[ after his unexpected (and unceremonious) shard-based contact with Misa, Johnny has learned that it's apparently possible to reach out to any Aion with Communion, not just the ones on his side. The specifics of it aren't clear to him, and he doubts they ever will be; however, no one has shown up to assassinate him and/or take over the Pleroma hideout yet, so it must be safe enough. Since that conversation, his thoughts have drifted, occasionally, to the girl he met and accidentally caused trouble with in Venera. They didn't see each other again after that - understandably, seeing as Johnny was out of it for he-doesn't-even-know-how-long with the illness for most of his time there. Did she make it out alive, even...?
Only one way to find out. After mulling it over for a few days, he decides to try, giving her Shard a distant buzz. ]
Gray...? Is this working? It's Johnny, from Venera.
[ Gray feels the wiggle of an unfamiliar line being cast at her via communion, though she gets the vague feeling that it should be familiar to her. When she takes her shard in hand and opens her mind to whoever is reaching out, she's surprised to hear that it's Johnny; she didn't know either that it was possible to hear from someone of the "other side."
She has to concentrate a little harder than usual — because of distance? because he's with the Pleroma? — but she does her best to establish a good connection with him. Her "communion voice" is reminiscent of a soft tissue landing gently on one's face, and now it lands on Johnny's face. ]
Mr. Johnny! Yes, I hear you. Is everything alright?
[ Never mind that they're supposed to be enemies... ]
[ "Mr. Johnny." Cute. The connection is tenuous, but she may be able to feel a little twinge of amusement at the moniker. ]
Yeah... I'm fine. I was just, you know, wonderin' how you made out in Venera. Things got pretty dangerous towards the end there...
[ as he speaks, he becomes aware that this might be weird, seeing as they are, indeed, supposed to be enemies, but he also finds that he doesn't care all that much, ultimately. The division of their group still feels arbitrary to him, and the Pleroma and Kenoma are alien entities even now. ]
[ He may feel a bump of surprise as she listens to him. Though they did have a... memorable time investigating in Venera, she didn't think he'd care to think of her afterward. She wonders if his deeper intent is to collect information from someone who seems like an easy target — she can't see why else he would bother with her — but she doesn't know if he's the type to put a lot of effort into snooping in that way. ]
I made it out alright... though, um, I did end up speaking with the entity that caused the disease.
[ That probably isn't sensitive information... she thinks. ]
Oh, no. I wasn't part of that group. My companions and I only talked to it for a bit before it went away. And... I wouldn't want to make a deal with it if I could help it.
[ Despite being an Innocent herself, she would have immense misgivings about making a pact with such a creature. She can't see much good about becoming its champion, no matter how well-meaning it was. ]
As far as I know, the Regent wasn't particularly upset. Maybe... surprisingly so.
[ The Regent was pretty laid back when they spoke to her... ]
[ apparently, Johnny also considers it surprising. Then again, he hasn't met the Regent. You can't get a whole world listening to you (or shaking in their boots) if you're not good with people, he presumes; maybe they're good at making people feel comfortable, only laying into their subjects when they've convinced said subjects they deserve it. ]
Well, that's good. I thought they might... I dunno, put you in a dungeon or something for failing.
The Regent's been alive for a very long time. I think small things don't bother them so much anymore. They seem like a, um, bigger picture kind of person.
[ Maybe even slightly, surprisingly nice?? If still intimidating. And then the Regent's address happened... ]
[ slightly disparaging. He's not down for destroying the world anyway, but doing it on a whim would be even worse. ]
Well, anyway... I don't trust that guy, so I hope the other Kenoma are taking care of you. [ a beat. ] I got real sick in Venera, but I'm all right. That Eustace guy helped me out. You know him?
[ She took it for granted that Johnny came out alright because he seems like he would come out of anything alright in the end. Mention of Eustace is more of a surprise, and Johnny may feel a small pleased sunburst in its wake. ]
Yes, I know him. He helped me too... Actually, he's been very mindful of my well-being since I arrived here.
[ Eustace may or may not just feel guilty because he was the one who recruited her into the Kenoma, but she chooses to believe that he's a naturally kind and nurturing person behind that massive gun of his. ]
You two seem like you would get along. You're both very... cool.
[ he figured she'd know him, because Eustace has given Johnny the impression that he's the type of busybody who would immediately start looking after Gray. Smugly, he notes that it sounds like he was right. Johnny doesn't trust Eustace farther than he could throw him, but at least there's someone over who sort of cares about Gray - he can tell she thinks highly of him, anyway, which is a point in his direction.
What he wasn't expecting was for Gray to say he's cool?! He's very genuinely bewildered by that sentiment - enough that he's willing to overlook the comparison to Eustace, which irritates him for some reason. ]
Cool? [ if it came from anyone else, he'd assume he was being made fun of. ] Hah... First time I've heard that in a couple years. You're weird.
[ dismissive, but not unkind... he seems tickled. ]
[ She startles when he calls her weird, then again when he accuses her of hating the poor Veneran lady's art. ]
N-No, I... Well, I didn't understand very much of it, but...
[ Hate is a strong feeling to have toward what looked like children's drawings manifested into sculptures. She wouldn't have spent money on the stuff in a million years, but maybe it's just because she isn't artistic enough to get it...? ]
I meant that you have a cool demeanor... I think. If it sounded weird, please forget I said anything...
[ Wipe it from your brain like she's now trying to do... ]
[ The comment about compliments from girls seems to come from left field, and Gray's brain hiccups as it grapples with the statement being both funny (weird-funny) and quite sad. He's only been nice to her so far despite having very few reasons to be. She feels like that's proof enough of his praiseworthiness... She makes a note to compliment him more in the future. ]
Do you not get along with him?
[ She thinks being compared to Eustace should be a high compliment. She should be so lucky as to be compared to him someday. It will absolutely never happen, but if it did happen, she'd feel quite nice about it. ]
[ it could happen!! they have the same hair color, so there's one thing... ]
It's not that, exactly... He's one of those guys that's hard to read.
[ he keeps showing up when Johnny is in trouble - and Johnny, being Johnny, finds it suspicious, especially since Eustace's bearing is never particularly friendly. ]
When I first showed up here, he's the one who found me, technically.
[ Can he hear the approval in her communion voice... because it's there. ]
He doesn't say much more than what he needs to, but he's always thoughtful. And if you seem like you need help, he'll always be there for you... He isn't as scary as he looks.
[ a scoff. ] He ain't scary-looking with those big fox ears on his head.
[ they're very silly!! Unless she's referring specifically to the huge gun he's seen Eustace carrying around - that's another story. In any case, now Johnny's wondering how many of these traits Gray apparently thinks he shares with Eustace. ]
But I'm glad you've got someone over there you can rely on. That Regent shouldn't be employing kids in the first place.
[ Johnny's mindfulness of her age momentarily takes her aback, even though she knows on a gut level that good people don't make teenagers fight their wars for them. At the same time, she's already used to following the whims of irresponsible adults, so for someone in her life to (rightfully) point out that she is, actually, a child who shouldn't be asked to do dangerous work, it's depressingly shocking.
At the same time, she doesn't want to be coddled either, so... ]
Um, what should the Regent be having me do instead then?
Huh? [ the question was evidently one he hadn't been anticipating, and he flounders for a moment. ] I don't know... Going to school?
[ it's hypocritical for him to suggest this when he'd stopped going around her age to focus on his racing career, but at the same time, he'd like to think that racing horses is a more acceptable mode of employment than "death cult infantry." ]
[ That's probably a good thing. The Pleroma sure are soft on their youths. ]
There's only one Aion here younger than me [except Majorita really isn't] but I think she likes to fight. I think... on average... your Aions are probably a bit more mild-mannered than ours.
[ that gets a little laugh out of him, despite everything. ]
I don't know about that. We've got some crazy folks here, too. [ not naming names but hayame ] ... I'm saying all this, but do you actually know how to fight?
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communion... gotta get this in before the next event
Only one way to find out. After mulling it over for a few days, he decides to try, giving her Shard a distant buzz. ]
Gray...? Is this working? It's Johnny, from Venera.
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She has to concentrate a little harder than usual — because of distance? because he's with the Pleroma? — but she does her best to establish a good connection with him. Her "communion voice" is reminiscent of a soft tissue landing gently on one's face, and now it lands on Johnny's face. ]
Mr. Johnny! Yes, I hear you. Is everything alright?
[ Never mind that they're supposed to be enemies... ]
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Yeah... I'm fine. I was just, you know, wonderin' how you made out in Venera. Things got pretty dangerous towards the end there...
[ as he speaks, he becomes aware that this might be weird, seeing as they are, indeed, supposed to be enemies, but he also finds that he doesn't care all that much, ultimately. The division of their group still feels arbitrary to him, and the Pleroma and Kenoma are alien entities even now. ]
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I made it out alright... though, um, I did end up speaking with the entity that caused the disease.
[ That probably isn't sensitive information... she thinks. ]
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I heard a bunch of you made some kind of promise with it... Didn't know you were one of 'em, though.
[ the specifics of whatever deal was made with the entity are unknown to him, too. ]
You all better not have made some crazy deal with that thing. Did your boss get mad at you for not taking it back with you?
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[ Despite being an Innocent herself, she would have immense misgivings about making a pact with such a creature. She can't see much good about becoming its champion, no matter how well-meaning it was. ]
As far as I know, the Regent wasn't particularly upset. Maybe... surprisingly so.
[ The Regent was pretty laid back when they spoke to her... ]
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[ apparently, Johnny also considers it surprising. Then again, he hasn't met the Regent. You can't get a whole world listening to you (or shaking in their boots) if you're not good with people, he presumes; maybe they're good at making people feel comfortable, only laying into their subjects when they've convinced said subjects they deserve it. ]
Well, that's good. I thought they might... I dunno, put you in a dungeon or something for failing.
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The Regent's been alive for a very long time. I think small things don't bother them so much anymore. They seem like a, um, bigger picture kind of person.
[ Maybe even slightly, surprisingly nice?? If still intimidating.
And then the Regent's address happened...]no subject
[ slightly disparaging. He's not down for destroying the world anyway, but doing it on a whim would be even worse. ]
Well, anyway... I don't trust that guy, so I hope the other Kenoma are taking care of you. [ a beat. ] I got real sick in Venera, but I'm all right. That Eustace guy helped me out. You know him?
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Yes, I know him. He helped me too... Actually, he's been very mindful of my well-being since I arrived here.
[ Eustace may or may not just feel guilty because he was the one who recruited her into the Kenoma, but she chooses to believe that he's a naturally kind and nurturing person behind that massive gun of his. ]
You two seem like you would get along. You're both very... cool.
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What he wasn't expecting was for Gray to say he's cool?! He's very genuinely bewildered by that sentiment - enough that he's willing to overlook the comparison to Eustace, which irritates him for some reason. ]
Cool? [ if it came from anyone else, he'd assume he was being made fun of. ] Hah... First time I've heard that in a couple years. You're weird.
[ dismissive, but not unkind... he seems tickled. ]
You must've really hated that lady's sculptures.
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N-No, I... Well, I didn't understand very much of it, but...
[ Hate is a strong feeling to have toward what looked like children's drawings manifested into sculptures. She wouldn't have spent money on the stuff in a million years, but maybe it's just because she isn't artistic enough to get it...? ]
I meant that you have a cool demeanor... I think. If it sounded weird, please forget I said anything...
[ Wipe it from your brain like she's now trying to do... ]
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... Nah, I'm gonna remember it. I don't get many compliments from girls anymore.
[ it's nice that someone thinks he's cool even if he's a loser in a wheelchair. He doesn't believe it, but it's nice. ]
I'll forgive you for comparing me to Eustace. [ a beat. ] But I figured he was the kind of guy that might look after you.
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Do you not get along with him?
[ She thinks being compared to Eustace should be a high compliment. She should be so lucky as to be compared to him someday. It will absolutely never happen, but if it did happen, she'd feel quite nice about it. ]
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It's not that, exactly... He's one of those guys that's hard to read.
[ he keeps showing up when Johnny is in trouble - and Johnny, being Johnny, finds it suspicious, especially since Eustace's bearing is never particularly friendly. ]
When I first showed up here, he's the one who found me, technically.
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[ Can he hear the approval in her communion voice... because it's there. ]
He doesn't say much more than what he needs to, but he's always thoughtful. And if you seem like you need help, he'll always be there for you... He isn't as scary as he looks.
[ Her experience might be slightly skewed. But. ]
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[ they're very silly!! Unless she's referring specifically to the huge gun he's seen Eustace carrying around - that's another story. In any case, now Johnny's wondering how many of these traits Gray apparently thinks he shares with Eustace. ]
But I'm glad you've got someone over there you can rely on. That Regent shouldn't be employing kids in the first place.
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At the same time, she doesn't want to be coddled either, so... ]
Um, what should the Regent be having me do instead then?
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[ it's hypocritical for him to suggest this when he'd stopped going around her age to focus on his racing career, but at the same time, he'd like to think that racing horses is a more acceptable mode of employment than "death cult infantry." ]
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Would you want to go back to school?
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... No.
[ ok, he can't argue with that... he didn't like regular American school, and he's sure kenoma school would be worse...... ]
Okay, maybe not school, but definitely not fighting people.
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Do your younger Aions not fight?
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[ a beat. ]
Or... I guess we do, but no, he doesn't fight. [ he's never met Yuya, so it took a moment to remember him. ] Not that I know about, anyway.
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[ That's probably a good thing. The Pleroma sure are soft on their youths. ]
There's only one Aion here younger than me [except Majorita really isn't] but I think she likes to fight. I think... on average... your Aions are probably a bit more mild-mannered than ours.
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I don't know about that. We've got some crazy folks here, too. [ not naming names but hayame ] ... I'm saying all this, but do you actually know how to fight?
[ WHAT was gray doing back home... ]
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