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[ If he ever wants a practice partner, Hotaru is very good at it, seeing as how it was an ability she possessed before arriving here. For now, she'll just be glad that he doesn't freak out over a voice suddenly in his head.

The hand is taken and what Hotaru feels is surprising, it's almost as if she's in Sailor Moon's presence. That is extremely reassuring to the girl, even if she isn't afraid of dying by drowning. She may come back to life, but it is something she'd like to avoid as much as possible. ]

Thank you. [ While the voice still sounds distant, it won't be cutting in and out as much. The power boost, the warmth, and the light are all appreciated greatly.

Hotaru nods at the gesture, her free hand lifting to press up on the ice in various places to see if there's any give. There has to be a place they get break, through. ]

My name is Hotaru. [ Telepathy exerts no physical effort, and maybe some communication will help keep the level of calmness they both have. ]

[it makes him feel better too if he's honest, especially her voice breaking the muffled silence and churning of the water. her thanks gets a smile, small and little muted but sincere.

he watches her test the ice, eventually reaching up to help test as well as they drifted in the water. getting her name makes him look over, wishing he could offer his back rather than a nod in greeting.

though when he pushes at the ice closer to where her hand is doing the same it rumbles, startling him. the distinct sound of a crack that has him looking over wide eyed and lighting up his hand against the ice to get a better look.

yeah, definitely cracks. his gaze goes back to her before he attempts to push again in the same place.]

[ Had their situation been slightly different, Hotaru would be sharing music across the telepathic connection, just to fill the quiet. There's simply too much working against them for her to do so right now. She nods and returns the smile.

Hopefully, he'll be able to make a proper introduction soon. Somewhere a lot warmer and much more pleasant. Maybe wrapped up like a burrito in a thick blanket.

Their hands drift closer while probing the ice and that seems to be the trick to it. The sound reverberating through the water, but it's clearly not enough to free them. Not yet.

Hotaru can sense his gaze on her. ] Together. That usually seems to be the solution around this place.

[ She puts more force behind her push, legs kicking quickly to give her the only real leverage to be found while submerged. ]

[he nods quickly- that seemed right, and she seemed smart too. calm in frightening and confusing situations, like ritsu was. he thinks he's probably lucky she was here with him, because a lot of people wouldn't manage that.

he pushes at the same time, kicking his legs as much as he can, a truly meager amount of strength yet seemingly effective. more and more cracks begin to form, encouraging him to kick all the more, even as his legs ache a bit.

when the ice finally does break it's incredibly weird to surface clinging to the side of a manhole on the street. he blinks, staring up for a moment at the buildings before pulling himself up to the street itself, trying not to lose his grip on hotaru's hand just in case.]

... this is a very strange city. [is what he has to say about all that, shivering and soaked and very much not near any ice or lakes? huh.]

[ So many situations around usually involved at least one other person, especially the ones where they end up in a place they clearly weren't before. Those situations tended to put two people together to overcome whatever was in front of them. Hotaru will be glad that she ended up with someone who was level-headed and willing to work with her.

They may be small, but they are mighty and the ice trapping them in begins to look like a spiderweb. Cracks growing across the structure as it gives way to the pressure they're putting on it.

Freedom is a loud sound, some of the chunks of frozen water sinking around them, but it's clear they are emerging in the middle of a street. Her head breaks the surface, lungs drawing in a huge amount of air to replace what had depleted in the fight for survival. ]

Yes, it really is. [ There's a quiver to her voice that hadn't existed in the telepathic communication, a physical thing as she shivers. Up and out of the water she goes, still holding the stranger's hand. ] We should find somewhere nearby to w-warm up.

[ Her crystal will help with that - seeing as how she can survive the cold, dark expanse of space on a normal day, but the same may not be true for him. ]

[mob stands on shaky legs, mostly because yeah it is cold and he is not equipped for that. still it's nice to breathe and he lets out a soft sigh. then realizes he's still holding her hand.

he goes a touch pink for a moment, hastily letting go because it wasn't- it was kind of presumptuous to just hold someone's hand like that. or it wasn't when it had a purpose but now-

ah right. he turns to hotaru and can finally give a little bow and say,] I'm Shigeo.

[when his head lifts he considers what she said, shivering himself and nodding hastily.] Y-yeah. I'm not sure where we are though. I um, I just got here this month. [a glance around is unfamiliar to him, but most streets are.]

[ Being completely wet in the middle of winter is never a good thing, they weren't entirely out of danger, but it was certainly less dire. Her crystal gave her many benefits, but it couldn't protect her body from being damaged. Hotaru would like to avoid the extreme opposite injuries her past life had sustained.

The teen drops her hand like it's a hot potato, his face flushing in the process. Personally, she hadn't thought much about it, physical contact was one way to stay warm, and he seemed to exude a little of that warmth.

Hotaru bows a tiny bit in return. ] I'm glad we met, Shigeo-san. You were very calm and helpful.

[ Ah, she turns her gaze up and the street to look for familiar buildings. ] This is Cellar Door. I think... [ A few steps in one direction. ] Yep! There's a little café over here that offers hot beverages.

[ Motioning to him to come along so they can at least have a drink and dry place to go before heading home. ] I go there a lot after my violin recording sessions.

[calm and helpful- oh, that was nice. he supposes he was, he didn't really think of it at the time.] So were you. Your telepathy was really useful too.

[when she says that he nods, searching a moment and- ah yes, down that way seems to be that place with the huge red stone. he's used it as a landmark a few times, though it's hard to see here.

hot drinks sound very nice, so he's happy to follow.] You play violin? That's really impressive.

[very genuine there, skills like that always impressed him. especially something as complicated as the violin.] It's kind of nice to hear people still have hobbies like that here. Everything's so strange, it's a little overwhelming.

[ A lot of the people she'd met were like that, but her circle isn't all that big. Hotaru hasn't been in many of the terrible situations before. ] I've been working on it since my arrival. Because it was something I could do before, my new bloodtype amplified the ability where I could hear everyone all at once.

[ An extra powerful ability, which may be why she could still use it when the rest of her powers were blocked off. But that dips into theories that Hotaru has no actual experience trying to figure out.

It's a good place and if he hasn't gone inside yet, Hotaru is happy to take him there. She sets a brisk pace, both to keep their blood pumping and to shorten the time they're exposed to the weather. ] My mama has been teaching me since I could hold an instrument.

[ The most vague of vague statements, but rapid growth tends to throw off actual ages for things. ] Yeah, it's a lot to take in all at once. But a lot of the people I know just try to live their life as normally as possible.

Oh, you had powers in your world too? [that seems more normal than he would have thought. he considers it a moment before saying,] I didn't know the new squid blood thing could change people's powers too, besides giving them some. That must be really weird.

[admittedly part of him wishes his were changed. maybe they were, maybe they're weaker, though they don't feel that way. he still just... hopes. (46%, 47%)

he'll follow her lead, and because i want to be nice to these children when they do reach the building (mob will open the door for her if he reaches it first, mostly out of kneejerk teaching to be polite to people in that way) one of the workers takes one look at them and says 'I'll get you towels.'

that has mob blink, though he focuses again on hotaru.] You must be really really good by now then. [he wants to hear it, honestly, but he isn't sure if that would be rude to ask.]

That's good. I was worried people might take their new powers and abuse them, but so far everyone's really nice.

Yes, a few. [ There are things she could do outside of being Saturn, ones that she doesn't hide as much here in this world. ] I think it's because my new bloodtype has powers similar to my original ones. So it just sort of boosted them. The world was loud in my head when I first got here.

[ Her telepathy making it so she heard everyone's thoughts like she was standing in the middle of a talking crowd. Hearing nothing specific, but everything all at once.

Hotaru smiles and nods at the worker, pointing to where a fire is burning in the fireplace for where they'll go once they aren't dripping all over the floor. She doesn't want to track water all over the place before they get towels.

A soft hum at that soft compliment. ] I'd like to think so. I teach lessons here, since my violin was in my bag. And record songs over at the Entertainment Feed on the regular. [ So he could hear her play that way, but Hotaru would never turn down the opportunity to play for someone. ]

There might be some who do that, but I've been here for months and haven't personally met them. [ Not that she's a social butterfly. ]

Boosted them... [mob trails off a bit as he considers that. frankly it's a scary thought. he really hoped that didn't happen with him. but right, a blink and conversation.] Is it better now? Learning to control your powers like that is pretty hard.

[he's grateful he didn't have telepathy, the world was loud enough honestly. though tome would have been really excited to meet this girl. (more excited if she learned the girl was from space too.)

the worker comes back with towels, far too used to weird trench shit to ask what was going on with to soaking wet children coming from nowhere. mob takes one of them with a small bow of thanks, eager to get towards the fire once they're less, you know. drowned rats.

his head disappears under the towel, and after a moment he pokes up again, hair a massive mess from being jostled but far less soggy.] Oh, I'd really like to hear that. I don't really know much about music though, what makes it good or anything.

[he can't give good opinions, whenever he tries people tend to think he's half assing and get upset, but hey, he'd still like to hear it.

now that they're not so drippy he nods and starts moving to the fire, sighing softly when they're close enough for the warmth to start to permeate his damp clothing. he pulls the towel around his shoulders as he answers,] Maybe people have enough to worry about with beasts.

[ Hotaru nods at his question, remembering how she could only shut out everyone upon first arriving here to protect herself from the bombardment of voices. ] My friend, Usagi-chan, helped me figure out how to tune out the majority of people, how to listen to only the people I want to.

[ While it was something she could have figured out on her own, she was glad to have someone help her. That made learning a lot faster. She would happily meet Shigeo's friend.

Soft, warm, and dry towels! Hotaru instantly gets to work on her hair, soaking up some of the water and knowing that heat escapes from there - plus it helps warm up her fingers. Like him, she moves towards the fire to sit on the floor near it and not soak any of the furniture.

Time to get to work on warming up the rest of her body with both the flames and towel combination. ] I don't think you need to know much about music to enjoy it. You can probably find something you like there, whether it's music, or videos. But you can definitely look up any of the songs I've submitted, a lot are ones you'd hear on Earth.

[ No one has to have a musical ear to enjoy music, and she has submitted more than just classical songs - though anything modern would still be played on the violin.

She hums softly in agreement. ] Not just beasts, every month there's always something like what we just went through. I ended up in a forest once and had to find my way back using a compass. Sometimes there are worse things happening, like people getting seriously hurt or even killed.

Is she a telepath too? [it's good to hear though, having someone to mentor or teach in any way? rad, especially with things like this. usagi immediately skyrockets in his book as probably a reliable sort of person.

mob joins her to sit on the floor, using the towel more as a blanket now as his shivering begins to ease a little. such a relief, though he's kind of worried they'll both get a cold at this rate.

the trench was pretty rude, throwing them in the water like that for no reason he can figure out.] Do you want to be a musician? I mean, I guess you already are, but as a job.

[did this place have orchestras? and stuff like that? mystery. it's a nice thought though, compared to hunting and weird blood nonsense. so is earth music, or familiar music.

not that spooky bloodborne music isn't cool just. you know. maybe normal things too.]

Is it... true people die and come back? [it's kind of hard to believe without seeing it, really. kind of scary to imagine even.] I haven't seen much besides this. Oh, and some traps and zombies in the forests. You should be careful if you're near there.

She didn't really have the ability back home, but her bloodtype gave her the ability. Usagi has been here a long time, so she had a better handle on it. [ Until recently, Hotaru hadn't used or been aware of her sleeping powers. It was only with Saturn re-awakening that the majority of them kicked in.

Hotaru sits with her toes pointed towards the fire, though takes her shoes off to make sure everything warms up. Now that her Senshi crystal isn't being blocked, catching a cold will be more difficult, so she has that going for her. If he gets sick, she will bring him soup and tea.

There seems to be a lot of people ending up in odd places, at least since she's gotten here. ] I don't know. There are a lot of things I like to do. Violin is just one of them.

[ It doesn't have orchestras, though she has met other people that play instruments. Also, this conversation about her future job is... ] I'll probably be a full-time guard for the royal family when I grow up. Then everything else will just be for fun.

[ There, that's how she can explain her future. ]

I haven't seen it personally, but I know it's true. [ She doesn't sound scared, as though Hotaru has accepted that death and coming back is a simple fact of life. ] I have seen the dead come back in different ways, like the zombies you saw in the forest. Or creatures that take on the appearance of figures from back home, but a violent and vicious.

Oh, she must be a really good teacher then. [experience tended to do that.] Did you know her back home?

[oh most excellent idea there, mob also takes off his shoes, putting them a little closer to the fire to hopefully dry off. a glance around and no one seems bugged by them, which is a relief. the trench was full of pretty nice people, he thinks. or people used to weird bullshit more like.

he nods to that.] I admire that. I don't really have any hobbies. [he admits. people with passions really are admirable. also? people who are going to become royal guards?? have a slightly wide eyed look at that.] That sounds really important. That's what you want to do?

[talk about having a life plan. anyway death, lighthearted subject. he nods, and after a moment says,] I don't know how to feel about that. [just blatant honesty about the coming back from death thing. it was kind of a lot.

but the worker comes over again, asking if they want something to drink. mob hesitantly asks for hot cocoa.]

Yes, she was also used to my mental presence. [ So it wasn't super intrusive between the two of them. ] We are friends - pretty much family - there, so she took me in when I arrived here.

[ No children living on their own here, since people tended to worry about that sort of thing. Hotaru thinks that Trench is filled with pretty nice people too, though is aware there is some danger concerning both sides.

Hotaru lightly claps her hands. ] No time to start like the present! You could probably find a hobby around here. [ She will help him look for hobbies! There's a smile on her face as she talks about her future job. ] Yes. My best friend is the princess, and I love her and her family, so I want to be able to protect them from anything.

[ A very long life plan, since they will be very long-lived individuals. ] It's difficult to sort through the idea of people dying and returning, especially in such a manner, but to me, death is just a part of living. And coming back, I've always believed that hope and rebirth followed death. Like when a forest is burned down, it's sad and difficult, but there will always been new growth.

[ There's a distant look in her eyes that's only broken by the sound of talking between Shigeo and the worker. Hotaru asks for the same. ]

That's nice. [he warms just a touch to hear that. coming here and having no one familiar was pretty rough, he is very glad to hear hotaru had things differently. not that he hasn't found plenty of kind people ready to help him.] Are there a lot of people you know here?

[there seemed to be little clumps of groups from the same world. he couldn't figure out a rhyme or reason to it, just that the trench really liked karate.

her enthusiasm about a potential hobby has him perking a little, glancing to the side with a small smile.] Yeah... I'm not sure where to start though. I'm not very good at music or art or anything like that. [but ok, time to go a little wide eyed again.] Your life sounds like a fairy tale.

[it was nice! after a moment's thought he says,] She must be really grateful then. You were so calm and collected before, you'll make a really good guard for her.

A new growth. [he considers that as the man leaves to get their drinks.] I've met a lot of spirits of dead people. They do seem to sometimes find a whole new life like that. Then they move on themselves, if they're really at peace. It always makes me hope what's after that is like you said, hopeful and peaceful.

[ If Usagi hadn't been here, Hotaru might have turned right back around and tried to leave. Since she is an active member of the guard. ] Not really. There were three, but Minako-chan left recently. Everyone else are just the people I've met and made friends with here.

[ Hotaru hasn't really paid attention to the groups, mostly made friends with people close to her age or seemed friendly. There are a lot of karate people here, though.

Hobbies are great, a means to stay grounded in between all of the crazy things happening. Both here and at home. ] You don't have to be good at something for it to be your hobby. A lot of skill comes from practice or repetition. You just have to find something you love doing. [ That's all. She laughs lightly. ] It kind of is.

[ There's a happy smile at his words. ] Thank you, I haven't ended up in a lot of situations like that one since coming, but it's nice to know that I can handle the surprising ones.

[ Waking up in a forest and having to find her way out isn't nearly as serious as being under a frozen lake. ] Hm, this isn't our world, so I don't know how much we can do for them, but it'd be nice to try to help somehow.

That seems normal. Most people I know only have a couple of people they knew or no one at all. [a pause.] I'm not sure which is better. It must be stressful, worrying about the people you cared about a long time here.

[that bit about hobbies has him quiet, only breaking his thoughts when the worker comes over with their mugs. mob thanks him as he takes his, watches the waiter hand over hotaru's as well. the warmth of just holding it is nice.]

I've never really been able to find something I love like that. [he's a little jealous of people who do, really. when she laughs his lips quirk though.] It must be annoying to be put in a horror story after that.

[the dead though, that has him looking to his cup as he thinks.] I'm not sure. There are ghosts here, they could probably use closure. Sometimes it's really easy things like finding something they thought they lost.