Audience: Shinobu

[gatonina]

Comments

[wisterin]

That's fine. What if I simply want to get to know you better? Trust can only come if I get to learn more about you.

[gatonina]

Fair, fair. What would you like to know? We can play 20 Questions.

[wisterin]

Twenty questions?

[ This cultural divide because she's from before Japan got too much western influence. ]

Are there rules?

[ Since they said play. ]

[gatonina]

Yup! We take turns asking questions, until we've asked twenty questions total. Simple, right?

[wisterin]

[ She nods. ]

All right. What's your favorite thing to do?

[gatonina]

[they tilt their head, tapping a finger against their chin thoughtfully.]

Well, I like to read... What about you? Same question.

[wisterin]

I love ghost stories.

[ It's her canon stated interest. It's the best thing. ]

But what I like to do more than that is helping others. Do you have a pet peeve?

[gatonina]

I think we can both agree that helping others is awesome.

[that said...]

It drives me up the wall when someone doesn't flush the toilet after using it. Like, please clean up after yourself. [blease.] What kind of story is your least favorite?

[wisterin]

It's such a simple thing to flush.

[ She has only learned about modern plumbing days ago, and she doesn't understand why it's such a problem for people to do it. ]

I don't care for stories without happy endings. Life is already unhappy enough. [ And happiness is such a precious, fragile thing. ] What's your family like?

[gatonina]

I think we can both agree on that. Unhappy endings are super unsatisfying.

[either way, they pause... and tilt their head. when they respond, they sound a little confused and caught off-guard.]

Uh. I know what a family is, but we don't really...

[wisterin]

You don't have families?

[ Shionbu's expression softens. That's sad. ]

What do you consider Purple Heart-san and Black Shadow-san? Who are they to you?

[gatonina]

[they make a sound, like they're about to respond-- and then they shake their head.]

Two questions in a row. It's my turn to ask a question, remember? [a tsk-tsk.] What's one thing you like about your world?

[wisterin]

Ah, my apologies.

[ She does sound apologetic and gracious enough about forgetting the rules. ]

Just one thing? [ She's silent for a moment, as she tries to pinpoint it. ] The sunrise means that hope can come.

[gatonina]

Oh? That's... really poetic, actually.

[wisterin]

Is it? It's practical, too. The sun turns demons into ash where I'm from.

[ The day is always safer than the night. ]

Will you answer what are Black Shadows-san and Purple Heart-san to you?

[gatonina]

Oh. That sounds-- helpful.

[big yikes.]

Sure? It's not really a secret. We're, like, roommates. Friends. [a shrug.] Why the curiosity?

[wisterin]

It's good to have friends, and friends can be like family, too.

More than that, they can be your family, if that's what you all want.

[gatonina]

Oh. So that's it... [they hum.] I guess they could be, but I don't know if P and B put any weight on the concept of... "family." Or if they even care for the label.