[Audio]

[neverfeltthatway]

[For once, Armin sends only his voice and not his image over the network - something anyone paying attention might note is unusual, if not without precedent.]

Hello, everyone. I... I have the list of Travelers who disappeared this jaunt. Meaning they've probably either gone home, or they're stuck in a dungeon somewhere and they'll turn up again later.

It may not be a complete list, but... it's the closest I could get. [He takes a deep breath.] Here goes: Giovanni, Kain, Ravit, Ace, Shuu, Quinn, Ruvik, Souji - er, Souji Okita, that is - Tsurumaru, Annabel, and Ky.

I'm sorry.

Comments

[backwordscompatible]

...wasn't that the Jaunt where you said you met your girlfriend?

[It had been a while since they'd had that conversation, but it did sound vaguely familiar.]

[neverfeltthatway]

[A bit of an embarrassed smile creeps into his voice.] She was the heir to the other mob family - the one nearly at war with mine.

We ran away together.

[backwordscompatible]

So you two pulled a Romeo and Juliet. ...or was it West Side Story?

[Same story, really. Only one had a lot more singing and dancing.]

Either way, I can't say I had the same experience. Exactly.

One dance doesn't really count for anything.

[neverfeltthatway]

I've heard people mention Romeo and Juliet before, but I don't know the story - and nobody's explained what they're talking about in any detail.

[Both the amused and embarrassed tones are accentuated a bit when he responds.]

I didn't really mean that part, though. Just... he went to bars and parties, laughed at throwing himself into danger, smiled a lot - at friends and enemies - and cared a lot more than I do about his appearance.

[Physically and otherwise.]

It sounded sort of similar.

[backwordscompatible]

It's an old story written several hundred years ago by a guy named Shakespeare.

The short version is that there was a guy and a girl from two families that hated each other, fell in love at first site, eloped, and then ended up dying because they're actually both a couple of idiots.

[Thank you, Freshman English class.]

...obviously, you and Sansa had a better outcome.

[neverfeltthatway]

All right, that does sound similar. He was popular, Shakespeare? A lot of people seemed to know him.

Right - thankfully for us, of the two of us, I'm the only one who's an idiot.

[He says it completely straight, such that it might take someone a few moments to realize Armin, for once, just told a joke.

Of course, part of that might be to hide the fact that they both literally have died since then, even if it wasn't related to their roles in that jaunt - and even if it didn't stick.]

[backwordscompatible]

[Maybe a few moments, in her case.]

You're not an idiot, Armin.

[neverfeltthatway]

[Now he just sounds embarrassed. That... didn't really go over like he'd intended.]

It... it was s-supposed to be a joke...

[backwordscompatible]

...oh.

Sorry. With you, it's kind of hard to tell.

[neverfeltthatway]

S-sorry. I guess it wasn't really funny...

[backwordscompatible]

[gdi, Armin, don't you be making her feel guilty.]

We can always work on your delivery.

[neverfeltthatway]

[Not his intent! Even if it's the inevitable result.]

O-okay...

[backwordscompatible]

Try not to sound like it's the end of the world.

I grew up on the stage. I know what I'm doing.

[neverfeltthatway]

I was an actor too, in another life. I guess... maybe it just doesn't come off as well with no visual.

[In truth, Armin thinks it's because he's just not that good at it. But he's aware enough to pretend otherwise, for Zatanna's sake.]

[backwordscompatible]

[Or maybe he acted the part a little too well, and knowing what she knew about his personality...well...]

Don't worry about it.

Anyways, I should probably get going. I still have a few other people still here I need to check up on.

[neverfeltthatway]

All right. Maybe we can get together for acting lessons later?

[It sounds perfectly innocent and casual, except for the tiniest emphasis on acting. Armin's hoping she'll recognize it as a euphemism for magic. He doesn't want to say it explicitly, but there are things they need to talk about.]

[backwordscompatible]

[She paused, if only for a second, before realizing what the addition emphasis on acting meant. Oh.]

You know where to find me.