green meguca approaches

[notliketheothers]

I'll do my best to help you, although... to be honest, I'm not exactly sure what that entails. It sounds like you're doing writing exercises for English class, only...well, about understanding me, as opposed to sentence structure, which is... really very flattering, but I hope this isn't some kind of horrible experiment...

Uhm, this is a little nerve-wracking, isn't it?

Well, there's no other solution. Let's keep practicing until we get it right.

Oh, and... thank you. For taking an interest in me.

Comments

[sagittaspei]

Hitomi-chan! It's so good to see you!

[ HELLO FRIEND ]

[notliketheothers]

Oh, hello!

Are you mixed up in something like this, too, Madoka-san?

[sagittaspei]

Ehehe, well, to tell the truth I have been for a while. Let's see, it's... wow, maybe three years or so by now? It's pretty nerve-wracking at first, huh?

[notliketheothers]

It must get easier over time, right? Although, I wonder if it stops ever feeling so practiced --I think I'd stumble over my words much more, if player-san didn't keep deleting the more awkward phrases.

[sagittaspei]

Mm... I think it can depend on the situation sometimes, but... yeah, things do get easier! So I bet with enough practice you'll soon be feeling much more comfortable, Hitomi-chan!

Do you think you'll be going anywhere yet? A lot of the different places can be pretty interesting, but I think I'd be a little worried about you if you ended up in some of them.

[notliketheothers]

Talking with you might be making it better, too. Doing this alone... it'd be harder to know when I've stumbled. But I'm sure I can do it, Madoka-san!

I'm not sure, either. I wouldn't want to miss class, and my family would worry if I was gone too long...

[sagittaspei]

Mmhm! Do your best, okay?

[ ah, that's their honour student... ] Ehehe, that's just like you, Hitomi-chan. Mm, I think time tends to stop back home when you're in a lot of those places, though, which is kind a relief to know that people won't be worrying... oh, except for the one that was an internet community, but that was a little different to the rest.

[notliketheothers]

Hmm. But if we're in some far off place, how would we know time truly stopped? Is there a way to go back home to check?

[sagittaspei]

Well, sometimes people just get forced back home for a while, and they usually end up back when they came from...

[notliketheothers]

Forced back home? They don't leave on their own, do they?

[sagittaspei]

Ah... um, well, I don't want to worry you, Hitomi-chan, but... I've never seen it happen, no.

[notliketheothers]

Oh... Oh, that's terrible! Is it like that at all of these games -- besides that one you mentioned that was hosted online?

Wait, you said... you said you've been played for three years, didn't you? Madoka-san, have you been gone all this time, stuck in one of these horrible places?!

[sagittaspei]

Um, I'm not really sure... I think that for most places, it might be. Ahh, Hitomi-chan, I'm really sorry! This really isn't a nice conversation to have--

--Eh?! Eh, no, no, no, it's not like that at all! Um, at least, for the first two years I was part of the one that was online, so I wasn't really gone at all [ ahaha let's not mention how messed up their own world was during the course of that stint, though ], and the one I've been at since then hasn't been anything I can't handle, and I've made plenty of friends there to help me out when things aren't that great, so...!

[ LET'S ALSO NOT MENTION THE "NOT EXISTING BACK HOME ANYMORE EXCEPT AS A CONCEPT NO ONE REMEMBERS" THING EITHER ]

[wasbrave]

It's sort of like an experiment. But I guess it's not horrible for everyone.

[notliketheothers]

Would it be horrible for you?

[wasbrave]

Some of it has been. But I got sent into a war.

[notliketheothers]

A war...? It doesn't sound like some kind of metaphor....

[wasbrave]

It's not. It's very literally a war. You can guess why that's not pretty.

[notliketheothers]

Oh...

If it's like the place where my friend is, then... Are you stuck there, too?

[wasbrave]

I am. But I found friends here, so I can't say it's all bad.

[notliketheothers]

I wonder how common that is....

Say, do you know her? Madoka Kaname is her name.

[wasbrave]

No, we haven't met. Sorry. Uhm, my name's Tris, by the way.

[notliketheothers]

Oh, that's okay. It seemed like a bit of a long shot, anyway.

And I'm Hitomi Shizuki.

[wasbrave]

Nice to meet you, I guess. I mean, circumstances are kind of up in the air.

[notliketheothers]

Well, it doesn't seem like there's any sort of war here, so I'm sure this must be a step up in some ways.