pc catchall for minato (compendiem)

[foodbin]

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week zero, post trial.

[foodbin]

[As they head out of the meeting hall, her expression is grim. Still, when she sees Minato nearby, she glances around before heading his way.]

Hey. You got a second?

[compendiem]

[ Minato lingers back in the hall, never in any real hurry to be anywhere but right now in particular he doesn't even move from where he'd been standing all throughout the last half hour of the trial, like he doesn't know how to proceed from here. He'd been staring at Sol's chair, but he tears his gaze away when Emma speaks up, and turns to her. ]

Plenty of seconds. Want some?

[foodbin]

[She nods in affirmation, but before anything else, considering how he's been:]

You doing alright...?

[compendiem]

[ How is he supposed to answer that... The best way is to be truthful about it, he supposes, and he fixes Emma with a weak, apologetic smile, and shrugs his shoulders. ]

I don't really know. But I'll be alright. I always pull through. How are you doing?

[foodbin]

[She pauses for a second, deciding how to approach this.]

I wanted to say sorry. I... was confused, but that hasn't been an excuse for freaking out on you either time.

[compendiem]

[ That doesn't answer his question at all, and Minato just stares at her for a moment, perplexed. ]

You don't need an excuse to freak out at me. Doing that is okay, isn't it?

[ There are no feelings here to be hurt, and- in all honesty- she should feel justified, seeing how everybody else throughout the day responded with concern every time Minato did or said something. ]

[foodbin]

[She waves a hand.]

It's probably not the best way to handle being confused.

[compendiem]

Most people when they're confused tend to freak out...

[ Being like him, nonchalant to the end, that's what's not normal. He's aware of this too, but there's not much he can do about it; he isn't a good actor. ]

Do you feel any better now compared to last week? Barring the whole... everything.

[foodbin]

I bet it's still obnoxious to deal with, though, right?

[She gives a shrug.]

Not really. Ignorance isn't bliss, but I wouldn't that knowing things is bliss, either.

[compendiem]

I didn't think it was obnoxious.

[ She's right about that second point, though. Any way about it, nothing about this situation even comes close to bliss. ]

At least knowledge is power... I think is how the saying goes. [ He looks down at the ground, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. ]

Sometimes things get worse before they get better... I like to believe it will get better, in the end.

week one, sunday.

[foodbin]

[It's early in the afternoon when she goes out looking for Minato. She tries a few different places before she finally spots him on the bench by the koi pond. When she approaches, she glances his way - it's not hard to tell from her expression that she's concerned, even before she starts speaking.]

Hey. Are you awake?

[compendiem]

[ He's sort of on the cusp of it, drifting in and out and startling every time he almost nods off, so that when he hears Emma's voice, he almost reflexively answers with a "no."

He opens his eyes to look up at her for a moment, and then closes them again. ]

Almost... five more minutes.

[foodbin]

[After a moment:]

I wanted to ask you something, whenever you can wake yourself up.

[compendiem]

[ ...As used as he is to lying there pretending to be asleep while somebody stands awkwardly in his room, it potentially pisses the other person off and he's a bit too tired for that today. So he opens his eyes again and finds Emma's face, all without sitting up or making any effort to get up. ]

What's up?

[foodbin]

I was just wondering... if you volunteered to do that, or if you just got chosen.

[compendiem]

[ ...He's silent for a moment, and then sits up slowly, crossing his ankles and tucking them under the bench. ]

Are you worried you'll get chosen next week?

[foodbin]

[She shakes her head.]

No. That isn't why I was asking.

[compendiem]

[ His follow-up question would've been "Do you want to get chosen next week?" but hmm, probably not. ]

I volunteered for it.

[foodbin]

...I thought that might be the case.

[And that seems to confuse her, at the very least, if not concern her.]

Can I ask why?

week three, wednesday evening.

[foodbin]

[So, wherever Minato might be, Emma is heading his way while looking incredibly tired. As she does.]

Naminé told me what happened.

[compendiem]

[ Minato is in bed, just sort of lying on the covers with his hands folded over his stomach and staring blankly at the ceiling. He turns his head when Emma enters the room, no recognition passing over his face, but he does at least sit up slowly so he's not talking to Emma lying down. Two-days-ago Minato would have kept lying there. ]

I'll thank her later. Do you know any way that can help?

[foodbin]

...Not really. This is a little bit out of my wheelhouse, kid.

[She frowns, though, as she looks his way.]

What have you done so far?

[compendiem]

Slept a lot. Walked around a bit, hoping for something familiar. Read the notebook in the bag, but most of the pages are torn out, and nothing really makes sense there.

[ He's tried a little? But there's still other options he hasn't tried yet. ]

Have you ever done hypnotism?

[foodbin]

...Uh, no, can't say I have.

[She frowns.]

I doubt that's going to help, anyways.

[compendiem]

You don't think so...? The memories are in there somewhere... they just need to come out. I think that's how it works?