(open)

[darkduelist]

Who: Yuto (darkduelist) and you
When: Backdated to a few days ago
Where: near CERES Research Tower
What: Yuya is gone, Yuto heard about the CERES tours. He is not happy.
Rating/Warning: none

<sub>[Ever since his conversation with both Arthur and Shingetsu regarding the CERES tour, Yuto has been wondering what to do. He never trusted CERES, he never even for a moment thought well of them either. Seeing all those past events, it was more than clear to him that they were only toying with them and nothing more. But now when he has a confirmation to his suspicions, he isn’t sure what to do.

And he feels angry.

It’s not only the strange occurrences that happen here every now and then – it’s also people arriving only to suddenly vanish one day without a trace. First it was Shun and now... now even Yuya is gone. But who knows what actually happened to them? He swears that if CERES hurts his friends in any way... His fists clench, but then he remembers that he should control his anger.

He wants to know the truth, but again, there's nothing he can actually do now. And so, he's standing near the research tower with a scowl on his face, as if glaring at it would help him with anything.

You can see him there, or perhaps you see him heading back with a glare still on his face. He definitely isn’t in a good mood today.]</sub>

Comments

[journaler]

[Leia's been busy, but that's not a surprise. Today she's riding the train, going out of her way to the Research District with a bag in hand that she seems to be very careful with as she goes. It's almost like she's in a rush, but at the same time, she's not shy about stopping when she spots Yuto.]

Oh, hey--

[--of course, she notices his mood right away. They've only spoken once, but...]

What's wrong?

[rebelia]

_{[It seems chance encounters are all they're having these days. IV is on his way through the colony when he spies a familiar face, on which he homes after a blink. In all the times they interacted, this is perhaps the angriest he has seen an otherwise mellow character like Yuto. With the slight furrow of his brow, IV approaches.]}

Yuto? What's the matter?

[darkduelist]

_{[Yuto only notices her when she speaks to him. At first he looks at her with a glare, only to mentally scold himself for glaring at people a second later. He quickly averts his gaze and his expression turns apologetic instead.]}

Sorry...

_{[He doesn't even glance at her now. Her question also remains unanswered.]}

[darkduelist]

_{[Yuto stops in his tracks when he hears the familiar voice and turns to look at IV almost instantly. It takes a moment for his expression to change a little, but even then he's still scowling.]}

IV.

_{[You could almost think that he's angry at you, but he isn't. He has no reason for that. So he quickly shakes his head and looks away.]}

I don't even know where to start. [Though actually--] ...Yuya is gone.

[journaler]

[At least she's used to that sort of thing. Maybe not the glaring, though, which admittedly weighs on her heard like she did something wrong; but she knows she didn't.]

It's okay...

[She answers quietly.]

I mean, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it.

[rebelia]

Him, too, huh . . .

_{[It figures. IV acknowledges the loss with a deep nod, although he can't be too sure that Yuto sees the gesture. Then he looks past Yuto and up, tracing the outline of the CERES Research Tower.]}

I'm guessing you heard about the tours, too.

[darkduelist]

<sub>[He really didn't mean to glare at her like that. And he feels bad for doing that.

Yuto shakes his head.]</sub>

It's nothing like that. [It's not like he doesn't want to talk. Ah, but just where to start. He consider it for a moment.] ...The tours... Did you hear about them?

[darkduelist]

<sub>[Another loss and Yuto only nods at that. There is nothing more to say on that matter anyway.

When the tours are mentioned, Yuto looks at IV and gives him another nod.]</sub>

I did. Shingetsu told me what happened there and what they found. I also talked to one more person who took part in the tours.

[rebelia]

Shingetsu? Ah, you mean him.

_{[IV assumes that to be Vector. What's the deal with that pseudonym, anyway?]}

I talked to Rei. Did that person tell you anything new?

[journaler]

...Yeah.

[Now she sees where this is going. The bag lowers and her gaze wanders towards the research tower where Jude works, back to Yuto again. His lunch would have to wait.]

I missed the cut-off, but I know some people who are recovering right now. It's scary to think about.

[darkduelist]

_{[Yuto nods. His gaze drifts towards the tower and in the same moment anger once again shows in his expression. Yet he tries to speak calmly.]}

My two friends told me about the tours... and about what happened there.

_{[But his fists still clench.]}

[darkduelist]

You did? That's good.

_{[He crosses his arms.]}

That other person... he's a friend of mine, actually. He told me that his group was going to be shown CERES history. They were told that it has a long history, but in the end they found out it's a lie. Apparently this entire place exists for a rather short time and hasn't been tested.

[rebelia]

_{[It's good enough, he thinks. IV's brow creases.]}

"Tested"? Tested for what?

[darkduelist]

I don't know. But it seems like to CERES we're nothing more than guinea pigs.

_{[A pause.]}

Or at least that was what I heard. I didn't ask him for more detail... He didn't... feel well. [A frown.] And he got hurt on that tour as well.

[rebelia]

It sounds like nobody left that tour unscathed. Tch, I knew that CERES was no good for us.

[darkduelist]

_{[Yuto nods.]}

But what is CERES planning? What was even the point of those tours?

[journaler]

[...

She's not used to not knowing what to say. She doesn't like it, but anything she think of feels awkward and unhelpful. Yet she wants to know more--

She has to say something.]

Did they...

[Even if it's a stupid question.]

Are they okay?

[rebelia]

Who knows . . . but the way things are headed, it's almost as if they want us to doubt them.

[darkduelist]

_{[For a second Yuto looks at her, almost as if he's about to ask "and what do you think?" He doesn't do that, though. His gaze softens after a moment, sadness showing in his eyes.]}

They'll be okay.

_{[But that still doesn't change the fact that they got hurt and he couldn't do anything to prevent that - he didn't even know! He wasn't there...]}

[journaler]

[She can honestly relate. Her shoulders slump just a little, but she actually seems a bit relieved at his answer, vague as it may be.]

I'm glad.

[She can't help but feel like there's something else on his mind, but... she'll let it go, for now.]

My friend Jude... he works in the medical facility just ahead, helping out the doctors. I bet they're really busy right now.

[darkduelist]

And we can only wait.

<sub>[Again.

Yuto glares at the Research Tower now.]</sub>

[darkduelist]

_{[He doesn't look at her anymore.]}

Probably.

_{[That's all what he says after a moment, only to fall in silence again. Then, suddenly he asks:]}

Your friend... is a doctor?

[rebelia]

_{[IV almost grimaces at the thought of playing sitting ducks. He doesn't have the patience.]}

It seems like it. But are you really just going to sit around?

[darkduelist]

I don't want to, but right now I can't think of anything else that I could do, other than waiting and observing.

_{[Well, he's good at those two things, but this situation is so much different than fighting Academia.]}

[rebelia]

_{[Tch, that's true. IV glowers off to the side, peeved by their powerlessness.]}

. . . How are you holding up?

[journaler]

[...He's technically an assistant, but by now, that's just semantics. He's more than qualified.]

He may as well be.

He can heal like I can, and his dad ran his own clinic, so he's been surrounded with medical stuff his whole life. Patients, books, research... Plus, he went to school for it. [for a... while... kinda.]

[darkduelist]

A medical school... Can't you just use your magic to heal and cure?

<sub>[He knows almost nothing about magic, so...

All of this seems like a random thing to ask, but Yuto is looking for some sort of distraction from dark thoughts that plague his mind.]</sub>

[darkduelist]

_{[He's always tempted to say "I've been better", but doesn't do that.]}

I'll be fine.

_{[He's just frustrated now.]}

[rebelia]

_{[He nods. Whether that's the truth or lip service doesn't matter to IV.]}

Good. Don't let CERES get to you.

[journaler]

Well, of course. There are some things magic just can't do, though.

And besides, magic requires practice just like anything else. You don't want to hurt yourself, or your patients.

[Accidents and all that... a very brief, solemn expression flickers across Leia's face, like she's speaking from experience, but it disappears as suddenly as it had come.]

...Anyway. He's really good, if your friends need the help. Just tell him I sent you.