[Voice] un: 008

[hachitaro]

[The omni clicks on, audio already playing. It sounds tinny, like it's coming from a small speaker. It's slightly muffled, like there's someone blocking the sound a bit.]

[One of the voices on the audio is definitely Taro. The other voice is an almost croaking one, a little difficult to make out.]


---
"Right, so that's what you say I did. You're the one coming after me."

'You've crossed us for the last time, Watanabe. You might have been a big shot once, but not anymore. Now you're just scum.'

Taro huffs a little, almost laughing. "Are you kidding me? You're coming after me because I know things. Because I'm going to tell other people. Because you lot are just going to keep summoning -"

'Enough. You've said enough. Say your prayers. Any god of your choosing, doesn't matter.'

He laughs and there's a shuffling sound. "Fuck you. I don't need to pray to anyone."

There's the click of what sound like nails on a wooden floor, and then a loud squawk. The sounds of some kind of scuffle are audible, and Taro's heavy breathing. There's a gutteral cry of pain that dies down as the sound of the other person(?) gets up and starts walking away. Click... click... click... and then it's silent.
---


[There's the sound of a button of some kind being pushed and a sigh. Taro grunts in frustration for a moment and doesn't say anything for a few moments. There's a shuffling sound, and then a pause. ... Huh.]

Uh, hey Trench. Didn't see you there. Or... hear you? Anyway... huh. I... uh. Do you think those zealot guys are going to leave us alone? Kinda dangerous for someone like me to walk out at night. It's kind of frustrating, y'know?

Anyway... I'm still learning about this place. What's... uh. A good area to hang out at where there's not that many monsters? Kind of a noncombatant here.

Talk to you later. Taro out.

Comments

[fogsong]

So, what? You want to continue being alone? You wanna go through this fucked up place alone? Come on, Taro. [ a huff ]

There's no reason for you to be alone here. We deal with enough bullshit without having to deal with it all alone, too.

[hachitaro]

... There's secrets I -

[Is that too much? Is he just being emotional because of what she just heard?]

I can't... tell people things. About me. I don't want to get hurt.

[fogsong]

Then don't tell people your secrets if you're afraid, Taro, but whatever you're hiding? Whatever you feel you have to hide? It doesn't matter here. It won't affect people, it won't piss them off or make them afraid of you. You're in Trench, a place where we've been reborn as squid in a world affected by quasi-deities every month and our bloodtypes give us powers. [ there's a firmness in her tone though it's accompanied by a gentle understanding. ]

It's okay to have your secrets, I have my own, but when you find someone you feel you can trust, don't be afraid to let them in a little. You'd be surprised at the kinds of people you'll find here.

Also, if anyone tried to hurt you over your secrets, I'd beat the fuck out of them. No questions asked.

[hachitaro]

[... Yeah, that's... well, aside from the secrets bit - she knows they have to hide - she's really sounding like Toshiko. It's nostalgic, almost.]

[Hopefully, she's doing well. ... And has gotten over the shock of finding him like... that.]

Yeah, well. I guess it's harder to be a weirdo in a town full of weirdos, you weirdo.

[It's a teasing tone, but it's a little tired.]

I don't think there's anyone like me, though. Not that I would know, it's just... rare.

[fogsong]

That's kind of the point, fellow weirdo.

As a fellow rare and unique individual, wanna tell me what makes you so rare? You never know, there might be more people like yourself here than you ever thought possible.

[hachitaro]

... I can't. Sorry. I like you, but I can't. If anyone found out, we'd both be in danger.

[Maybe not here, but... but he can't really shake that fear.]

[fogsong]

Hey, there's no reason to apologize, I get it. I've been there.

[hachitaro]

... Thanks. Maybe, if this place is safe... but I... I don't know yet.

[His voice is shaky, unsure. He doesn't know if he can trust Trench's weirdness. Maybe there's weird mad scientists or something here. He'd rather not get experimented on.]

[fogsong]

Trench isn't really ever safe but you don't have to hide from whatever you feared back home.

I was on the run from a cult before I came here. You have no idea how long it took me to trust that I didn't have to fear them here so... take your time. Adjust. If you ever want to tell me, I'm here. If you never want to tell me, I'm still here.

[hachitaro]

... I appreciate that. I just... have been running for a long time.

[fogsong]

I know and now you don't have to. Technically, can't. It's strange, isn't it? To know you're gonna be in one place for god knows how long?

[hachitaro]

It is. I mean... I guess I thought this place might be some kind of hellish afterlife at first. Now... I don't know.

[fogsong]

I can see where you might have gotten the idea but... I'm almost positive this isn't the afterlife. I look at it more like a, uh, a second life.

[hachitaro]

[He huffs a little bit to hide his laughter. He remembers Second Life. But that's besides the point.]

Maybe. It's not like... not like I can go back, so...

[fogsong]

[ Sharon hasn't even heard of that game before. If she had, she would've hated it. ]

You've got a new lease on life here, might as well take advantage of it.

[hachitaro]

Yeah, I guess. ... I mean, first is cleaning up where I live, probably. I mean I got a couch to crash on, but... uh. Still looks abandoned.

[fogsong]

Need a hand?

[hachitaro]

... Yeah, I probably could use that. It's... um. It needs a few boards in some places. It's getting cold here.

[fogsong]

What, you pick the saddest looking place you could find? [ she's just teasing. mostly ] Tell me where you're at and I'll come over.

Is there anything you need I can bring? Blankets, food, curtains for your windows? I've got some extra shit I can part with.

[hachitaro]

Sure. Here.

[He texts her an address that's in Cellar Door. It's basically an apartment.]

I'm not going to say no to any of that, really. There's not much here... I've only been able to scrounge up so much.

[At least he has a little bed for his omen, even if his bed is... the couch.]

[fogsong]

All right, I'll be over in a few.

[ it takes her a bit to gather up some shit for him, maybe a little over an hour, but she's soon at his door knocking. she's got bags over both shoulders and a filled backpack on her back. her cheeks are bright pink from the cold and she's surprisingly underdressed for the weather, not that it appears to bother her any. ]

[hachitaro]

[It's not like he's doing much, just watching stuff on the omni. He opens the door when he hears her knocking though.]

Hey, come on in.

[It's basically a one-room apartment, with an area that has a sink and a little area cleared for a microwave. A rickety table sits nearby. In the main area there's a couch with a small pet bed beside it. His omen is lazing on it, yawning at Sharon's arrival.]

[The couch is... pretty beat-up. It's stained, but at least it looks soft. There's a little light from a lunar orb, but otherwise it's kind of dark inside. The windows are closed but it's still cold near them, and there's a few cracks in the wood that clearly need fixing.]

[There's a small pile of clothes in the corner - some of them look ratty and some of them look pretty new. It's a weird kind of mix.]

[fogsong]

[ she steps in and takes a look around. oh. this is a sad-looking apartment and she knows a thing or two about sad-looking homes as she's lived in quite a few. she sets the bags down gently near the table and begins to pull things out. ]

I'm glad I brought some pillows and blankets. [ the blankets she pulls out are carefully folded and in shades of creme and salmon. the pillows she has to wiggle out of the bag, stuffed as tightly down as they are, and they've already got pillowcases on them. ]

You should talk to a few architects, and get them to come in and fix up the windows. They're good about doing work in exchange for favors and shit but I know a few that owe me, gave them some paint when I started making it. [ she says this as she continues to empty the bags. the pale curtains are wrapped around fat candles and she sets them down with a heavy clunk. ]

[hachitaro]

I can try to ask around... I don't really know any architects. You make paint, though?

[That's a little surprising. He takes the pillows and blankets over to the couch, setting them up so they're able to be used whether he's sleeping or not. The candles get a look, but he doesn't say anything about it.]

[Hoshi wanders over to her and yips before jumping up on the table to inspect things. She's got to make sure everything's in order.]

Suppose I should do it sooner rather than later. Winter's already here and it's probably not going to get any warmer soon...

[fogsong]

Willful Machine is the best place to find them. I can go with you and help haggle if you need me to. [ she knows how intimidating this place can be even after the first few months. she was lucky she never had to do any of that herself when she first arrived. ] And, yeah, I make paints. I'm an artist and I paint a lot. I got tired of trying to find paints I enjoyed and learned to make my own. I can get quite a bit trading them, too.

[ she's not bothered when Hoshi wanders over and soon begins to set things before her intentionally to let her sniff and inspect. ]

It's cold as hell up through February so, yeah, I'd hop on that if I were you. [ she starts to pull things out from her other bag. this bag is full of food items, everything carefully canned and labeled in her sharp, angled handwriting. it's mostly fruits and vegetables but there's jars of soup and canned meats as well. ] I don't know what you prefer so I just grabbed a little bit of everything I have. [ there's a jar of honey and a few canisters of tea, too. ]