Ø2

[painlessfighter]

[Hello again, Luministi. Natsuo is back, and he's not happy. If you were here last season, you might be about to have some serious déjà vu...

House B3 in Luministi Greens West is quiet for a short time after the Mayor's message, but roughly a minute later... every last window of the house shatters. In unison. Loudly. If you're in the area, you definitely heard it.

A young boy, with cat ears, a tail, and wearing an eyepatch, dashes out the front door. He looks angry, a little panicked... and maybe if you manage to catch him while he's running, you might notice he's trying not to cry.]

Youji!! ... Anyone!! Hello?!

[A pause... and then, he feels the need to add:]

I hate this place!!

Comments

[detectiveofthewest]

[Heiji almost bumped right into the kid, but managed to turn aside just in time, grabbing for his collar instead.]

Hey, watch it, squirt! You're gonna get yourself hurt runnin' around like that! Where're your parents?

[painlessfighter]

[Natsuo's fighter reflexes kick in almost involuntarily, and he ducks to avoid getting grabbed. He does stop, though, and spins to face him, those cat ears flattened a bit and his eyes narrowed into a half-hearted glare.]

No one's parents are here! You get pulled here, and you get stuck here, and everyone else is back home!

[detectiveofthewest]

Huh? What're you talking about?

Anyway, you seen a pay phone around here or something? I'll help you call your folks.

[painlessfighter]

... [Squint!]

You're new.

[detectiveofthewest]

[Huh?]

'Course I am; I just woke up here. Why, how long you been here?

[painlessfighter]

I just got here this time. But I was here before.

[He's calmed down a little bit, so his ears twitch back to a normal position and he doesn't look quite so ready to either bolt or pounce. He sighs - it's almost a defeated sound.]

Don't bother looking for a pay phone. That's stupid. You can't leave by calling people.

[detectiveofthewest]

[Heiji stared at Natsuo for a second. What Natsuo had said had made no sense to him at all.

And also cat ears.

On one hand, this kid seemed a little too into his anime. On the other, well. There weren't really many other people around, and it was broad daylight, so it wasn't like someone was going to snatch him off the street, right? Right.]

I'm gonna go call 110. Don't wander too far off, okay? Ask someone if you get lost.

[painlessfighter]

[He just... raises his eyebrow at Heiji.]

... Okay.

[And by "okay," he actually means that he's going to wander off the second you're out of sight.]