thirteen

[sunnyheiress]

[On the sixth floor, Hinata's sitting on the floor next to the very first doorway with her journal lying on her lap. There is no name on the nameplate. No sign that its room had been used by anyone; not even by a little boy. Definitely not by a little demon boy

Comments

[ofthefaintsmile]

... I see. Thank you for telling us.

[sunnyheiress]

[You're welcome doesn't really work in this situation, yet it's so hard trying to find what to say...]

Mm, I'm sorry... It's both sad news and good news.

[ofthefaintsmile]

Depends on what he returned to.

[sunnyheiress]

Yes, that's true... But I-I think he returned to somethng good. With how he talked about his world, I can't see it being anything truly bad.

Private

[sunnyheiress]

N-no, I know that...that they're gone. It's just... Even though he was a little boy, he was an actual resident here.

Hinata

[yamanaka]

[oh no, hinata ;A; there's a little splashing in the background before she dictates]

Hey, are you okay, Hinata-chan?

Ino

[sunnyheiress]

[What is even up with that splashing... That journal better not be getting dunked into water.]

...Um, if you don't mind me asking...where are you?

And yes, I'll be fine, Ino-chan. It is...better this way.

Hinata

[yamanaka]

... The pool. It's kind of complicated.

I meant ... with everything going on lately.

Ino

[sunnyheiress]

That...normally shouldn't be complicated. But I-I wouldn't mind hearing about it.

[Not only because she's worried about what may have happened, but because it would be nice to focus on something else.]

It's...been a different sort of week. But with how it's ended, it's been...for the best.

[tomatoandbasil]

[What a rough week it's been; could it get any worse?]

Let's wish him well back home. I never did go fishing with him; perhaps we should soon anyways. He'd want us to.

[sunnyheiress]

[In Paradisa, it can always get worse.]

Yes... I think he'll need it, if he's to become a king.

[And then there's a pause as she thinks about fishing...]

...I-I never did either. We made plans to have a fishing trip with lots of people, but... I-I was going to see if he wanted to set a date.

[tomatoandbasil]

He will; he has the right attitude for it. It's one of those things you see after being a teacher as long as i have. You can just tell when someone is made for a role.

Shall we arrange it then in his honor? I must admit, even at my age, I've never fished. Elves didn't eat seafood.

[sunnyheiress]

He does. I think he'll be a great ruler, too. Especially as he grows older and more into it.

Only if you'd like to. It's not something I would push onto you. To be honest, I've never fished either.