[OPEN]

[evocation]

WHO: Kyna + various
WHERE: All over!
WHEN: June 2512
WHAT: August catchall! Catching up, settling in, all that fun stuff.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Will add as needed! If anyone wants a starter hmu cephalopods

Comments

[variate]

[ no matter how good of a cook Ren's become (between cooking for Akechi, cooking with Tomoe, figuring out certain things for himself, and working in Red Wings' kitchen), he still won't turn down a free meal. it's the attic-living high school student in him that the siren call appeals to. if it weren't for the situation, he'd probably still be eating various kinds of stuffed savory breads and cup noodles and calling it a meal. ]

Ian's staying here?

[ there's a little bit of curiosity, as he's more surprised than teasing. ]

[evocation]

[She rolls her eyes, as though utterly put out by this.]

Yeah, he is.

[And then she gestures to the table, covered in what looks like junk. Ian's tinkering, apparently.]

He was staying in the safehouse, so he didn't have anywhere to go, you know?

[variate]

Yeah, I get it.

[ she doesn't have to say anything else, because he definitely gets it. for a moment his eyes linger at where Ian had been tinkering with things, because that's definitely someone making themselves at home. ]

This place is nice, but it might be lonely by yourself.

[evocation]

I've got another roommate, too. I'm popular.

[Or cursed. Maybe both.]

[variate]

I'll trust you on that.

[ with his usual deep, deadpan tone.

he does pick up a little bit of Ian's junk. for a moment, he misses making lockpicks. ]

[evocation]

[She sticks her tongue out at him, oh so maturely.]

What, are you a tinkerer too?

[variate]

[ kind of.

lockpicks and Goho-M are kind of obsolete here. relearning skills that were useful in this world had been a something that he had been getting through. ]

Not for a while. It hasn't really come up.

[ as in, it hasn't be useful. ]

Who's your other roommate?

[evocation]

Lance. He's kind of new.

[Relatively, anyway. She's quiet for a moment as she goes to join him at the table, picking up one of the parts and turning it over in her hand.]

Actually, um... Something weird happened with that.

[variate]

[ there's a tilt of his head as he turns to her. ]

What's something weird?

[evocation]

[Kyna doesn't look up at him, just keeps tinkering with the part in her hands as she tries to figure out how to explain.]

He was in a place before this, right? And he said he knew a... version of me there.

[variate]

[ a place before this.

there are questions that he has, but he lets them go for now. the most important part of the exchange is that she almost seems disturbed about it. ]

Does another version mean you don't remember?

[evocation]

[She nods at that, wrinkling her nose. Just to give herself something to do, she wanders over to the fridge and starts digging out food.]

I don't remember any of it. He said we're different, anyway.

[variate]

[ his dark eyes follow her, and he lifts a hand to rub his nose under the glasses. ]

So he knows you, but you don't know much about him.

[ there's something about those words that sounds almost unnatural. Ren had always built his bonds getting to know others, an exchange that let them know about him.

there's a gap there. ]

...

That's uncomfortable.

[evocation]

[Kyna starts stacking tupperware on the kitchen table, shoving Ian's stuff out of the way. When she looks back up at Ren, there's relief in her eyes. He gets it.]

Yeah. Not everything matches up, but... enough does, you know? He already knows things I don't really talk to anyone about.

[variate]

[ he heads over to help her, sliding over the tupperware when it makes a neat little stack to make room. ]

Were you two close?

...

The you that he knew, I mean.

[evocation]

Like siblings, he said.

[So, yes, and she's just going to grab some plates and silverware like this is all chill and normal. Nothing to see here.]

They talked every day and went through a lot together, I guess.

[variate]

[ it might be the mundane motions of preparing food that are keeping her level when she's talking about this, so he doesn't mind. when she brings out the silverware, he helps her put things together. ]

Do you think someone can still be you if they don't have the same experiences?

[ quiet, thoughtful. ]

[evocation]

[That gets her to pause, pulling up short as the plates clunk down.]

Uh.

[Always with the deep questions blindsiding her, Ren. She chews on her lip for a second, and her voice is softer when she responds.]

I don't know. It sounds like our families are the same, and she could use magic, too.

[So, the basic building blocks are the same. She's not sure what that means.]

[variate]

[ distorted desires, wants and needs—those were all part of someone, and they all changed depending on the situation. there could be several explanations for Kyna: she could have lost some of her memories, there could be another one of her, or something else could have happened. it's still within the realm of possibility considering their circumstances. ]

Your roommate doesn't expect you to be the same, does he?

[ he supposes that's the big question, isn't it? ]

[evocation]

He says he doesn't.

[She starts scooping food onto the plates—some sort of Thai curry.]

I should probably believe him, right? But I keep wondering if he will, just... subconsciously.

[Because how could he not? She imagines she would. The only real comparison she has is the two versions of Jason she knows, but that seems like a different situation entirely. They're easy to think of as separate. They aren't even the same age.]

[variate]

[ when she scoops out the first bit, he takes the plate and passes her the empty one. ]

Subconsciously isn't really his fault. If he says he won't do it if he can help it, then all you can do is trust that.

[ it wouldn't be fair to hold her roommate to a standard that he technically can't reach without some level of awareness. ]

[evocation]

Yeah, I guess you're right.

[She's being a little unreasonable, probably, but it's still in the back of her mind. Weirdly, it isn't something she thinks about much when she's with Lance—everything feels normal when they're together. When she's alone, though, that's when the worries pop up.]

Why does this place make everything so fucking complicated?

[variate]

[ well, he can't exactly blame her for being unreasonable, it's not really something that most people have to deal with. it makes him wonder if there's another Ren with one set of memories, and himself with the current set of memories—and what happened after Maruki's palace. ]

You should talk to him about it.

[ those thoughts. ]

Otherwise you'll keep thinking about this other you.

[evocation]

We did talk about it. I mean... once, anyway.

[She's guessing Ren thinks they should talk about it again, which is probably true, but man does she not want to.]

I think he felt kind of weird about it too, you know? They should make a manual for this shit.

[variate]

[ there's a little nod. how could that not be weird? there were assumptions already about what kind of person Kyna was, even subconsciously. ]

You should tell him what you told me.

[ he clarifies a little more, setting the plate on the counter. ]

Then you'll have your answer, too. I don't think you can avoid it, but he can be open to knowing you're different, and accepting of the way that you're changing. That's what friendship's about.