014 ~ [Action]

[soreplaceable]

[It was late last night when Ion was taken from the village, and it had been done so quietly it might have been impossible to know he was gone if his bedding hadn't been thrown around the room.]

[But he wasn't gone for very long, as it's less than a day later that Ion returns to the village sometime in the early evening. At a glance, he might just

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[thederpyhalf]

[Yui was leaving from the bakery with some fresh bread, pastry and other goodies in her arms when she stumbled across Ion sitting there all by his lonesome. Was he lost? A-Ah, he's looking back at her. Maybe she should see if he's ok.]

Hello...?

[soreplaceable]

[Compared to all the people walking around, this one looked different, mostly because of the things she was carrying. What she said seemed familiar somehow, and he felt compelled to say it back. Although the way he says it, it sounds like he isn't quite sure what it means.]

He... hello...?

[thederpyhalf]

[A-Aww. She smiles and kneels down near his level. She'll put down the bag she was carrying too.]

Are you all right?

[soreplaceable]

[He can't help but look over at the bag curiously as it's set down, but her question grabs his attention back. He registers her words as being a question, but he isn't sure how to answer. He didn't know if he felt "all right" but he didn't feel not "all right" either.]

[But an answer comes out before he even has time to think about the words as he says them, as if they were instinctive.]

I don't know.

[thederpyhalf]

[She blinks, puzzled by the response.] You don't know? [She did note that he kept looking at her bag though. Hmmmm. She pulls out a box from her bag that was filled with...donuts!]

Are you hungry?

[soreplaceable]

[She just pulled something out of the other something. That is officially the most amazing thing he has seen so far, and his eyes widen just a bit as he leans forward to get a better look.]

[He isn't sure what either of those somethings are, but that doesn't stop it from being interesting, right?]

[thederpyhalf]

[She's watching Ion rather curiously. His reaction...almost as if he was unaware or new to the simplest things. She pulls out a donut with a strawberry glaze.]

You can have one, if you like. [She offers it to him.] Ah, you know what it is, right?

[soreplaceable]

[He settles back into that same confused look from before, staring at the donut. But this time his words flow a bit more naturally, making it sound more like an actual answer rather than a default response.] I don't know... what it is.

[thederpyhalf]

[He...he really was like a newborn, but that's okay! Yui is always willing to help others]

It's called a donut. It's a type of food that you eat. [She takes out a glazed one] Like this. [And she takes a bite out of her own to demonstrate.]

[soreplaceable]

[And then she broke it.]

[...or not? He looks down at the donut she had offered to him and, hesitantly, mimics her action and takes a bite.]

[Chewing, swallowing, more things that had been programmed into him that wouldn't have come naturally otherwise. It only takes the first bite to get the hang of it and for him to realize he was hungry. He's never eaten before!]

[And with that, it only takes a few seconds for him to quickly devour the rest of it, making a mess on his face in the process.]

[thederpyhalf]

[Yui can't help but smile and laugh a little at Ion eating the donut.]

Hehe. I guessed right. You were hungry! [She pulls out a napkin and with her motherly instinct, she went to wipe the mess off his face with a napkin.]

I should get you something better than a donut though. Are you still hungry?

[soreplaceable]

[Ion lets her wipe his face without protest, but he's definitely still rather hungry. And now that he knows what that means, he answers without much hesitation.]

Still hungry.

[thederpyhalf]

[She nods. And starts to rummage through her bag. He needed something more filling than a sugary donut. Oh!]

Aha! [She pulls out a meat pastry. This will definitely do.] Here you go, this should fill you right up. At least...until we find you someplace to stay. [She offers the pastry to him.]

I guess you can't tell me if you know someone here...?

[soreplaceable]

[When he takes the second pastry and takes a bite, for a moment there's a look of surprise on his face. The taste was so different...! He hadn't expected it. Still not unpleasant, but not nearly as sweet. He eats this one a bit more slowly.]

Someone... here? [He wasn't even sure where "here" was.]

[thederpyhalf]

Mm...well, it was a worth a shot. Although that reminds me.

[She presses a hand on her own chest, facing Ion.] I'm Yui Kōnagi. Do you have a name I can call you by?

[soreplaceable]

[Yui Kōnagi. He assigns that to memory and then tries to make sense of her next question.]

A name... [He stares for a minute or two, bringing his hand to his chest in the same fashion she had done moments before.] ...what is "a name"?