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expiationmeme2023-02-27 01:04 am
TEST DRIVE MEME #2
Welcome to the TDM for Expiation, a pan-fandom adventure game with fantasy, science fiction, and sometimes subtle horror elements. We ask that top-level comments are reserved for new characters and players looking to experience a taste of the world and overarching storyline. Characters already in the game, however, are free to use TDM prompts in their own catch-alls and logs. Feel free to submit any TDM / prompt-related questions to the corresponding comment below.
New players / characters looking to app are free to use TDM threads as samples in their application. Preexisting players / characters may use TDM threads as part of their AC proofs (with the stated limitations).
You may find the below links helpful in getting to know themes of the world, locations, the people, and so on.
BE OUR GUEST
You may possess any number of questioning thoughts as you traverse the blindingly white room and are dropped into a darkness beneath your feet, but perhaps those same thoughts will be replaced with an awe and curiosity as you come to. Expiation has you now and you have joined the ranks of the Chosen, a seemingly select number of individuals who have arrived with parchment either in-hand or near them, detailing physical and mental statistics in addition to a particular crime to which you have been accused.
How you choose to spend your time here is largely up to you...
IT'S A WINDMILL, NOT A GIANT
As you begin to acquaint yourself with the lay of the land about you, you'll find that not too far from where you've woken there's a rather grandiose tower windmill. Its blades rotate at a casual pace as it faces the ocean and its accompanying shoreline. It appears to be in relatively pristine condition, implying that it is cared for well and often, likely by the locals of the town of Aldrip, which can be easily spied from the elevated level of land upon which the windmill sits.
Outside of the main structure is a collection of wooden crates in various display. Some of these are closed. Some are open. If you observe for long enough, you'll eventually find that a few relatively muscular sorts arrive on the scene to retrieve some of these crates and take them back the distance toward the town that lingers at the base of the mountains. If you choose to inspect the crates, you'll find some of them filled with heavy canvas sacks that contain flour. If you choose to ask the town locals retrieving them about this, they will explain that the windmill companion you have woken near is just one of the many implements that the locals use to provide sustenance to dining tables, festivities, and more.
You have the option to help the locals carry crates back, potentially to curry some favour with them, or simply take some sacks of flour yourself. Crates require more than one person to carry due to the weight, but two able-bodied adults should be able to handle the job quite well. A sack of flour can generally be carried by one, but perhaps you'll find yourself needing some assistance anyway. Maybe ask one of the others who've woken up near you. It certainly seems you're not alone in this new endeavour.
WHERE ONLY THE BRAVE MAY GO
If windmills and manual labour aren't your thing, you may find yourself drawn to the seemingly mysterious cave at the foot of the mountains, not far from the windmill in question.
The locals refer to this cave as Lorentia. Jagged rocks poke out around the entrance and have been sculpted and shaped to resemble what appears to be the massive sharp-toothed mouth of a dragon. It is possible you may be momentarily stopped by one of said locals who will explain that the Lorentia Cave is a passage system that leads through the interior of the mountains, though due to some collapse of the inside, the passageway does not go in far and is currently blocked off for the safety of local citizenry. In other words, proceed with caution.
If you're still feeling brave and care to take a peek inside, by all means. No one's going to stop you.
The interior of Lorentia Cave consists of both narrow passageways and some larger, more cavernous like rooms. There are assorted mining implements scattered along the ground, propped up against the walls, and carts that are filled with various ores, rocks, crystals, and more. The locals of Aldrip use Lorentia Cave for largely mining purposes and many of the things that are retrieved can be used for the smithing forges, the crafting of weaponry, or fashioning into jewellery and other accessories that are sold locally and taken to other towns on the continent.
There are some crudely designed signs that note to take care and depict simple skull drawings, indicating that certain paths may be a little more dangerous to traverse than others. If you are especially lucky (or unlucky, as the case may be), you may even spot some skeletal remains from some less-than-fortunate souls who got caught in a dead-end path and simply never made it out again.
If you listen closely, sometimes you hear the flutter of wings and a distant roar. Maybe it's best not to linger...
NO SOMETHING FOR NOTHING
MAXWELL'S SILVER ROCK-HAMMER
The townsfolk are welcoming to newly-arrived, something that has largely been met with a fair amount of scepticism and wariness from prior arrivals. That said, they continue to be hospitable, eager to share stories and songs about their land, their people, and their traditions.
A jewelcrafter is displaying their work today, putting their various wares out for locals and members of the Chosen to admire, or perhaps to purchase. Part of their demonstration is opening geodes with rock-hammers and showing off the impressive inside of colour and masterful natural works of art gifted to them by the land's bounty. They may choose to speak a little on how they revere the land, the resources they've been given, and how all of this has been bestowed upon them by the very gracious Those Who Were There, a mysterious and seemingly celestial higher power.
For those who are interested, they have the opportunity to offer some assistance to the jewelcrafter by opening some geodes as well. There's plenty of rock-hammers to go around and the most recent retrieval from Lorentia Cave's mining appears to have been very successful. The jewelcrafter is so moved by the offer of help that he's more than happy to let those who aid him keep one opened geode for themselves at no cost.
Congratulations on your new piece of decor!
FORGING BONDS IN THE FIRES OF PASSION
If you were a brave soul who made visit to the Lorentia Cave and came back with some weapon or armour crafting materials (including skeletal remains), you'll find that the smithies of Aldrip are eager to do business and many of them enjoy their craft for the sake of being passionate about what they do.
They'll waste no time in starting the forge and should you have a specific piece in mind you are requesting, as long as they have the materials on hand, they'll even be willing to show you the general process from start to finish on a rough draft of the piece in question. If you're feeling especially keen to help, they may offer to let you work directly on your project, though they will express apprehension and a wary eye for those who fail to have prior experience with such gruelling tasks.
Once your piece is finished, you can either wear it immediately, learn the best way to maintain and keep your equipment, or put it out on public display to show the rest of Aldrip and its residents, new and old alike. If you choose to let the smithies keep your piece, they'll pay you the cost of the materials you've brought them, plus a small percentage markup depending on how much personal effort you put into the craftsmanship personally.
Better yet, you may have just come out of the situation with a permanent bond. The smithies have an appreciation for those who share similar interests and may be willing to provide future discounts to those who purchase their wares.
FEEDING THE MASSES
YOU'RE A REEL CATCH
Aldrip locals always have a need for food and with many Chosen having recently arrived, that need has increased exponentially, for now they have a larger number of mouths to keep fed and stomachs to keep happy. To help inspire this retrieval of food, Aldrip is hosting a fishing competition and anyone who's interested in participating may do so, provided that they follow the guidelines set in place.
All participants must use local fishing equipment and this will be provided by the various merchants in town free of charge, save for those who wish to keep their fishing tackle. All fish caught within the local rivers, ponds, and the nearby ocean are acceptable for submission. Citizens (local or Chosen) are forbidden from using magic or technology as a means to catch their quarry. Anyone found breaking these rules will be disqualified and will be fish'd (that is, they will have raw flopping fish thrown at them).
The winner of the competition is chosen by having caught the largest fish (determined by size and weight) and will be announced at the end of the competition. The applicable winner may keep their fishing tackle free of charge and have their winning fish cooked in the style of their choice by the locals, which can then be shared amongst the people if they so choose (a fantastic way to make friends). The winner will also have a mediocre fish sculpture awarded to them with their name chiselled into the details in honour of their glorious victory.
OOC Notes:
Both TDM participants and characters already in the game may participate in the fishing competition. Please use the designated comment if you wish to partake. On the 13th of March (after applications have closed for the cycle), the winner will be announced and drawn by RNG. We will announce who the winner is on this TDM post (in these notes), the moderator plurk, and the OOC community.
I'M A [X], NOT A FISHER
If you're not a fishing kind of individual yourself, there's still plenty for you to get involved with.
Aldrip has need of people who are capable of preparing meals, especially seafood. It is probable that many participants of the fishing competition will end up fishing up things that are not fish or eligible for submission, but still edible. These include crabs, lobsters, jellyfish, octopuses, clams, and other related sea life. If you have experience with cooking or simply want to help out, the Aldrip locals will welcome you with open arms and may even pay you for your assistance.
If cooking isn't your forte, you'll find that some of the Aldrip citizens enjoy a betting pool from time to time. If you have some coins or something else you don't mind putting up for gamble, you might just come out with the whole pot if you put your currency on the winning fisher. Anyone found to be attempting to rig the betting pool and competition, however, will be returned their bet. We don't take kindly to cheaters here.
At least not openly.
Fishing can be a sometimes dangerous pastime. You may find a fisher who has gotten themselves accidentally hooked on their line or perhaps when they were freeing a fish, the hook got lodged into their thumb. Aldrip welcomes those who have healing abilities to help assist those more unfortunate situations, so fishers can go back to casting out their lines to make the most of the competition. That said, there's nothing in it for potential healers, just the notion that you've done a good deed.
feeding the masses but like, a little wildcarded!
She takes a breath to steel herself before turning to look to see who had spoken, if only to remind herself that he wasn't here anymore. Except when she does see who had spoken, her eyes go wide and she scrambles to her feet, catching her foot on the edge of the bench and stumbling a little in her haste to dart over.]
Senpai?
[RIP in pieces to whomever he'd just served, because they're getting gently but firmly shouldered out of the way by a relatively short teenager staring up at Shinjiro. If she looks and sounds afraid to believe it, well, maybe she is.]
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Kind of. He read the parchment, with the crime? And so he's accepted this as some kind of deserved community service, or maybe just an especially weird hallucination before he drops dead, or something.
And he's accepted, too, that the others aren't here, because why should they be when Shinjiro is the only one among them with so much guilt on his conscience, and so, this part here? When he hears a familiar voice, and turns to see a familiar face? This part makes the least sense of all.]
Huh? [HUH???? Hold up,] How— What are you doing here?
[Anxiety and frustration spike in him at the same time, followed by the most tenuous little scrap of relief; he is glad to see her, somewhere under the worry about what seeing her here means. So, really, it's an average day for Shinji trying to navigate giving a damn. Ah...]
C'mon. ...Don't just stare at me.
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Her eyes don't well up with tears, but emotion wells up in her chest and makes it hard to breathe for a few long seconds. Of course Shinjiro would be in a place like this, if only because he thinks himself guilty of so much more than he should. At least he's here, walking around on his own, breathing on his own, living on his own.
The bubble of emotion in her chest pops into relieved laughter as she tilts her head and smiles up at him.]
I'm just happy to see you. Can we talk somewhere?
[Sure, she didn't answer his question, but also, shouldn't they go somewhere more comfortable first? And while she might have phrased her request as a question, the determined set to her eyes is proof enough that she won't take no for an answer.]
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Hmm.
He doesn't say anything for a moment, before he glances at their surroundings, the food and the locals, including the one Kotone more or less bonked out of the way to get here. They're just enjoying their Shinji Dish, luckily, so there's that.]
Don't you have other people to talk to already? [is she not the most popular girl in town after a mere few hours--] .....Fine. Hold on.
[He needs to return the silly apron someone gave him, see. Give him a minute to untie it and tug it off, giving her a look that states that he will be right back before turning to find the local who owns this thing some ten feet away. He must make his awkward apologies for cutting out on cooking so abruptly, ahem, something came up...
But then he's back, sizing her up for any injuries and only then allowing himself to minutely relax. Like, an iota less tension. It's a start.]
Alright, let's get out of here. Just lead the way.
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Fortunately, she doesn't look injured at all, though there's a tiredness to her eyes that hadn't been present before, a weariness lurking just behind the bright smile she gives him. Of course, it could easily be chalked up to a day of slinging around big bags of flour!]
I think you should've kept the apron, [she remarks matter-of-factly with a twinkle in her eye, because if nothing else, even in these bizarre circumstances, she can't resist pushing his buttons. They're just right there, and she hadn't been sure she'd ever be able to do it again.] C'mon, let's go outside.
[Just a beat of hesitation, then she reaches out and tugs his coat sleeve, just once, as if to make sure that he was tangibly, physically there before turning on her heel and leading the way into the relatively cooler and quieter night air. She doesn't really have a destination in mind, but for now, a walk outside will probably do them both good.]
You looked pretty happy cooking for everyone! [Did he really...] I'll have to be quicker next time so I can get a plate.
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But oh, are his buttons still easy to push, as he instantaneously scowls deeper than usual and looks staunchly away from her for that bit about the apron.]
Give me a break... I can't go outside like that.
[Grumble mumble, don't tease him, the usual. It gives him a new (and yet not so new) pain in his chest to fall back into this familiar dynamic, especially in the seconds he can feel her tug on his sleeve. You know, he kind of thought being summarily removed from everyone's lives meant he wouldn't have to hang around to feel shitty about it, but here they are...
He's still walking with her, though. Of course.]
Hmm. ...I guess. [Kotone privilege: he'll admit it.] I didn't do that much, but they seemed to like it...
["It was okay I guess" - local culinary master]
If it's you, you can just ask. You still need to eat right, you know? ...You look tired.
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Modest as always... Even without trying it, she's certain whatever he cooked with the ingredients on hand was worthy to be served in a restaurant way fancier than where they were. She'll have to keep working on that with him, making him realize his own self-worth. It's been obvious to her for a long time, but maybe that's the kind of thing that's easier to see than feel.
She blinks up at him at the observation, opening her mouth to respond -- and doesn't immediately. She is tired; she has been since they defeated Nyx. She has more energy here and now than she had all month, but...]
...I'm okay, [she says, slipping her hands into her pockets and wrapping one fist around that weird little piece of paper. Tilting her head, she draws another grin to her face and skips around in front of him to walk backward.] You shouldn't tell a girl something like that, you know! What about you?
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He stops wondering about that pretty quickly, smashing the thought down before it can take over. Surely he'll find out about that eventually; he doesn't need to think about it just yet. (He is definitely still thinking about it.)]
You're weird, so you can take it. [#friendship] Are you sure you're okay? Don't push yourself just because it's only us two.
[The I've got your back goes unsaid, because it's obviously implied. Shinjiro knows she won't be able to shrug off the leader thing that easily, but so far - well. This place wouldn't have a Dark Hour, would it...? It's okay to relax, probably. For her.
He shrugs. Luckily, he doesn't grimace.]
...It's the usual for me. I'm fine.
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It is only the two of us, huh...? From SEES.
[In spite of herself, her voice is a little small, a little distant; one hand squeezes the other more tightly behind her back. There's an obvious reason for that, isn't there...? It's not like she didn't know it was coming for her, and there's a bigger part of her that's glad that the others aren't here, because if it's only her and Shinjiro, then...
But Shinjiro should be fine, shouldn't he? In the hospital, sure, but alive. Right?
She exhales a breath and turns around again once she trusts her smile not to waver. "The usual," right. That definitely doesn't mean "fine," but they'll come back to that.]
I really am happy to see you, though. I'm glad you're here with me. It's... been a while.
[The last part is said softly enough that if he wants to pretend he didn't hear, if he doesn't want to talk about it, he doesn't have to.]
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And, like, at least half of them wouldn't let him live it down if he ever said "I missed you" out loud, present company absolutely included. So it's fine like this; he tugs at his hat when her back is turned, grunting a vague noise of confirmation. Yeah, it's just them, as far as he's aware.
Then, of course, she has to drop all of that genuine stuff on him. He doesn't look away from her now, at least, but rather looks at her at a loss for a beat too long. He wants to know what's happened since that night and he doesn't want to ever find out, at the same time; it's all he can do to just look at her.
...How annoying. It seems like he was only okay with the world without him in it until he had to confront the idea, like this. Selfish of him; the thought makes him crack a weary smile, despite all odds, and he's sure he looks just as tired as she does right now.]
Yeah? You can tell me later. [There— pushed back but not forgotten, to leave a little breathing room in the meantime.] Did you keep the rest of the team in line? They didn't go too wild, did they?
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It's why her lips press together tightly when he asks about the rest of the team going wild. It's hard not to think about Aigis in December, or Junpei and Chidori, or Mitsuru and her father, or all the other stupid stuff they learned only after Shinjiro wasn't with them anymore. But all of that falls into the category of 'later,' so she just summons another smile and another nod.]
Yeah, I did! Everybody's doing really well. [It was rough for a while, but at the moment, everyone is doing well. She can't help but feel a little guilty as she adds,] We're all supposed to meet on the roof for graduation. I guess I'm gonna miss it.
[It's not her fault. She was there in the morning. She'd just closed her eyes for a few seconds before waking up in that strange blank space and being dropped in here.]
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Graduation, though - huh. Another one of those things he's just stopped thinking about, and now he does; he, uh, would not have been graduating for sure, even if things hadn't gone how they did. But graduation... it's been a while since October, hasn't it.
....Later.]
On the roof...? ....For another party?
[But, like, a dweebs hanging out on the roof kind of party. You guys are dorks.
Of course, Shinjiro's now thinking about baking her a little happy graduation cake, but he's not going to give away the surprise--]
What were you going to do up there?
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[It's as simple as that. They'd all made a promise to each other that no matter what happened, even if they lost their memories after stopping Nyx, they'd meet back on the rooftop for graduation. That conviction of a promise is what had kept her going through February, through those first few days of March, when it was all she could do to drag herself out of bed and pretend that everything was fine.
She's tired, but she musters up a smile for Shinjiro as she glances back over her shoulder.]
Maybe I'll tell you about it later.
[The pile of things they'll talk about nebulously "later" is growing, but that's alright. They'll have time, at least for a little while longer. She takes a few more steps ahead before grabbing his coat sleeve again and tugging.]
Hey, let's sit over here! [On a bench, out of the way of the main street and shaded by a tree.] I want to hear about what you've been up to in this town.
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Hey, wait. You don't have to tell me everything.
[After all, a promise is kind of personal, and it's not like he was around to be part of it. But perhaps the Shinji doth protest too much, because it's also not like he can stop her, from telling him or from tugging him along to this bench as if he isn't over a head taller than her. There she goes, and here he is pulled along into it...
So: sitting here on this nice bench. Almost makes him miss the park at the shrine? Almost. He's trying not to hunch over as much as usual, because, uh, his chest super hurts if he does that, but let's skip that for now.]
Me? It hasn't been that long. I helped move some crates... Cooked some fish. Met some people.
[Only one of these is noteworthy and only because it's Shinjiro. Ahem.]
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[Tell him, that is. She'd have wanted him to join them all there on the roof, too, if he could. ...It would have been nice to say goodbye to everyone, before being unceremoniously dumped in this place, but there's nothing she can do about it now.
At least she has someone. It's not that she wouldn't be able to make friends easily -- it's not hard to meet people and get to know them, after all! -- but Shinjiro understands in a way that would be hard to explain to anyone else who hadn't been through what they'd been through.
She rests her hands on the bench and presses her knees together, tilting her body to give him her full attention. And-- yeah. Meeting people is easy for her, but-] You did? [and if she sounds surprised, well, it's not out of malice, but genuine happiness.] Who? Maybe I know them!
[Unlikely, considering she's only been here a matter of hours herself, but worth asking! And if she doesn't know them, well -- it's only a matter of time. She has to watch out for him, after all!]
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He'll have to get used to it, he figures, and quickly. Now, he deserves this surprise, indeed...]
Uh. ....Just some people who yapped at me all day. They all had some problem, cooking or pushy guys, or whatever...
[He's been going around being helpful, of course, in his prickly way. That's the takeaway here. He's got that look on his face about it, too, the one where he softens around the edges just so, away (very far away, in fact) from the people who would rib him mercilessly about it. Mmph.]
Do you think it's true? That we're all here because of something we did? ....I didn't get any bad vibes from the people I met, that's all.
[Now, his own fun crime paper is another story, but as always, never mind that now.]
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The knowing smile she gives him is equal parts pleased and proud. In spite of his act, she knows he cares; really, it's because he tries so hard to pretend he doesn't that makes it more obvious. She hopes he can keep that up. If nothing else, October 4th really did drive home the knowledge that they all only have a finite time to spend with each other, and it's best to make the most of it while they can.
As for their supposed crimes... she frowns, studying his face as if expecting to see an answer written on it. He's right, there's a definite lack of bad vibes from the people here, at least as far as she's seen, and Shinjiro of all people should be able to tell whether someone is bad news or not. Not to mention her own paper...]
I don't know, [she finally answers honestly, leaning back against the bench to stare up into the leaves of the tree above.] I guess it really depends on whoever's doing the judging, right? The stuff they consider crimes must be different from what we think.
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[.....Well, he doesn't immediately protest, but he'll be mulling over that one for a while, as is his way. If this place is a punishment, at least for people who've done something really wrong, like himself, then is it more or less unacceptable for him to allegedly have fun? Does that even matter? He'll think about it... later.
The actual machinations of this place are more pressing, besides; he sits back with a thoughtful frown. As difficult as some of the people he's met today were ("difficult" here meaning "called him out on stuff" and "teased him a little," of course), it's really true that none of them seemed to be bad people... Nothing near the level of Strega, or anything even close.
....Hm.]
People who didn't do anything wrong shouldn't be "sentenced"— whatever the hell that means around here. ...I don't know. Those papers piss me off.
[You know, only because some of these people probably don't deserve eternal punishment or whatever is really going on here.]
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If there's anything she's learned over the past year, it's that the forces that exist ~around~ humanity can be everything from kind of funny (Theo) to world-destroying (Nyx). It remains to be seen which category the weird disembodied voices from the white space will fall into, but for now-]
I wouldn't worry about it too much, [she decides, crossing her feet at the ankles and tilting her head sideways to glance up at Shinjiro with a hint of a smile.] Being angry about it isn't going to change anything, right? At least not until we figure out more about what's going on. Then we can get angry and fight back.
[Her smile fades into something more serious, because it's fine for her to simply go along with whatever Weirdness is happening at any given moment, but that doesn't mean Shinjiro has to put up with it.] Unless it was different for you? That weird white space, and those voices, they sounded more like they didn't know what to do with me than they were punishing me. Did they say anything else to you?
[Because so help her, if Shinji gets anything other than good-naturedly teased, she's going to do-- something. She doesn't know what, but Something.]
no subject
Ah—]
Huh? ....No. Those guys didn't sound like they were high enough up around here to do much.
[Which, to Shinjiro, means someone else is printing these sentencing papers, and so someone else is the eventual target of his ire. The brick wall of no helpful information is frustrating in its own right, but those mysterious voices - well, they were probably having a weird day, too...
So, really, the only person giving Shinjiro a hard time today is Shinjiro. As always.]
....It's weird, how everyone here acts happy to see us.
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Yeah, I thought so, too. [To both points, really. There's someone else in charge, whether it's "Those Who Were There" or something else entirely. It's frustrating, not having any information, but getting mad about it won't accomplish anything at all. Best to keep poking around town, befriending others and working together to solve the mystery.
Not for the first time today, she feels an acute pang of loneliness. SEES was already established before Kotone had even moved back to Tatsumi Port Island, and she hadn't had to do any of the recruitment after personally. That was Mitsuru and Akihiko, really (Ikutsuki who); she wishes she'd thought to ask either of them how they knew who to bring in for their little team. Even if Mitsuru hadn't been the most forthright with them in the beginning, her heart had been in the right place.
But she pushes that back for now and gives Shinjiro a smile.] Is it weird? Maybe you just need to get used to people being happy to see you, Senpai. I'll help!
[She's joking, mostly because it's so easy when it's Shinji, but also he's right. It is weird, and she can't help but wonder if that attitude might start to shift.]