IC INBOX: INUGAMI

[underlined]

“Uh, hello. You've reached Keisuke... I’m sorry, but I’m not able to pick up right now. Leave me a message and I'll try to call back. Um... thanks, bye.”

[VOICE CALL, TEXT MESSAGING, AND PHOTO SHARING IS ENABLED ON THIS CELL PHONE.]

Comments

[prudentiam]

thanks. i've...got to make it up to her, somehow. for hesitating... when i shouldn't have. that's why i'm not going to lose anyone else, no matter what it takes. i mean it, keisuke.

[for all of the stoicism channeled through that message, in actuality, shinichi's teeth are grit as he's typing. he has made his peace, in some ways---he's become more assertive, more determined---but no coping mechanism will ever make his guilt and sorrow fade. but he trusts keisuke, as he does dal dal. he also doesn't want keisuke to end up like him.]

seriously, though---i wonder why it is that they dislike us. we're all students. we never meant them any harm....well, so i'd like to say on behalf of some of us, anyhow. hell, we can't even understand them. i just...don't get it.

but no, i get what you're saying. [if anything, it strikes a chord with him. he's tried to rebel against Migi---while he wasn't terribly successful, it still made him feel like he retained control over some measure of his identity and life in general. he can imagine that keisuke wishes to be self-reliant, as well.] but you don't become strong overnight. you also...can't do it entirely on your own. it's possible, don't get me wrong. but when the opportunity arises, it...tends to come with fine print.

you have it in you. just...choose wisely the ways in which you want to bring it out.

i don't think you should worry about the natives; i've noticed that they're pretty transparent when they're having some kind of malfunction toward us---you'll see it coming. at least it won't catch you or anyone else by surprise, and you can act quickly.

[underlined]

[For some reason, it always chills him, whenever someone goes to that extent. "Whatever it takes." Keisuke didn't have the steel to deal in absolutes. He wishes he could, but he didn't. He hopes that it does work out that way for Shinichi, though—that he can somehow deal with what he felt for losing his mother by... saving others. It was a just, honorable thing to do. Keisuke admired him for it.]

i believe you will. and i hope you do, shinichi...

they dont know who we are just like we dont know them. that, and they seem to know this place... to them we must be invaders. who knows if all the weird stuff was happening before we showed up too
i dont know. i kind of understand why they might be upset, though i dont like how theyre acting

ok... ill try to be careful then

ive been mostly avoiding them so that seems to be working out...
hopefully youll do the same... and make sure dal dal doesnt get into any more fights

[prudentiam]

[dealing in absolutes means you've got to follow through---and just finding the courage to do so is difficult. but it's a double-edged sword, as shinichi has learned. projecting your strength can drive people away. he sees that in murano. she's wary of him, despite her best efforts to remain close. he can see it whenever she looks at him.

he's beginning to wonder if maybe he's just operating out of rage rather than a will to help others, sometimes, when he thinks about her---]

sometines i wonder...but...even if just one person decides to have my back, i think i'll be alright.

true. i guess...they can't be blamed, in a sense. if it were us in their place---maybe we'd act the same way, who knows. though, now you have me thinking: the natives...don't seem very human, do they? they LOOK human, but they all kinda seem...i dunno...the same? like they're all bees in a beehive. i...don't think the weird crap happening around here is a recent thing if the natives are already like this.

but i've been in your shoes before---hell, i still kind of am. [he knows he has a lot to work on. he's far from having it fully together, despite appearances. and with keisuke, he feels like he can be a little more honest.] just remember this: you're not alone, and there are people who have your back. you'll be fine.

wise choice. i'll be civil, though, and wait till one of them throws the first punch. and don't worry about dal dal----if you're not there to talk sense into her, i'll be there to yank her out of trouble. see? teamwork.

[underlined]

im not really sure what they are... i dont know what else they could be besides human
but youre right. i dont think all the weird stuff started happening with us. they seem to know when to leave and how to avoid certain things... maybe we could learn from them

ok... ill remember that

[He's used to being suspicious of nearly everyone. It takes a lot of thought and effort to mentally deconstruct that tendency.]

thats the safest thing to do i think... im not sure if theyre going to attack first, given how theyve been acting
if both of us keep an eye on her though it should be fine
yeah... right. teamwork

[if they all made sure they didn't do stupid shit, they'd get through this fine, right?]

[prudentiam]

exactly. teamwork. [granted, shinichi himself is only learning to not go Lone Ranger all the time---in part because there's no Migi to complicate things---but he finds...it's not so bad to rely on others. that, maybe, he should've come clean from the very beginning, if only to those close to him back home. but that's for whenever Migi becomes a full part of hin again. until then...

...he'll enjoy the company before he has to put some serious thought into things. as for his own paranoid tendencies... well, that's simply par for the course. he has to be alert.] we may not always be physically around each other all the time, but at least we know we're each a call away should something happen to any of us. don't worry, keisuke.

we'll get through this together. all three of us. i'll catch you later.

[underlined]

[Teamwork. It was a whole lot better than being totally reliant on someone... rather, everyone working together. It almost seemed too idealized—as if Keisuke was too used to people only looking out for themselves in his own world that it seemed outlandish.

They'd all work towards it. It was vaguely hopeful, and he accepts that.]

okay, shinichi...
i'll see you