Reverie Inbox

[fujimaru]

It's Ritsuka! I've either fallen asleep or couldn't find my phone in time, so leave a message.

[ text / action / etc]

Comments

[fujimaru]

...

[ She pokes the middle of Tsuruno's forehead lightly. ]

That's what friends do. You tell me your grief, I'll tell you mine, and then we do our best to move on.

[fanstheflames]

Ah--!

[ This did not hurt at all, but she still presses a palm to her forehead, dramatically. ]

It's, um. Kind of going to be a little vague. Is that okay?

[fujimaru]

It's fine, it's fine. Specifics can wait for after we level up.

[ She's serene about that, because she knows how this goes. She knows what it's like to throw yourself at a wall of vagueness until it breaks down. For now, she's just bringing their teacups over to the table. ]

[fanstheflames]

[ Usually she breaks it down herself. How the turn tables. ]

... I lost a really good friend of mine. I still kind of feel like... it was avoidable. I just wasn't there when I should have been, and when I heard about it... the others said it wasn't my fault. That it was bad luck.

[ She pauses there, because that's still... so ironic to her. ]

And that even if I'd been there, it wouldn't have made a difference.

I kind of... I know they meant it to be kind, but it felt like they were saying I wasn't strong enough. So I decided then and there I'd be the Mightiest. At everything. Strong and capable and cheerful and never a burden.

... And I did it so well that everyone came to believe it. They thought I was always fine. That nothing was ever too much for me. That I was genuinely happy and always able to keep my chin up, no matter how many times I got knocked down. That I really was... the Mightiest.

[fujimaru]

[ She's nibbling on a cookie as she listens, head cocked, thoughtful. ]

It sounds like you already know what the problem is. As much as it's a problem.

[ It is one in Ritsuka's opinion, but also, she's never had a very positive view on Being The Strongest, and that's only been reinforced after the end of the first Lostbelt. Don't lose to a world that only knows how to be strong. ]

...I don't think there's anything wrong in wanting to be strong. Or even the strongest, or the mightiest, or whatever--the best at something. But it sounds like you're stuck in a bad cycle with that.

[fanstheflames]

Kind of...

A lot happened after that, and I'm a little better at it now... or at least telling Saturn and Navi if I'm not fully okay.

But then things like this happen and I'm back at it again. I couldn't really... shake the thought that if only I-- and I shouldn't make people worry, so I...

[ She trails off, a little tiredly. ]

[fujimaru]

People will worry about you no matter what you do.

[ She says it bluntly, but not unkindly. ]

That's the thing. This isn't your home. You're not the mightiest here--but the point is that no one is. We're all stuck in this stupid reality marble because someone wants to do a bizarre take on the Milgram experiment.

And that's okay. I promise.

[fanstheflames]

Saturn said the same thing. [ with a huff of a laugh. ]

I mean, I get it. I do understand it, it's just hard to shake that feeling off. Is it just something I have to keep reminding myself of until it sticks?

[fujimaru]

He's a smart guy. Don't tell him I said that.

...But yeah. It's the same way you learn anything, you know?

[ She gestures vaguely with her half-eaten cookie. ]

You taught yourself and your friends at home that you were the "mightiest" by trying to live that as hard as you could, right? Now you have to learn a different way of handling it, because most people here aren't gonna be fooled because all of our stress isn't focused on some big picture... it's about what one person is doing to the people we're living with. It's easier to take things at face value if you're trying to protect a city full of people you don't know than if someone you live with is having a bad time. No matter how good she is at pretending.

[ That said, she was 100% able to pass off her canon update as a nightmare, so you know, win some, lose some. ]

[fanstheflames]

I'll tell him you said that if you don't tell him yourself.

[ With a brighter smile. Saturn is a good subject. ]

But yeah... well, I think as long as I make myself talk about it to someone, even if it's just... "no, not really okay, check again later"... maybe that's improvement.

[ Tsuruno heaves a sigh, but lets her shoulders relax. ]

-- But thanks. So before I ask about your grief, I kind of just brought over chocolate chip, but what's your actual favorite flavor?

[fujimaru]

No way. It'll just go straight to his head.

But if you ever need or want someone to talk to, I'm happy to listen. I've been told I'm pretty good at it.

[ And now that she has been reminded of the cookie, she's finishing it. ]

--I don't think I've got a favorite, really? I just like sweets. Or food in general. I have to eat a lot to function, actually, so I'm really glad food was not ruined for me.

[ You can't really hide "passing out because you forgot to eat for six hours" from your friends even if you can hide a lot of other things, okay, she doesn't want to deal with that. ]

[fanstheflames]

Fair's fair. I won't say "you should definitely tell me if you need to talk", but. If I have the option, I want you to have the option too. Even if people sometimes think I'm an idiot, I like to think I can say some good things too!

[ An enthusiastic nod. ]

... Um, so when you say you have to eat a lot to function, that's more than just the basic... eat to survive? Like there's another drain on your metabolism or something?

[fujimaru]

Ehh. People call me an idiot a lot of the time, too, but I mostly just ignore them.

[ Sometimes they're right, which is why "mostly," but also it's not her fault if they want to die on the hill of "you're an idiot for caring."

She reaches for another cookie. If she is not stopped, she will just eat this whole bag without sharing. ]

But yeah. Basically? [ She turns her hand enough to show Tsuruno the symbol on the back. ] --How much do you remember of that fight, after round one of that thing?

[fanstheflames]

[ she will not stop her. Unisonya got her cookie for visiting, she's delivered the rest, Ritsuka can have the whole bag.

Tsuruno blinks, then carefully grasps Ritsuka's hand to look more closely at it. It's a very loose grip, at least. ]

You mean with Vicious? There was someone else with you, right? They were fighting him.

... Was your hand glowing? [ Parts of it were honestly a blur. ]

[fujimaru]

Yeah. That's what I do, mostly.

[ She wiggles her fingers at the touch--not to try and get free, but as a small abbreviated hello. ]

I summon... we call them Heroic Spirits, though they're not necessarily always heroes. Pick anyone famous from history, and I can summon a version of them.

That time, it was Enkidu.

[fanstheflames]

[ Tsuruno grins a little, doing a tiny finger-tap in acknowledgment before releasing her hand. ]

That's pretty cool! So you have to eat a lot because summoning them takes a lot of energy? Or do they drain you when they fight?

[fujimaru]

[ She laughs a little, not quite ticklish, waving the hand when it's free. ]

Both, it's both. I'm not actually a born mage or anything, so we kind of have to, uh... saying "brute force it" sounds worse than it really is, but I've gotta compensate somehow.

So I have to eat really regularly, and also if you find me asleep standing up or something, don't be alarmed.

[fanstheflames]

I can carry you if that happens, at least.

[ Yep. ]

I kind of get it, though. Nothing like summoning historical legends, but Magical Girls obviously aren't born, they're made. So we can only use so much magic before we have to replenish it. It's another part of why we have to fight.

[fujimaru]

That sounds like a great way to get trapped in a cycle.

[ She's not concerned about being carried. She's mostly used to being carried under someone's arm or over their shoulder, depending on her state of consciousness and also how angry she is at the time. ]

Like, what, farming for materials or something?

[fanstheflames]

Yeah, that's the problem.

[ Nailed it in one. ]

And something like that. Witches drop things called Grief Seeds-- you use them on your Soul Gem, and they basically restore your magic. They're in pretty high demand back home.

[fujimaru]

Like those eggs...

[ BRIEF WAR FLASHBACKS FOR EGG-FARMING. thanks alterjuna. thanks.

But after a moment she clears her throat. ]

Yeah, in my case--it's mostly just, they stuck a giant magic battery on me [ again, she holds up the hand, wiggling her fingers at Tsuruno ] and the rest has to come from me.

It also means I can't actually keep a safety distance, because if they get too far away from me, the connection breaks down.

[fanstheflames]

Oh, so that's why...

[ IT'S ALL COMING TOGETHER. ]

Are you okay now? You got enough to eat?

[fujimaru]

I've got snacks.

[ She says this knowing that it is neither a full answer nor entirely reassuring. But she shrugs after. ]

Compared to home, this place is better about food, to be honest. I'm okay.

[fanstheflames]

Mmmmmmngh. [ she folds her arms over her chest, frowning deeply. ]

The restaurant worker in me isn't really satisfied with that answer...

[fujimaru]

...?

[ Something about this feels vaguely like something is looming behind her. ]

It's fine, you don't have to worry about it.