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[On the afternoon of the 1st, a disgruntled post goes up on the network.]

Did you know some moths produce silk from their salivary glands? Because I didn't until after I spat out a bunch of string this morning.

[He didn't make that connection immediately, mind you; after the initial utter bafflement, he took the time to go do more research on Fae and the insects they resemble. Nerd.]

Someone let me know if there's a market for organic fae silk. And if you could invent some kind of google or wikipedia while you're at it, that would be appreciated.

[Do you know how LONG it takes to look through PHYSICAL BOOKS]

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I don't know that I have a lot of useful skills right now.

[He absolutely does, but it's hard to make that realization when he hasn't spent much time thinking of what he can do as marketable. He's only had one career in mind for so long... and not to mention he's just come from losing magic that would help him get by pretty much anywhere.

He lets out a sigh. He's not optimistic by any stretch of the imagination, but he won't give up quite that easily.]

But... yeah. Something will work out. I'm just glad there was something simple to do last month.

[It's hard to mess up raking leaves.]

Rikku might be able to give you a few ideas.

[Rikku is even more persistent on the optimism front than Karin is, and has given her a whole lot of helpful nudges over the months they've known one another.]

She's pretty inventive in general. She might think of something that wouldn't seem obvious to you or me.

Well, it wouldn't hurt to ask...

[She seems younger than him, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't be helpful in that department. From what they've discussed, her world is very different from his... and it's not like everyone older than him would have the magical boy experience he does, either.]

I guess you have to be pretty good at ideas when your society bans machines.

That's my assumption, too. Of course, if I think of anything myself, I'll pass that along your way, as well.

[She folds her hands together as she adjusts her position in her seat, leaning in over her cup of tea as though she's about to cut him in on some big conspiracy.]

I think it goes without saying that as Rikku's sister-figure here, I only want what's best for her. Naturally, I'm going to be protective, but I also know she's a smart girl who can take care of herself. The truth is, I'm not really the one you have to worry about.

Thanks.

[He has to wonder what brought them to be so close, that Karin would consider Rikku in that way. Will he end up with that kind of relationship with anyone? It's hard to imagine.

Just when he was sure the uncomfortable topic was over, though—he raises his eyebrows faintly at her emphasis. What... does that mean.]

Uh... I'm almost afraid to ask.

[Oh, it's far from over.]

We have another housemate— my bondmate, Lightning.

[The two of them have a lot in common, including similar life experience, but it only takes a few minutes of speaking to either of them to realize that Karin is definitely the more open of the two.]

She can be a little intimidating, if you don't know any better, and she's going to be a much harder sell. She's actually really sweet, but don't tell her I said so.

[Ferran sighs, resting his forehead against a hand.]

You make it sound like I'm trying to swindle you all out of something...

[He's not looking forward to this!!]

Any suggestions?

Well, maybe not swindle, but you're in a position to look after something valuable to the both of us.

[She grins— she's enjoying this just a little too much, probably.]

Mm, be respectful above all things. Did I mention we're both ex-military?

[If she can get him to salute Lightning, it will make her whole month.]

You didn't. Thank you.

[How much flat teenage sarcasm can a person shove into a statement of gratitude? Sadly for Karin, Ferran is not nearly patriotic enough to salute... like, anybody. He wouldn't be caught dead in the military.

~~Whether his new Fae nature will allow him to be fully respectful when he meets Lightning is another gamble, so that'll be fun.~~]

Any chance I could ask you to reassure her?

[It's fine, it was the German military in her case. Most people aren't big fans of them, anyway.

That flat sarcasm gives her cause to bite back a laugh, and she shakes her head in response.]

I suppose I could try to lay some groundwork for you, but she likes hard evidence.

[What does hard evidence even mean! Even if he were to be polite to her, everything is a matter of perspective. Being a decent person doesn't produce hard evidence.]

I can't exactly get a certificate of integrity... [SIGH.]

Well—how did you get her to like you? [Hardasses almost always have some kind of soft spot. He just needs an in.]

I'm sure you'll figure out some way to prove yourself.

[There's no way to get a certificate, no, but they'll be watching.]

Me? I had it easy. Once she realized we felt the same way about how seriously the commitment of bonding with someone should be taken, and she saw how I could take care of myself on the field, we realized we had a lot in common. Helps if you don't trust the Coven, too.

[Lightning appreciates those who are sus.]

["How seriously the commitment of bonding should be taken"... why does he feel like he's being judged? More than he already was being. He can't really consider it in the same way, if just because if he applied any standards to it he might have hesitated to get it done. Karin herself said she regretted waiting so long.]

That's an interesting quality to value... [He feels no strong way about them, himself. They have the information he's needed to survive, regardless of how responsible they are for the appearance of the Mirrorbound.] She must be especially unhappy about being here.

[It's so much of a judgment from Karin's perspective, but she can't speak for Lightning in that regard. A great deal of it had to do with her own difficulties with trust— difficulties that had been well-earned, though she has been able to respect that others view the commitment of a bond quite differently. Either way, they are necessary— there's no denying that.]

She is.

[Her face falls, just a bit, though her expression is one of sympathy for another rather than her own unhappiness.]

I think it's been difficult for her to try and make the best of this situation. I was mostly joking, but I suppose the part about the Coven really is true— but I don't think she'll care that others feel differently, so long as they don't try to twist her arm into changing her mind. It's been a hard several months, and... she's been here before. There's some weariness there as a result.

[He's trying to take this seriously, Karin, why...

Ferran frowns faintly at the implication, picking a few sweets to put on his plate. He's been trying to avoid thoughts of going home, himself, but...]

"Before"?

[Sorry, Ferran. She's just like this, sometimes.]

She's been here and then back home before now— twice. The second time is when we met. I went back briefly afterwards, as well, but it didn't last very long.

[She's not sure how long it had been back in her own world. Hours, maybe? Certainly no more than a day, but everything had been so chaotic, it was hard to tell.]

Understandably, she's a little resentful about not being left alone.

[Putting anything about himself aside, he can't imagine how frustrating that must be... especially for those who aren't lucky enough to become witches when they come here.]

Yeah... no kidding. I hadn't heard of that at all.

[It's troubling, to say the least.]

I'm not sure how common it is, honestly, but... it's common enough, and incredibly unfair.

[Not that anything about most people being brought here is fair. Then again, life generally isn't, so that's not a great point to argue, she supposes.]

I know it's happened to others. As far as I've heard, there's no explanation, which is unfortunately a familiar tune in this place.

I guess I'll need to get used to hearing that.

[He'd spent so long searching for answers, only to be given one that spawned a hundred more questions, and then was drawn to a place where not only is he cut off from answering those ones, most of his new questions don't even have an answer. Fate sure has a cruel sense of humor.]

Thanks for the warning, at least. [As if the dread wasn't bad enough already, now he has a new worry to add to his plate. Whether it's better to pile it on now or risk it happening without him knowing... well, who knows.] I'm sorry you had to deal with it, too.

It was a brief experience for me, at least, so I think I still made out alright, all things considered. And, to be honest, I think I've actually dealt with weirder?

[Weird flex, maybe, but her past experiences have helped her to deal with a lot of what's been going on here.]

The monster thing is new to me, but changing like this isn't so different from an ability someone close to me possessed. It's not the same, but I feel like after all I watched him go through, I can handle this a bit better? It's slow, and difficult, and parts of it are painful in more ways than one, but... I try to remind myself of how no matter how many changes he went through, he was still the same person underneath. That helps me.

[Maybe it will help Ferran, too, just a bit.]

[Having weirder experiences is... not out of the realm of possibility, he supposes, so he doesn't seem too surprised when she says as much.

But did he transform willingly? Was he always at risk of hurting people? Was his mind transformed, too? Could he actually go back to what he was before?

Ferran keeps all of his cynical questions to himself, pressing his lips together briefly and keeping his gaze neutral. Unfortunately, for the moment, it doesn't help him.]

I see... I'm glad you have that to relate to.

I'm not sure how much it's worth to anyone else, but... that's what I'm holding onto, and that's the advice I have to offer other new monsters, as well.

[She hopes if nothing else, she can offer a little bit of perspective, and maybe remind herself of it in the process.]

Our life here is hard, but we're still ourselves. Nothing can take that away from us.

[It would be hard for Ferran to drag himself out of his doom and gloom mindset about it even if he were inclined to. Maybe after a while that will change, but it's still far too early.]

Right.

[The carefully neutral expression on his face may or may not hint at his real feelings on the matter, but he's not about to take away Karin's comfort.]

It would be nice to know more about the process, though. [He sips his tea, settling on a relatively less frustrating complaint... or at least less emotionally fraught. Hm.] Do you think they have magic that can tell the future here?

They have so many different kinds, I don't think it would be outside the realm of possibility. It seems like every world has some version of divination, though its accuracy varies.

[She looks thoughtful for a moment as she breaks off a piece of her scone.]

But... I'm not convinced knowing the future is any better. Uncertainty is hard, but knowing what's to come can make you feel... helpless.

[He hums thoughtfully for a moment. If the possibility is there... maybe it's worth pursuing?]

We'll have to agree to disagree, I think.

[Ferran can respect her mindset, but as long as he knows the what, he feels like he can prepare himself at least somewhat, whether it's emotionally or practically. He hasn't stopped searching for answers since his family died, and it seems that urge has continued into this world, for good reason.]

Maybe I'm just tired of not knowing anything... and being surprised.

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sonnestark - 2020-12-03 04:33 (UTC) - Expand

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