lili & kaoru need less money

[coastal]

Comments

[twinsightful]

[He makes a face.] I don't understand who would want to stay here. [But that's apparently something they can agree on since he doesn't dispute it. Kaoru's always done whatever he wants to do and he's had free reign to do whatever. He'll strongarm people when he's interested in them, but so far that isn't the case here.]

...and why would you be a liability to your country? [A princess, he assumes. This doesn't seem to strike him as strange, but it's now a question of if she's just royalty or someone with actual political power.]

[coastal]

[ . . . well.

she just sighs]

Last time I was in a situation like this, it caused enough trouble that the king himself arrived at the scene to rescue me.

[which... was fine. (not really.)]

I don't want to be gone long enough to warrant being rescued again.

[more importantly than that]

Even if our reasons aren't the same, I imagine a lot of people also want to get out of here.

[twinsightful]

[A princess then. He nods to signify he's listening to her at least.]

We should start counting days then to know how much time is passing. [He can't exactly imagine it'll be all kosher back home when everyone notices he's gone, too.] Some people are starting to speculate that we're being observed for something, and have been observed for a while. If they find what they're looking for, we should be able to leave then.

...the gates aren't moving though.

[coastal]

There's no way through or over.

[apparently she has checked]

I haven't fully attempted finding a way underneath...

There's writing utensils in the library - we can create a calendar, and take notes of anything else that sounds important.

I want to say that I found anything else even remotely useful but... [ugh. she's frowning again] I haven't.

[though she'll amend, seeming to catch herself - ]

Not yet.

[twinsightful]

[This time he actually turns a fraction from the window to lift an eyebrow, slightly smiling at the thought.]

You tried digging under it? [Please say no.]

If we make a calendar and take notes it'll help us understand what we're dealing with. We can compare notes about the people we've spoken with, too. Most of us are from different places but nobody remembers how we got here.

[He's still sore about the bed argument, but he'd like to leave as soon as possible. And also, Kyoya would encourage him to do this for information.]

[coastal]

[whY IS THAT WHAT MAKES HIM LOOKING BACK

she's defensive immediately but also like. kind of embarrassed because lili is fucking moron]

N-No....! [but] You still have to try everything in these types of situations!

[LEAVE HER GATE TUNNEL ALONE anyway]

Fine - we're taking notes! I'm going to go get paper!

[shE'S GOING TO GET UP TO GO RIGHT NOW!!!!]

[twinsightful]

[Uh, because it's funny? Let Lili dig so Kaoru can laugh.]

Wouldn't it be easier to let someone else do it? [But suddenly she's up!! And he's blinking in surprise...before he's also getting to his feet.]

I'll come with you. The sun hasn't set yet. [What does that have to do with anything? Don't ask questions.]

[coastal]

Well obviously - but I need to convince people to build a tunnel in the first place.

[please

please open these gates before lili finds the manpower for her stupid tunnel.

anyway]

... fine. [and] Tell me what the person or thing you're looking for looks like so I can find them.

[twinsightful]

If you tell them it's the only way out that should convince them. [But he'll open the front door once he's up, actually holding it open for her to walk through first. It also gives him time to debate how to answer this.]

...he looks like me. His hair's darker now though.

[coastal]

[ . . . oh.

she'll walk through like she's used to doors being opened for her, but look over her shoulder]

Brother?

[twinsightful]

Yes. [And he'll shut the door of the house and potentially on that conversation because he's spent the whole day not knowing where Hikaru is and that really has not been Great.]

Others have recognized people from home. Lea, and this other girl.

[coastal]

Hm...

[ . . . she's thoughtful about that - ]

I suppose that there are people here who would make me feel less nervous if they were near...

[not that she's been acting very nervous but.]

... well, we'll be returned to them soon.

[twinsightful]

[That's not really reassuring but he can a.) acknowledge that's bratty and b.) realize he has to figure stuff out on his own at some point. That doesn't mean he's not completely out of his depth here. Still, he simply nods as they walk toward the library.

With very little prompting, he speaks.]

Almost all of us are from different planets entirely. None of us remember how we got here, or why. Not all of us are human, even if we look human. The scrolls in the main hall have some degree of truth to them. And they can't be removed. There's a fail-safe instilled to ensure they remain hanging.

There are thirty-two of us here. [Apparently to make up for Lili "not learning anything useful" he's just sharing what he learned? Sure.]

[coastal]

[she was thinking of what else she might have to share but there's one thing that she's curious about - ]

What's the fail-safe and how did you learn it?

[twinsightful]

It burns your hands if you touch it for too long. [Haha, and his hands are tucked into his pockets? Convenient!] The burns don't physically show though.

[coastal]

[ . . . . . ]

Show me your hands.

[twinsightful]

[...

Fine. He'll pull his hands back out and hold them up. As he's said, they aren't burnt but they do look red and he's still handling them with care.

I lied this is a bad partnership because now he'll actually listen to her to placate her for a while.]

Axel tried, too. [He also apparently can't decide if he wants to call him Lea or Axel since he didn't actually ask.]

[coastal]

Did he also get burnt? Moron.

[for the record kaoru is ALSO A MORON but he's injured so she's not going to say it out loud she'll just imply it

you know

small victories

anyway she'll pause in their walk for this and seem to think about something]

Hold still for a second.

[twinsightful]

I don't think so. His hands looked okay. [He is blatantly aware he's a moron but look, he was trying to help!! Still, they're stopping and suddenly he looks a bit wary when she says that.]

Why?

[coastal]

I learned something. Don't be difficult.

[this

coming from lili

and the fact that she's not giving any more detail is awful]

Hold out your hands. Palms up.

[twinsightful]

You could tell me what you learned first. [He holds out his hands but he's not flipping them palms up yet.]

[coastal]

Something helpful.

[her hands are by her sides now? in tiny little fists?]

Palms up!

[twinsightful]

Okay, fine! [Jeez. But sure, palms are flipped up and he's giving her an expectant look.] But they don't hurt that much.

[coastal]

[he should like

not let himself be steamrolled

the look on her face is definitely still annoyed but - it's not directed at him.]

I don't care. You shouldn't be hurt at all. You didn't do anything to deserve it.

[dumb stubborn princess... but well, at least her heart is in the right place.

but anyway she can't help but feel like the righteous anger is especially easy to tap into now - and she'd found that her powers that she has no idea how to control really were more easily accessible once she let herself just get angry. she'll try to be more focused now as she has her hands hover over his, palms down, so that the cold can start to radiate from her own palms

... it's not perfect, of course, because lili doesn't know anything about magic. the air around them gets a little bit colder in general, too as a sort of spillover

but most of the cold at least seems to be coming from her hands]

It's not a fix or anything... but it sounds irritating to deal with.

[so she's trying to help him cool it, even for a little. she couldn't just like. say that though.]

[twinsightful]

[He should, give it a day and he'll be back to being catty and argumentative. Still, there's a surprised noise as soon as he notices what's going on and while his fingers try to curl in on his palms he doesn't move them that far. Unlike Lili, he hasn't figured out a secret to tapping into his own powers so he's simply watching.

There's a shiver because cold isn't always welcome, but he doesn't pull back as he's monitoring her movements.]

...thanks. [He stumbles on the word a little, but he flexes his fingers finally.] How did you figure it out?