freecssofnature | [001. video]

Entry tags:

[001. video]

[The video snaps on to show Gon, at close range, with his eyes dark. He stares for barely an instant before the video blurs and refocuses on his cheek as he speaks into the receiver.]

This is how I talk to you, right? I don't know where you are yet, but I'm coming to find you right now. You'd better come out and fight me.

All I have to do is beat you, and this place can't last... right?

I'm gonna find you, and make you send me back, because I HAVE TO BE THERE RIGHT NOW--

[The PCD creaks as his hand tenses, and the feed dissolves into static.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Okay.

[Scooting away so he can get up and brush the dust off.]

[He pulls away too, standing up and stretching.]

This way.

[Following right on Killua's heels, the spring back in his step. He's not exactly over it, but they know what they're going to do, and they have time...

So it's not too bad to let himself relax a little.]

Hey, Killua? You know a lot about this place, don't you?

[Pause.] How long have you been here?

[It's always the little things that make the big things bearable. Even Killua can understand that.]

Sure, I know plenty. I'd have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to! It's pretty easy to pick up things once you get past the weirdness of arriving, so I know you'll get it pretty fast too.

[He slows down, both his feet and his mouth, at the second question. But he's not about to lie.]

Actually... it's been two and a half years.

Um.

[He turns around, and suddenly everything's up to speed again.]

But it's not a big deal or anything. Like everybody says, no time passes back home, and nobody really grows or anything, and because of that I really do know a lot, so I know who and what to avoid and who'll help, and-

Two and a half years?

[Gon almost stumbles, between trying to slow down and then speed up again and stare at Killua with his mouth hanging open the whole time, because -- that's a really long time, and that's kind of a big deal.

Even if he didn't even know Killua was ever gone, and that part is a relief, because it means it must be true that no one will know he's missing. But not to have found a way out in so long... it is going to be really hard, isn't it?

And.

Suddenly he feels like he doesn't know anything, all over again. He shakes it off, and matches Killua's pace, picking his jaw back up off his chest.]

I bet you've got a lot of stories to tell me about! Right?

Ah- Tons!

[At first, he's thrown off by Gon's response, but no, that's just the sort of way Gon would have always responded. And something in the former assassin cracks because Gon is perhaps the one and only person to whom he would ever want to tell all of those stories. All except one.]

A whole lot of weirdos show up here, so there're always fun things going on. You just have to look for them! This one time, a guy who used to be here tried to shoot down a vampire! And then there was some crazy ninja guy who tried to control everybody's minds and take over the whole city using the moons! Oh- There're two moons. You'll get to see them tonight if it's not too cloudy.

There are really vampires? [He didn't know those were even real! But it sounds like they're not really at home - maybe vampires are just real here....

He grins at Killua, face alight with fascination.] And two moons! Wow. I bet all the stars are different too, right?

There are really vampires. [He raises his hands, wiggling them spookily.] And ghosts too. And werewolves and demons and aliens and magical girls. [Spoken as if the last are truly the most horrendous.]

Yup! It's like being on another planet.

Woooow. [Enthralled -- wait.] What's a magical girl?

-- and we are on another planet, right? Another world is the same thing as a different planet.

Probably. It's the only thing that makes sense.

But magical girls are things that pig Milluki would drool over. They shout some weird incantation, and everything around them starts glowing. When you can see properly again, they've changed outfits into something really girly and have magical powers that they use to beat up bad guys.

[Maybe he should've watched more TV as a kid. Wide-eyed and nodding.] It's like conditions for nen!

['Must shout incantation and wear a super girly outfit...' Those are pretty weird conditions.]

Huh.

But there are a lot of people like that here?

[Killua smirks at that. Imagining Kyoko or Usagi as Hunters is pretty ridiculous.]

Lots! It's normal to be weird here.

[So do the Animus only bring people with special powers? He frowns, but dismisses the question for now. They can talk about it later.]

Wow! That's really cool.

Yup! So you never really know who you're talking to. It's kinda like back home that way.

Are there really ghosts?

[He grins at Killua's comment. It's kind of a relief, that it is a little like being back home -- because who knows how long they'll be here? If it's been so long for Killua already...]

There are people who say they were ghosts back home. They're alive here though. And there've been ghosts for some of the events too. If you can imagine it, the animus have probably done it.

Does anybody know how?

How the animus do it? [He lets his head droop to the side as he thinks that one over.] I don't think so. Somehow they're different than us. Like, if we're on one planet and home is another planet, then they're sitting in the middle of the path. Only, they're sitting in the middle of every path at the same time. I don't think even they know how they do it.

....

The middle of every path at the same time?

[His face screws up as he tries to wrap his head around that idea. Um. Ummmm.]

We're both here, us and the animus. But we're solid and they're... all over the place.

[Will that even help, or will it make it worse? Killua doesn't know.]

[Still thinking about it. He sort of gets what you were trying to say, but he's also trying to figure out exactly how that works and exactly what you do about it when you can only be in one place at a time.

You can almost see the smoke.]

Don't think about it, idiot. [Sigh.] Just put the pieces together a little bit at a time over the next few days. If you try to understand it all at once, you'll fry your brain.

...Okay!

[He laughs, catching up to Killua.] It's all really weird. But I'll figure it out!

[He smiles as Gon reaches him.] 'Course you will. And you've got me and Kurapica to help out with anything you don't get.

Yeah.

[Small pause.]

Hey, Killua? I'm glad you're here.

[001. video]

[offline] nonlinear is more fun~

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]

[offline]