Self-help? [He might just be making fun of her. It's fine.] Showers are running water for bathing, but supposedly there're hot springs here. And ovens and stoves are for other people to make food for us.
[No. But he's following...] A map of this place would help.
[...it's reminiscent of someone else. Teaching them how things work, being alarmed by how little they know. It's very much two different worlds here and it's funny to him.
His eyes are busy glancing at some of the self-help books, maybe looking for something specific but keeping up with the conversation.]
There're things I'm still learning myself. [He can admit that, at least.] And I've met some others here who aren't used to things on Earth either.
[...Cinnabar...] Why bring people from different places if they don't know the same things?
...do you really think we're here against our will? [It's a question he broaches cautiously.] None of us actually remember how we got here, and I don't think most of us would have come here quietly.
You said it yourself. [He's pulling out a book about baking which isn't even remotely close, but he's holding it out to her.] You were able to create the ice when you were angry. So...it's a thought.
[The only kidnapping he's familiar with is what happened with Haruhi and that was just a bunch of stupidity, so.]
…[What????????? He has so many questions though!! But simultaneously he has started to learn Lili is stubborn and will ask if he ignores her, so. He debates an answer.]
The others will be fine. [That much he's sure of. Tamaki and Haruhi have one another, as do Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai. Kyoya-senpai…well, he can take care of himself just fine, and that still leaves Kaoru a little uneasy.] He needs me though. If I don't return, I don't know what will happen. Boston might get destroyed.
[This is said lightly, but he's also under the impression that if Kaoru just never came back Hikaru would tear apart the city looking for him sooner or later.]
It's in America. We just moved there for school. [Which doesn't mean much, he thinks, but he's also pulling down a book about cars because there's a tractor and maybe that'll be important later.]
He would hate it here. [Still lightly, grinning a little to himself.] He'd complain that it's boring and he'd argue with everyone he spoke with that rubbed him the wrong way. He wouldn't be able to say exactly what he wants to say right away. And that's why he needs me.
I want to know why they only brought one of us. We aren't supposed to be apart. [Not like this anyway.]
[lili is, for some reason, not going to realize that the person that kaoru is describing sounds familiar
anyway]
... mm, it sounds like a lot of people were brought here without their close friends... but if he would hate it here, and you want to see him again so badly, then the only answer is to get you home.
[easier said than done but she sounds just a confident as ever]
[There's a hum of agreement. He doesn't feel like lingering on the subject of Hikaru right now because it's not something he wants to explain to a stranger, but Lili has a point.]
Maybe we're on a survivalist game show. Abandoned somewhere, we have to find our own way home before our resources run out. The gates might be closing us off from the real world.
[He believes none of this, but turning it into a game is easier.]
What if we use the tractor instead? Those know how to dig, don't they? [He hasn't seen this tractor but maybe it has a shovel on it? He's 100% thinking of something else.] Or we can have someone drive it into the gate.
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[No. But he's following...] A map of this place would help.
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she knows what an oven is sort in the crudest sense of the word, given that it's more or less still just a firepit that you can put food in to cook]
We can draw one.
[sure but]
I know what hot springs are... but it seems I have much to learn.
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His eyes are busy glancing at some of the self-help books, maybe looking for something specific but keeping up with the conversation.]
There're things I'm still learning myself. [He can admit that, at least.] And I've met some others here who aren't used to things on Earth either.
[...Cinnabar...] Why bring people from different places if they don't know the same things?
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she's still looking very diligently because she believed him???]
If it was just an information exchange, I wouldn't mind... If I can at least bring things I learn back to my country, then it's not a total loss.
However, holding people against their will is cruel.
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...do you really think we're here against our will? [It's a question he broaches cautiously.] None of us actually remember how we got here, and I don't think most of us would have come here quietly.
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It would've made us more compliant if we remembered our own reasoning.
[she's
getting close to the end of the aisle]
... I didn't see any books on stoves...
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[The only kidnapping he's familiar with is what happened with Haruhi and that was just a bunch of stupidity, so.]
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she's going to take it and.... look through it... and tilt her head? she knows nothing about baking either so she's still learning actually]
That things don't make sense and they're doing stupid things to entertain themselves at our expense?
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That sounds even worse than the theory they're using us for some power they gave us for no reason. [Power, because, like, what else would it be.]
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[said plainly, because she's been on the receiving end enough times. she sounds frustrated but...]
... for now at least, everyone seems safe. That's important.
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Then we do everything we can to keep it that way. [There's another pause, especially since this is before NPC time.]
...what about the people at home?
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[there's no point in harming those close to her]
What about you?
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A bartering chip, like for trade?
[What if he doesn't address the other thing yet.]
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Well... maybe.
The king would probably want me back since it'll look bad if his palace lost me and wasn't able to recover me, but my father probably won't care.
[what if they don't stay on that subject]
You didn't answer my question.
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The others will be fine. [That much he's sure of. Tamaki and Haruhi have one another, as do Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai. Kyoya-senpai…well, he can take care of himself just fine, and that still leaves Kaoru a little uneasy.] He needs me though. If I don't return, I don't know what will happen. Boston might get destroyed.
[This is said lightly, but he's also under the impression that if Kaoru just never came back Hikaru would tear apart the city looking for him sooner or later.]
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[she's guessing, but]
You seem very close.
I don't know where Boston is... but it'd be terrible if it were to be destroyed. You have even greater reason to be sent home than the rest of us.
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He would hate it here. [Still lightly, grinning a little to himself.] He'd complain that it's boring and he'd argue with everyone he spoke with that rubbed him the wrong way. He wouldn't be able to say exactly what he wants to say right away. And that's why he needs me.
I want to know why they only brought one of us. We aren't supposed to be apart. [Not like this anyway.]
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anyway]
... mm, it sounds like a lot of people were brought here without their close friends... but if he would hate it here, and you want to see him again so badly, then the only answer is to get you home.
[easier said than done but she sounds just a confident as ever]
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Maybe we're on a survivalist game show. Abandoned somewhere, we have to find our own way home before our resources run out. The gates might be closing us off from the real world.
[He believes none of this, but turning it into a game is easier.]
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[scurries off to
find a book on that]
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[that's her argument]
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[And they're disgusting so he's not into the idea of crawling around in the dirt for something that might not work.]
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[so the tunnel won't collapse. duh.]
We don't need to dig to Boston, only past that gate.
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What if we use the tractor instead? Those know how to dig, don't they? [He hasn't seen this tractor but maybe it has a shovel on it? He's 100% thinking of something else.] Or we can have someone drive it into the gate.
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