with living here. [She was, of course, thinking of her own passion at this, which was what gave her confidence in what she said.] Otherwise you might end up just living in fear, or... always dreading the next misfortune that can happen to you.

It helps if they have a predisposition towards magic. To be honest, my magic that I teach apart from the filial spirits doesn't seem to be transferable to those people who come from a world without magic in general. But filial spirit magic and is easily accessible towards anyone, regardless of their home world having magic or not.

[ Helios will smile and look at the myriad of potential books as well. It wasn't a frustration but more of a goal to be met and achieved, or so that's what he felt when he first arrived here. Helios could tell that Ai was of a similar mind, and that she didn't look at all displeased about having such a large selection to choose from. ]

I suppose it would depend on what you really feel like reading at the moment. But, ah, that's all up to you for now. I-I'll just let you read through them, if you need any help feel free to ask. Oh! And my name is Helios by the way. It's been a real pleasure talking with you.

[ She nods. ] Yeah. I love reading. And sometimes it's comforting to know there are characters that haven't leapt off of the pages into the real world. Well, yet.

[ She stifles a yawn. Hasn't been getting much sleep recently. ] I never thought I'd find books to be less violent than the real world.

[Reading could have a positive similar effect on Ai as well, though it did depend on the book and whether she found it gripping enough to hold her interest. Otherwise her mind would once again wander. Regardless, she chuckled a bit at Twilight's comment as she continued following her.]

...Do you think we are among the characters who did?

[At the very least, the purple alicorn had that unique look, colorful enough to have come from a book or from some cartoon, though Ai was fairly normal in comparison.]

[She could only frown a bit at Twilight's next statement, however.] ...Was it that bad? [At that moment, she was more certain that the comment was related to the draft in some way or another and that it was connected the shift in Twilight's mood.]

That rules me out, then. In regards to the magic that you teach, I mean. [Her lips pulled into another amused smile as she proceeded to throw Helios another glance.] Looks like I will not be becoming a magician, then. Too bad.

[Not that she had planned to anyway, but it was still an interesting topic for her to hear more about, especially now that her mind had shifted to the mentality that magic did indeed exist in Luceti, it was a real thing. The filial spirits was something she had read about, but even the guide itself did not say anything truly concrete about their powers and how one might end up chancing upon them. There was little reason to think that she meet any of them, not that she was necessarily opposed to the concept, as she was forever curious about things such as these even if she would not necessarily benefit from them.]

[She then bowed his way after he introduced himself to her, the smile on her face remaining. He had been really helpful to her, and he seemed like a nice person in general.]

Thank you for help, Helios-san. I am Ai Nanasaki. It is a pleasure to meet you.

Well, you're a step ahead of me. There's nothing in my world even close to this, but luckily I had someone show me the basics, so I got some of it down.

[Suki inched closer. Not to push the other girl out of the way, but to show her exactly what to do.]

Now let's see. I'm pretty sure this buttons gets you started, so you can just press it and we can go through the options and get exactly what you want.

Ah. Well there's always the spirits that you could learn from. I'm sure if you contacted them you could be a magician in your own right. [ Helios gives the young girl an encouraging smile. ]

Well you're welcome to stop by the library any time you want. The doors are practically always open, except late into the evening. [ He chuckles. ]

But, um, I should let you get back to-to your book searching.

[Quiet. Normal. A nice spot. He doesn't have any relaxing spots in Luceti. He doesn't feel at ease anywhere. Not here. Not the house that he has taken control of for the time being. This small human girl was speaking with a strange sort of clarity despite the slight points of hesitations there.

And she was speaking to him.]

Where are you staying?

It's not that she can't take care of herself, but it's a bit like habit. She's a Lady, you see, from an important family back home, and even though we know she can take care of herself, we still want to make sure she wouldn't have to in the first place. She's a dear friend to us both.

[Yeah, that's it. She wouldn't have to be alone either anymore, not with he and Pearl here.

He listens to her - in the past, both over it... maybe - and smiles brightly. Overall, despite everything, Diamond is first and foremost an optimist. Just one who's been scarred slightly by a war not his own.]

Not everything's bad here, so it's fine! After all, I have my friends and I've made a lot of new ones here, too, even ones who're from completely different worlds like you. And if I can't do manzai, I'll cook or do the puzzles Mr. Layton makes up. I'm planning on making a big maze puzzle for my friends.

[It was pretty strange to her too, considering that upon her first meeting with the orc she hadn't in any way imagined that she would be talking to him about things like this, but Luceti as a whole was like that, really, and even that she had pretty much gotten used to.]

In the community housing building over there. [She turned her body to the side slightly and pointed towards the nearby block of flats, right across the Tsukino Shrine.]

On the sixth floor. It is nice, and I have it all to myself... and there is a nice view of most of the village as well. [Which also included a pleasant look towards the mountains in the distance and a part of the forest around the many houses, too. Not to mention that the actual location was pretty convenient for her.]

I take it that your world has to catch up when it comes to technology, then... You probably do not even have computers.

[Suki saying that made Ai realize just how much more of a shock some of these things could have been to her had she come from much earlier in Earth's history. Compared to somebody who came from a place where technology did not exist, she had it easy.]

Yes, that is what I suspected. [She nodded, looking at Suki messing with the controls some, giving her a bit more space as she stepped sideways.] I was thinking of recreating the pool that I used in my high school, but... if that is hard to do, then any pool would also do.

But if you say she can protect herself on her own, then you do not need to stop doing manzai. As a dear friend to you, I do not think she would want you to abandon your dream of becoming the best at it anyway, and she can certainly see that is important to you. [Seeing as Missy was also close to him and Pearl, after all, and at least Ai would want to make something like that clear in her position. Especially in a place like Luceti where continuing to do one's hobbies was another way to cope with the situation of being imprisoned, and one that would most certainly work well for most people.]

Yes, that is a better way to look at it, Diamond-san. [Ai liked to be optimistic about things herself, determined, and seeing her manage to better Diamond's mood made her smile. She then tilted her head a bit curiously.] Do you mean one of those paper maze puzzles, or something else?

[ as for why the change is hard to get used to?: ] Put lightly, miss, before this place I've not lived in a proper reliable house for years. I move 'round a lot, eh? Sometimes I wonder if I might be better off with a tent by the woods.

[ a nod across the river, towards the tree-line. ]

I see... that would be quite the shift. [Ai nodded at Sharpe's words in understanding, now looking at him with a curious expression on her face. More and more she begun to realize just how many different ways there were to look at Luceti depending on one came from.]

[Her amused smile played on her lips once more after the man's next comment.] ...I would take being lost from time to time over living a tent in the woods. The apartments are actually nice, and I bet the houses are as well.

[She then bowed her head in his direction after a brief moment of silence on her part.] I am Ai Nanasaki.

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2nd Dive: Exploration [Action]

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