Voice, un: eve

[playtag]

WHO: Eve and you
WHERE: Libra network
WHEN: Very early September
WHAT: Updates on living situation and questions about school
WARNINGS: None yet

[First order of business, Eve is sending a message to the people she knows on Libra.]

[Private]

I'm no longer living at the Zodiac apartments, so don't worry if you don't see me around there. I have recently moved.

If you ever need me, give me a little extra travel time.

[The cottage is a bit of a hike.]

[Open]

[Then, of equal importance...]

[Being in a household with another kid means the school prep is more in Eve's face than ever before. She's still not sure what school is actually like, having gotten conflicting opinions when asking. But it doesn't feel right, having Kni go to school while she stays at home.]

[So small kid's voice has a question for the network]

How do you prepare for school when you've never been before?

Comments

private;

[droptheious]

That's great news, Eve! I'm glad to hear it. I know they're trying to do better on the outside, but I think it's better for everyone to be out of there.

[Oh hey he can help with the school thing too!]

I never went to school before coming here. I don't think anything would have really prepared me for how big and busy it is. I guess the best advice I can give is don't get overwhelmed or like...think any less of yourself because you don't get half of the cliques and in-jokes and whatever.

private;

[whiteshroud]

Oh? Will you be staying with Vash and Wolfwood then? Or living somewhere else?

[playtag]

I'm staying with them! Vash offered a few days ago, that I could move back there for good.

Re: private;

[playtag]

[Oh, that's a lot more enthusiasm than Eve was expecting at the news! She feels a little bashful but replies.]

It's nothing against them. While it was hard to trust Zodiac given our circumstances, the ones looking after me did seem to care. [Evidenced by a list of phone numbers the nanny gave her. In case anything comes up.] The room just felt too empty after spending time living with others.

[Hm... Big and busy, Eve's imagining a city center. She's been to those before, she can handle that she thinks.]

Thanks. I'll do my best.

Are you assigned a clique on the first day?

[Oh no. There it is, the one area Eve is most likely to struggle with: the social sphere.]

[whiteshroud]

That's great news! I'm so happy for you, Eve. That's much better than living on your own.

[The kiddo deserves to have a family looking out for her]

[droptheious]

[Sorry, Eve, he's here to encourage and support you!! He got a family out of this place after all, it's only fair she should, too.]

Yeah, I guess that makes sense. The cottage is pretty chaotic, right? I guess going back to a quiet apartment after that would be way too big an adjustment.

[Are you- a laugh bubbles out of him.]

Hah- no, Eve- no. They don't assign you one. You just kinda...join one, if you want, and if they accept you? I honestly never tried. I'm not great at the people stuff.

[playtag]

[Kaisou families for the both of them! Kind, loving families.]

Chaotic is a good word for it. Or cacophonous. [There's at least one argument a week over something dumb. Makes the house feel like home, at least to her.] Yes, the place just didn't feel right anymore. It felt... lonely.

[And despite her stubborn attempts to be ~independent~, Eve didn't want to be alone.]

[Unseen, Eve grimaces at the laugh. Hhhh... But he follows it up with solid advice, so her irritation is short lived.]

Oh. [Hmm] School might be more difficult than I thought.

[playtag]

[O-oh, she wasn't expecting all this positivity. Is this what normally happens when you tell people where you're moving next?]

...Thank you. I have my own room this time! Nico made one just for me in a magical teapot home.

[A phrase that would sound like a wild fantasy if not for Kaisou]

[droptheious]

I mean, at least you can never be bored there, right? And those are good guys there- I know Vash pretty well, he's like, the best guy.

[Vash reminds him a lot of Lance, back in Corona. Not afraid to be a total clown, but stalwart to the absolute end. ]

I'm glad you don't have to worry about being lonely so much anymore. That place definitely uh...had those vibes.

[Blowing up his apartment and getting the hell out of there was the best thing that could have happened to him, really. Despite everything. ]

Hah, yeah, sorry. It's not uh...super easy? But it's okay! I'll help if you need it. If anything else I can be your senior friend checking in on you!

...That- that was a lie. I'm not cool. I'm not even slightly cool.

[whiteshroud]

[It's a weird sentence, but he's seen Moxxie's teapot before so it doesn't surprise him]

Oh, they got one of those teapots? I know Moxxie lives in one.

But that's great! Your very own room. Have you given any thought to how you'll decorate it?

[playtag]

Vash did! He said because the cottage was tiny, it was getting a little crowded.

[While it didn't seem that small to her, there were a lot of people there now.]

Well, I've brought my things from the apartment. Books, a throw pillow, TV, my photo board, and the weapons that keep appearing in my Goodwill bags.

Will that be enough?

[whiteshroud]

Haha, that's fair. You do have a lot of people living there now.

[Vash has a lot of people in his life. Which you know what? Jun's glad for it. He's been alone for long enough.]

That's a good start, yes! The thing about bedrooms is they are your own special personal space. So you should decorate it in a way that makes you happy. That's the key.

[playtag]

Probably not. Even if we're much farther from the library and the rest of the city, there's plenty of things to do around here. [She just needs to plan her book hauls more carefully.] Uh huh, Vash is great. He's such a gentle and caring person. So's Wolfwood. Everyone here looks out for me.

[El Woo Woo might be surprising news to folks in PokeGO, but Eve has kiddo privileges.]

I hadn't noticed it before. Maybe that's why I was thinking so much about home.

[Feeling alone in a big new world. Understandable, and the sad single person room would make it more pronounced.]

[It helped that Varian had a great friends and a father figure to catch him when things fell apart.]

[Right... right. There are kids she knows from the app. They should also be at school, maybe in a different grade, but still. Eve isn't starting from zero.]

Checking in would be appreciated.

You know science. Does that not count as cool? [Eve thought it did.]

[playtag]

Is it that many? There are five people, not including visits from Uncle Dante.

[A way that makes her happy... Eve looks at the room around her.]

...I wonder if I could get a bookshelf.

[whiteshroud]

Uncle Dante? Does he visit a lot?

[He knows Dante a little, and that he knew Vash and Wolfwood, but he wasn't aware of the visits]

Sure! I might actually have a spare one, if you'd like.

[playtag]

Yes. He stops by pretty often. More than once a week.

[A lot more than that it seems like.]

Really? Would that be okay?

[A bookshelf is so much bigger than the usual book recommendations]

[whiteshroud]

More than once a week? Ha, I guess he's really good friends with everyone then.

[....The implications go straight over Jun's head]

Sure! My roommate who just moved out kept a lot of books, so now I have some empty shelves that he had to leave behind. I think he'd like it one of them went to such an avid reader.

[droptheious]

I grew up in a place far form the main city, in the country. It's kinda nice? Having peace and quiet. You can really hear yourself think. I really am glad you've got a good place to live, Eve. It sounds great!

[It IS surprising, but Varian knows lots of people have hidden depths! Maybe Wolfwood is one of them!]

I wouldn't be surprised. I know I felt a lot better since I got out of that place.

[Graunted, he was afraid Zodiac might actually murder him, but still!!!]

No problem, can do! And honestly I thought it WOULD? But apparently, no. The only things that seem to be cool are sports. Which...okay doesn't make much sense to me.

[playtag]

Yes, he gets along with them very well.

[Eve has an inkling that there's more going on between them, but she also doesn't really care? They seem happy, and she has books to read.]

Oh, thank you! That would be nice. I'll let Vash and Wolfwood know.

[Wolfwood will likely be the one stuck moving the shelf, just like when she moved in.]

[whiteshroud]

[Jun could offer to teleport the shelf over. He could also offer to carry it. He is more than capable of both these things.

But. He will not.]

Sure! Just let me know when they can get it, and I'll see if I can arrange my schedule.

[playtag]

There isn't much peace and quiet out here. That's alright, though. I prefer staying where there are a lot of people. Usually that's near a town or city, but I think there are plenty living here now.

[Wolfwood has many hidden depths, such as being a big softie for kids.]

Thanks. I'm glad you got a good place too, one that feels right for you.

[The Zodiac threat had been rather alarming. Thankfully that seems to have blown over?]

Only sports? [Is that something she would be good at? She's never tried sports before.] That seems rather reductive, considering how many different things people can enjoy. Is being cool so exclusionary?

[droptheious]

Oh yeah, the foot traffic in that place has gotta be a lot!

[Awww, Eve. His smile softens.]

Thanks. I guess we both really lucked out in that department, huh?

Only sports!! I don't get it either. And even then they have hierarchies of sports. Like the most popular one is football for some reason? Maybe they're impressed with people who like...run bodily into each other? It's weird.

[playtag]

It is. We have guests pretty regularly too.

[Half of those visits are Dante, tbh, but Vash is Mr. Popular. People drop by on occasion.]

Seems that way.

[What a wonderful turn of luck for them.]

Huh. [Eve is doing a quick search.] ...Which football? The internet lists more than one.

[droptheious]

I guess that makes sense. Vash has a lot of friends here, right? Like he seems to know everyone.

[Sometimes, you just get regular visits from Uncle Dante and that's okay!]

Oh, it's the one where they wear BIG padded vests. Ironically they seem to hold and throw the ball more than they kick it? I don't get it.

[playtag]

He probably does, since he's so friendly. [She means extroverted. Though Vash is both]

[Quite okay! Everyone seems to like Uncle Dante, so it puts the cottage in a good mood.]

[Scroll, scroll]

That looks to be American football. Originating from other forms of football, like soccer and rugby, teams score goals by either moving the ball to the opposition's end zone or kicking it through goalposts... The one strategy must be more reliable than the other.

Quite the intense helmets they wear.