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UN: MegaRobo3000
STATUS: Student, Year 10
ACCOLADES: Academic Top 3%
BIO: Member of the Arts & Crafts club, native Japanese speakers, speaks French and English fluently, adventurous culinary tastes, aspiring healer, loves comedy and sweet potatoes.
Oh noooooooo, I wasn't able to answer the phone in time! ...Or scroll. Or mirror. Whatever you were using, I completely missed out! Leave a message, please, I'll get right back to you!
*robot beeps*
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You're welcome! I can guarantee the quality, I made sure to bake some test cupcakes in advance. There's no way it will fail you!
[She takes some measure of pride in her baking, obviously.]
Are you sure you want to stay here and do paperwork, though? I wouldn't want you to miss out on the festival.
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Festival? [blinks] Oh, right. That's today... Valentine's Day...right?
[he calmly shakes his head, a little smile still on his face as he reaches out to accept the custom cupcake]
I'm almost done anyway.
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[She won't say he isn't helpful, that's for sure. He's a hard worker, and she genuinely appreciates that he goes above and beyond the basic duties of a deliveryperson. Even staying late...]
[...]
Strife-san, there's something I've been meaning to ask. And I haven't because I didn't want you to think I had any problems with your work, or that I was suspicious, or... I like having you here a lot!
[She resists the urge to get too wound up about it, refraining from waving her hands, and instead turning to face him directly.]
Did you take this job because you were worried about me? Because of the other self you saw when we first met?
[Orihime strongly suspects he's been trying to watch out for her just because she'd been so fearful and browbeaten as Aizen's puppet. And if that's the case, it would be wrong of her to let him keep worrying about something that never happened.]
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What?
[she was facing him. she wasn't looking away. that fleeting curiosity of his soon became grounded as Cloud left his pen loosely in his fingertips, turning to face her as he leaned against his desk in kind.]
[the waves of teal and orange returned to that otherwise faintly glowing gaze of his as the gravity of Orihime's words settled in. a familiar deep sinking feeling in his heart. even if Cloud could lie...right now? his eyes told the entire truth. the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he found words betraying him, that brief twinge of tension on full display in his eyes while they briefly went wild with vibrating yellow and black polkadots.]
... [until he sighs through his nose, closing his eyes while placing the cupcake down behind him and the pen.]
I just... [he opens his eyes, raising his tanned gaze to look her in the eye and finally answer her] Maybe...mm. [he nods this time] That's part of it.
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[But before she gives in to her conclusion-jumping, she wants to talk it out first, just so he knows he has options. This place is all about doing the things a person normally couldn't in their home world.]
What's the other part?
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[that's not a good enough answer. he knows it isn't. because this feels like deja vu for him when it came to concealing how he really felt. Cloud kept his feelings guarded, despite his good intentions and making good on fighting for a better tomorrow. for his family, his friends, everything he held dear to him.
there's a softness to those eyes of his before gently breathing out. he'd seen a side of her, be it real or not, that she didn't want anybody to have to see. this person who became a god in her world, in another tragic reality... they could still come here. they could come after her. she had her companions and allies, and many would band together in the face of such adversity.
including him, he realized.]
Mm. I really do. Back home, all it seemed like I did was fight. Even when I was doing my job. I used to run a delivery business of my own, so this felt like a good fit for me.
That, and...
[they were his honest thoughts. he didn't think he had it in him to repeat himself, so Cloud was glad that it was just the two of them]
Even if that wasn't the real you... You helped me. Even when you were afraid of what could happen. [he never truly thanked her for that, even if she wasn't her own self. yet it stuck with him all the same. he remembered waking up only to shake his head with mingling concern and weariness.]
Maybe you don't need me to protect you, but I'll still do whatever I can.
[working here was a bonus]
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I'm glad. I just didn't want you to commit yourself to something you didn't like if it was only for my sake. I guess that's a little self-centered to assume.
[Orihime grins apologetically and rubs the back of her neck for a moment.]
But I could have done more. I should have. That other me was afraid of something that was a slim possibility, and you suffered for it. It's not something I'm proud of, Strife-san.
[Her shoulders rise and fall with an exhalation of breath.]
That reality never happened, though. Even if Aizen appeared in this place, I'm beneath his notice. The only reason he showed any interest in my powers was because he knew my friends would come after me if I was in trouble. He divided the forces that would stand against him and made an attack. Here, he wouldn't have any resources but his own abilities to alter people's perception of reality.
[She cups her hands together, leaning on her forearms.]
Kurosaki-kun defeated him too, even when Aizen had the upper hand. If he did show up here, I'm not worried about it. So you shouldn't be either. Okay?
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this was now. and as Cloud intently listened, everything that she said made perfect sense. so he dealt in illusions... it struck a chord with the swordsman, perhaps a little too deeply. and when she speaks of Aizen in how they altered people's perception of reality, a light frown may have marred his lips. but it doesn't linger for very long when he finds his voice again]
Well, if not Aizen... [his mind was made up already. there's a small, confident smile from her employee] I'll just look out for you because we're friends.
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[When he does speak, she smiles. She's glad she waited.]
As long as I can do the same!
[Whatever uncertainty she felt before, it's gone now. That confident smile of his works wonders for putting her worries at ease.]
Let me finish up here. Go have fun at the festival, okay?