kaisou | UN: ecraig; Video

[This person... Rean can't shake the feeling of familiarity.

It's been several years since he last spoke with the person he's thinking of, but the things that he doesn't recognize from the person he's seeing are things he could explain with time. And with a username like that... it'd have to be a pretty big coincidence if this guy wasn't the same one he remembers, right?

...It's worth a shot.]

...Elliot? Is that you?

[He looks surprised and confused. Someone knows him? And from the video feed- he looks normal unlike the others! And more so, he looks familiar. Plus with that name...

It clicks, at last.]

No way....

Rean? Is that you?

Edited 2022-02-27 23:13 (UTC)

[At the confirmation, Rean lights up, a grin spreading across his face.]

Yes! Oh, wow, what are the odds of running into each other like this, huh? It's been forever!

[Holy crap it really is Rean! This is crazy...]

Yeah, no kidding! I expect to run into you on this! What are you doing here? What is this app?

[Between the weirdly cosplayed looking guy and the cat girl, he's starting to suspect its some weird deep fandom thing. Though, Rean was always pretty nerdy so maybe....]

[Ah, yes. The app. Rean just sighs.]

...All right, I'm going to try to explain this to you to the best of my knowledge, but I'm going to warn you in advance that it's going to sound like I've completely lost my marbles since we last met.

Seems like this app is only being sent out to people within Kaisou— I'm attending the university here. There's a company called Zodiac that runs this app, and they seem to have selected all of us because we have some connection to something called the Spirit Realm.

[...]

Which is exactly where it sounds like I've lost my mind, I know. I don't blame you if you don't believe me. But things are about to get very, very weird for you, and I'm sorry.

Uh-

[Elliot pauses, as he tries to digest all this. Were it anyone else, he'd immediately brush it off as some crazy internet knowledge. But this was Rean! They were good friends before Elliot moved away! Surely he wouldn't be the type to keep up some crazy thing. ]

That's...a lot of take in. [He bites his lip, before asking tentatively] And you swear this isn't some fandom community doing LARPING?

I-I mean, no shame if you're into that stuff!

I swear it's not. Believe me... that would actually be less mortifying to be explaining to you right now.

[And Rean certainly does seem mortified at having to do this. He's never been good at keeping his embarrassment hidden.]

I know, it all sounds completely impossible. A lot of us thought so, too, when all this got started. But I can't deny everything I've seen with my own eyes.

[Which, speaking of, are a different color than Elliot might remember them being! It's certainly a pretty color, and Elliot would know that Rean needs glasses, so maybe they're just colored contacts? But they seem... natural... for as unnatural of a color as they are now.]

[He watches Rean, who clearly looks like he wants to have the earth swallow him up. His eyes...they seem a little different, but he can't put his finger on what. Were they always that color? It's been awhile, so maybe he just forgotten...]

W-Well, I won't deny it's a lot to take in and sounds unbelievable but....I know you wouldn't try to pull my leg over something like this, so it's ok! I believe you!

[Murmuring to himself because boy what is he getting himself into] Whatever that means...

[Rean offers a smile at that, but it's a tired one.]

It's okay, you know. I'm happy to see you again and all, [and he is!] but you don't have to side with me just because of that.

I won't hold it against you if you need a little more time to adjust... or a lot more time. But when things do inevitably get weird... well, weirder than this... I'll be around if you need to talk about it, all right?

[He shakes his head]

Believe me, Rean. If my anxiety meds say anything about me, it's that I'm not the type that feels better about stuff if I sit and think about it all alone.

[If anything it's quite the opposite!! ]

If anything, having someone I can trust reassuring me what I'm hearing is real helps a lot. [It sure is what's making him stop from going into denial mode!] I mean, not that I'm trying to put pressure on you to hold my hand! I'm sure some people would say something like "Trust in the Lord" for all this, but we're not exactly on the best of terms right now...

[...............He's still a little salty at Jesus ok. But he seems to realize that's a weird thing to say so he'll clear his throat]

Ah, sorry, ignore that part! I still haven't fixed my babbling problem, as you can see.

Ah, you're getting help for that now? [Maybe he should consider doing that— haha no why would he do that] That's great to hear!

I know you're not trying to pressure me! But you know the kind of person I am... if you need help, I'm always going to be there. I can't help myself. And... yeah, I get it. Honestly, this whole app has been kind of helpful, in a way... at least if we suffer, we all suffer together, you know? No one has to be alone.

[Unless they purposefully withdraw themselves from help and insert themselves into making other people happy instead—]

Haha, don't worry about it. I never saw it as a problem in the first place. [How can he just say things like that with a straight face.] Sounds like you gained some religious salt while you were away, though, huh?

Yeah, I started not long after I moved here. [In other words, once he was away from his family]

Eheh, yeah that sounds like Rean I remember alright! But thanks, I do appreciate it. And the same goes for you! I have no idea what's going on, but I'll be there if you need help!

[He's confused but he's got spirit. GET SOME HELP REAN

He laughs a little sheepishly at that, though mostly at the compliment. Rean really just spouts that stuff like always. It's flattering, but embarrassing. He'll at least come clean to him]

Ah, yeah. I had a boyfriend not too long ago! Really great guy, and I thought things were going well, but.... [But...] Well, he decided become a priest instead.

[And he adds on, as if he's had to clarify this bit several times before and he anticipates the next question] The celibate kind.

[Y...yeah.]

Haha... sounds like the Elliot I remember, too.

[Rean smiles. He's glad to see some things really don't change.

...As for that boyfriend thing, though, Rean winces.]

Ouch. Yeah, okay, I take back any teasing, your salt is completely valid.

[Elliot smiles back. It's funny, it's been some years since the last saw each other, but it's easy to fall back into the groove of things. Some friendships are just like that.

It's probably why he feels venting about the boyfriend thing. Its like all the days they'd gossip about stuff]

Yeah, no kidding. He told me that I shouldn't take it personally, but how else am I supposed to take it? A guy dated me and then decided to pray to Jesus and swear off sex forever. That'd be an ego bruiser for anyone.

Edited 2022-03-01 19:22 (UTC)

[Do not think about sex with Elliot, Rean. Don't think about sex with Elliot, don't think about sex with Elliot, don't—

Rean will be thinking of nothing else for the rest of the day.

He is doing his absolute best not to show it, and in a shocking twist, is pretty much succeeding for once.]

I doubt it's how you think it is, but... I'd probably be thinking the exact same way, in your shoes.

My guess is more that he's just got a lot of issues he's got to work out on his own, though. Raised in some household where sex is evil and he was horny so now he has to go seek Jesus for forgiveness.

[Careful Rean you might end up on the path to finding Jesus yourself]

Eh, maybe. His parents sounded nice, but it's not like I ever met them so it's possible it was like that.

[He sighs, taking another swig of beer and still making a face. bleh, tastes like crap]

But enough about me, what about you? Have you been having magical adventures or romantic encounters?

[Can even Jesus save him now?]

Yeah... you never know. Especially if he came from that sort of upbringing, it probably seemed normal to him.

[Unbeknownst to Rean, no. Gaius just Chose Jesus because he's a freaking weirdo.]

Me? [He blinks for a second, before laughing a little.] Well, I guess you can say something like "magical adventures," what with all of this... this past time a gate opened up into the Spirit Realm, it was full of these magical creatures. Some of them were pretty scary, but some of them were really sweet and docile, too.

I fed one of them one of the berries I collected— it was kind of like a beaver without the tail? It seemed really happy and nuzzled my hand.

[And there is absolutely nothing romantic to report, so just skipping that question!]

Yeah, I guess we'll never know ...

[Though Elliot being Elliot, he's still putting his money on that he's just that bad at sex]

Oh wow....a gate full of magical creatures? Hehe, that sounds like it's straight out of a disney movie! And a beaver without a tail...that sounds cute! I'm kinda jealous I missed that!

[HE WANTS TO PLAY WITH CUTE ANIMALS]

[Rean really isn't in a position where he can tell him otherwise. Although he is trying so hard to focus on that pure memory of petting the beaver thing and not about his old friend in bed.

Even if he did grow up to be pretty cute.]

Pretty much, yeah! I heard some other people had a... less magical time, though, so my guess is that I just got lucky for once.

I hope any future gates are more like that one, though. I know any dealings with the supernatural have some element of danger, but it would be nice if they came with an element of wonder, too, you know?

[Rean just be careful not to mix up those two mental images and wind up with your old friend in bed with a beaver thing]

Yeah! Sounds like! If there's ever a gate that's nice like that, even I might take a look. [...] Though, I think I'll try to stay clear of the more dangerous ones.

[He knows he's just a music teacher. He'd die in a real dangerous situation]

I've heard some people involved in all this have magic. Are you one of them?

Haha... yeah, probably for the best. [Rean understands. Elliot's never been the peak of physical activity or anything.] But if you ever do want to explore, I'd be happy to accompany you.

Not that I really enjoy helping Zodiac out, but they do pay pretty well for their requests...

[Not that he wants Elliot to risk his own life, but... money is Good and Elliot could clearly use it. Rean can make his money off of odd jobs, he's more than happy to donate whatever he collects from the Spirit Realm to Elliot's benefit.]

Ah, magic? No, nothing like that for me. [...] Although, I did get a really cool sword.

[He perks up immediately]

They pay? How hard are the requests?

[Look. He's not immediately saying yes, but he can't deny some extra money WOULD BE NICE...]

A sword?? Where'd you get that? From Zodiac?

January, they wanted us to collect some bramble that could only be cut with enchanted blades they provided. That realm was freezing cold, and while nothing actually attacked me, it was pretty disturbing to be in.

This past month, they wanted us to collect berries from the realm with the magical animals. Which, again, depended entirely on which animals you ran into, but I managed pretty well. It was a way nicer climate than the first month, at least.

[He won't say how hard the requests are outright, but rather let Elliot draw his own conclusions.]

Mm, not from them per se? It kind of... dropped out of the sky and into my hands, and it just felt like it belonged to me. I can't explain it, but it's not like there was anyone around who could have dropped it, so I've just been hiding it under my bed.

Gathering berries and bramble? Well that doesn't sound too bad.

[Were it from anyone else he'd question if there was a catch, but it's Rean. He trusts Rean!]

A sword dropped out of the sky and it felt like it belonged to you? [The heck. He takes another swig of his beer and leans back in his chair a little] I hate that that's not the weirdest thing I've heard in the past hour.

The tasks themselves haven't been so bad, yeah. It's more the world around you that you have to keep an eye out for...

[He laughs a little at the thing about the sword.]

I know, right? When it happened, I was just left wondering "is anime real?" and yet half the things I hear about on here are so far beyond that that the sword thing almost feels... I don't know. Simple, comparatively?

UN: ecraig; Video

un: rschwarzer;

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in which i pretend i made an event post;

the magic of handwaving

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