A Warning and a Check-in

[ninjayeehaw]

[There's a sense of mild panic flashing onto the network.]

Anyone else with giant lizard wings-- be careful out in the sun. 'less y'all wanna risk gettin' turned back into a statue.

[And then it cools off a little, sounding calmer as he continues.]

If anyone needs a hand with bein' a Stonefolk, I got a whole heap 'f info on 'em dumped in my head, an' I don't doubt other people do too, so make sure t'ask if y'all ain't sure on somethin'.

But I s'pose the better question is, who have we got kickin' 'round the Investigatin' side a' things? This is Kinji, fer all the new folks, I'm up on Thunder Mountain.

Comments

[senpaidol]

I think it really suits you, Naoki-kun.

[Says the rabbit. The shameless, shameless rabbit.]

[leftbehindagain]

You're not helping.

[senpaidol]

Gee, all of a sudden, you're acting awfully--

[Please interrupt her.]

[shiroganeheir]

Rise.

[There is totally a lineface involved.]

[senpaidol]

Yes?

[PICTURE OF INNOCENCE.]

[shiroganeheir]

Don't be rude.

[leftbehindagain]

Thank you, Naoto.

[senpaidol]

Okay. I just...like us being cute animal people this time. Is it weird to be excited about that? I mean, it probably is...

[shiroganeheir]

I'm a mouse, Rise. With a blue deerstalker hat.

[senpaidol]

And you're adorable!

I mean it's a little weird in other ways, but. So cute.

[shiroganeheir]

... I think I'm supposed to be Basil of Baker Street. Perhaps I should go by Basil.

[Is that a slight excited squeak? Definitely.]

Everyone needs a mouse detective, right?

[senpaidol]

Well, it couldn't hurt around here. Actually, if you're sure of a name, I can introduce you around. Naoki and I are real animal boys and girls as far as this world's concerned.

[shiroganeheir]

Yes. Let's use Basil and... something for a secondary name if I need one. Basil Whitebell, maybe?

[senpaidol]

That should work! It's a good thing your name actually sounds cool when you split up the kanji like that. Mine doesn't even really work that way.

[leftbehindagain]

Don't.

[Private, double protected, some time later]

I'm sorry for snapping. It's... you have some idea of how this half-overlay situation goes.

He still thinks he might be able to save his sister. I didn't do very well with grief the first time around. [He's unsure how much of that this Rise was aware of, given that he wasn't a direct part of Souji's group. But given that Naoki suspects that would've left him at least twice as irritable, she probably has some idea regardless.]

Double Protection across the sky

[senpaidol]

He does? I mean...ooooh, he does, doesn't he? Wow, way to listen to your own self, self. Not like she's not involved, either.

Sorry for being so...me about it, there is a serious problem here, and I didn't think about how everyone connected to it... but on the plus side, helping her might be what we're here to do?

what does it mean?????

[leftbehindagain]

It's been long enough that the chance is... very slim. But if nothing else, the research might help someone else. [It's not a wasted effort by any means, but it's really not putting him in a good frame of mind.]

[senpaidol]

So he might be in the same position you were, basically.

[Wow, multiverse, way to kick a guy in the pants.]

[leftbehindagain]

Not quite. We didn't know how to change things until it was too late.

[And that hasn't necessarily stopped Naoki from wishing they had worked it out in time, even though there was no way they could have.]

[helborn]

Prickly?

[Look, he couldn't not.]