fujimaru | Reverie Inbox

[ She smiles a little at that, small and sad and fleeting. Be normal!! ]

I hope not. But that's not exactly what I mean by replaceable... Of course the memories I'm actually part of can't be replaced with anyone else. But there's always going to be other times, where you could easily be doing the same thing. There's only ever been one thing I've been irreplaceable for, and that one is...

[ No one will truly know what you're doing, Merlin had told her once. No one will acknowledge it. She still clearly remembers that, years later. ]

... Well. We don't know how that'll end yet. But I'm okay with that. Even if I'm not anything special in the end, I still lived. I still had things I did, and things and people I loved. Being a nobody doesn't take that away from me.

[He misses his next shot, and turns around from the table with a flourish, brandishing his cue at her the same way she did to him earlier.]

Honestly. Where's Kleken when I need him to illusion you a new bingo card . . . I'll just have to write it out myself by hand for you. "Speak highly of yourself for two minutes." "Take a compliment someone offers you." "Lighten up just a little." Of course I'll have to put that last one on my own card, too. It's not as though I don't take some responsibility.

. . . Still. I'm not disagreeing with the core of what you're saying. And I'm not going to dig in my heels any more today.

I would not trust anything that guy gave me further than I could throw it.

[ But she goes to try her luck with balls. You know. ]

What do I win, if I get a bingo on this hypothetical card?

[ This time, she does manage to pocket a ball, which, you know what, she'll take it. It's something. ]

Ha!

[He lets out a cheerful little laugh, putting his hand to his mouth, both at the diss and at her finally sinking a ball. Hopefully it was one of hers. Go Ritsuka! It's still her turn!]

For a bingo? I'll make you something fancy to eat, or I'll at least do my best. For a blackout, I'll contribute to your ball pit.

Wow, listen to you, swallowing your pride like that.

[ She's distracted in trying to decide her next shot. Hm. ]

I'd want to at least vet this card first. I'm not saying I'll agree with it, but I'd want to see.

Of course. Well, I need time to come up with it anyway. It doesn't have to be for this game, either. I'll give it to you once I have it, to look over and decide whether to play along.

[ Her next shot pockets one more ball, but the next one is a miss, and she steps back from the table, giving him a quizzical look. It's more confused than anything, a little more vulnerable than usual. ]

...You're really serious about this?

. . . Well. Yes, but if I'm making you uncomfortable with it, only tell me so. But yes, I was serious. For fun, of course.

...

I don't think I'd want to do a bingo game after all of this, but... there are other ways to do a challenge, right?

Of course. We can find some other game that you prefer.

Probably not poker, either, unless you wanna stack the game so that you can win and boss me around.

[ She says that with some wry good humor, though. ]

Oh, of course I do. Obviously. But I won't. Does this mean you'll also be making a list for me?

If it's poker, I'm not even gonna bother. I never win poker. It's like a running joke, at this point.

I won't pick poker! It wouldn't actually be fun to crush you entirely, unless I truly earned it.

Well, it can't be volleyball either, then, because I'd kick your ass.

[ It's been years since she's played, but she competed! She's confident in her athletic ability! ]

I'd get Toxicroak to play on my behalf. That's the only way I'd stand a chance.

[He finally goes to take a shot, which he misses this time, but at least he sets up a decent shot for next time.]

No using a substitute if you actually want me to do any challenges from you. That's only fair.

[ Why does this vaguely sound like Truth or Dare? She's not even sure how that'd work.

For now, she moves to take her shot. ]

That's why I'm not going to make it volleyball! At this point, I have no idea what I'll do, but I'll think of something. Maybe you'll even have fun with it. I hope so.

I usually have fun spending time with my friends. Just don't turn it into a fight for our lives and you'll be fine.

[ No mob monsters, please. She leans in to take her shot--and manages two pocketed balls. She will not get this lucky again. ]

I'm not that kind of exciting—oh, very good. You really aren't bad at this at all.

That was probably just lucky. I can be, sometimes.

[ And as the prophecy foretold, she whiffs the next one, but she's in good spirits about it, laughing a little as she steps back. ]

It's not really the same, but I've played enough games with balls in them that I have a general idea of how to hit them to get them to go where I want.

[It's so charming to see her happy...it makes him feel soft inside, watching her, and it's easy to remember now how they ended up in this whole awful situation in the first place. Because he feels this way when he looks at her.]

You're comparing this to volleyball, really? Ha.

I also played softball. And like two whole weeks of tennis before I got bored of it.

[ She sticks her tongue out for a moment, deliberately silly, before she catches herself. ]

I draw the line at golf, though.

What's the matter with golf?

[THIS IS IT, THIS IS HOW THEY FINALLY STOP BEING FRIENDS FOREVER

He walks around the table, looking for his next shot. Hmmmm!]

[ She looks him dead in the eyes, as serene as she has ever been, and says: ]

Nothing... If you're my dad and his work buddies.

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