Those Unforgettable Days

[hontobakabaka]

[Ruri invited just about the whole town to her birthday party, or anyone who would pick up the phone, and if anyone comes by 2242 Stevens Road they'll see the house with some shades out, a badminton net in the front yard, and a floating holographic screen with what looks to be anime in the back yard.  There was a sort of attempt at decorating, in a

Comments

[ooeeooahah]

[ Ilsa brings in a couple of glasses of iced tea. ]

Thought you might be taking a break. How are you holding up?

[ Offering her one of the glasses. ]

[hontobakabaka]

"Oh. Thank you."

[She takes the glass]

"I don't deal well with the summer heat but I'm doing all right. I just hope everyone is having a good time."

[ooeeooahah]

Pale as you are, I'm glad to see you're taking care of that.

[ Ilsa sips her tea, and eventually asks: ] You did all of this on your own, with your AI to help?

[hontobakabaka]

"I'm an albino. I'm always this pale. But yes, Omoikane and I did this. Well, and everyone that came."

[ooeeooahah]

[ She nods. ]

It's a good neighborhood party.

[ A few moments of thought, then, only slightly stumbling over the unfamiliar name: ] Your... Omoikane? Self-identifies as male, right? Has he been allowed to look through Mr Hatch's media stash?

[hontobakabaka]

"Well, the people that created Omoikane call him a he. Omoikane is really my id. I've been through everything on the network, most of his things don't really make any sense to me."

[ooeeooahah]

Well, I imagine he has a bit of... hm, eclectic items in his collection.

[ Ilsa thinks a few moments about what might be in the collection. ]

Did you have questions about the material you found?

[hontobakabaka]

"Not really, its all adult things and I'm not really mature enough to bother with it. I still need to get past the basics before I ponder the eechi things like sorting out my own feelings."

[ooeeooahah]

The basics? Maybe I could help?

[hontobakabaka]

"How do you get past the 'Everyone I care about dies horribly' issue? I don't want to do that to anyone."

[ooeeooahah]

[ Ilsa sighs. ]

The big basics, then. Much about it depends on the environment. Here, in Mayfield, there are people willing to be horrible. Back home, I have to deal with the fact that there are monsters hiding in human forms, as well as the monstrous humans.

But you shouldn't let that keep you from caring about people. Back home, the point of having a wake is to remember the wonderful things about the person who died, and be happy that you did have that time with them.

[hontobakabaka]

"Back home... They all kept dying. Minato is the only one left and I think its because she has the same problem. So... I tend to keep people at an arms length. That and well, this is the first time I've been with people my own age so its all rather odd."

[ooeeooahah]

There's very few true immortals out there, hon. Besides that, accidents do happen.

[ Ilsa stares into her glass a moment, and continues. ]

It's a risk everyone takes with friendship. But for me, the risk of losing someone is small compared to living a life apart from others.

Everybody has to weigh those risks for themselves, though.

[hontobakabaka]

[She looks at her hands]

"My metabolic processes have been slowed down by my nanomachines. But... Mostly I remember how crushed I was when that shuttle took Akito and Yurika away. I don't think I could feel that way again."

[ooeeooahah]

[ Ilsa nods, and risks setting a hand on Ruri's shoulder. ]

I'm sorry that I can't say it won't ever happen again. Even keeping people at a distance, some of them can sneak up on you.

[ She smiles, but it is a bit sad. ]

Even when you don't intend to get involved.

[hontobakabaka]

[She doesn't react one way or another on the hand on the shoulder]

"I should have run the diagnostics on that ship before hand. But... I'm not a class S jumper, no one is, that level of time control precision is impossible."