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[songstressedout]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, SongDiva. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 018.07.154.55 *** SongDiva has joined 018.07.154.55 <SongDiva> Hello? Is this thing on...? <SongDiva> Oh! Good! It's working! <SongDiva> These computers are... strange, but it looks like I managed to get it working alright! I'll uh, try to get back to you as soon as possible if you say anything here!

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[songstressedout]

[ Is it some sort of situation-handling method that's universal to natural pinks? ]

It's good to see you too...

[ It's the only win she's had so far this month, honestly. She keeps that to herself, though. In terms of the passage of time... aside from the bags, just a little longer hair and... a little less light in her eyes. ]

[figlia_morbida]

How have you been handling yourself since I've been away?

[Trish's tail twitches, but she keeps it draped in her lap, so it drums at her knee with a leisurely tempo.

Trish does see the shift in Yuzu's appearance, but she remembers being bedraggled after the week everyone was children. It would be silly to assume Yuzu didn't have trouble with other doubles, even if her own was supposedly benign.]

With the little things, I mean.

[Since they agreed not to discuss the doubles much.]

[songstressedout]

Mm...

[ Little things, huh? Well with Yuya gone and her taking that pretty hard, she can't say she has... ]

Yeah...

[ So obviously she does say that she has been handling herself well, clearly. It doesn't make her feel any better, but it doesn't make her feel any worse either.

Though... ]

...can you keep a secret?

[ Maybe with Trish she can mention... one recent thing. ]

[figlia_morbida]

[Somehow Trish doesn't entirely believe that, but she won't push Yuzu to share anything she doesn't want to.

So it's surprising to hear Yuzu say that.

A secret?

She doesn't imagine Yuzu of all people would need to hide anything. Then again, Ryslig gave everyone something to haunt them.

She's quiet a moment, just to give Yuzu a chance to consider if she really does want to share without pressure, before saying:]

I can do better than that, depending. [Bite someone, if need be.] What is it, Yuzu?

[songstressedout]

[ Fortunately, it's purely about herself... no need for Trish to bite anyone or anything. Still, now that she's mentioned it, she's finding it a little hard to word exactly what it is she wants to say. It's just... ]

It... isn't the first time I've met someone who looked just like me, so seeing my doppelganger just explode like that... I think it messed up my head a bit.

[ Which... may need some elaboration, but ultimately it's... not even a big secret. It's just something she wants kept from one person in particular. ]

[figlia_morbida]

[The exploding is the part that gets Trish. It's almost comical in how excessive it is. Hell, even during the summer, she heard the ones who arrived by virtue of the vortex simply melted where they stood. Which is already horrific, but almost benignly so in comparison.

Of course, Yuzu's statement can be taken a number of ways. Did she have a twin she hadn't known? That's like something out of movie, but far stranger things have happened.

So it's off that Yuzu finds it worth secrecy. Anyone would be shocked, wouldn't they?]

I would be surprised if it didn't affect you at all. Even if it was a fake, that was your face they were wearing.

[However...]

Something like this didn't happen before, did it?

[Back home, she means. Since if that were the case, it would mean Yuzu was forced to relive an old trauma.]

[songstressedout]

Ha... fortunately no, nobody's ever exploded in front of me until now.

[ Yeah, it's sort of an illogical reason to want it to be kept a secret... but she asks anyway. ]

No, it's just... it's complicated, but back home? There were three other girls who had the same face as me... and this reminded me of them.

[ She sighs. ]

Sorry, this is all pretty confusing, isn't it?

[figlia_morbida]

A little.

[Trish admits gently. If only because she's not sure of the significance of these other girls. She doesn't call them sisters, so why they looked like Yuzu is unclear.

But it does clarify why these doubles were so harrowing.]

Those other girls...did something happen to them?

action, towards the beginning of the monster swap!

[ourtomorrow]

Somebuggy is watching Yuzu. Following her, even, at a distance, while she makes her way around town, navigating her new mer life. Staring up at her with big blue eyes, stunned in awe. This feeling....

Ken doesn't understand. This is the girl who had been a bird monster earlier, right? She had helped him, and he's grateful. But he doesn't understand why that would make him so enthralled by her. Why being by her side (if from several paces back) feels so right. Why it's like - something he hadn't even realized he'd been waiting for has just clicked into place, and he's whole.

He drinks in every detail of her behavior, admiring it. No matter what she's up to, he thinks she's being AWESOME.

This is totally not creepy or awkward at all.

[songstressedout]

[ Something that Yuzu has gotten good at since she ended up here is telling when somebody is following or watching her. She typically avoids starting trouble and will just try to lose them... but it's different right now.

Mostly because this particular someone... seems less like an issue and more of a situation of curiosity. Which, to be fair, it's not like she hasn't been curious about herself either. This is her first time as a Mer, after all!

In any case, she lets out a sigh as she turns the corner and leaves Ken's sight... presumably continuing onward, but instead, she hides behind the corner and waits for Ken to turn it. ]

[ourtomorrow]

[ Waddle waddle waddle. Waddle.

Ken is not especially fast. (Rather, he is not in a position to take advantage of his naga speed. The few times he's attempted to use it, Wormmon's reflexes didn't increase to compensate, and he wiped out across the ground.)

But he's going around, the corner, as fast, as he can! He feels like he would like to get stronger, for Yuzu. Part of that is training. He likes to jog. Perhaps he should learn how to jog as Wormmon.

Incoming! ]

[songstressedout]

[ When Ken makes it around the corner, Yuzu is standing there, waiting for him with her arms crossed. ]

Alright, what do you want? You've been following me forever now!

Near the end of Oct!

[assblasted]

[what is time/space idk

BUT AT SOME POINT after Bakugo blows himself back into Ryslig and regrows his wings and such, he'll start going back to the cafe. . .only, he hasn't seen Yuzu there in a while. Is she still in Felfri? Wait, wasn't she kind of scarce before then. . .? After a few days, he's going to message her.]

Pigtails are you alive?

[songstressedout]

[ Oh. Bakugo... yeah, she should've expected this to happen eventually. ]

Yeah I'm fine.

Sorry I haven't been to the Cafe.

I'm not the owner or anything anymore, though, so it should be fine.

[assblasted]

The hell are you talking about?

You ran the place for like a year, you burnt out or something?

[songstressedout]

Yeah, because Sandalphon was gone. He's back now, so it's his again.

[ Yeah, she's definitely not saying everything, is she? ]

[assblasted]

Right, but he can't run it alone, just like you couldn't run it alone. You deserve some time off but I didn't take you as the type to just ditch work.

[songstressedout]

I'm not ditching, I just...

...it would be really bad if me and Sandalphon saw each other right now.

[assblasted]

[??????????????????

stares at his screen for a hot minute before replying]

why
did something happen??

[songstressedout]

We uh...

We had a fight.

Back in Felfri.

[assblasted]

[DID NOTHING GOOD COME FROM FELFRI, HE WONDERS...]

About what?? You two are tight as shit.

[songstressedout]

[ REALLY, NOT A LOT OF GOOD CAME FROM FELFRI, HUH? ]

I uh...

I conscripted with the fourth...

He found out, and he uh... didn't like that.

Which isn't really surprising, but

he was really upset.

[ Considering that they had a very real fight and Yuzu almost died? Understatement of the century, folks. ]

[assblasted]

[A DELAY........IN REPLY. As Bakugo is ALSO not happy to hear that. Why do so many of his friends join cults so easily!! But that's not important right now.]

Okay 1) why?? but 2) what happened after? Did he fire you? Where are you now?

[songstressedout]

I dunno, I think I was just... angry. Tired and angry.

I've been here so long that even if I go home, I'm not sure I can look at the people back there in the eyes anymore. I guess I just... took solace in the fact that, at least if I joined up with Elias, I could get back at the Fog for bringing me here.

No, he didn't fire me.

He uh, just attacked me.

I'm fine, I'm just... around, close to home. High places are nice, helps me relax.

[assblasted]

That idiot. . . [Both of them really; he can't approve of Yuzu joining Elias, but Sandy attacking her? He thought the guy kept his cool better than that. . .the adults around here certainly aren't like their teachers, that's for sure.]

You hurt?