❀ nero turner

[cranelike]

Comments

[perfectdistance]

[he's still going.]

Gettin' sick is the worst.

[cranelike]

I'd rather be hurt than sick.

(Which leads him to the reason for his visit...)

How are you today, Nero-kun?

[perfectdistance]

Not dead, so that's a plus.

[cranelike]

(...)

It is.

(At least he's alive.)

Nero-kun, I've never been one to press others to speak or act. (He's always been content to let people say and do as little or as much as they want in the moment.) And I understand that you have been through a great ordeal.

But will you tell me what happened? I want to understand you.

[perfectdistance]

[This is the worst possible thing you could say to him.

To be understood is terrifying. To be known a horrifying thought.

He's reluctant before he speaks.]

... On... Thursday?

[cranelike]

(Honestly, it's something Tsurumaru can relate to which is why he's being patient and gentle,)

Yes.

As much or as little as you'd like. (The same as before when they spoke about their memories.) I can always ask the others but I chose you first.

[perfectdistance]

[... Slowly-]

We went to some other town. I don't know where it was, but it was called Hinamizawa.

[cranelike]

(The name is clearly Japanese and Tsurumaru tilts his head to one side.)

It sounds like a name from back home... but I've never heard of it.

[perfectdistance]

Right. It seemed like I knew the whole place, even though I'd never been there before. Assumin' it was the same for the other three.

[cranelike]

It was more than just a town, though.

(Frowning at Nero to continue because.... ordinary towns don't return you with knife wounds in your stomach?)

[perfectdistance]

Somethin' was wrong with it.

[Ugh.]

Every time we died we restarted back where we began.

[cranelike]

You died.

(It's not a question. Nero, explain.)

[perfectdistance]

Twice. Somethin' about that town... made us turn on each other.

[cranelike]

...You killed each other. Were you aware of what was happening to you?

[perfectdistance]

The second time... I felt an itch and I was sure they were gonna kill me.

The last time I didn't stay with the group.

[cranelike]

(Raising a brow at the itch part but he can only assume it's something more metaphorical? Like an itch or a prickling feeling one gets in their mind when something is happening...)

Where did you go?

[perfectdistance]

To the school. I just made curry.

Dunno what happened with the rest of the group.

[cranelike]

And which one hurt you?

(Which one cut his stomach.)

[perfectdistance]

[...

Silence.]

[cranelike]

(...)

Alright.

(He'll let it go.)

All of these adventures have been related to our situation in one way or another. Did you find the connection? Do you think the town was related to anywhere we've been? Or did you find anything out of place there?

[perfectdistance]

[A slight nod.]

I don't think it was related, but we did get a note.

[cranelike]

Like the castle.

(Some place related to a person, then? He wonders who that could be...)

What did it say?

[perfectdistance]

"This explosion would not only change the world we know, but the worlds we would never see."

[cranelike]

(Squints,)

What did the writing look like...?

[perfectdistance]

Yelena has the original.