> thirteen. [voice]

[yukarchery]

[There's the sound of footsteps clicking along the silent streets for awhile. Yukari's already woken up here again, said a few very unladylike things, then started strolling back towards Horton once she got her head together again. She's calm when she says something, even if there's an undertone of being very peeved in her voice.]Looks I'm back

Comments

[medeating]

[a pause. And then, the tiniest of sighs.]

They're fickle.

[yukarchery]

[Hay gurl hayyy, you're all coming out of the woodwork.]

As always. Hi, Chidori.

oh god i've wanted to have her say that damned line ("YOU'RE A NUISANCE") for FOREVER

[medeating]

It's a nuisance.

[butttt she doesn't mean you exactly, Yukari. Now that her ~FOREVER BOY~ is here, she's not going to like to be reminded of how easily people come and go.]

And you're from the same point in time?

[yukarchery]

Three days passed back home, so I might as well be. Grit filled me in on how long it's been here, though.

...so, what'd I miss? [Any SPECIAL PEOPLE showing up, hmmm~?]

[medeating]

Not much.

[and then, it clicks. Quieter, trying to hide all those little nuances in her voice.]

Junpei's here.

[yukarchery]

[THERE we go. You can practically hear the smile in her voice.]

I know. I already talked to him.

[medeating]

Hn.

[you tricky trickster, you.]

He must be pleased. [a beat; and then, slightly inquiring:] You, too.

[yukarchery]

[She totally ships it.]

With us here to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid? I bet he is. [Pause, though...she has no idea how to explain her deal with Junpei.] It's better having him here, yeah.

[medeating]

[Chidori probably slightly shipped Yukari with Junpei assuming he complained about MEAN YUKA-TAN to her in the hospital, so~

she actually chuckles a little at that, that amused "hmm" that tapers off into something almost like a real laugh.]

We're in agreement with that.

[but her tone turns a little darker at Yukari's last sentence. She's back to her usual cryptic self.]

Better for us, I suppose.

[yukarchery]

[Better for us...? She's a bit better with Chidorispeak now, so it's tno too hard to translate. That'd mean that...he'd be disadvantaged more than usual.]

Hey, he climbed that tower just as much as we did. He'll be fine.

[medeating]

It'd be better if he wasn't here.

[for him, anyway. Chidori still can't help but partly like that he's here.]

[yukarchery]

Of course it would. But he still is.

[medeating]

[a pause. That was true; hadn't Chidori always sought to live in the moment, to ignore those inklings of 'past' and 'future'? But now that she knew what lurked in her future, it was proving... harder. To say the least.]

I suppose you're right. But he...

[awkward silence. Her response is hushed, yet urgent, and she doesn't want to reveal this side of her to Yukari, but...]

He doesn't deserve this.

[She didn't normally bother with 'deserves,' because she knew the world didn't work like that. But for him, her rules had always changed.]

[yukarchery]

I know. But... [There was all but nothing they could do. Yukari sighed a little, running a hand through her hair. As much as she didn't want to worry about Junpei, she still did. Stupid jerk.] The best we can do right now is help him get accustomed and make sure he stays safe.

[medeating]

Mm. [more awkward pausing; it's her speciality] And they don't seem interested in provoking him. Yet.

[she figures it's obvious who she means]

[yukarchery]

[Alas, it is. She actually sounds peeved for a bit.]

They'd better not.