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Oh! Okay.
Well it's nice to meet you, Li.
I only know Sakura a little but she seems nice. So I figured the least I could do is make a friend of hers feel welcome.
Oh yeah? Well what do you like to do? I can point you in the right direction for some fun things to do.

...I was?

SERIOUSLY!?

OMG I mess things up like this like all the time. I CAN'T BELIEVE I GOT IT IN ONE

I mean-uh-Congratulations. She's very nice.

Um

T T hank you

I'm very fortunate.

['Very fortunate'? That sounds like he and Sakura just got married or something, ugh-- clearly he's not the best at this texting stuff, and it doesn't help that Ruby has Sakura's energy but on fifteen bags of sugar.]

It's nice to meet you too, though. I'm surprised there's so many kind people in a place like this, honestly.

[Because, y'know.... stress does some mean stuff to people, so it's at least good to know others are looking out for the new folks.]

Ah

I like reading? [NERD] And sports, I guess... training and active stuff.

I'm surprised there could be anything fun to do in this place, though.

I'd say so! She seems like she's cute as a button!

[That's what happens when people let her eat a bag of cookies for breakfast unfortunately.]

I guess it is a little surprising, isn't it? I think there's a good number of people here that realize we all have to work together if we're going to get through this. So a little kindness can go a long way.

That and my home is kind of like this place anyways. So you kind of get used to it?

Oh nice! What kind of books do you like? I'm more into comics and fantasy stuff myself.

Training is pretty important around here. Whether it's to fight monsters or escape from certain doom. You probably don't want to stop doing that while you're here. Just an idea.

Everyone needs a hobby. It's easy to let this place get to you. So you need something to focus on instead of the awful.

Edited 2020-08-13 16:16 (UTC)

[... Ruby, who is raising you and why are they letting you do this]

Sh

She is. She makes a lot of people happy just by being around her. I'm not surprised she has a lot of friends here already, to be honest.

[But moving on from the squishy feelings--]

When you put it that way, though, it does make sense. With the way people's powers get affected here, too, it's probably better to work together and help watch each other's backs than try to go at it on your own.[Ironic, coming from a lone wolf like him, but passing out in the street a few times last month helped him see the benefits of that.] I will say you're pretty... upbeat for someone who's lived in a similar sort of place, though.

[Upbeat's definitely a word for it, anyway--]

I like historical and archaeology books... but adventure novels are also good too. Fantasy's not too bad, either. [Though the magical inaccuracies do throw him off sometimes] I've never really read any comics or manga myself, though...

But you don't have to tell me twice about training. I've been keeping up with my forms in my apartment, though the dome breaking made things... a bit trickier on that end. I'd try the Rec center, but I don't really feel comfortable bringing a sword in there.

[As most people would]

[She's got... People looking out for her? They really aren't much better at this than she is.]

Just look out for each other. Keep the people you care about close here.

Exactly. Team work makes the dream work. If we work together we can cover for any weaknesses we might have picked up here and give each other a chance to shine at what we're good at it.

A positive attitude can be pretty contagious. I like to think it comes in handy when the monsters are attracted to negative emotions.

Seriously? You should give 'em a try sometime. They're kind of fantasy books but there's some really great art in there. There's a store here chalk full of them and a few of my friends work there. Highly recommend it.

[Her interest peaks at the mention of a sword.]

Yeah... The dome kind of did a number on the town, didn't it?

I take a few people out the park and forest for some weapon training. I'm more of a scythe girl myself but it's safe to consider me an all around weapon nut.

Speaking of which. What kind of sword do you use? Do you have pictures?

SHOW ME SHOW ME!

... of course. I wouldn't forgive myself if something terrible happened to her while I was here.

[Not that he has much power to stop every threat that comes her way in Deerington, but he'd do his damnedest to protect her, regardless.]

Is negative emotions what they're attracted to here? Or where you come from?

I didn't realize there were fantasy comics, though. I always thought they were usually just superhero stuff. I know there's a bunch of different manga genres, but... again, never really had the chance to read them.

[And this is only because he's seen the huge anthologies at bookstores and stuff-- but the shonen genre always seemed interesting, at least.]

It did. My apartment's kind of a mess, but at least it's not as bad as what some others went through.

[But if her interest was piqued over the mention of a sword, his was piqued over weapons training, always looking to get more experience under his belt.]

You do? Is it on a certain schedule, or is it whenever you feel up for it?

[But before he can question further on her scythe, the question about his own weapon gets him to blanch a bit. Summoning his sword has become something of a literal pain, and while he could swallow it down in the heat of battle, he... wasn't looking forward to doing it when he didn't need to. Actually feeling the sword come out of his hand wasn't a fun time, okay!!]

Um... I use a jian. It's something of a family heirloom.

[It's tough to say no to her encouragements, though, and after about ten minutes or so, he sends along a photo this resting upon his table.]

Sorry. It's a little difficult to get out.

...It might not be something you can prevent. But do your best and be there for her if it does.

[That's a lesson that Ruby had to learn herself during her first couple months in Deerington. She had received a similar warning and ignore it through sheer stubbornness, eventually her best friend had been hurt because of it.]

Where I'm from. There are monsters called Grimm. They're drawn to anger, fear, grief. Basically any emotion that puts you on edge and they're bound to show up.

This place mainly just tries to make you feel all those things.

There's just about a genre for everything when it comes to comics. Superheroes kind of steal the show compared to everything else, so I don't blame you for not knowing that. I'm still figuring out Manga honestly, a friend here showed me some but I get confused about which way you're supposed to read it.

[Oooooh! A potential new training partner. She's down.]

It's mostly whenever someone feels like it I'll try to schedule something in. A couple of them aren't super confident in their abilities or are just starting out. So I try to help them out on their own. I'd like to get everyone together sometime but I don't we're quite there yet.

[Don't mind her. Her response is slow because she's found herself drooling on the ground over that sword. She needs a minute. It's fine. She's fine.]

OH MY GOSH IT'S BEAUTIFUL. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU TAKE SUPER GOOD CARE OF IT AND I'D LOVE TO GET A LOOK AT IT UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL AT SOME POINT. DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT'S BEEN IN YOUR FAMILY??? A FRIEND OF MINE USES A SWORD THAT'S BEEN IN HIS FAMILY FOR GENERATIONS TOO. IT'S KIND OF OLD SCHOOL COMPARED TO WHAT THE REST OF USE BUT IT'S GOT IT'S CHARM

Edited 2020-08-15 12:16 (UTC)

[Well, ain't that the story of what he's been dealing with ever since he's come back from Hong Kong. But Syaoran is an equally stubborn boy, so he's just going to hope he can be there for her whenever he can and such a thing never happens.]

I will.

[But YIKES that sounds like an absolute nightmare to live in--]

... and I thought this town was bad. How did anyone manage to survive in your world? Did they just... have to pretend they were okay all of the time? That sounds AWFUL.

[Because he might try for the stoic and serious act, but Syaoran was a miniature golf course of emotions, despite his best efforts. Those things would have been on him like flies to honey.]

Which way--?

--oh, yeah, it is a little weird if you don't normally read from right to left. You get used to it in no time, though. I usually had to switch between the two when I was in Hong Kong, with the English books and the Chinese books.

That's good that you're doing that for those who don't have much experience, though. In a place like this, I think you'd need all the skills you can get. If you ever have an opening of any sort in the future, I wouldn't mind joining in. I have enough training with my own sword, but I don't mind helping out others or learning something new, too.

[He is kind of concerned by the rather long pause, though (did she go off to do something else?), but then the sudden onslaught of capslock makes him jump. That........ was certainly a first]

Ah

t thank you

It's a focus for a lot of my abilities, so it's kind of important to keep it in good shape. I don't know how long it's been in my family, but I know it's been a good number of generations, at least.[Or he might know, but CLAMP is stingy on this info] Is this friend of yours here, too? What sort of sword is it?

If there's one thing people are good at it's adapting. Most people have gathered up and stay within the walls of four kingdoms that have been built up. The defenses there are usually too much for Grimm to get in. It's not perfect but they work for the most part.

Then they also train people like me to go out and make sure everyone's safe.

Unfortunately pretending doesn't do the trick. It's kind of a weird balancing act people have to play.

It's why smaller villages outside of the kingdoms don't tend to last long.

[Even with Ruby's can do attitude it isn't always enough. It's not exactly easy.]

I'm getting used to it slowly but surely. The art in those ones is always so cute. I want to get better at it.

I'm just doing what I can to make sure everyones's a little safer. I'd be happy to either let you join in or if you've got the skills to teach it might be better to get you doing that too. We can all improve together.

Oooooh. Well either way I like the look of it. Take care of it and it'll take care of you.

He was briefly but he's gone home now. It was a long sword and shield. It's been upgraded and reforged a couple times since I met him, but he cared about it a lot.

Edited 2020-08-18 18:24 (UTC)

[It still was something of a mind-bender to hear about the different worlds people had come from here. Originally, he had just assumed where everyone had come from was largely the same (because a dream dimension would have it's limits, wouldn't it?), but more and more he's learned that wasn't the case.]

You said you preferred scythes earlier-- is that what you used to fight those things back in your world? Or was it something different?

And what about wards? Someone had told me about monsters in his own world, and how they used them to keep away the weaker creatures-- was that the case in your world too? Like in those kingdom walls you mentioned?

[Sorry for the twenty questions here, Ruby, he's just interested in a lot of this!]

I don't really have any experience in teaching, but... I can offer advice, at least? Or tips where to improve. I can help with martial arts, too, if anybody needs to get better at that. It might not defeat any monsters, but it's good for self-defense and reflexes.

[And after his run-in with Fai last month and the other glimpses of Despair he saw, learning how to protect oneself from fellow Sleepers seemed to be equally as important as protecting oneself from monsters.]

It sounds like he did, with all that effort put into it. I guess I never had to worry so much about that sort of thing since mine is sealed a lot, though.

I use a scythe. I've got it here with me too. It's called Crescent Rose and it doubles a sniper rifle too. I'll show it to you sometime. It's my baby.

Wards? Is that some kind of magic? Because we don't have that where I'm from.

Ours are either physical barriers or some places use hard light Dust to make a barrier.

[And Dust is basically magic but don't tell her that because RWBY logic is dumb.]

That's basically how I started. You'll find your groove as you do it a little more. Self defense is also pretty important. ...This place likes to turn people against each other from time to time. So knowing how to go against normal people can be key too.

He was kind of a fish out of water when I met him but he's really come into his own.

I'm looking forward to seeing it in action.

[He has to make sure he's read that first message right, because--]

A sniper rifle? In a scythe...? Doesn't that get a bit dangerous?

[Not that it doesn't sound cool as heck, and he definitely wants to take her up on that offer to see it, but how does she not accidentally shoot her fingers off with that........]

It's a type of magic, though, yeah. A lot of time it's an encompassing spell, but they can also be written on paper or something too.

[Though now he wonders if he's said too much since she said magic didn't exist where she's from............ but then, with how many magic users were already here, she's probably encountered at least a few of them already, so!]

What's Dust, though? It's not the type you usually find around the house, is it?

[She capitalized it, so... probably not?]

I saw a lot of that last month... people turning against others, that is. I'm hoping that's the last of it for a while. Monsters are easier to fight than innocent people, I think.

For the people I'm fighting sure. It's a pretty tricky weapon to use too without the proper training. So I wouldn't recommend it to a newbie either.

[Look there's a reason the headmaster of her school called it one of the most deadly weapons ever designed. She went overboard with it.]

Oh. That's kind of cool.

I think. I'll be honest I don't really get it but paper magic sounds cool.

Oh Dust? It's an energy source where I come from. Where you guys you like gas and electricity we use Dust to power things. It's like a powder or crystal that harnesses the elements to do stuff. I have bullets made with different kinds that I could show you sometime.

[It's freakin' magic but don't tell a RWBY that.]

Yeah. Last month is probably the worst I've seen it and I've been here since January.

Heh. Sounds like you have a good heart if you feel that way. I like you.

But how does it work, exactly? Is it just... a blade attached to a gun? Does the gun part lock when you're not using it?

[And after maybe ten or so minutes of radio silence, he follows up the text with absolutely stunning depiction based on his mental image of it.]

Like this?

[Look, he's no engineer, designer nor artist, apparently, don't @ him]

It's kind of hard to explain if you've never seen it. Think of it like... an invisible shield, maybe? Or force field? I could probably show it to you at some point, plus there's a few people here who specialize in it too.

[Also YEAH..... that does sound an awful lot like magic, but then if he's learned anything from his time here so far, it's that things aren't always the same across the board in other worlds.]

I wouldn't mind seeing that at some point, too. Your Dust bullets, I mean. It sounds a little like my own powers.

[Which........... is magic, but shh--]

N

No I

It's just normal to feel that way, that's all. It's n nothing about having a good heart or anythingb

[Syaoran will you ever stop being a tsundere and accept a compliment for once in your damn life]

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