[even while they're talking, it seems like he's going to stay in constant motion, given he's fishing the ball out of the net and kicking it slowly toward claude.]
Yup. There's no way I would've left it behind, and I woke up in the same clothes I was wearing before I left. It was attached to me, so it seems hard to believe it'd just disappear. And a friend of mine is missing his, too, so that's even weirder.
[claude is right to doubt, just don't tell taichi.]
Yeah, I guess. [to which part? yeah.] That was kinda why I ran out of the dorm the first day. I had to see if any of my friends were here. Usually we travel together.
[ He just watches Taichi kick his ball around, interested in the ease with which he moves. ]
One's a little more trouble than he's worth, but at least it's one less unknown. [ grimacing emoji ] But that explains a little. I thought you'd run out because you were afraid.
Anybody I might know? Three seems to be the max number of people from the same world. Mollymauk's got two friends here, too.
[he truly appreciates claude letting him play by himself because sometimes you are actually a little [muffled noises] and want to keep moving to burn energy. it doesn't stop him from talking though since he nods.]
Waking up in a dorm was a little nicer than waking up in the forest on the ground, so it wasn't that. But the last thing I remember was being with sixteen other people. It's happened before, but it still would've been weirder if I went to another world by myself.
[stop it's worse leave him alone. but oh. he pauses what he's doing with the ball.]
I met Byleth over the weekend and showed her how to use her phone. Which...feels kind of stupid now that I know she's a teacher. [god.] And Dimitri's...I've talked to him, too, I think.
[the profiles are nice so taichi can know the name of the assailant of his ice cream. nevertheless, he nods again.]
I guess you could say that. We've been doing this for a while now, it kind of feels like it's always been this way.
[there's a pause like he's thinking of how to explain.]
The first time I managed to get back was an accident. A portal opened up after we fought Etemon, and I was the only one who got back. Things were starting to get pretty bad and the two worlds were starting to bleed together, so another portal in the real world opened a few hours later. I couldn't leave my friends behind and I couldn't let my partner go back without me, so I went back to that other world.
It was another couple of weeks before all of us got back after that. We were home for a couple of days to save Earth before we had to go back. Usually we go through gates that we find or gates that we open ourselves. [gates and portals are interchangeable in this case.] After we beat Apoclymon and our world and that world started to sync up, another gate opened to send us home. We didn't get to go back for years. Even now we don't always get to go. The timing has to be right or you risk not getting out again for a while.
...the last time I got back a different way, but the others got through another gate, I think. They were already back when I got home.
[like. very recently. this is also a somewhat vague explanation but an attempt was made.]
[ As someone who has never considered alternate or parallel worlds, Claude is doing his best to follow along. It's obvious enough to him that Taichi has experienced some extraordinary things, with his talk of battles.
Maybe he uses magic? ]
So, there are portals and gates between worlds? I suppose that makes sense. [ Does it? ] And we might need to find something like that in order to leave here.
Right, exactly. [claude got the point well enough and taichi is glad he doesn't have to explain more than that.]
The problem is I don't even know where to start looking for a gate out of here or what we're supposed to do to find it. Is it really just about going to school? That doesn't make sense to me.
To be honest, I don't trust it at all. Even if we were brought here without some malicious intent, you'd think the thing behind it all would've explained that to us.
[ He glances back toward the school building. ]
But even if this is just some strange simulation of putting us through school, I don't think it's excusable.
I dunno. We went for weeks on our own until someone found us and explained what was going on and why we were there. What bugs me is that we have the dorm heads but even they don't seem to have all of the answers. And why can't we just talk to the principal if there was nothing to hide?
Not to mention how they're real casual about the winning prize being a chance to make a whole other pocket of the universe.
None of it sounds particularly reassuring. It's hard to tell of the dorm heads not knowing everything is an act or a ploy.
I really thought by now we would have some inclination as to what's going on, but it looks like it'll take longer yet. We might need to keep chipping away at them while we wait.
Yeah, I talked to him this morning. He's...difficult to get any personal answers out of, but it's interesting to hear what he has to say anyway. I can't tell if he doesn't want to be invested or he doesn't have a clue how to be.
You mean he just might not be good with people? [ cute ] I did plan on speaking with him. Let's see if we're able to draw him out of his shell.
[ hm ]
By the way, I couldn't help but notice the game you're playing. We have something similar where I come from. [ Be smiles. ] Some things stay the same, even across worlds it seems.
Yeah, that. He told me some stuff and I think I understand a little better. [...] Plus he told me that we earn vouchers by talking to him anyway, if anybody needs incentive.
[but he looks at his soccer ball again.] Yeah? Ever play yourself? It's called soccer where I'm from.
[ why does that make him want to laugh... it's like the dorm heads need to pay people to make friends with them ]
Soccer, hm? I think we just called it "ball" in my town. I never really had an aptitude for athleticism, so I never played. But I did enjoy eating on the sidelines and cheering for teams.
[stop some people are rude and won't go be nice to the dorm heads on their own. those people are probably wrong maybe kind of.]
Yeah, well...that's important, too. [he kind of looks conflicted about that because sometimes your friends are too busy to come to your soccer games and you're still a little :T about it, but it's fine!!] If you're not athletic then what are you?
[he's half-tempted to kick the ball to him, but he refrains. for now.]
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Are you sure that it was brought here with you?
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Yup. There's no way I would've left it behind, and I woke up in the same clothes I was wearing before I left. It was attached to me, so it seems hard to believe it'd just disappear. And a friend of mine is missing his, too, so that's even weirder.
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You've got a friend here as well? That's fortunate. You two must be glad to have each other.
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Yeah, I guess. [to which part? yeah.] That was kinda why I ran out of the dorm the first day. I had to see if any of my friends were here. Usually we travel together.
[wait.]
"As well"? You know other people from home?
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[ He just watches Taichi kick his ball around, interested in the ease with which he moves. ]
One's a little more trouble than he's worth, but at least it's one less unknown. [ grimacing emoji ] But that explains a little. I thought you'd run out because you were afraid.
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[he truly appreciates claude letting him play by himself because sometimes you are actually a little [muffled noises] and want to keep moving to burn energy. it doesn't stop him from talking though since he nods.]
Waking up in a dorm was a little nicer than waking up in the forest on the ground, so it wasn't that. But the last thing I remember was being with sixteen other people. It's happened before, but it still would've been weirder if I went to another world by myself.
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My teacher's name is Byleth, and the other one is Dimitri. I can vouch for their characters if you're looking for new friends. [ lol ]
Though I have to say... I thought you were an average student when we met, but it seems like you've been on a couple interesting journeys of your own.
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I met Byleth over the weekend and showed her how to use her phone. Which...feels kind of stupid now that I know she's a teacher. [god.] And Dimitri's...I've talked to him, too, I think.
[the profiles are nice so taichi can know the name of the assailant of his ice cream. nevertheless, he nods again.]
I guess you could say that. We've been doing this for a while now, it kind of feels like it's always been this way.
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[ taichi what ]
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[so yeah. sometimes these things happen when you're literally just a fifth grader at summer camp.]
It took us a while to get home the first time.
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[ he's doing the math in his end to figure out how old taichi was back then... ]
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The first time I managed to get back was an accident. A portal opened up after we fought Etemon, and I was the only one who got back. Things were starting to get pretty bad and the two worlds were starting to bleed together, so another portal in the real world opened a few hours later. I couldn't leave my friends behind and I couldn't let my partner go back without me, so I went back to that other world.
It was another couple of weeks before all of us got back after that. We were home for a couple of days to save Earth before we had to go back. Usually we go through gates that we find or gates that we open ourselves. [gates and portals are interchangeable in this case.] After we beat Apoclymon and our world and that world started to sync up, another gate opened to send us home. We didn't get to go back for years. Even now we don't always get to go. The timing has to be right or you risk not getting out again for a while.
...the last time I got back a different way, but the others got through another gate, I think. They were already back when I got home.
[like. very recently. this is also a somewhat vague explanation but an attempt was made.]
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Maybe he uses magic? ]
So, there are portals and gates between worlds? I suppose that makes sense. [ Does it? ] And we might need to find something like that in order to leave here.
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The problem is I don't even know where to start looking for a gate out of here or what we're supposed to do to find it. Is it really just about going to school? That doesn't make sense to me.
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[ He glances back toward the school building. ]
But even if this is just some strange simulation of putting us through school, I don't think it's excusable.
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Not to mention how they're real casual about the winning prize being a chance to make a whole other pocket of the universe.
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I really thought by now we would have some inclination as to what's going on, but it looks like it'll take longer yet. We might need to keep chipping away at them while we wait.
[ pocket dimension what ]
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[the ball bounces from knee to knee slowly.]
Have you talked to Chad again since the welcome forum? Or any of the others?
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Not yet. It's on my to-do list. Have you? Chad doesn't seem particularly invested in us at first glance.
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But definitely talk to him this week.
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[ hm ]
By the way, I couldn't help but notice the game you're playing. We have something similar where I come from. [ Be smiles. ] Some things stay the same, even across worlds it seems.
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[but he looks at his soccer ball again.] Yeah? Ever play yourself? It's called soccer where I'm from.
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Soccer, hm? I think we just called it "ball" in my town. I never really had an aptitude for athleticism, so I never played. But I did enjoy eating on the sidelines and cheering for teams.
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Yeah, well...that's important, too. [he kind of looks conflicted about that because sometimes your friends are too busy to come to your soccer games and you're still a little :T about it, but it's fine!!] If you're not athletic then what are you?
[he's half-tempted to kick the ball to him, but he refrains. for now.]
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