02 [voice/video]
[When the audio clicks on, the only thing that can be heard for a few minutes is the sound of heavy panting. When he has finally caught his breath enough to speak, the man speaking onto the Forge sounds hoarse and exhausted, and the words come between harsh gasps.]I...I don't know...if anyone else...has already...noticed this, but...the mist...can
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Comments 21
[Yeah, that's pretty much all that registers. She hears the other stuff but that's not her primary concern.]
Do you need help?
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[It's an automatic reaction. Nevermind that it's obvious he's lying.]
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[And to him, it really is. He'd even forgotten about the wound on his shoulder until she pointed out he was bleeding. He's more concerned about the broken ribs he's aggravated, but not by much. They'll heal as well, in due time.]
It'll heal soon enough. I've had far worse.
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Nothing seems to be safe from that mist.
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[A pause.] Are you new here as well?
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Are you okay?
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[Sigh.] I'm fine. [There is an emphasis on the word 'fine'.]
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[His tone is quiet, grim.]
...I don't know if the mist was messing with my mind, but if it was...it can somehow simulate the sensation of touch. [A shiver runs down his spine, at that.] I don't know which is more reassuring.
But they dissipate when you leave the mist, so perhaps that is the case...
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Usually.
[He's looking at the dead wolf-creature, thinking about the pelt, the marketplace and-] If no one else wants it, I'll take the... thing you killed.
[And it'll give him a legitimate excuse to check if this guy is okay.] Where are you? Near the ruins?
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I think I would have preferred it, had it been an unpleasant memory.
[Several long moments filled with silence. His panting has faded into the background, for the most part.]
It would be easier to remind myself it was still only a fake caused by the mist.
I'm...at the outskirts of the city. The ruins aren't far, but I'm at...the edge of the mist. [And then, quieter, as if he's not entirely even aware he's saying it aloud] They [He means the Living Memories, here] try to keep you there, in the mist, because they're only real...physical inside. Once you leave, they dissipate into nothing...
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They... do that, yeah. But their memory, that sticks with you.
[It sticks. That and the urge to turn around, or to stay with them. Silence for a bit. Then.]
They're not real.
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[He knows. He knows all too well that they aren't real. But he also knew how much it hurt to walk away, to hear that voice he hadn't heard for so long calling after him to stay. And he can tell that Naruto understands how he feels as well, despite the fact that he hasn't said anything about what--who--it was the mist made him see, and for a moment, he wants to ask. It doesn't seem right that someone as young as Naruto sounds should have traumatic memories to re-experience...but he won't. The mist has already invaded his psyche once, he's not about to do it again to appease his own curiosity.]
[And then, softly, barely audible.]I know.
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