KAINE;

[goalsides]

Comments

weekend zero, sunday

[goalsides]

[at some point in his day, taichi's on his way back toward the dorms from the cafeteria. he doesn't seem to have much of an agenda, looking at his phone as he walks and scrolling through the forum from the dorm heads.

he's focused on that and it means he isn't watching where he's going. luckily for kaine, he has enough sense of spacial awareness that he seems to notice out of his peripheral vision that she's there right before he has a chance to totally crash into her. it also seems to mean that he jumps back, startled, and drops his phone in the grass.]

Whoa. Sorry. You good?

[he didn't even run into her? but it's fine.]

[overshaded]

[ Wish Kainé had the patience to read all those threads but she does not. She does try because it's not like she's stupid enough to ignore everything, but she is a jock and a goth more than a nerd or a prep.

She doesn't seem so surprised when he jumps back away from her but is a little surprised when he asks if she's okay. ]

I'm fine. You didn't touch me.

[ She has her sword in one of her hands. He can notice that easy, especially since she uses it to point at where he dropped his phone. ]

[goalsides]

[at least kaine knows how to read i assume. but it's fine. why does everyone have swords? this seems to be a question he almost wnats to ask out loud because he's staring at it before he moves to grab his phone from the ground.]

Probably for the better. [a nod to the sword. he would prefer not to be accidentally skewered somehow.] ...weird question for you, was that the thing that was waiting for you in your dorm?

[overshaded]

[ she's literate somehow.

She nods, too. ]

I'm good enough to avoid skewering you, but yeah. It was there when I woke up here.

[goalsides]

[don't mind him looking a tiny bit embarrassed about that.]

Right. [but okay.] And was it something you had with you before you woke up here? Back in your own world.

[overshaded]

... Yeah.

[ There's a subtle tilt of her head. ]

Was yours not?

[goalsides]

No. It was something we gave away years ago, so it belongs to somebody else now. I'm not sure why I have it. So I've been asking around.

[overshaded]

[ we?

Well, Kainé isn't someone who thinks too deeply about many things, but... ]

Maybe because it was once yours? And this place doesn't care about time?

[ If time back home is stopped. ]

[goalsides]

It hasn't been mine for...a really, really long time. And it wasn't even mine for long. But maybe. I hadn't thought of it as a time thing.

[like. that's actually a good point.]

week 1, monday

[overshaded]

[ It's lunchtime, Taichi. Where are you? It doesn't matter because Kainé is going to point at him and then jab a thumb in whatever direction the cafeteria is in. ]

Want to grab something to eat?

[ What is social grace. ]

[goalsides]

[cool. self-loathing. he doesn't seem to mind the lack of manners because it's not like he'd do any better, nodding and immediately heading over to join her for a walk to the cafeteria.]

May as well. I was gonna come find you anyway to check in.

[w..hy.]

[overshaded]

[ She could be trying to hit all the tasks this week to test something? It's not like she knows the mods want us to pick out the most icly appropriate one.

But that. Gets her to pause. ]

... What?

[ Why? ]

[goalsides]

[there's a shrug.]

After everything that's been going on, figured I'd check on people.

[it's not really about concern, it's more about if she knows anything. and partially just out of curiosity.]

[overshaded]

... Okay.

[ She means she's okay with it and will maybe humor whatever else he wants to check on. He's going to have to ask more specific questions for more specific answers. ]

[goalsides]

[a nod. okay. but he glances around before continuing to the cafeteria.]

Let's get lunch and we can talk. It's been kind of a crazy weekend.

[kind of.]

[overshaded]

[ She doesn't see anything wrong with kind of.

Sometimes, you're from a video game or from a series that yeets you into a digital world with digital monsters.

Into the cafeteria they go! Kainé can honestly eat a lot, and she doesn't care to hide it. ]

Which crazy part do you wanna talk about?

[goalsides]

[on the bright side? no judgment here. kaine should get to eat everything she wants and also ara you're going to have to live with my non-accented e i'm sorry. regardless, he's going to be grabbing food for himself even as he starts talking.]

Let's start with Friday. Are you surprised at all about what happened?

w4 tuesday

[goalsides]

[here we are in the void, which means that taichi's probably out wandering around just because he can. but after the events of last week, he's definitely made it a priority to be more aware of his surroundings and the people nearby.

with kainé it's different, especially given the things he's learned about her. so he approaches easily and gives her a short wave.]

How're things going?

[overshaded]

[ She waves back and then points at the nearest building that has a table inside. ]

Arm wrestle me, and I'll tell you.

[ She actually wants to check on him more than this, but some things have to happen first. ]

[goalsides]

[i truly forgot this was alpha week and really thought this was just normal. that is to say, he looks at his one good arm and there's a confident nod.]

You're on. [he'll lead them over to the cafeteria probably and enter the building, kicking out two chairs for them before easing down into one and propping his arm up.] Think you can win?

[overshaded]

[ STOP she's aggressive but not like this. i'm in tears. they have equal burns. it's fine.

they're both stupid jocks, and she props her own up and grasps his hand. ]

I know I will.

[ but yeah her vibes are alpha. please don't make me describe it more than that. ]

[goalsides]

[his other wrist is broken and he was half-tempted to use that arm, but it's fine. they are here! he is going to win! the vibes he's busy giving off are also just flat-out competitive it's fine.]

Fine then. On the count of three. One...two...three!

[they are truly stupid jocks, ara flip a coin.]

[overshaded]

[ If he was going to use the arm with a broken wrist, Kainé would straight yeet him.

anyway, three!

]

[goalsides]

[he would deserve it.

but, however, he is using his good arm, so!



it does take effort though because, like, he's a soccer player. he doesn't use his arms the way kainé uses hers by wielding a weapon, and it might just be sheer stubbornness and luck but he does push through and pin her arm to the table.]

I win. [smugsmugsmug.]

[overshaded]

[ Kainé doesn't feel that disappointed at the loss, more pensive, as if wondering if that would be good enough, but for not being disappointed, she puts her arm up again. ]

You did. One more time.

[ If a tentative please could be an emotion, it'd be here. ]