[The light is dim around her but bright enough for her round face and rosy cheeks to show up clearly, as well as the pink hair that frames it. Her expression, however, is oddly unreadable for this particular child. Something between worry and irritation perhaps.]
[A start, and then he turns, looking around for the source of the voice, frantically at first. And then his vision focuses on the Forge and he calms, but just slightly. He takes a hesitant step forward, then halts, staring at the image of the child in the fallen box across the room.
The word, clearly, means nothing to him, nor does the girl.]
[It hurts. Even though she understands the reasons, she knows it isn't his fault, it still hurts that he doesn't know her. So she frowns and gets a little bit angry rather than letting herself get upset.]
It's this stupid place, Xerbie. Stupid Anatole. It made you come here and then it made you different. So you don't remember being here. But you were! That's your house! You and me live there together!
[He crouches down a bit, still a safe distance from the Forge, but close enough that he can get a better view of the girl. He just stares for a few seconds, trying to get over the strangeness of the situation before addressing her.]
I'm sorry, but I've never met you before. I think I'd remember if I did.
[He wonders if the child in the box is deranged, but that's not a fair thing to wonder because he's seeing a child in a box. And although he wants to dismiss her words, he did see those drawings on the wall. She looks quite like her representation, but the other guy...]
I'm not Xerbie. Maybe I look a bit like him, but... my name is Kevin, for starters.
[Awkward pause. He's so bad with children. He's suddenly afraid denying her will make her cry. He's had enough of crying little girls lately. He flips the long ponytail of his hair over his shoulder and leans just a bit closer.]
[Not quite as glamorous as Xerxes Break, is it? He thinks it's pretty run-of-the-mill, too. But Regnard is a fairly honorable name to carry, so he can't really complain.
And what the hell is she talking about.]
Well. All right. If you say so.
[Better to agree with them, usually.]
-No, but I know a little kid. Like you. I think she might be about your age. I-it's too bad you can't meet her, you know?
[...Why did he say that. Suddenly there's nothing he'd like to talk about less than the tiny grieving remains of the family he was supposed to protect. God, he's terrible with children.]
[Huff puff, her cheeks are inflated like an angry little chipmunk.]
Lots of things are too bad. This place is so stupid! What's the point of making you not remember me! And Grumpybum and Isie, too. And Au-rin's a stupid jerkface who can't fight at all and you're supposed to be Xerbie, not Kevin something!
[Grump!]
Your friend wouldn't like it here anyway. Everything's stupid and there are too many kids anyway. I have to make sure they don't get into my tunnels. They're supposed to be a secret!
[Good Lord she's angry. Tiny, pink, and angry. Kevin's starting to wonder if he'd prefer tears to this. ... No, probably not. He looks a bit helpless, comprehending only about half of what she's spouting.]
I-I'm sorry. Whoever this Xerbie guy is, he's probably better at this than I am.
[He sighs, shaking his head. That probably goes for a lot of things.]
[Noisily pulls her wagon. It makes a little crashing sound as all the stuff in it rattles against one another. The cat on top of the stuff, however, only looks up for a moment and then goes back to sleep. He's used to her tantrums by now. Especially over the last few days.]
I want to go fight someone until this stupid thing is over.
Xerbie?
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The word, clearly, means nothing to him, nor does the girl.]
How is this possible?
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[It hurts. Even though she understands the reasons, she knows it isn't his fault, it still hurts that he doesn't know her. So she frowns and gets a little bit angry rather than letting herself get upset.]
It's this stupid place, Xerbie. Stupid Anatole. It made you come here and then it made you different. So you don't remember being here. But you were! That's your house! You and me live there together!
Reply
I'm sorry, but I've never met you before. I think I'd remember if I did.
[He wonders if the child in the box is deranged, but that's not a fair thing to wonder because he's seeing a child in a box. And although he wants to dismiss her words, he did see those drawings on the wall. She looks quite like her representation, but the other guy...]
I'm not Xerbie. Maybe I look a bit like him, but... my name is Kevin, for starters.
[Awkward pause. He's so bad with children. He's suddenly afraid denying her will make her cry. He's had enough of crying little girls lately. He flips the long ponytail of his hair over his shoulder and leans just a bit closer.]
...What's your name?
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[This is Xerbie, she knows enough about this place to know that. He's just younger or something. And he can still see. But why would his name change?]
My name is Yachiru Kusajishi. You'll know that when you're Xerbie. We take care of each other when you can't see anymore. The mist made you different.
[Grumble grumble]
At least you're not a little kid.
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[Not quite as glamorous as Xerxes Break, is it? He thinks it's pretty run-of-the-mill, too. But Regnard is a fairly honorable name to carry, so he can't really complain.
And what the hell is she talking about.]
Well. All right. If you say so.
[Better to agree with them, usually.]
-No, but I know a little kid. Like you. I think she might be about your age. I-it's too bad you can't meet her, you know?
[...Why did he say that. Suddenly there's nothing he'd like to talk about less than the tiny grieving remains of the family he was supposed to protect. God, he's terrible with children.]
Reply
[Huff puff, her cheeks are inflated like an angry little chipmunk.]
Lots of things are too bad. This place is so stupid! What's the point of making you not remember me! And Grumpybum and Isie, too. And Au-rin's a stupid jerkface who can't fight at all and you're supposed to be Xerbie, not Kevin something!
[Grump!]
Your friend wouldn't like it here anyway. Everything's stupid and there are too many kids anyway. I have to make sure they don't get into my tunnels. They're supposed to be a secret!
Reply
I-I'm sorry. Whoever this Xerbie guy is, he's probably better at this than I am.
[He sighs, shaking his head. That probably goes for a lot of things.]
Reply
[Noisily pulls her wagon. It makes a little crashing sound as all the stuff in it rattles against one another. The cat on top of the stuff, however, only looks up for a moment and then goes back to sleep. He's used to her tantrums by now. Especially over the last few days.]
I want to go fight someone until this stupid thing is over.
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Fine, then. I'll just - leave you alone.
[Because that's obviously the best way to deal with children who are counting on him.]
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[Her cheeks puff up again and her fist comes down on the Forge, scrambling the video and causing a whining sound before the feed ends.]
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