cerealia ic inbox

[octoshark]

"It's Ryouga. I'll call you back."

Comments

voice

[icefallen]

[She sounds a little worn when she comes on, but for Ryouga, he at least deserves a voice message rather than the impersonal nature of text.

This is his future, too.]

Ryouga, I need to talk to you. I have some... bad news.

Re: voice

[octoshark]

[Ryouga knows the tone of her voice is no joke, so this time he wont brush it off. Still, he's only been here a few days and she's already giving him bad news...?]

Huh? Whats up?

[icefallen]

Can you come back to the apartment? I'd feel better talking about it in person; It's too important to discuss over the phone.

[He's the last person she wants to break it to, really. If anything, she'd be happier trying to fix it herself and letting him stay ignorant of the fact their future isn't slated to last, but that wouldn't be fair to him. If he knows, then maybe there's something he can do to help, too.

Rio can only take small solace in that idea at the moment, though. His reaction is not something she's looking forward to.]

voice > action

[octoshark]

Hold on, I'm coming.

[She wouldn't ask him something like this if it wasn't important, and Ryouga will be damned if he takes any more chances with her. Not here, not in this lifetime.

So he rushes into the apartment at an awkward run, shutting the door and immediately storming through, looking around with an overly cautious leer.]

Rio?

action

[icefallen]

[It's just like him to come running to her when she asks in a tone like that. She'd do it for him, too, after all. But the way he does it makes Rio smile a little through the cloud of discontent that surrounds her.]

Hi...

[She gestures to the seat next to her on the couch, giving him what would normally be branded an expectant puppy-dog look that instead just seems more wounded than anything in these circumstances.]

Sit. I don't know how long this will take.

action

[octoshark]

[But Ryouga doesn't sit down. Seeing that Rio is unharmed and in one piece, that just makes him more anxious with confusion. He stands tense in front of the couch, hands curled into fists.]

Wha..? … C'mon, Rio, out with it. What's the news?

[icefallen]

[She had a feeling he wouldn't, though, so she can only sigh and brace herself for both having to say it and having to watch his face when it registers, every step of denial and grief she knows it's going to cause. She'll have to watch it all pass over him in split-second stages.

If she doesn't say it, he'll just push harder. Rio bites her lip and speaks, hoping the blood she draws from it will give her borht the strength and the words to do it.]

Ryouga... it sounds like Heartland isn't going to make it.

[octoshark]

… Huh?

[Ryouga squints at her, trying to figure out what the hell she's talking about all of a sudden. Sure, he's not exactly happy about the circumstances, but he can't be sure if he believes everything yet either. That said, Rio's reaction is... odd, to say the least.]

Of course not. Neither did the rest of the planet though, if you believe the guys that brought us here.

[icefallen]

That's not what I mean!

[Her hands fly to the sides of the couch, gripping it as hard as she can.]

Even when they restore things, it's right in the timeline! There's going to be a massacre!

[She takes a moment to breathe, to try and keep it together. Even if they restore things back to the way they were, that doesn't change the fact that some organization that is apparently a couple leagues stronger than them is plotting to hunt them all down for the fun of it all.]

I've... I've already asked a few people about it, and they've all said the same thing. One was even a first-hand account. Heartland's on the path to being completely destroyed, Ryouga.

[octoshark]

[He's still not following why she's upset about this now.]

By the Flamines? Isn't that what we're here to fix? … What are you talking about, Rio?

[icefallen]

[That makes her pound a fist against the armrest of the couch in frustration. Everyone's been taking this so lightly every time she's brought it to them, and now Ryouga doesn't even get it.]

No, not that! Even after we take care of that! In the near future, everyone has said we're going to be invaded by a group called Academia! They're going to destroy the whole city, even after we work to put it back the way it was!

[After raising her voice like that, she looks away, over to her clenched fist, still aching a bit from the impact. He should understand if she puts it like that, right? That even when they set things right here, the course of fate is supposed to take them in an even worse direction at home. And, more than that, that she doesn't want it to happen anymore. Not again, not ever.]

[octoshark]

Wait, what do you mean "everyone"? Who told you that?

[There's some of that fire in his question, perhaps, but he's still far more confused than anything.]

[icefallen]

Well... [Now comes the awkward part.] Apparently, Vector heard it before me. I didn't want to believe him at first, but I went to a few people I know of who could tell me more, and they confirmed it, even told me details. Yuuya and Yuuto, specifically.

[Her lips twitch. Next could be either harsh denial or a break of realization, and she's not sure which would be preferable.]

I don't think they have any reason to lie about this.

[octoshark]

[Ryouga's lips twitch. Denial it is.]

Oh yeah? You don't believe that Vector's friends have a reason to lie to you?

[Harsh, but like hell he'd believe that.]

[icefallen]

I met them both around the same time Vector did. There's very little chance he would be pulling their strings.

[Her tone tightens. Why is it that no one seems to take her seriously about this? Yuuya told her to relax and not worry about it right now in the face of greater issues, never mind that everyone else seemed to doubt her ability to do anything about it. If even her brother doesn't believe her... what power does she have?]

Ryouga, please. This isn't about Vector, so don't make it about him right now. This is about the fact they both told me the same story without having known I was going to ask them. They gave me precise details, right down to the cards they used and the way they did it. Do you really want to take the chance it's a lie?

[octoshark]

Dont underestimate Vector.

[He growls in warning, feeling like there's still a lot of information scattered about her story.]

All right, look - so these guys from the future are telling you…what, exactly? What the hell kinda massacre could wipe Heartland off the map?

[icefallen]

[Doesn't he know she knows better than to underestimate Vector? Now the stubborn skepticism is just making her even more angry and frustrated, because it's all she's been met with from everyone else. Rio jumps out of her seat and speaks louder again in an effort to try and get him to realize he should be taking this seriously.]

I don't know, okay?! I don't know, and that's exactly why I'm worried! But it's not impossible if someone were to outnumber us, or catch us by surprise!

[In her surging emotion, she grabs the nearest convenient object -- a tissue box sitting on the table -- and flings it at him.]

Fine! If you won't try to fix it, or even just find out the truth of it, then I'll do it myself!

[octoshark]

What the- Rio! Cut that out!

[He snaps, bristling when she starts hurling shit around. Still… It was unbelievable enough that one force could destroy Heartland after Astral and Yuma used the Numeron code (honestly, he hadn't quite started to believe it in earnest). To think that there's another, and one that he has no idea about…]

I just asked a question! Calm down already - you're talking about a massacre and you don't even know what happened or have any proof!

[icefallen]

[Rio takes a moment to breathe and let herself settle, then loosens her posture, falling helplessly back onto the couch as she realizes that was a little uncalled for. She leans forward in the aftermath to cradle her head in her hands.]

I don't want to take the chance that it's real. We finally had everything work out... I just... What if we lose that again, at someone else's cruel whim?

[octoshark]

…Geeze.

[Ryouga sighs, scowling at the wall before approaching the couch with careful steps.]

Look, it's not like I don't get it, I think, but you don't have enough information to freak out.

[icefallen]

...Can you blame me?

[Said in a deadpan sort of tone, a wry acknowledgment of all that's happened to get to this point. Ryouga may have suffered the aftermath, but she was the one who actually died to make it happen each time. Another repeat of the cycle is the last thing she wants to occur.]

Maybe I am overreacting a little, and I'm sorry for taking it out on you there. But if there's any possibility this is for real, and something that will come to pass in the near future, I need to do something about it.

[octoshark]

[He continues to frown down at her for awhile. She's so freaked out, and he guesses maybe he can get it, but… He plops down on the couch next to her and sets a hand on her head.]

I'm wont let you get hurt like that again, Rio. That's not much to go on, but I'll find out what's going on, alright?

[And if it's just a situation where Vector's screwing around again, he'll be more than happy to take care of that.]

voice / private

[jyajyaaan]

[Backdated to roughly 6 hours and a couple of minutes after the end of the special CERES tours.

It's only a couple of minutes after he has regained his bearings and Vector still can't believe he is actually doing this. Shit! If that fuckhead wouldn't have one of the most useful Numbers at his disposal-]

Nasch. We need to talk. Now.

Re: voice / private

[octoshark]

What?

voice / private

[jyajyaaan]

Shit fucking sucks. We've got another case of Don Thousand and the Astral's on our hands.