heavy metal.

The man was pretty intimidating, but his smile seemed to put the anxious Ichika at ease. At least, she relaxed her hands so they were at her lap, and not sheiding her. She brushed a loose strand of hair behind her head, glancing down.

“ Y-Yes, I am… I’m not as good as my brother, though, he’s amazing. He taught me h-how to drum. I just do it for fun. ”

Ichika had moved one of her sticks to her free right hand, and started to idly spin it between her fingers. It wasn’t professional or perfect, but it was practiced, a motion that was familiar to the girl.

“ I could never be in a band like my brother, I’m too nervous. What about y-you? What do you play? ”

   — ❝ DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS ; that’s one way to easily chip at your own self-confidence in your talent , ❞ Simon’s voice was blunt & certainly not the most . . . gentle , but he meant it innocently - in a way to give advice , as someone who’d been in the industry for a while before even waking up in this strange place. 

   Granted , he didn’t know much about drumming. Drumming was never his forte - but he assumed it was like any other instrument : every person who played it had their own style , their own unique way of doing it , and it would prove fruitless to compare since that took away from the VALUE in each person’s unique talent. After all , that’s the way all art was.

The sound of drumming was filling the music store, as Ichika got lost in the rhythm. It was one of her days off, and she had been itching to practice, even more than she usually did. She had been here for only thirty minutes, but she was already moving onto her fifth song, with narry a break in between. It wasn’t intense, but it was consistent, not professional sounding, but with a ton of heart in it. She was practicing a particularly tricky part of one of her favorite songs, a part that had her staring intently at her drum kit as her sticks flew from part to part to part on it. She actually did it a few times, seeming to stare a hole into the poor kit.

When she finally looked up, practically slamming her stick on the crash cymbal, she was met with someone close to where she was practicing. She froze, quickly grabbing onto the cymbal to silence it.

“ A-Ah! Sorry, I didn’t see you… am I, uh, being too loud? I can get pretty into my practice… u-um… ”

With one hand still on the crash cymbal, she pulled her sticks close to her, as if it was a shield.

  — HE , UNFORTUNATELY , DOESN’T MAKE AS MUCH MUSIC AS HE USED TO for a multitude of reasons in Castle Town : 1. ) Apparently the person he was before realizing his true origins wasn’t interested in the field. 2.) Simon was already used to & EXHAUSTED of the drama that came with being a musician - it overtook the art , and he loved it , but a bitter taste was still left in his mouth from the false stories woven on social media about his character. And 3.) . . . Maybe he needed a push back into it ; the transition and growing used to this time maybe wore him down too much. The great Xenon needed to remember why he started his romance with music in the first place.

             ❝  WAIT ,  SO THE STOLEN ITEMS  were given back ?  oof ,  finally …  i didn’t even realize that had happened !  ❞   mostly because of how the girl had been trying to ignore things that weren’t directly relevant to what she considered the busiest time of the year  —  and consequently ,  the worst .  besides her friends ,  career and university ,  helena couldn’t bring herself to care or want to keep up with much else ;   it was just too much work !  not to mention ,  someone was bound to update her on everything sooner or later ,  regardless of whether or not the magenta - eyed girl asked for it .   leaning back in her seat ,  helena continued to sketch a new piece of jewelry in her ever trusty ,  baby pink notepad .  ❝  the  holiday season  is just a lot for everyone ,  you know ?  i hate being kept out of the loop ,  but i also hate having so much to do …  oh well ,  i do have to focus on my shop ,  so i suppose i could just trust on you to keep me updated from now ,  right ?  ❞   she pauses the sketch ,  gaze lifting towards her companion for the day .  ❝  you’re obviously really well informed …  even if i tried ,  i could  never  be as good as you !  ❞

&&  — “ I FEEL LIKE I’M FALLING ASLEEP JUST SITTING HERE. ” for the past half hour , it’s true , link had been drifting off , though they didn’t know why. it wasn’t like them to find themselves that exhausted , though it seemed as if their recent pattern of staying up all night was really taking a toll on them. they’ve been noticeably nodding off , too , head resting in their hands as they stifle back another yawn. “ i wonder if i could like, parkour and nap. ” there’s a pause , a clearly terrible idea forming in their head. “ wait , imagine it. i create a new trend , it’s called napping in terrible spots. the first spot ?? on top of the roof of a car. i can just go outside and lay on someone’s car with a blanket and fall the fuck to sleep. does that sound brilliant , or does that sound brilliant ?? ”

        HIS COMMENT MAKES HER  shrug dismissively ,  and that’s the only answer she can give .  yes ,  curry didn’t fix that many problems ,  but it did fix some …  oh well ,  it wasn’t like she was genuinely hopeful in the first place .  regardless ,  yukika’s thoughts move from the subject and start focusing on what could possibly be on simon’s mind .  it certainly looked as if were something important ;  perhaps  life - changing ,  or something that would completely change her opinion of him ?  seemed unlikely ,  but still …  

        one couldn’t be sure of anything these days .  especially in this town .

        to yukika’s surprise ,  simon didn’t quite start talking about himself .  instead of a revelation of sorts ,  it was about the drones  —  which ,  quite frankly ,  still peaked her interest .  they were drones !  how could she not want to know more about that ?  yet suddenly ,  what sounded like an interesting take on tech turned into …  well ,  no short of  a nightmare .  somehow it almost felt as if she’d seen something similar before .  robots ,  working for  a factory in …  space ?  her head shakes the thought away ;  this isn’t the time to think about silly memories that make no sense .

         ❝  that sounds bad .  like ,  real bad .  artificial intelligence is progressing each day and robots are becoming more and more present but …  proper drones made to serve the human masses ,  then rebelling against them ?  sounds terrible ,  ❞  and that’s when she pauses ,  unsure of how to word the question she’s been meaning to ask .  eventually ,  in a matter of seconds ,  she manages to let it out .  ❝  and the way you said it …  you’re not  from this world ,  are you ?  not only isn’t the  technology  advanced enough ,  you said you came from somewhere else .  ❞   another pause ,   ❝  plus to be honest ,  sometimes i  very  feel out of place .  ❞

   — AS SHE SPEAKS , AND AS SHE FURTHER SEEMS TO PIECE TOGETHER THE REAL MEANINGS behind his words , Simon feels himself grow uneasy. It isn’t that he doesn’t trust Yukika ; no , it’s quite the opposite. She trusts in him so much that he believes he’d be stupid not to do the same. If there’s anyone he can trust here ( besides of course Aroma & Neko thanks to their shared experiences ) , it’s her. 

   He’s uneasy . . . frankly because he doesn’t know how real the story will sound. If he tells the truth , how likely is she to accept it ?? How likely is she to believe him ?? He believed he was a criminal with no evidence other than belief that was put into his mind - his memories were tampered with , his consciousness was messed with. He believed himself to be a criminal , someone who selfishly attacked & hurt despite everything he knew about himself , his strict moral code . . . 

   It’s a double-edged sword : she could believe , and she couldn’t. He was easy to convince , despite the fact it betrayed everything he knew , and he was wrong.

   ❝ It’s a long story , to put it simply - I don’t belong here and I know I don’t belong here. I’m not even sure where I come from , I don’t know what it classifies as , ❞ another world ?? But it seems like a more futuristic version of this one. But it isn’t . . . the same. The air isn’t the same , and not only because of time. ❝ But if you feel out of place - you might be here the same way I am , and frankly , I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. ❞

                    NEKO  REALLY  DOESN’T  mean  to  make  people,  especially  simon,  worry  about  her.  when  she  has  issues  with  anything,  she  at  least  attempts  to  resolve  them  on  her  own  without  any  help,  but  word  always  seems  to  get  to  simon  anyway,  though  that  could  also  be  her  own  fault.  she  does  tend  to  complain  quite  a  bit.  she  wants  to  argue  that  everything  has  changed  since  they  got  here,  but  that  isn’t  what  he  means  and  she  knows  it.  she  wonders  if  it’s  a  good  or  bad  thing  that  while  everything  around  them  has  transformed  into  something  entirely  different,  with  some  friends  lost  and  others  gained,  she  has  been  able  to  maintain  her  usual  demeanour.  she  pouts  regardless.  ❝  what’s  that  supposed  to  mean  ?!  ”  and  she’s  genuinely  curious,  too,  but  it  comes  out  as  a  childish  whine.  most  things  she  says  do.  ❝  i’m  not  screaming  !!  i  was  literally  just  standing  here  !!  ”  she  gestures  to  where  she  stood  a  mere  minute  earlier,  making  faces  through  the  window.  ❝  i  wasn’t  even  going  to  suggest  that  !!  i  just  wanted  to  visit…  ❞

                    REMI  NODS  SLOWLY,  processing  that.  it  sucks  that  they  don’t  have  any  leads,  and  she  doesn’t  think  she  knows  anyone  herself  who  could  be  the  culprit.  then  again,  in  a  lot  of  her  experiences,  she  has  simply  stumbled  across  criminals  while  trying  to  do  her  own  thing.  she  doesn’t  think  she’s  about  to  have  that  same  luck  this  time.  she  doesn’t  even  know  if  she  wants  to.

                    another  slow  nod.  she  takes  her  time  to  formulate  her  thoughts,  or  what  little  of  them  she  has.  pokemon  battles  aren’t  the  same  as  life  in  castle  town,  and  she  has  no  idea  what  sort  of  research  g  is  doing.  their  only  hints  are  what  has  been  posted.  ❝  i  think  it’s  probably  to  create  the  disconnect,  too.  if  i  had  to  guess.  it  doesn’t  sound  like  the  government  has  anything  to  do  with…  things.  ❞  she  speaks  generally  because  so  many  things  have  happened  recently  and  it’s  hard  to  find  a  word  to  encompass  all  of  them.  ❝  and  i’ve  been  wondering  whether…  well,  stealing  items  is  a  big  no,  no  matter  how  you  look  at  it,  but  i’m  wondering  if  their  research  is  really  all  that  bad.  and  then  it  comes  down  to  why  those  items  in  particular,  and  why  not  somehow  find  a  way  to  ask  if  they  can  borrow  them  ??  though  i  guess  they  might  come  across  as  crazy  if  they  do.  ❞  she  thinks  she  feels  a  headache  coming  on.

   — ❝ THIEVERY . . . IS STILL WRONG , AND STILL A CRIME in this aspect , ❞ he refrains , crossing his arms as he looks to the side. But Remi does have a point ; she’s smart , and she does give a valid reason as to why whoever G is might want everything to remain a secret. It gets Simon to think , and it gets Simon to wonder what the hell all of this might be for. This research . . . what does it entail ?? What’s it supposed to investigate ?? He wants to KNOW.

“Yeah there is,” Ven says as he pushes his chair out from his desk and stands up to guide Simon. “It’s mostly a bunch of old census data I think, but there’s a few other records laying around. Follow me,” with that Ven began walking towards the back of the library, leading Simon to the the town references. “This is it,” he says as he motions to the single shelf marked for local history. “This is really it.”

NAME: Yuki

PHOTO: x

RINGTONE: Sunshine Duration - Crystal Punk (Sing Sing Rabbit)

NAME: Skull

PHOTO: x

RINGTONE: One of Neko’s songs

NAME: NEKO

PHOTO: x

RINGTONE: What else

I.

SIMON HAS PARTIALLY BACKED AWAY FROM UPFRONT MUSIC for a multitude of reasons ; one , he’s simply not a musician in his life in Castle Town. Only a radio show host with a normal life. That isn’t to say that immediately bars him off from pursuing a career path in that field , but it hasn’t given him a head start. Another reason is that he’s not entirely sure if fame is something he wants again ; stan culture in both his world and now this world have shaken him to his core , despite that fact he’ll never admit so , and he’s not sure he wants to be on the receiving end again or even remotely witnessing drama involving him on the Internet. And . . . ADMITTEDLY . . . it wouldn’t be the same here. He may try it , but it won’t have the same feeling as being with Neko or ROBO_Head or . . . 

      Or . . .

II. 

UP UNTIL SKULL MOVED IN & CAME TO STAY WITH HIM , Simon had resigned himself to living alone. Firstly , he only lived with his ex-partner ( still an open connection ! ) and he’s still trying to come to terms with an entire relationship that was falsely created in Castle Town. Another thing , of course , being the connections that were already created for Simon that surrounded him - and yet because of his distrust in false memories , he couldn’t take much part in without some sort of wariness. So until Skull came along , and until Simon was reunited with those he knew in Castle Town ( & also until he forged brand new connections ) , Simon believed he’d be alone forever in this place. However , now things seemed to have turned out QUITE differently.

III. 

25. first song you remember hearing?

   — ❝ CAN’T REALLY THINK OF THE FIRST SONG … But … last song I remember listening to before this whole … thing happened was … ❞ He takes a deep breath. It wasn’t … that song , it’s more … 

I. 

                    REMI  CAN’T  SAY  she  knows  much  about  the  situation,  especially  as  she  isn’t  one  of  the  victims  of  thievery.  she  knows  enough  to  report  on  it,  and  she’s  seen  a  copy  of  the  messages  that  were  recovered,  but  not  much  else.  this  isn’t  a  problem  she  can  tackle  head-on  with  any  of  her  pokemon  (  not  that  she  has  any  of  them  with  her,  of  course,  and  the  thought  makes  her  deflate  a  bit,  only  for  her  to  perk  back  up  to  keep  appearances  ),  and  she  finds  herself  wanting  to  help  but  mostly  out  of  her  element.

                    ❝  really  ??  ❞  she  says,  surprised.  ❝  you  don’t  think  it’s  them,  do  you  ??  ❞  by  what  she  can  gather,  though,  she  doesn’t  think  he  does.  she  just  wants  to  hear  the  confirmation  from  simon  himself.  ❝  wait,  so…  another  person  shared  them  —  well,  obviously.  ❞  at  least,  she  thinks  it’s  obvious.  she  doesn’t  quite  know  what  she’s  talking  about.  ❝  the  objects  are  important,  but  finding  out  who  took  them  is  even  more  so.  but…  if  this  person  wanted  us  to  see  them,  then  why  all  the  secrecy  with  their  research  ??  like…  do  they  think  that  whoever’s  in  charge  around  here  will  forbid  them  from  it  if  they  go  through  the  legal  channels  ??  ❞  she’s  so  confused.

   — ❝ NO ; I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be. ❞ Because of course , CONNER has made no effort in keeping his research a secret ; he’s already blasted it out with his name connected to it like a goddamn cover page and makes sure everyone knows he’s responsible. It’s bold , and Simon - despite his . . . INTERESTING relationship with the scholar - can’t help but commend him for it. It’s for that reason he has no reason to believe it too strongly that there’s any possibility Conner is G.