darkbishop | NOCTIUM INBOX

[That gets a nod from him, and he takes her hand. He's wearing his gloves, because apparently it doesn't need to be direct contact, and he greatly prefers to keep his gloves on.]

We don't have to do this for very long.

[ Her hand is quite small in his, and it's one of the only times she's held hands with someone who isn't Renji or Byakuya. Outside of those instances, she'd reserved hand-holding for people who were special to her, and it always seemed like a more romantic ordeal... This is anything but that. Certainly not romantic by any means, nor is it with someone she's familiar with. It's strange in that way, a little embarrassing, and that's absolutely why she's red in the face.

But it's fine. This will benefit them both, anyway. ]

A-Ah, of course. Still, I'm grateful for your help.

[Listen, he gets it... Hand-holding is something you're supposed to do with someone you're seeing?? But listen, here we are now.]

It benefits us both, and it is easier to do this with someone who feels similarly.

[That this is A Lot. Better to do this with someone who won't make it weird!!]

I agree. I would rather do this with someone who understands why it's difficult...

[ Or, well, you know. Someone she's seeing, like it's supposed to be done -- but this...works. And she's glad he's not making it weird, either! ]

To pass the time a little, Vestra-san, I have a question for you: Has anyone else from your world been brought here, to your knowledge?

[Oh good, a topic change. That gets him to nod.]

Yes. I've seen a few of them around. Have you run into anyone familiar here as well?

No. No one.

[ There's the smallest bit of disappointment in her voice. Really, though, she should be happy that none of her friends got dragged into this mess. ]

That's partially why I asked you for this arrangement. I don't have anyone from home here, and I realize that puts me at a slight disadvantage.

I understand. Yes, it is good to have someone you can turn to, should you need the assistance with generating Manna. I don't mind helping you with that.

[Obviously it works well for him too!!]

It isn't as much of a disadvantage as you might think, though; plenty of those familiar people I've seen here are those I would prefer not to hold hands with.

[It's slightly wry, but like. Definitely true.]

[ Oh, that was a nice thing to say... Rukia blinks a little, especially at that last part. ]

Oh? ... Well, actually, I can see how you'd feel that way...

[ Because god, she would never want to hold hands with some of the people she knows from home. She'd rather turn into stone, to be real honest. ]

Are people from your home here giving you any trouble?

No, they've all been well-behaved.

[Which is... sort of expected, given that this is an entirely different world and their problems all are in Fódlan. Still, it's good not to have anyone try to kill him immediately.]

It's more a matter of personal distaste.

[Okay, it's more a matter of personal distrust, but once again, those are issues that belong in Fódlan, not here.]

Well, I suppose it could be a lot worse, then.

[ At least they're not antagonizing him. She's already started to take a liking to Hubert, so naturally she'd be just a tiiiiiny bit biased if she heard any of them were giving him trouble. ]

Are they part of the Empire as well?

Two of them are, yes. The others are from the Kingdom and the Alliance, other territories within Fódlan.

[ A nod, then: ]

I see. Perhaps I'll run into them while I'm here.

[ And she absolutely will at some point! ]

Maybe it isn't so bad that I'm the only one from home who's here. I wouldn't say I get along with everyone from there, either.

It can be difficult to work around them, so there certainly is some benefit to being here on your own.

[Though really, he would've hated being here all on his own, so he'll take Castmate Drama over having to figure out all this stuff by himself.]

Yes. Besides, most people I've met here so far have been helpful during this adjustment period. I'm grateful.

[ Like you, Hubert, but she doesn't say that. Instead, a small smile crosses her lips. ]

[It doesn't need to be said, so that works!!]

Many of them have been quick to answer questions and assist when necessary. Things have gone better than they could have.

[This isn't exactly a bad experience as far as "getting dragged into another world" could be, anyway.]

Right. We could have had it a lot rougher here.

[ If holding hands is enough to provide some Manna, Rukia will take it. Even if she's embarrassed about it, she'd prefer this over, well, some other things that aren't necessarily limited to physical intimacy. It's better than fighting a war in any case, even though war is more familiar territory. ]

That being said, I'd still like to find a way home. I was brought here while I was in the middle of something very important.

It seems that's the case for many of us.

[What he wouldn't give to be back home right now... But there's no point of dwelling on it. This is the reality he's facing right now, and it's one he has to give his full attention to.]

I do intend to seek out a way home as well. I've been unsuccessful at learning anything more, but should I uncover something useful, I'll pass it along.

[Rukia's cool, after all!!]

I'll be sure to keep you in the loop as well, if I learn anything interesting.

[ That shouldn't be too hard, given that they're neighbors and all. ]

Really, couldn't they at least have had better timing? It's a little worrying to know that many of us were brought here at inopportune times. It almost feels like it was on purpose.

It's possible it was, but I'm not sure why we were chosen.

[Perhaps it's more accurate to say "why only we were chosen". Whatever process brought them here specifically picked him and Dorothea, and didn't bring anyone else from their exact set of experiences in Fódlan. Why wouldn't they pick Lady Edelgard?]

It could have been an accident, but I don't want to assume anything right now.

That's understandable. I can only hope that we find the answers we seek soon.

[ Which doesn't seem likely, she realizes. Hence the "hope" part. The more she thinks about it though, the worse she feels, and she's not going to let her guard down so easily. So she instead looks up at Hubert again and slowly takes her hand off of his. ]

I think that'll be enough for now. Let's check our currency?

Yes, of course.

[He withdraws his hand as she pulls away, moving to flip through his phone briefly.]

With this amount of contact, they shouldn't pester you for some time. Should they get particularly aggressive about it, let me know and we can do this again.

[It's not bad, really. A bit awkward - as hand-holding is always awkward - but not bad. It's not a ton of currency we're getting here, but definitely enough to keep them off our backs for the time being.]

[ It was awkward, but having conversation while holding hands made things a bit easier. And hey, no notifications for a while is a win for both of them. It's a strange arrangement for sure, but it's one Rukia will absolutely keep in mind for the future. Hubert is pleasant, and she wouldn't mind doing this again. ]

The same goes to you as well, Vestra-san. Thank you, again.

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