prismatica | text | un: amber [april 3rd, late evening]

[Ren doesn't say anything immediately, but he does keep an eye out for the teen while he's out. The grill absolutely feels odd without Rin's presence there, and unfortunately for Kohaku it seems like no one else is able to turn up a single thing.

He gives it a day, but everyone knows by now what that sort of absence means.

It happened with Jaune, though he came back. It happened most recently with General Ironwood, and he has yet to return.

It's always a crap shoot, and he can't imagine how awful she's feeling right now.]

Do you need some company?

[ The offer is nice, but she's a complete mess and she's ... honestly not sure what she needs right now. ]

i dnno

[ Obviously she could care less about the typoes and lack of anything resembling proper grammar right now. ]

[She needs a friend.

Even Ren knows that.

They don't have to talk, or do anything at all. He just doesn't want her to be alone.]

What's your favorite food?

[ But Ren, she's not hungry-- ]

miso

[ Not even that could make her feel better, to be honest. And miso was a good cure for most things with her. ]

[All the more reason she needs to eat.]

I'll be there in about an hour.

[ Nooooo she looks like a wreck, don't come overrrrr ...

She doesn't really have the energy to argue with him about it, though, and she knows he'll probably come over even if she tells him not to. ]

k

[He will! She went out of her way to help him when he was at his worst, he's going to do the same for her.

Also, Kohaku, if you don't eat what he's bringing he will make the algae drink.]

[ Miso > Algae

Sorry bro

But yeah, whenever he arrives, she's just on the couch in her pajamas and staring into space. Mochi is curled up next to her on the couch and she's absentmindedly petting the little fluffball. ]

[Everything is better than algae, Ren is just deluded in that regard for some reason we will never understand...

But for now she's getting a few different foods, things she can pick at but still get some nutritional value out of. Caihong has some good Asian-inspired food and miso is a common ingredient in a lot of them.

He walks in with his arms laden with paper bags, taking them to the kitchen. The kitten is a new edition, but obviously no replacement for the one she's lost.

He grabs a couple of takeout containers from one of the bag and comes over to the couch, handing one over while being mindful not to disturb the kitty.]

[ She takes the container and holds it in both hands, while Mochi takes the opportunity to get up, stretch, and then move to sniff at the good-smelling human food from the thing that mommy had in her hands. Ordinarily Kohaku would gently prod her away from the human food, not wanting that to become a habit, but she didn't even have it in her to do that. She didn't even open the container, just holding it in her hands and staring down at the floor. ]

Thanks ...

[It not being open at least means she won't be poking around at it, but Ren does gently lift her and move her back, earning a confused look from the kitty before she's put down.]

It is alright to grieve, but you still need to take care of yourself. With help, if need be.

[ She knows he's right, and she is grateful for his help. She knew that, if this did turn out to be a long-term thing, she would move on at some point. Right now, though ... It hurt. A lot.

She finally opens the container, though. ]

I guess it's only fair that this happens to me, too ...

[ Without a proper explanation, Ren wouldn't understand what she meant by that. She wasn't really thinking about context, though.

With the box open, Mochi came back for round 2 of "what's in the good smelling box?" ]

[Sorry, kitty. You're getting put on the floor. Maybe if there's leftovers you can get spoiled with a treat.]

What do you mean by that?

[ She'll introduce you to the cat daughter later. ]

This isn't the first world that Rin and I have been to. We actually met in another one before arriving here.

Oh. I didn't know that.

[He's spoken to a few who didn't have this as their first intergalactic rodeo. Akira comes to mind, actually.

He just hadn't been aware of this fact for Kohaku and her boyfriend.]

I think Rin has talked about it a little on the network, but other than that we haven't exactly been that open about it. We actually come from completely different home worlds, and our first time meeting up was in Chroma Village.

... Ironic, I know.

[ Considering ... You know. The currency of this place. It's like they can't quite shake the connection to that world even though they're not there anymore. Talking about it is kind of helping her, though, and she slowly starts picking at the food that was brought to her. ]

Anyway, we hadn't been together for very long before I got sent back to my home world. I remembered my time there, but my friends back home all thought I was crazy, so I eventually stopped talking about it. We had a lot to focus on back home anyway.

The next time we met up, it was here. He had come here straight from the village, but I had been home for a pretty long time before I came here.

[ She sinks a little into herself. ]

I know it's not like I could have done anything about it, but I feel like him being gone now and me staying here is kind of ... karmic.

A little.

[It's not like these worlds coordinate.

Her remembering her time in the other world didn't track with what had happened to Weiss and the others who went home, but he knows this isn't the time to bring that up. He's here to be comforting, not grill her about these strange circumstances.]

I don't think it happened with any ill intent, but I can understand why you would feel that way. Sometimes people come back sooner than you expect them to, though, so I wouldn't give up hope entirely yet. Also even more of a reason to take care of yourself.

[ From what she gathered, it wasn't common to remember your time in a different world. It kind of made her wonder how she was able to keep her memories. Maybe because she wasn't meant to return to Chroma Village? Rin kept his memories of that place when he was brought here, so ... Maybe that had something to do with it.

That brought up the question, though ... Would he remember her? ]

Thanks ... I hope I see him again, but I'm also trying to prepare myself just in case it doesn't happen.

[Speculation and very little answers, but Ren was beginning to get used to that being the norm, annoying as it is.

He opens his own container finally, starting to eat as well.]

That's understandable. Jaune went home for a longer time than anyone else, but he did eventually return. Still, I'd prepared myself for the same thinking that he wouldn't come back at all.

What, Jaune went home?!

[ Oh shoot ... She hadn't even known ... ]

When was this?

[They hadn't exactly broadcast it. Had he been gone longer, maybe, but Ren was more focused on keeping Pyrrha from disparaging too much.]

End of February, but he came back towards the end of last month.

[During that mess with Majestas. Both of them had thankfully recovered from the injuries they sustained during that fight.]

Weiss and a few others of ours also returned for a shorter time, about three days.

... I don't know whether to say 'Thank Goodness' for their return or not.

[ Not because she doesn't want to see them (though she really only knew Jaune and Ren), but because she has no idea what was going on back in their own world. ]

I mean, I know I'm glad to know Jaune and your other friends came back, but ... You know. I don't really know how you all feel about being here to begin with.

Things back home are... not good.

[But he'd rather not get into it, not when again, he's supposed to be here for her.]

I find myself torn about the entire situation, more often than not, but... it's fine.

[Fine like a certain dog on fire meme...]

... Yeah, I get it.

[ Before she went home from the village, her world was in the midst of some pretty bad stuff. Fortunately when she went home, she was able to work with her friends and family to resolve things. Still, she knew not everyone was that fortunate.

... Rin included. She knew that being here was both a blessing and a curse for him. ]

[Ren wanted to get back and at least see where they were in that regard, but Jaune informed him that it was not an ideal situation in the least. What had been a hesitantly hopeful situation upon their arrival to Atlas didn't take long to turn to fear and pain, betrayal and loss.

What were they going to do now that Salem was bearing down on them. Would there even be much of a world to go back to.

Hmn.

Ren realized he had gone quiet, though focus on food was enough of an excuse as to why. He wasn't much for extended conversation anyway.

Still he wasn't about to stop worrying about her right now.]

I brought a few meals you can store so you don't have to cook for a few days.

[ The quiet was kind of comfortable, actually. She knew he was there with her, so it didn't feel like it was stifling or anything. ]

Thanks. I appreciate it, really.

Pyrrha has Tadashi covered for a while. We don't have to do anything if you would rather sit around quietly. I won't make sure you're going to be able to take care of yourself, though.

text | un: amber [april 3rd, late evening]

text | un: stormflower [the next morning]

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