The blizzard had struck without warning. If there HAD been a warning, Chie hadn't seen it. The cabin didn't get TV reception all the way out in the mountains. Despite the heavy parka and thick mittens, her teeth were chattering, and her whole body shivered violently as she crunched across the deep white fields. Ducking her head against a swirl
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Oh, right. Reality was back. Cooking and eating had put his mind away from the obvious issue that was his current state of being, but now that the food was gone, all he had left were his troublesome thoughts and a very satisfied girl sitting across the table.
"Yeah, don't mention it," he replied, though it was little more than a mumble as his face easily betrayed his troubled mind.
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Or should she flat out ask him what was up, now that they were relaxed and fed and more likely to open up? Her sock-covered food scuffed lightly at the cabin floor as she debated the matter in the awkward silence.
"I know you don't really know me all that well, but uh...if there's something going on, and you want to talk, I'll listen?" she offered.
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~Oh.~ Shinji realized just then how obvious he made it that he was thinking. "Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you over my problems."
He left the topic hanging at that, because he knew that as well-meant as Chie's offer was, he probably couldn't talk to her about how he'd died and then miraculously came back to life in a completely different place from where he was shot. Not wanting to appear callous, however, he added what he hoped was a lighthearted hand wave to the entire situation.
"Er, don't get me wrong. I appreciate the sentiment and all, but it's not really something I can talk about to just anyone. You'd probably never believe me, anyway. It's strange like that."
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This was one such place. Maybe that was how he'd wound up here? He was still a good way out from the portal, though.
"I won't push, though. Here," she reached out, taking his bowl. "I'll take care of the dishes, you just relax. Least I can do after a killer meal like that!"
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Shinji was thankful she didn't press any further, and simply nodded as she took his bowl. This gave him more time to think, but at that point, he couldn't get any further without either reuniting with his friends, or... Asking Chie.
After a few minutes of mulling over his options, he spoke up again.
"So... Sorry if this sounds weird, but... Where are we, anyway? Are we in Japan?"
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Because those two countries were practically neighbors, right?
She considered telling him about the city itself, but decided against it. That depended entirely on how lost he was. If he'd wandered here all the way from Japan, then sure, she'd tell him everything he wanted to know about the city and its portals to other worlds and eras. Until then, though, she didn't exactly want to flip the table and make him think she was the crazy one who shouldn't be believed.
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A brow was raised high at her initial response. What was that supposed to mean? Did she not know where they were herself? Maybe she was like him, whisked away from home and dumped on a mountain? The possibility was strange, but certainly not out if the question. Look at him.
And Canada or Nepal? Where did Chie learn her geography?
"Are you sure you aren't as lost as I am? Or is there something fishy about this place you aren't telling me?" There was an edge to his voice, raised by his newfound suspicion that Chie knew more about where they were than she was letting on...
(OOC: I'm off to work. Good night!)
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Oh well.
"The transport vehicle will take us both back to the city in a few days, you can get your bearings there. Sorry I'm not much help! Like I said, I only came out here to train. The exact location didn't matter too much, I just wanted something with a lot of mountains. So here I am!"
The bowls clinked as they bumped against each other in the basin of hot water as she plunged in both arms and began to scrub. The pot was set aside in the other half of the sink to soak.
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Chie's answer did little to allay his distress, but it didn't seem like she was lying or trying to hide anything from him. For the time being, he would just hav to take her word for it. "So what's so weird about this place anyway? Does it just happen to throw people in random places like me?"
Shinji wasn't very worried about letting bits and pieces of his situation slip anymore-- there was little point in hiding it from the girl, who probably wouldn't be surprised in the least. That, and his remark reminded him of a particularly aggravating night in Tartarus where he and the party kept getting split up every two floors. He may have been a great cook, but his sense of direction was more than lacking...
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"You know, since we're both dealing with weird stuff, maybe it would be best if we just put everything on the table," she shrugged, slinging the dishtowel over her shoulder. "I'll promise not to point or yell or freak out, if you promise to do the same. And if either of us talks about something that's too hard for the other to believe, we'll just say 'That's a funny story!' and move on. Deal?"
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"Alright," he finally agreed, nodding slowly. "I'll take you up on that." Standing, he made his way over to the fire, tossing a few fresh blocks of wood to revitalize it. "If you don't mind, I'll start."
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"For starters, my full name's Shinjiro Aragaki. Since we're gonna be learning a lot about each other, might as well start with names. I'm from Japan, in a little place called Tatsumi Port Island. I'm supposed to be a third year in high school, but I don't really attend. And I'm..."
There was a distinct pause as Shinji cut himself off. Even though he'd agreed to lay it all out, he was still unsure about disclosing his identity as a Persona User. Instead of wondering exactly why he was so nervous, he decided to lead into the biggest issue on his mind.
"I'm supposed to be dead. The last thing I remember before waking up in the snow outside the cabin was being shot. ...And that's about all I've got. It's not much of a story."
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But the part about him being shot sort of erased all those trivial comments from her mind.
"What?!" she blurted out, alarmed. "Shot?! By who? Where? Are you still injured anywhere?!" He didn't LOOK injured. He hadn't shown any signs of pain or tension while moving around, so maybe he was just really good at hiding it.
Or maybe he'd been completely restored and healthy the moment he was resurrected. Even so, she hadn't known the city would do THAT! And she was positive that city had something to do with it, since it sounded like they might be from the same world.
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Shinji nearly jumped when she started to freak out over his hand-waved death. Was it really that important who shot him? Or where it happened? It's not like he was dead anymore. If he was ever dead at all.
"I don't know why, but I'm very much alive, and there's no bullet wound, no trace of me ever being wounded at all. It's weird, and I'm still not sure whether I should be happy about it or not." Placing his hand to his mouth and coughing, the teen motioned to Chie.
"I don't mind telling you more about it if you're that concerned, but uh, why don't you go ahead with your half of the story-telling?"
A transparent attempt to move the topic-- Shinji just didn't want to have to think about his 'death' at that moment, so he shifted the focus to her to gain some breathing room.
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A deal was a deal.
She rubbed the back of her neck, frowning at the fire. He'd better not make fun of her for this. "A couple of months ago I got an ad for this city of romance. I figured it couldn't hurt to go check it out. Turns out it's an interdimensional hub on top of a city that encourages everyone to go on dates and hook up. I wasn't having much luck in that area, and I was starting to slack off on my kung fu, so I jumped through one of the gates to come out here and train. So here I am."
She looked at Shinjiro, knuckling her chin. "But I can't figure out how you got here."
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