[She isn't hungry. At all. Not even the snacks in her skirt pockets are appealing right now. But she's at least toddling into kitchen with some hesitancy, carefully opening the fridge to look for juice and just. Staring dully into the back of the fridge for a little too long, her mind drifting.
This is making the kitchen a little cold and probably running the electric bill. It's fine.]
[ Honestly he doesn't know what an electricity bill is, and he's not required to pay it, so Hua Cheng simply - watches Hikaru, for a moment, before he says anything. Considering what happened in front of all of them, and the accusations they'd turned on Pikachu... he's not surprised that so many people are acting like this.
But he does, eventually, say something from the counters. ]
[It's late in the afternoon, and the spaceship sure is a spaceship! But if Hua Cheng is to peek into the VR room, it's currently occupied! It's not locked up, though, so if he's feeling nosy, he can waltz right in.
Once inside, it's a blurry depiction of a traditional Japanese dojo, tatami mats lining the floor as sunlight peeks through the screened walls. Whoever is currently in here seems to be heavily into practice, going through a steady and aggressive set of motions with loud exclamations between each one, before resetting themselves and backing up, barefooted against the bamboo.
This person is also shorter than 5 feet so it literally can only be like one of three people so take your pick.
Even from a distance, though, it's very, very obvious that she's panting for breath between her practices. Weird.]
[ Hua Cheng is still coming to better understand the far more advanced technology here, with today being the most... educational day thus far, given the task he and Yona had to complete in the VR room.
But this is a new execution of it that he's more interested in.
The type of room is unfamiliar, but its use is not, and he crosses his arms to watch for a few minutes before he does anything. There's only a handful of people this small in the Realm, so he can take a few guesses based off of that. With the voice attached to the exclamations...
Well.
He acquires himself one of the shinai, walking along the bamboo floor in her peripheral as he tests the weight of it. ]
[If he has ever held a katana, the balance feels similar, if not much lighter. With the men blocking her face, she doesn't notice him entirely until she relaxes from another pose, turning to catch her breath...]
Huh?? [Yeah it's Hikaru, the mystery is solved. All sense of form is lost as she lets her shindai tap the floor.]
[Welp. Hikaru's not that hard to spot considering she beelines for the planetarium immediately after Kano is taken away, and then straight to her bedroom, where she slams the door shut.
That's all I got for you, fam, she is FURIOUS and she ain't leaving that room anytime soon, so! Knocking on room 18???]
[ Considering Hua Cheng was one of the people that voted for Kano, no matter the reluctance of it - his uncooperative nature being the real sinking ship in this furious storm of a mess, rather than anything conclusive - he doesn't stop Hikaru either times she nooms by in his line of sight.
He does wait a little while, but regardless... because if anyone's learned he's actually got a soft heart...
It's Hikaru.
There is a knock, and then a voice. ]
You don't have to come out, if you don't want to, Hikaru. [ low, and calm ] Regardless, I'll stay here with you for a little while.
[There's a pause, brief, before the sound of shuffling can be heard from behind the door. The latch clicks, and weakly, there is Hikaru, looking far more rested than the days prior but with a face that is still flushed from crying, eyes puffy and brimming with a tired, fragmented flame of anger.
She looks up at him, all Very Many Centimeters, before opening the door a little further and rubbing at her eyes.]
...Mn ...It's okay, Hua-chan. Raven-san isn't here right now.
[She can feel the shift in the intensity of anger, enough to distract her from her prayers and to the small list of names (???? is it? he'd probably have to look a little closer to make sure) settled at the base of the kamidana. There's genuine surprise and a slight bit of shamed awe as Hua Cheng kneels next to her... but she keeps her mouth shut, quietly watching him work.
[ The emotion registers, but Hua Cheng doesn't react to it - at least, not right away. Instead, he continues working, because if it's meant to be a shrine...
Well. He could make a talisman. He could make a plaque, although his handwriting is atrocious and no one would be able to read it, even Xie Lian. But there's one field that he particularly excels in, to the point that he makes quick work, even with the pen rather than ink or paint.
Regret, concern, anger - all three are still there, but they settle into something focused as he draws, and as he starts to make is way down from the top of the makeshift scroll to the bottom, Hikaru will get to see Hajime's face. Pikachu, for as unaffected by his death as Hua Cheng was. Virid. And it might be black and white, it might be pen ink on the back of a ridiculous roll of wrapping paper.
It hurts, almost, to see their faces again... and to feel there's something not quite right. That she has to stare at them a little too long for the names to stick, that she can't quite convince herself the color of Hajime's hair, or Virid's eyes.
But it's recognition that's strong enough, something that settles her confusion slowly back down into a silent, patient respect.]
...Hua-chan... [Her voice cracks a little, and embarrassment flashes, silencing her. But she'll continue watching him, genuinely touched.]
[She's slipping into the bookstore rather early in the morning, eyes drifting over countless books but never quite pulling any out. Not until she comes across one from a land she's not familiar with, a large book filled with illustrations and descriptions of a vibrant, diverse world.
Her eyes ache as she pulls the book along with her deeper into the store... and crashing right into Hua Cheng in the process.]
Ah-- Hua-chan! I wasn't paying attention, I'm so sorry...
[ At least Hikaru isn't quite enough to knock him off balance - Hua Cheng blinks, startled out of his focus, as someone runs into him. He digs his heels in so he doesn't go anywhere, but reaches out to make sure they're both balanced, once he realizes who it is, considering. ]
There's a lot to look at here, it's fine, Hikaru. [ Considering the chunky book he has in his hands, and the fact he. Also was not paying attention. It really is fine. ]
I was looking for books about more modern technology. It would be interesting to implement some of the things here, back in Ghost City. [ MODERN INDOOR PLUMBING... ] What's that you have there?
Something that... reminds me of home a lot. [She'll carefully close the book in her hands, hugging it to her chest.]
You mean stuff like faucets or the PHS? I know I had to teach Chijin how to use the sink the first day... but there's a lot of places that don't have things like that. If you could bring it back to help your people, I hope it's something you can enjoy.
[Immediately after dinosaur crimes, Hikaru looks... confused, as though she's hit her head. She flutters to the inn, to her memory book, muttering to herself as she frantically flips to the pages, her eyes falling on her own.
...
She quietly backs away... and bolts out the inn, nearly losing her footing. She checks the riverbed near the bridge, then shoves her way into the jungle area, down to the village, down to where she'd placed rocks in a specific formation. The formation is there, but... did someone move it? Why is it just shapes?
She's vanishing off to the waterfall, her PHS dropped with the note function in full display. She doesn't notice the gashes she has received from falling, nor the pain she feels when she presses her hands into her face. It's a bad dream, isn't it? It couldn't be falling apart so fast...
She tries, and tries, and tries to remember... but it's all static, all an encompassing black hole. Her fist hits the rock underneath her as she drops to her knees, deaf to the crash of the water as she wails at the top of her lungs.]
[ After dinosaur crimes, Hua Cheng has to get fixed up - and it takes a bit of time, all things considered. But then, there's not much else to do but mingle, but wait, knowing that the following night will inevitably bring more death. Preparations have to be made.
But as blind as he might be, right now, he isn't deaf. As he's making his way through, checking over things - to "see" the state of them, so to speak, before they're forced to go running through underbrush and traps to find bodies and clues - he freezes.
The absolute anguish practically echoes within him, resonating with something in his core.
But for as much as he recognizes the outcry, he recognizes the voice, and it's... strange, to feel a sense of dread, for someone that isn't Dianxia. ]
Hikaru? [ His own voice raising, he moves, quickfooted and certain despite the impairment, until his boot connects with something that skitters a bit. A step, two, three, he leans down - the second try, his fingers brush the PHS, and he picks it up.
It doesn't answer anything, but Hua Cheng takes it with him, as he comes to the waterfall. Damn this place that he can't see her, even if he knows she's there. ] Hikaru!
[She hears a voice, the calling of what sounds like a name. But she doesn't answer, doesn't lift her head at first, tears hot and breath rapid. It's only when the sound repeats, louder and more urgently, that she forces herself to look up, to see a man who doesn't seem to see her.
Her sobbing grips her, forces her breath out far too fast. She doesn't know what he's doing out here... but it's something concrete in a blur of panic, and she raises her voice despite how broken it echoes on the rock.]
[Her steps are cautious as she makes her way through the manor, though if any part of it spooks her, it doesn't show. She seems remarkably composed, nimble around the parts that are falling to pieces, curiously popping her head into rooms but in a far more subdued way than her normal energy.
She isn't hesitating around the distortions that she sees. She knows exactly what they are by now, and as far as she knows, as far as she can remember, she has nothing to hide. She wabts to see, even if all she sees is nothing.
[ Come Tuesday, Hua Cheng's feet are sure in the manor - he feels rather at home, even if it's far more rundown than he's used to - so he moves easily, especially when he notices Hikaru is there as well. Something... is off. There's still an obvious sign of life in her, but there's no, true spark.
It's concerning.
Especially as he watches the memory play out, expression a little furrowed while he does. He even moves to get a better vantage, throughout it, to understand what it is that Hikaru had to face - one of the many hardships, undoubtedly, that was used to test her strength, and bolster it further. To see some of the people she spoke of, to see important fragments to make up a whole, certainly gives greater context to what she had faced in Cefiro. But there is - nothing, really, in Hikaru's face that he can see. As if there is no comprehension.
Even if it is a memory she no longer holds, why would that be the reaction? ]
[There's a slight jolt of surprise, but it melts away rather quickly, her smile gentle but genuine as she gives a little bow of her head before walking to meet him.]
Hua-chan, hi -- I didn't see you. [There's no dullness to her eyes, at least, just as vibrant as ever. Really, she looks more relaxed than anything else.] Chijin said you'd really like this sort of place. Have you been in here all morning?
[Hikaru has been surprisingly absent for most of the morning? But she can be found along the village river as the sun starts to dip lower, idly picking at the ribbon tied around her wrist. She'll catch sight of Hua Cheng, eyes softening with recognition...
But as she opens her mouth to greet him... she halts. Her eyes unfocus, brow furrowing, glancing off to the side. She continues to pick at the ribbon.
Tuesday left him unsettled. Wednesday, troubled. Hua Cheng has a bad feeling about what Thursday will bring, when he doesn't see much of Hikaru throughout the day. He keeps his eye out for her, but it's - no dice, unfortunately, at least until dusk starts to ease into the Realm.
... he rarely hates when he's right.
He hates it now.
His steps remain sure, though, as he makes his way over towards her. A pause - not so much hesitation, but almost - before he reaches, brushing his fingers over her head. ]
[She's quiet when she finds him in the Queen room, standing in the doorway as though she is hesitant to step in. Her eyes brim with apologetic fondness.]
[ Snow, looking away from the tags he has to do still and dealing with dnd
Hearing the voice, Hua Cheng's attention practically snaps to the doorway. With the dead returning, he's been - not necessarily hiding, but preparing himself for the reunions to come.
... this one in particular. ]
I promised to carry it all with me. [ softly ] Did you find your path back, Hikaru?
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WEEK ZERO, SATURDAY, POST-TRIAL
This is making the kitchen a little cold and probably running the electric bill. It's fine.]
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But he does, eventually, say something from the counters. ]
Hikaru.
WHY DID I NEVER REPLY TO THIS OH NO
A-ah, Hua-chan...!
Sorry, I got kinda distracted... Am I in the way?
LMAO IT'S OK I WOULD WAIT FOREVER!!
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WEEK ONE - WEDNESDAY, POST MINIEVENT
Once inside, it's a blurry depiction of a traditional Japanese dojo, tatami mats lining the floor as sunlight peeks through the screened walls. Whoever is currently in here seems to be heavily into practice, going through a steady and aggressive set of motions with loud exclamations between each one, before resetting themselves and backing up, barefooted against the bamboo.
This person is also shorter than 5 feet so it literally can only be like one of three people so take your pick.
Even from a distance, though, it's very, very obvious that she's panting for breath between her practices. Weird.]
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But this is a new execution of it that he's more interested in.
The type of room is unfamiliar, but its use is not, and he crosses his arms to watch for a few minutes before he does anything. There's only a handful of people this small in the Realm, so he can take a few guesses based off of that. With the voice attached to the exclamations...
Well.
He acquires himself one of the shinai, walking along the bamboo floor in her peripheral as he tests the weight of it. ]
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Huh?? [Yeah it's Hikaru, the mystery is solved. All sense of form is lost as she lets her shindai tap the floor.]
Hua-chan?? When did you get in here?
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WEEK ONE - SATURDAY - POST-TRIAL
That's all I got for you, fam, she is FURIOUS and she ain't leaving that room anytime soon, so! Knocking on room 18???]
FUCKIN RUNS IN HERE
He does wait a little while, but regardless... because if anyone's learned he's actually got a soft heart...
It's Hikaru.
There is a knock, and then a voice. ]
You don't have to come out, if you don't want to, Hikaru. [ low, and calm ] Regardless, I'll stay here with you for a little while.
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She looks up at him, all Very Many Centimeters, before opening the door a little further and rubbing at her eyes.]
...Mn ...It's okay, Hua-chan. Raven-san isn't here right now.
I'm okay.
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this thread is gonna hurt in hindsight but c'est la vie
yk it's fine
WEEK TWO - TUESDAY
[She can feel the shift in the intensity of anger, enough to distract her from her prayers and to the small list of names (???? is it? he'd probably have to look a little closer to make sure) settled at the base of the kamidana. There's genuine surprise and a slight bit of shamed awe as Hua Cheng kneels next to her... but she keeps her mouth shut, quietly watching him work.
Was... was he making a talisman?]
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Well. He could make a talisman. He could make a plaque, although his handwriting is atrocious and no one would be able to read it, even Xie Lian. But there's one field that he particularly excels in, to the point that he makes quick work, even with the pen rather than ink or paint.
Regret, concern, anger - all three are still there, but they settle into something focused as he draws, and as he starts to make is way down from the top of the makeshift scroll to the bottom, Hikaru will get to see Hajime's face. Pikachu, for as unaffected by his death as Hua Cheng was. Virid. And it might be black and white, it might be pen ink on the back of a ridiculous roll of wrapping paper.
But Hua Cheng is definitely an artist. ]
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It hurts, almost, to see their faces again... and to feel there's something not quite right. That she has to stare at them a little too long for the names to stick, that she can't quite convince herself the color of Hajime's hair, or Virid's eyes.
But it's recognition that's strong enough, something that settles her confusion slowly back down into a silent, patient respect.]
...Hua-chan... [Her voice cracks a little, and embarrassment flashes, silencing her. But she'll continue watching him, genuinely touched.]
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"Thanks Obama" meme but it's just XL
YOU'RE NOT WRONG BUT ALSO
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WEEK THREE, TUESDAY MORNING
Her eyes ache as she pulls the book along with her deeper into the store... and crashing right into Hua Cheng in the process.]
Ah-- Hua-chan! I wasn't paying attention, I'm so sorry...
What are you looking at?
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There's a lot to look at here, it's fine, Hikaru. [ Considering the chunky book he has in his hands, and the fact he. Also was not paying attention. It really is fine. ]
I was looking for books about more modern technology. It would be interesting to implement some of the things here, back in Ghost City. [ MODERN INDOOR PLUMBING... ] What's that you have there?
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You mean stuff like faucets or the PHS? I know I had to teach Chijin how to use the sink the first day... but there's a lot of places that don't have things like that. If you could bring it back to help your people, I hope it's something you can enjoy.
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WEEK THREE - WEDNESDAY NIGHT
...
She quietly backs away... and bolts out the inn, nearly losing her footing. She checks the riverbed near the bridge, then shoves her way into the jungle area, down to the village, down to where she'd placed rocks in a specific formation. The formation is there, but... did someone move it? Why is it just shapes?
She's vanishing off to the waterfall, her PHS dropped with the note function in full display. She doesn't notice the gashes she has received from falling, nor the pain she feels when she presses her hands into her face. It's a bad dream, isn't it? It couldn't be falling apart so fast...
She tries, and tries, and tries to remember... but it's all static, all an encompassing black hole. Her fist hits the rock underneath her as she drops to her knees, deaf to the crash of the water as she wails at the top of her lungs.]
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But as blind as he might be, right now, he isn't deaf. As he's making his way through, checking over things - to "see" the state of them, so to speak, before they're forced to go running through underbrush and traps to find bodies and clues - he freezes.
The absolute anguish practically echoes within him, resonating with something in his core.
But for as much as he recognizes the outcry, he recognizes the voice, and it's... strange, to feel a sense of dread, for someone that isn't Dianxia. ]
Hikaru? [ His own voice raising, he moves, quickfooted and certain despite the impairment, until his boot connects with something that skitters a bit. A step, two, three, he leans down - the second try, his fingers brush the PHS, and he picks it up.
It doesn't answer anything, but Hua Cheng takes it with him, as he comes to the waterfall. Damn this place that he can't see her, even if he knows she's there. ] Hikaru!
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Her sobbing grips her, forces her breath out far too fast. She doesn't know what he's doing out here... but it's something concrete in a blur of panic, and she raises her voice despite how broken it echoes on the rock.]
H-hua-chan--
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WEEK FOUR - TUESDAY
She isn't hesitating around the distortions that she sees. She knows exactly what they are by now, and as far as she knows, as far as she can remember, she has nothing to hide. She wabts to see, even if all she sees is nothing.
A memory blossoms (the first image should be last im so sorry imgur fucked me up today), of a time where she was a little younger and unaware, of waking up frightened and confused. The pain against her neck is fresh and vibrant. But she watches with very little reaction, her brow furrowing as though she doesn't quite understand.]
What... did I forget about this?
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It's concerning.
Especially as he watches the memory play out, expression a little furrowed while he does. He even moves to get a better vantage, throughout it, to understand what it is that Hikaru had to face - one of the many hardships, undoubtedly, that was used to test her strength, and bolster it further. To see some of the people she spoke of, to see important fragments to make up a whole, certainly gives greater context to what she had faced in Cefiro. But there is - nothing, really, in Hikaru's face that he can see. As if there is no comprehension.
Even if it is a memory she no longer holds, why would that be the reaction? ]
Shizi-er.
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Hua-chan, hi -- I didn't see you. [There's no dullness to her eyes, at least, just as vibrant as ever. Really, she looks more relaxed than anything else.] Chijin said you'd really like this sort of place. Have you been in here all morning?
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WEEK FOUR - THURSDAY AFTERNOON
But as she opens her mouth to greet him... she halts. Her eyes unfocus, brow furrowing, glancing off to the side. She continues to pick at the ribbon.
Guess you don't get a hello, Hua-chan.]
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Tuesday left him unsettled. Wednesday, troubled. Hua Cheng has a bad feeling about what Thursday will bring, when he doesn't see much of Hikaru throughout the day. He keeps his eye out for her, but it's - no dice, unfortunately, at least until dusk starts to ease into the Realm.
... he rarely hates when he's right.
He hates it now.
His steps remain sure, though, as he makes his way over towards her. A pause - not so much hesitation, but almost - before he reaches, brushing his fingers over her head. ]
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WEEK SEVEN - FRIDAY
Do you still remember, Hua-chan?
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Snow, looking away from the tags he has to do still and dealing with dndHearing the voice, Hua Cheng's attention practically snaps to the doorway. With the dead returning, he's been - not necessarily hiding, but preparing himself for the reunions to come.
... this one in particular. ]
I promised to carry it all with me. [ softly ] Did you find your path back, Hikaru?
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