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That doesn't make me feel any better.
What if they got kidnapped?!
What if they got kidnapped?!
They're very good at defending themselves.
[By which he means to say kidnapping would actually be the best-case scenario, but he isn't about to be that blunt.]
I think you should keep asking around and waiting.
If you don't hear anything soon then
There's a good chance they vanished.
[By which he means to say kidnapping would actually be the best-case scenario, but he isn't about to be that blunt.]
I think you should keep asking around and waiting.
If you don't hear anything soon then
There's a good chance they vanished.
I'll ask Amanda-san and Kat-san. They're the ones I can think of that would know most about what happened to them. If they don't know then... I don't know.
[Wait.] Vanished? Vanished where?
[Wait.] Vanished? Vanished where?
[There's a long pause]
Back home?To our world? They can't! They can't go back to that bitch, I won't let it happen!
Back home?To our world? They can't! They can't go back to that bitch, I won't let it happen!
[Marco starts working on his reply the moment Kotoko's message comes in, but six or seven words into actually reading it, he realises he has to reformulate it.
Right. He may have no idea who she's talking about, but either way, chances are Jataro and Nagisa wouldn't be happy to go home, either.]
Nobody is actually sure what happens to the people who disappear.
I'm not the best person to give you the details but
There's been some evidence that they DON'T go home.
Right. He may have no idea who she's talking about, but either way, chances are Jataro and Nagisa wouldn't be happy to go home, either.]
Nobody is actually sure what happens to the people who disappear.
I'm not the best person to give you the details but
There's been some evidence that they DON'T go home.
[She considers this for a minute]
Okay.
Okay.
That's better, I guess. If they don't go home then where do they go? Or does no one know? How come no one knows anything important around here!?
Okay.
Okay.
That's better, I guess. If they don't go home then where do they go? Or does no one know? How come no one knows anything important around here!?
A lake? Why can't anything in this stupid place make sense?
Who decides it then? I'm gonna give them a piece of my mind!
Who decides it then? I'm gonna give them a piece of my mind!
[Things have been nice lately. Strange time loops notwithstanding, Fiddleford has by and large had a nice couple of months, and he thinks that means maybe it's time to have a conversation that he'd really only want to have when things are feeling stable. He slithers his way into Marco's bedroom, the one Marco doesn't sleep in because Marco doesn't sleep. It's more sort of a personal chill-out room, and the room where it's most comfortable for them to have sex, and both of those things are very nice but not what he's after right now.]
Hey, honey. I thought, if you're not busy-- I mean it's gettin' into the warmer months and that's a great time for weddings. And I thought maybe we could talk plans. Nothin' final, just, y'know. Gettin' on the same page.
Hey, honey. I thought, if you're not busy-- I mean it's gettin' into the warmer months and that's a great time for weddings. And I thought maybe we could talk plans. Nothin' final, just, y'know. Gettin' on the same page.
[Hey, the fact that Marco has even been using the chill-out room in the past months has to count for something. Even if it's only because his medication makes him feel the need to stop and rest his eyes every so often... that can't be an entirely bad thing, right? It's just like Fiddleford and his weed.
Sort of.
In any case, he isn't thinking about whether the comparison is all that apt or not because he's too busy processing Fiddleford's words, and you can practically see it on his face. A friendly smile in greeting first, then an idle nod, then he goes wide-eyed and his heart skips a beat like someone who forgot they were getting married because honestly, sometimes, he does.]
Uh-- Sure! Sure thing. Uh. Hmm... So.
... Summer, huh?
Sort of.
In any case, he isn't thinking about whether the comparison is all that apt or not because he's too busy processing Fiddleford's words, and you can practically see it on his face. A friendly smile in greeting first, then an idle nod, then he goes wide-eyed and his heart skips a beat like someone who forgot they were getting married because honestly, sometimes, he does.]
Uh-- Sure! Sure thing. Uh. Hmm... So.
... Summer, huh?
[Oh, bless him. Fiddleford barely ever doesn't think about it, so it catches him by surprise when it catches Marco by surprise. Maybe it's because of his own personal feelings on marriage or his own personal feelings on Marco or a combo of the two, but remembering every day that he's going to marry Marco Evangelisti is probably one of the reasons the past several months have been nice in the first place.
He settles his upper body and a good length of his tail onto the bed, while rest remains curled on the floor. One of his hands finds Marco's. This is good. Comfy.]
Mmhm. Summer. Not that that's got to be when it happens, but winter's definitely out, and we don't want too much risk of rain. I was thinkin' maybe we could do it outside. Find somewhere pretty, maybe out by the lake.
He settles his upper body and a good length of his tail onto the bed, while rest remains curled on the floor. One of his hands finds Marco's. This is good. Comfy.]
Mmhm. Summer. Not that that's got to be when it happens, but winter's definitely out, and we don't want too much risk of rain. I was thinkin' maybe we could do it outside. Find somewhere pretty, maybe out by the lake.
[Marco loves Fiddleford - he really, really does. He loves him so much, perhaps, that sometimes he still can't believe they're getting married. He still can't believe he took him back after what happened. He still can't believe they're together even though he's...
You know.
Marco takes Fiddleford's hand, breathes in deep, and ignores a call he knows not to be real.]
Ah, true, winter wouldn't be good for you. In the summer... It would have to be by the lake. Remember how hot it got last year?
[... Two years ago? Summer got hot once.]
You know.
Marco takes Fiddleford's hand, breathes in deep, and ignores a call he knows not to be real.]
Ah, true, winter wouldn't be good for you. In the summer... It would have to be by the lake. Remember how hot it got last year?
[... Two years ago? Summer got hot once.]
[What happened was... well it was more complicated than Marco just doing something that hurt him. If the context around it had been any different maybe they wouldn't be sitting here right now, but with time and perspective he's come to be at peace with what happened. Marco didn't know. He didn't mean what he said how he said it. He never lied, he just omitted, and that hurt too but Fiddleford understands the why of it.]
Mm. Though I wouldn't want you havin' to get your fancy clothes wet. Or, y'know, havin' to take them off mid-ceremony to make room for your tentacles. And rain would pose the same problem so we probably shouldn't push it up to Spring. Too soon, anyway. Not enough time to get things set.
Mm. Though I wouldn't want you havin' to get your fancy clothes wet. Or, y'know, havin' to take them off mid-ceremony to make room for your tentacles. And rain would pose the same problem so we probably shouldn't push it up to Spring. Too soon, anyway. Not enough time to get things set.
[It's the aesthetic, Marco, gosh! There could be a dip later but you save the clothes you get married in so they can be priceless family memories. No water damage, it is forbidden.]
Fall. Fall could work. Nice colors.
[The two of them, with their big patches of red, would fit right in among the leaves.]
We don't have to do it outside. It's just there's no church here for either of us and I'm not sure where else we'd go.
Fall. Fall could work. Nice colors.
[The two of them, with their big patches of red, would fit right in among the leaves.]
We don't have to do it outside. It's just there's no church here for either of us and I'm not sure where else we'd go.
Heh. It's not like we need a catholic wedding for me to be happy.
[For a moment, his eyes fall on the "ring" on his finger, the one Elias gave him. If you had asked Marco a year ago, he might have said that alone was good enough. But now Fiddleford doesn't have a ring of his own, and... well, the ring just plain doesn't mean what it used to anymore.
But the fact that he has it, and Fiddleford doesn't, and they're still here? Maybe that can mean something else.]
Really, the only downside I can think of to an outdoors wedding is the, uh... Well, it depends on who we're inviting. But, you know, the same thing as with the workshop? The time of day.
[For a moment, his eyes fall on the "ring" on his finger, the one Elias gave him. If you had asked Marco a year ago, he might have said that alone was good enough. But now Fiddleford doesn't have a ring of his own, and... well, the ring just plain doesn't mean what it used to anymore.
But the fact that he has it, and Fiddleford doesn't, and they're still here? Maybe that can mean something else.]
Really, the only downside I can think of to an outdoors wedding is the, uh... Well, it depends on who we're inviting. But, you know, the same thing as with the workshop? The time of day.
[It does mean something else, in Fiddleford's opinion, and it means something better. The 'rings' that Elias gave them were never really for them. They weren't a symbol of their love for each other, they were a symbol of their shared dedication to someone else's goals. They spent so much time together to begin with because they were both in so deep, and maybe that's part of why they're having this talk now, but the fact that Marco's hand is marked and his isn't means that isn't all there ever was to them. It means their love is their own, not just secondary to their positions within the arcade.
He can't support Elias. He never will again, more than likely. But he can support Marco through his continued dealings with Elias. He knows why Marco stays better than anyone. He can't pretend he wouldn't be the first to be overjoyed if Marco stopped letting himself be led around by a dead child, but in the end that's Marco's realization to have. In the here and now he loves Marco much, much more than he disapproves of Elias. He sure as hell isn't going to let Elias drive a wedge between them ever again.]
Ah. We could do it at dusk, maybe? Try and hit a time most everyone can handle. It'll be a little early for some but it might make for great pictures.
[Fall sunsets are nothing to sneeze at.]
He can't support Elias. He never will again, more than likely. But he can support Marco through his continued dealings with Elias. He knows why Marco stays better than anyone. He can't pretend he wouldn't be the first to be overjoyed if Marco stopped letting himself be led around by a dead child, but in the end that's Marco's realization to have. In the here and now he loves Marco much, much more than he disapproves of Elias. He sure as hell isn't going to let Elias drive a wedge between them ever again.]
Ah. We could do it at dusk, maybe? Try and hit a time most everyone can handle. It'll be a little early for some but it might make for great pictures.
[Fall sunsets are nothing to sneeze at.]
Oh my goodness, you're right. The colours, the...! Oh, but the cameras here wouldn't do it justice.
[And there's that glint in Marco's eyes, the very particular one that he gets when he talks about certain technological commodities of the modern world. He isn't even that into photography, but come on, a 2016 high-end smartphone could take far more beautiful pictures than the (admittedly charming and vintage) cameras they have here!
(The glint he gets when he talks about Fiddleford is different. Less manic, more fond.)]
Should I ask Mana if she can get us modern equipment? Oh, no, that would probably be expensive. And we would have to teach a local how to work with it, wouldn't we? Could you reverse-engineer a camera?
[And there's that glint in Marco's eyes, the very particular one that he gets when he talks about certain technological commodities of the modern world. He isn't even that into photography, but come on, a 2016 high-end smartphone could take far more beautiful pictures than the (admittedly charming and vintage) cameras they have here!
(The glint he gets when he talks about Fiddleford is different. Less manic, more fond.)]
Should I ask Mana if she can get us modern equipment? Oh, no, that would probably be expensive. And we would have to teach a local how to work with it, wouldn't we? Could you reverse-engineer a camera?
Well -- hm. It's not my specialty, y'know. With some work, maybe? I'd have to take a couple apart to get a feel for them.
[And he'd want it to be better than 'well maybe this will work'.]
Maybe Soeki could do it. He still has his phone, right? The picture quality on it was fantastic. But then you get the problem of how to get the pictures off the phone, because I'd want copies, y'know, to hang on the walls and all...
[It's a dilemma to be sure. Ryslig just has to make everything that much more complicated.]
[And he'd want it to be better than 'well maybe this will work'.]
Maybe Soeki could do it. He still has his phone, right? The picture quality on it was fantastic. But then you get the problem of how to get the pictures off the phone, because I'd want copies, y'know, to hang on the walls and all...
[It's a dilemma to be sure. Ryslig just has to make everything that much more complicated.]
Uh, maybe I could ask Mana for a cable instead. Wait, would I have to install iTunes? I don't think I have iTunes on my computer... [He huffs.] This is why highly proprietary software is a terrible idea.
[... You know, maybe he's overthinking this.]
Actually, I'm not sure what the professional photography equipment here is like. It might be better than what I'm picturing.
[... You know, maybe he's overthinking this.]
Actually, I'm not sure what the professional photography equipment here is like. It might be better than what I'm picturing.
We could shop around. No harm in that.
[The Macbook might have iTunes, but considering he has no way to get music into it it's not like he's ever used it. The macbook is more a personal diary and curiosity for him to hack (but gently, so as not to accidentally break the damn thing. He'd never forgive himself if he bricked such a thoughtful gift, unsettlingly-familiar logo on the back notwithstanding). That's about all it's good for here and that's just fine.]
We'll probably have to do that for a few things. Clothes, at least, because I sure don't own anythin' I'd want to get married in. Food, too, and alcohol. Can't have a weddin' without an open bar.
[The Macbook might have iTunes, but considering he has no way to get music into it it's not like he's ever used it. The macbook is more a personal diary and curiosity for him to hack (but gently, so as not to accidentally break the damn thing. He'd never forgive himself if he bricked such a thoughtful gift, unsettlingly-familiar logo on the back notwithstanding). That's about all it's good for here and that's just fine.]
We'll probably have to do that for a few things. Clothes, at least, because I sure don't own anythin' I'd want to get married in. Food, too, and alcohol. Can't have a weddin' without an open bar.
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