[Video]

[iattractmushi]

[The white-haired man peering out of the screen at you has a faintly dubious expression on what you can see of his face, like he wasn't actually sure this would work.]

Uh... hey. [A slight pause, like he's not sure what to say.] I'm not used to talking for this kind of thing... I guess... I'm new here? The name's Ginko. Looks like I'm stuck here with the rest of you for a while, so I'd really like to get to know as many people as possible.

I've been assigned to be one of your medics. Hopefully I won't meet too many people because of that, though.

[But if this is the kind of place he thinks it is, he doesn't have his hopes up about that.

Another, smaller hesitation.]

Ah... if anyone here recognizes the name Edensphere... I'd definitely like to meet you. You might know me as Cloud, in that case.

[He kind of nods to the screen, and cuts the feed.]

Comments

[gainedlove]

[Frisk nods and manages a small smile, though they hold their Ginko's hand just a little tighter.]

Really? That...that sounds pretty cool!

[Being able to help people, to see the world...sounds pretty ideal to them.]

[notyetsore]

[Give him a few moments, he's still trying to process... all of this.]

You...

You were helping people?

[iattractmushi]

[This seems to be going well. Frisk is calmer, and almost seems like they might be happy; Ginko's also taken note of the ongoing hand-holding, which is very interesting. If it wasn't clear from Frisk's earlier reaction to him, Chibi's ability to put up with the contact makes it blatantly obvious. It seems his younger self has made a friend, which he personally thinks is terrific.

But that train of thought, as well as his faint smile, are completely derailed by Chibi's quiet question.]

...I... well, yeah.

[It wasn't hard to remember what it was like when he'd been that age. It wasn't the kind of thing he spent a lot of time thinking about, but it wasn't anything that was easy to forget, either. Still, he's not sure what Chibi is thinking, here. Good, bad...? The kid doesn't look very happy, but he's not really surprised about that.

He fingers the bangs hanging over his missing eye, uncomfortable all of the sudden.]

I... it was... well. When I became a mushi-shi, I guess... I decided that I wanted to help whoever I could. It... wasn't a perfect life, but it's the one I ended up with.

[gainedlove]

['Calmer' might be a bit of a misnomer, really. They're smiling more, acting like the cheerful child they usually are, but it's a bit strained at the edges, and it shows in how Frisk's eyes flicker to their friend near constantly, the way their attention seems to be caught almost too closely by his older self.]

[But when their Ginko speaks up Frisk looks at him with a soft, sympathetic gaze, and rubs the back of his hand with their thumb. They want to pull him into a tight hug, but he has that lost look on his face again.]

'Course you're helpin' people. You help people here, too...you help me.

[notyetsore]

And it... it worked?

[It sounds unbelievable, but all he can think of to do is seek some kind of further confirmation. He glances over at Frisk, uncertain.]

...Maybe.

[iattractmushi]

I'm a good mushi-shi.

[He manages not to sound defensive, just stating a fact. He's back on comfortable ground now; he is a good mushi-shi, or he was. Same difference, at least until they're sent back to... wherever the ship might send them, when it does send them back.]

But I don't think you should worry about it for now. What happens back in our world... it doesn't matter as long as you're here.