rakuen | On the platform: New characters and old ones that want to come and meet them!

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On the platform: New characters and old ones that want to come and meet them!

As you all crowd onto the platform with your new and still bizarre mix of faces, expressions, clothing and wild theories, you are met by two girls. Both are in uniforms that would match if not for the colour differences - skirts, waistcoats, and light summer shirts that seem totally inappropriate for the thin layer of snow and ice coating the station platform. Both have a beret with a crest - one shows a sword, the other a shield.

At the first lull in the chatter, the shorter girl speaks up, her soft voice somehow cutting over you.

"Excuse me,"

She explains, in precise, quiet sentences, that they're prefects, representing the two schools in Rakuen. Nanami of Fortitude, she says, placing a hand on her own collarbone, and Santana of Conquest, here pointing to the taller girl she's leaning against. The girl nods, looking fairly bored.

"We will be sorting you now. When we say your name, please move quickly and quietly to whoever called you."

"Yeah," Santana interrupts, "Then we can go back to the dorms. It's not getting any warmer however many times they make us do this."

They separate, moving to stand several metres apart, and both pull a list from their waistcoat pocket. Alternating, they start to read out your names.

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[He hesitates for a moment before holding up his PDA to her.]

name???

[What was it? Why couldn't he remember what her name was? It was so dumb. Seeing her face but not even knowing a name to put it to.

But she said her best friend...huh. When was his birthday anyways? Not important.]

[ She's a little lost in thought right now, forgive her. Her bloody fingers reach out to touch the screen of the PDA, because she knows that red. That's Dave's red -- with the courier font and the sassy, condescending question marks. This had to be Dave in person, or an impostor. But she knew that she had seen pictures of him before; why couldn't she remember what he looked like? ]

His name's Dave. And he types in the same red that you do. [ Those fingers reach up to smudge his sunglasses. ] But my name is Jade Harley.

Are you my best friend?

[He lets the PDA drop, not even caring if it gets damaged by the snow or something. Dave had grabbed Jade's hands, looking over them. There's a grimace on his face and he almost forgets she even asked him a question. He nods a little before moving to pick up his PDA again. He put her name in the same note as he put John's name.

...But he didn't know how to go from here. Think, damn it. Well, she definitely needed to get out of the snow more then he did. That's a given. And she needed food. He might take her to the shop after they went to the dorms perhaps...

Dave gave her a glance over to see the state she was in more clearly. Her clothes, her physicality...her lack of certain accessories.]

[ She doesn't even think twice -- this is the boy she spent so long looking after, the boy who forget she was alive. Jade knows that she should be angry, because Rose and Dave didn't save her (couldn't save her, more like). But instead, as he examines her hands (which hurts, she winces), tears well up in her eyes.

As soon as he let her go, she wrapped her arms around him. ]

I'm sorry.

[He's not used to it. The only person who's really ever gave him hugs was his Sis, but she wasn't here. It takes him a moment to awkwardly hug back. This was Jade though. One of his closest friends. The one who thought he was so cool despite him being not as cool as he acted.

And she was here. And she looked like shit. And, he was going to fix that.

He let go and...wow okay, maybe he should have paid attention to what school she was in. Dave pointed to the crest on his school uniform in a questioning manner. He then pointed in the direction of the school and held out his hand in a friendly gesture. And now he was scared again. Would Jade get sick of him? He couldn't talk. Asking questions was harder. Sure he had his PDA, but he didn't want to keep staring at a screen when he could stare at her face to face.]

[ She still thinks he's the coolest -- but he's the one she killed with her secrecy, the one she saw crying in the clouds. Maybe he hates her. Maybe he doesn't want to be friends with her-- but then he hugs her back and even though it's awkward, Jade takes it as a sign that things will be okay. The guilt still picks at the back of her mind, but she tries to ignore it.

When Dave points to the crest, she assumes he means what she got placed in. Good thing she was right! ] Oh, uh... [ What was it? She falters. ] Fortitude.

[ Another small hesitation, and she took his hand. ]

I think...I died. Before I came here. [ Her voice is soft, raspy from disuse. ]

[Fortitude. She was with him. That means he could see her whenever and he wouldn't have to jump through hoops to do it (he would though). He felt a little more relieved that she was in the same school as he was...

Until she said she died. And, oh god. Which Jade was this? Some doomed Jade he probably couldn't save because he fucked up the timeline most likely. She was Doomed because he couldn't stop it and it didn't sit well with him. He'd have to make it up somehow. Make up his mistakes for not being a proper Knight of Time.

For now though...

Dave shrugged his shoes off and nudged them towards her, glancing at her briefly before looking down at his feet. He can already feel his socks getting soaked from the snow and his feet were already protesting. He refused to let her refuse his shoes though. She could give them back when they got to the dorms.]

[ She followed his gaze downward; the calluses on her feet were cracking, blood beginning to stain the ice. Still, she didn't seem to complain any. Instead, she carefully ripped a piece off of her ragged skirt and wrapped her feet up. ]

I don't want to bleed on your shoes....sorry.

[ That done, Jade slips her feet into the shoes. A small, shy smile crosses across her face. ]

Your feet are big.

[He huffed a bit and made a bit of a face at the mention of his feet being big. It was obvious that he didn't actually mind though. Instead, he gently tugged her along so they can start heading to the dormitories so she could get some proper clothes and her own shoes. Maybe he'd run to the infirmary while he was at it to get her injuries properly dealt with.

Dave idly wondered if Jade was annoyed with him. All he's done is kind of mother hen as soon as she arrived. But, damn it. That small smile makes him so relieved. She looked better when she was happy.]

[ She giggles but it quickly turns into a cough. ]

Sorry. I haven't talked in a long time.

[He's using his free hand to type back into the PDA. He refuses to let go of her hand, so it takes him a little longer then usual before he holds the PDA out to her.]

yap away
talking here is free im pretty sure
you can do all the extra talking now
itll probably make up the fact i cant talk or something
everyone wins
kinda

[ The grip on his hand tightens. So he hasn't been silent because he's judging her; he's been quiet because he really can't speak?

Wow, now she feels like an idiot, and perhaps a little insensitive as well. ]

I didn't know.

[He glances at her. He didn't mean to make her feel bad. He thought it was obvious, but...

He quickly (or tries) types something into the PDA. Spelling mistakes be damned.]

skay
msot of everyone here wsnt expectng it either
apprntly
i guess mst vrsions of me cn speek????????????///
also were pretndig tht this is al spelld correcly
fr the sake of my coolkid rep

[ She nods, looking at the PDA and then quickly back to her borrowed shoes. Jade still feels pretty shitty about not realizing. Slipping out of the shoes, she stands barefoot on the pavement. ]

I won't tell. You can have your shoes back, though.

[ She drops his hand, stepping away. Obviously, he hates her. She left him to die. ]

[He's going through a series of nervous ticks. A hand goes through his hair; he tugs at one of his sleeves a bit; he shoves his hands in his pockets and stares down at the shoes before typing into the PDA. His typing is a little frantic though. He doesn't know what he's done wrong this time. He was trying to keep conversation light, but apparently it didn't work.]

did
...
did i fuck up somewhere???
i mean
ive done a shitton of shitty things
yeah
would reintroducing myself fix it???
we can pretend i can talk
if thats the problem
uhm
...
are you mad???
because i couldnt save you??????

[ Tears drip down her cheeks, and she shakes her head. No, no, she couldn't ever be mad at Dave. He tried so hard to save her -- and the last conversation they had still rings in her ears, and she still has nightmares about it. About his promise, I'll save you Jade, and then the meteor and then nothing. No people, no land, nothing but sand and desert and loneliness.

For a minute she's trapped back in the wasteland, staring at the names she dug into the rock. Dave Rose John Dave Rose John Dave dave daveevdave dave dave dave dave and the tears fall faster. ]

I-- I killed you, you asked for help and I wouldn't tell you anything. But then John never got me into the game, and the meteor hit and I couldn't talk to you...but you cried, I saw it in the clouds. And I'm so sorry. I'm really, really sorry.

[Oh god. Oh god he made her cry. Fuck his coolkid rep (not that he had one here) and people being around. He is losing his shit and it will be lost for quite awhile. Because Jade is crying and she's apologizing about killing him except she didn't kill him (for some reason that gives him a bit of a headache, but he doesn't care at the moment).

And, oh god. How does he make her stop crying. He doesn't even know why she's apologizing since he's alive and he never died or anything. Maybe...hopefully Jade doesn't mind a very awkward hug from him. Because that's what he's doing. And maybe he's shaking a bit, although whether that's from pent up feelings or being cold is questionable. He just wanted her to stop crying.

God he'd say sorry, but he can't say sorry and fuck if anyone actually knows how to sign at this place.]

[ She doesn't stop crying for him; Jade hasn't had enough moisture in her body for months to accurately cry. The tears dry fast and her eyes sting as they attempt to use water that isn't actually there, but that doesn't stop her from hugging him tight again as soon as he wraps his arms around him. Who cares, if he's awkward? She's awkward too, all angles and malnourishment and slender, fragile body.

Jade's outburst has lead to a coughing fit, and she holds onto him as she hacks, body shivering with the effort. ]

[Fuck. Right. He totally forgot he actually had some majorly thoughtful plan that included bandaging those injuries, getting her into warmer clothes, and getting her food.

He lets go and slips his shoes on, but he kneels down in front of her and gestures that she should get on his back. It would be quicker and she wouldn't have to keep walking in this shitty weather.

This is really shitty weather and no one will convince him otherwise. Any weather that isn't warm and comfortable is shitty weather.]

[ She's a little confused for a moment -- why is he kneeling? And then she realizes what he wants and hesitates. What if she's too big for him to carry? What did she do to deserve this?

And then she decides that Dave Strider would only offer this to his very best friend, and carefully climbs on his back. Jade leans her head into his shoulder, closing her eyes. ]

You don't need to carry me... [ But her voice is drifting, and it's obvious that she enjoys it, even if she was hesitant at first. ]

[Holy shit she's light. Okay. New plan. Stuff Jade with food. If she pops, well, that's something they're going to risk for the sake of making sure that she is not a skinny mess forever.

He stands upright and starts heading to Fortitude. He'd go by the infirmary first and probably weasel out a first aid kit. Then the dorms.

There's a bounce in his step. Maybe he's got a tune in his head or maybe he's trying to make this kind of fun for her somehow. Unfortunately, he couldn't talk back now, but that was okay right? She didn't mind the silence. Maybe she can talk. He liked hearing her talk.]

[ She smiles slightly as they walk, enjoying the ride. ]

When I was stuck on Earth, I used to imagine that you would come and save me. [ Her voice is faint, but it's obvious that she's rambling a little bit, trying to simultaneously explain and keep the mood light. ] You would pick me up like this, and Rose would hug me....

I don't know where John was, but that's okay. I bet you saved him, too.

[He just listens to her talk since he can't talk. He nods his head as he listens.

And maybe his chest tightens a bit. It isn't a good feeling and it hurts a little. Because maybe John isn't there because he's dead. Maybe Dave didn't save him. And he won't tell her that, because it sounds like she so believes that he did save them all.

But he knows better. The only way to save them was keeping their Alpha versions alive. But that would mean that any Doomed version ceased to exist and all the Doomed versions of himself were doomed to die.

But if she believed that he saved her and John. He'd want her to believe it. Because maybe, some universe, he did. Just not this one.

Dave gently puts her down once they reach the infirmary and steps inside for a little bit before coming back out with the first aid kit. Yeah...that's not getting returned. He's keeping this in his dorm room in case.]

[ If she notices that she's been sat down, she doesn't say. She just continues with her story. ]

But then you didn't come. And John was never in my clouds, but you and Rose were...and you thought I was dead. I tried to call out for you, but... [ Her voice fades for a moment, and she continues. ] I stopped believing in my dreams. And I knew you wouldn't come.

And then I got on a train, and I dreamed real dreams without Prospit. But first...there was black. Just lots of black. And no one was there to talk to, either.

[Dave is quiet for a bit. Finally, he reaches out to grab her wrist gently. He presses his forefinger to her arm and writes out sorry. He doesn't know if she can actually tell that he wrote that out, but he hopes she gets it.

If he could have saved her, he would have. He knew he would have. He wouldn't have wanted to leave her there unless it meant he couldn't get to her.]

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