explosivecombat | 018. [Text, and one other thing.]

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018. [Text, and one other thing.]

[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.

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No, no, that's quite all right. I can hardly afford to get so sidetracked when there's business to be done in the morning, after all; don't tempt me.

You do have a trip to prepare for, and I should get back to my work.

[[Have a very graceful bow~]]

I do hope it's profitable for you.

I have reason to believe it will be, yes.

[He pauses for a moment after that's out there, however.]

I do rather appreciate what you've been willing to do for me, Dr. Kato; I may request your assistance with a personal project of mine, at a later date.

For the time being, however, enjoy your evening - and do try to sleep at some point; you're going to work yourself into an early grave at this rate.

Consider the sentiment appreciated and returned, Kimblee sir. I'm always willing to help those who help me.

[[But really, this is rather nice. He never knew you cared, Kimblee!]]

You don't need to worry about me; I intend to get my beauty sleep~

Do have a safe trip; with any luck I'll have something interesting for you when you return.

[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.

[...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.

[...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?

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.

[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.

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.

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.

Forgive me my curiosity, Lord El-Melloi, but might I ask what this "something" you're referring to was? I think it's a bit of a given that we're all more or less in the middle of something; what about your circumstance is so pressing?

[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!

I was in the middle of a war prior to arriving here-one of a variety I rather doubt you'd be familiar with. I was about to confront one of my opponents before arriving here, and I have absolutely no idea when I'll be able to finish what I've started.

No offense, but you don't exactly seem the military sort, though you're more than welcome to correct me if I'm wrong; I just have a bit of difficulty seeing you on any sort of battlefield. However, you did mention magecraft in one of our earlier conversations, and the fact that you're apparently rather adept with it; I assume that's what you're referring to?

[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.

SEVEN YEARS?

Ah, no, I'm not the military sort by any means. This war is more of a contest between seven mages, all of whom summon the spirit of one legendary hero from the past to fight alongside them. I'm aware that it seems a bit small scale compared to wars that involve actual armies and such, but when you have seven extremely powerful mages and seven heroes of legend doing battle in a single city, calling it a war is more appropriate than anything else.

Well, you're right in saying that I'm unfamiliar with that way of staging a battle, yes; we have no way to summon the souls of the dead, where I'm from. At least, not intentionally, and not in any way that won't end horrifically. However, I will say that even if the numbers are reasonably low, I can certainly see where having that many powerful people would result it flat-out warfare, yes.

What sort of legendary heroes are we talking about, exactly? I doubt they're the same, given that very few in this place seem to know about Amestris and I wouldn't be surprised if the legends we have are completely different, but we do have stories regarding the old world - kings and warriors and prophets and the like, who shaped the past/provided pathways to form the present. Is that the sort of thing you're referring to?

[...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.

That would be exactly what I'm referring to. It would be difficult to find an exact matchup, given that I'm unfamiliar with your world-but really, anyone who managed to make their way into legend as some sort of hero would be fair game for this conflict. They're far stronger than practically any modern human could hope to be, as well-so there's still the potential for things to end horrifically there, but there are a great deal of safeguards to keep things in check.

[That sounds...

...

...rather stupidly awesome, he has to admit, uh.]

Might I ask what the purpose of this war is? Given that it's happening in a single city, as you said, that has a great deal of safeguards in place, it doesn't seem like something that would happen for...well, the reasons that most go to war - reasons like responding to some sort of uprising, financial gain, or expansion of territory don't seem like they would apply here.

WHAT DID YOU DO.

I was involved in a rather strong conflict of interest with my superior officers, when I was in the military. I didn't agree with the orders they were issuing me; it was toward the end of a war I was deployed during, in the midst of a rather brutal campaign that involved the destruction of another race of people. Let's say they didn't care for how I decided to hand in my resignation.

Receiving seven years in solitary for an act of insubordination that left five of my superior officers dead is a light punishment, as far as my world is concerned.

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. ]

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018. [Text, and one other thing.]

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[text] god i htmlfailed all over that last one, sorry orz

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private it is then

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