Log (A Meeting at the Library)

[lovedramamoron]

Date: 10/20
Characters: Jimmy and Yua

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Jimmy had to talked to Yua over the network a few times, but he hadn't seen her in person since they briefly met at the convention. So when he spots her returning some books through the outside book slot he hastily shuffles around the books in his arms to get a better grip on them and hurries over to join her.

"Hey! It was Yua, right?"

Comments

[singlefaith]

A little pink creeps into her cheeks again, and a smile emerges, small. "That's really amazing."

Thinking back to the sharks and other somewhat freaky issues that have stemmed from "the mysteries around here" so far, though: ". . . Do they include horror or sci-fi?"

Yes, slightly wry on that. This possible reincarnation thing has been a little rough so far.

[lovedramamoron]

He makes an irritated face.

"I try not to think too much about that part. Horror and scifi aren't really my favorite genres. Even if it seems like I can't avoid them here." He sighs. "You know, when I came to England I thought I was just going to spend a year visiting all the British mystery sites and writing stories."

[singlefaith]

That little smile lingers. "I thought -- or hoped -- I was going to be surrounded by castles. And knights. I guess I didn't really get that either."

Astonishingly enough, she's managing to string sentences together -- though she doesn't dare think about it too hard in case she jinxes it.

"I like sci-fi . . . but maybe more other worlds? Less . . . governments and aliens." Like they seem to be getting some of here. Maybe they're both caught living in genres they don't like.

[lovedramamoron]

"You're a little closer, maybe?" he offers. "I mean, I haven't seen any castles here, but there is the hillfort thing. And the ruins. And the aliens haven't been all that bad so far."

[singlefaith]

If sweatdrops were real, she might have produced one at that last statement. "There shouldn't even be aliens at all."

And definitely not in the same paragraph as castles, which were elegant and romantic and not creepy like aliens. Aliens mess up the romanticism.

. . . Life has become so strange in the last couple of months, that she has to have these types of thoughts at all.

Hesitant, as though she's not quite sure if it's rude to ask, ". . . You're American. Right?"

At least his accent seems that way. He still looks quite a bit Japanese, though, too, which confounds things.

[lovedramamoron]

"That's right?" He wasn't exactly sure why she was asking, but it wasn't exactly something he was trying to hide.

"I'm from New York. I came over here about six months ago as an exchange student."

[singlefaith]

"So you can't go home," she notes quietly. "Any more than you can go to the other British mystery sites."

Flushing a little, sensing she's made for some awkwardness, "I was thinking about why you'd made that comment earlier. About thinking you were just going to visit the British mystery sites when you came."

Also, privately, she's a little curious. That accent is definitely different, and she's not sure she's met an American beyond tourists in Tokyo and here. And tourists don't count.

[lovedramamoron]

"I could," he says slowly. "But if I leave this area I won't remember the numbers or the weird things that have happened or anything. I don't know if I like the idea of just forgetting like that."

[singlefaith]

He's definitely thought about this differently than she has -- he seems to treat it as a choice, as though it's a conscious decision to be weighed out and made. Her eyes flick away, embarrassed, though she's not sure she could say why. "I guess . . . I didn't think it was even a possibility?" No, that's not right, and quickly she shakes her head. "I mean . . . that if you lose the memories away from here, it doesn't seem like that's okay."

Trying to put her fingers on why, frowning slightly, she adds, "I mean . . . it would be nice to forget in some ways. There wouldn't be aliens any more. Or little sharks. But it seems . . . wrong?"

[lovedramamoron]

He grimaces.

"There are a few memories I've gotten here I wouldn't mind forgetting." He'd wanted to write mysteries, not have firsthand knowledge of exactly what a decapitation looked like. "But... I also don't want to lose what I've found here. And I don't like it that someone can just reach into my mind and take that all away as easily as it got put in."

[singlefaith]

He doesn't seem to be daunted by her embarrassment or awkwardness -- just gives a thoughtful reply. It eases her a little, relaxing the knot in her chest. Again she tucks a bit of hair around her ear and underneath the frame of her glasses. "That makes sense?" (Though it seems ominous, too. How many memories will she receive that she'd rather forget? Her first had been challenging.)

"For me . . ." She grapples with the right words. "I guess it feels . . . not honorable. Like this is something I'm supposed to have. And if I refuse and try to go somewhere else, I'm denying that person something they were supposed to give me."

Her eyes dart across his face. "If that makes sense?"

[lovedramamoron]

"I guess?" he offers. "I haven't really thought about it like that. I guess I've been worrying more about what will happen when I have to go home."

Because he would, eventually. The student exchange program only lasted for so long, and his parents had already started asking about when he was going to start applying to universities in the United States.