018. [Text, and one other thing.]

[explosivecombat]

[TEXT]

Due to various circumstances in my world of origin, for quite a while, time was immeasurable for me. It came to lack meaning. Weeks bled into months, months into years. In some ways, this world seems like that for many of us; there's a lack of structure, and the list of things that one can do with themselves before they settle into some sort of day-to-day routine is incredibly short. These creatures become a part of our daily lives; this world becomes a part of our daily lives. And before we know it, we've spent weeks here. Months. Years.

That blank spot in my life lasted for seven years, I believe. Yet with nothing else to focus on, I discovered more about myself in those seven years than I did over the course of most of the rest of my life. Spending that long in the dark - whether it's physical or otherwise - tends to teach one a lot, I believe, even if it's just where your limits lie.

You'll have to forgive me for the needless introspection; if you're humoring me by continuing to read, either you have more patience than most at half-midnight, or this is one of those messages on the feed that greets you first thing in the morning. But apparently time does have meaning to most people in this place - in which case...

Tell me how long you've been here, if you choose, and what you've come to discover about yourself in that time.

I suppose it's worth saying that personally, I've been here for a year, as of half an hour ago.

For me, it's been another year where time has next to no meaning, despite the fact that I have an easy way to keep track of it; another year with no direction, though I wouldn't say it's been spent in the dark. Whether I like what I've discovered about myself or not within that year has yet to be seen; however, I find myself content with the way things are.

While I know that I have no choice in the matter, I think I could tolerate another year.


[PRIVATE TEXT TO KATO]

I have a favor to ask of you.

Comments

[PRIVATE TEXT]

[artfuldestruction]

I'm all ears, sir. Feel free to visit me in my lab, or I can come to you, should you desire it.

[[Personal favours for the seniors are always okay, after all~]]

[PRIVATE TEXT → ACTION]

[explosivecombat]

I'll come to you.

[He's being far shorter with Kato than he usually is, but he actually isn't annoyed; just had a fair amount on his mind lately, and when he enters the lab it's fairly obvious that he's still somewhat preoccupied.

However, at least there won't be Gengars this time.]

...Dr. Kato. Keeping busy as always, I assume?

[Seeing that it's kind of ridiculous o'clock in the morning and all, um.]

[ACTION]

[artfuldestruction]

[[Kimblee will find Kato actually...being surprisingly manly today; he's lying on his back underneath one of the bigger parts of his machine, securing a few screws with a small drill, his glasses, coat and cravat discarded off to the side. When his superior enters, he slides himself out from under the machine, brushing off his pants and unrolling his sleeves, previously pushed up past his elbows.]]

As always, sir. No rest for the wicked.

[[Have a painfully self-aware smirk after that little quip.]]

What can I do for you at this fine hour? Ah, congratulations on the anniversary, by the way.

[explosivecombat]

[...that certainly is new, Kato, though Kimblee certainly doesn't disapprove. come now, he and utau didn't mean those action brackets

Either way, however, there's a reason he leaves the machinery to you people in the lab; you couldn't pay him enough to get under there, to say nothing of the fact that he'd render himself completely filthy somehow within the first three minutes and no one in this base would be happy.

But he tips his head a bit at that offered congratulations, though he doesn't acknowledge it verbally.]

I'm afraid that business calls me away from the base for approximately the next week and a half, if not longer; I'll still be in contact with all of you, should I be required, but I intend to leave later today. What I wanted to discuss with you isn't terribly pressing; it doesn't need to be dealt with now, but I did want to speak with you about it before I leave.

[He pauses for a moment before shifting his hands, sliding one of his gloves off to reveal one of his arrays, dark against the palm of his left hand.]

You seem rather knowledgeable when it comes to disguising one's features; what would you recommend when it comes to removing things like this? I would prefer that it be on a more permanent basis.

[audio]

[pinnedbangs]

[It was almost tl;dr for Rin, but he did zero in on the actual prompt once he skimmed it a few times. Hadn't he already resolved to be more open? It wasn't as if what he was mattered in a place like this, so he shouldn't be so hesitant.

Okay so yes he was going to use this as an excuse to talk to someone new, big deal. Not like he wants to improve himself or anything.]

I'd have been here for eight months, counting next week. ...I don't think I've learned anything new. I feel more like I've stayed the same.

[audio]

[explosivecombat]

[...honestly, Rin, you don't have to worry about much; one of the less-than-awesome realizations Kimblee's had since arriving here is that his social skills are not nearly as good as he thought they were.]

And are you content with that?

[audio]

[pinnedbangs]

[In that case, it would be almost comforting to have a chance to speak to another like-minded fellow. ...Even if the likeliness may not be as grounded as he'd believe.

Kimblee might very well be able to hear Rin shrug over the line.]

No. It's stupid. Most I figured was that this country wouldn't give a crap about anything outside of itself.

[audio]

[explosivecombat]

Is that the case in your own country, or was it simply that this place seems to operate differently than what you're used to?

Don't misunderstand me, as I'm not preaching at you - I was under a similar assumption myself. This place just seems rather invested in proving me wrong.

[text]

[enjoymyatelier]

[...talking to this person is always been a bit of a minefield, but he's brought up something that's been getting to Kayneth recently anyway, so... perhaps it will be worth it?]

While I haven't noticed any appreciable differences in my own state of mind, I have to confess that I've also found it fairly easy to lose track of how much time I've been spending here. The realization that I will have been here exactly half a year in exactly one week caught me by surprise the other day, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it.

[text]

[explosivecombat]

That is a bit jarring, isn't it? Although I've personally found that there's no point in seeing how long we've been here in a negative light; I have reason to believe that time doesn't pass normally back home while we're here. It isn't as though we're missing anything, wasting time, or causing the course of our own world to go off-kilter; I suppose it's best to think of it as an opportunity. A bit escapist, maybe, but an opportunity nonetheless.

[text]

[enjoymyatelier]

The fact that time doesn't seem to pass normally back home is a small mercy, I agree-but I'd still rather be there than here. I was in the middle of something I was looking forward to seeing through to the end.

[video]

[darkenedgales]

[You'll have to forgive him, but Crow simply cannot be bothered to type all of his feels thoughts on the subject, and it's one of those WHO THE HELL NEEDS SLEEP ANYWAY nights, so instead, you'll have a video! In which the duelist actually looks quite thoughtful, holy shit.]

Two years and three months, give or take. As for what I've discovered...

... My own powerlessness.

[Wow okay no that sounded overly deep and serious LET HIM TRY TO FIX THAT.]

I mean-- back home, there were things I could do to protect people I care for, prevent bad shit from happening and stuff... not always, obviously, but still. And I guess I never really realized it could be different? 'S just how things are over there.

Here I... can't stop Team Rocket from attacking people if I ain't nearby. And there's no way in hell I could prevent anyone from leaving, no matter how much I don't want 'em to go. Kinda feels like I can't do much in general...

[TL;DR it's hard when you can't solve all your life problems by playing a card game and no one understands.

Crow makes a short pause and then gives the camera a bright smile.]

Doesn't mean it's gonna keep me from trying! I'd never get anywhere with that sorta attitude, huh?

[And with that, have a wink.]

Congrats on the anniversary, by the way!

[video]

[explosivecombat]

[Who needs sleep indeed; Kimblee's right along with you at that.

The video feed on Kimblee's end clicks on easily after a few moments; he seems to have found himself a rather nondescript room to do this in, dimly-lit but not completely dark - he's easily visible, though the white suit would probably ensure that he would be seen even without an adequate light source. There really isn't anything visible behind him outside of a blank wall - clearly he's got his back to it - but he's got a desk of some sort in front of him, which is where the 'Gear is propped up; he's leaning back a bit in the chair, seeming a bit tired perhaps due to the hour but generally content, at least.]

Appreciated, Mr. Hogan; it isn't anywhere near as impressive as your tenure here, but I can't say that I'm displeased with it, either. It's been a very decent year, at least; there's less to do here than there was in Amestris, but a little idleness may have done me some good in the long run. I suppose we'll see.

[He pauses for a moment after that's out there, however; the kid has a valid point among all that, really.]

That's an interesting way of phrasing things, by the way; one of my [...how does he word this...] friends and I have discussed this topic at length, actually - how it feels almost as though we don't have any sort of true impact on this world. It's unpleasant in several ways, but there's not much that we can do outside of adapting and overcoming. We don't exactly believe in giving up, as it's never been an option where we're from; as such, I can't say I disapprove of your message.

[papshooshing]

SEVEN YEARS?

[explosivecombat]

[...aaaaaaaaaaand behind a lock this goes; he legitimately doesn't mind the question, it's just a bit of an awkward topic.]

Yes. I've told you before, I believe, that my way of thinking is not always in line with the way people in my world think things should be, nor are my actions; those seven years were spent in prison, in solitary confinement.

private it is then

[papshooshing]

WHAT DID YOU DO.

text; private

[licentious]

I arrived here about a good month or two before your arrival. I kept my profile low, however, and only revealed myself on the network after coming into contact with an ally.

Speaking of which, I believe it's time we had a talk. [ Those words never mean something good.

Until today. ]

text; private

[explosivecombat]

[Oh, come now, Lust, don't sell yourself short. Those words almost always mean something good coming from you, at least as far as Kimblee is concerned.

...then again, Kimblee is kind of horribly self-destructive. Helping the inhuman monsters destroy humanity despite being human himself? Sounds legit tbh!!!]

Is that so - did something happen, or is this more of a...friendly conversation, for lack of a more appropriate term?

[c'mon c'mon this sounds awesome]

text; private

[licentious]

[ Oh, Kimblee, you have so much faith in her. It sort of reminds her of daddy.

It's ok. After going out for ice cream, and a very long walk on the beach, they can go and blow up a school bus or something. It'll be their thing! ]

It's more of the friendly variety. See, I have been thinking about your little partner in crime, if you will.

[TEXT]

[decrees]

[Ugh, text is difficult and no one understands...]

I have been here for almost three months. It doesn't seem very long in comparison to the year that you've been here, but I have learned a few things about myself.

[...those being the ones you've pointed out to him, but that's not important!]

This world is entirely different from my own. I'm not in a position of power here, nor do I have any sort of control. I'm still not used to it.

What happened during that blank period of your life?

[TEXT / PRIVATE]

[explosivecombat]

[And as with at least one other text tonight, this is quick to be put under a lock. He has no problem with some of you hearing this, at this point; he has a problem with it being left out there for the world to see.]

Three months is still a good period of time, however; more than enough to find a few conclusions, at least, as it seems like you've done. You're doing better than some I've known, believe me.

As for that seven-year period...well, if I felt like being snide, I would say "nothing," as that's quite literally what it was. However, to give a more complete answer, I was incarcerated during that time.

[TEXT / PRIVATE]

[decrees]

I suppose that's true. I wouldn't have figured it out as quickly without your help.

You were incarcerated? Why?

[Why does he get the feeling that he doesn't want to know?]

[text]

[princelyspirit]

[This guy sounds like he's had a rough deal, but - no, she's not going to ask about that. It's not her business, is it? And besides, she doesn't think it's why he put this message up, anyway; it sounds like he wants to talk about other people more than he wants to talk about himself]

I've been here for about... three months, I think? And as for learning, well, I guess I learned that I can rough it if I really need to. I mean, if someone came up to me four months ago and told me that I'd be sleeping in the woods and backpacking from town to town, I would've thought they were nuts.

[text]

[explosivecombat]

[He has and he hasn't; it's one of those things that was only rough in hindsight, and honestly? He still regrets nothing.]

I admit that was more or less my reaction upon my arrival here; the routes weren't exactly kind to me back then...ah, but this place really does leave us no choice but to adapt and overcome, does it?

[text]

[princelyspirit]

Pretty much. I mean, you could just hole yourself up in a town - I've been doing that for a while - but you've got to get moving eventually. Otherwise, it's just... boring, I guess.