thisavrou | [Video]

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[Video]

[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.]

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[If Ginko had a dad-mode, it would activate now. He does look somewhat concerned, though; upset kids are not something he likes to see.]

I'm... well, I am new here, so I could use a tour of the ship?

[He hopes that's what this kid meant by helping.]

O-okay. We can, um.

[Breathe, just breathe. Count to ten. You can do this.]

...d'you wanna see th' garden?

[He feels terrible. It would be quite a blow to learn that a friend of yours vanished like this, but there's not really anything he can do to help. He does make a mental note to ask around about the 'him' that used to be here, if this kid isn't mistaking him for someone else, anyway.

But for now, he'll smile faintly at the kid, trying to reassure them that it's ok--or at least, that it will be.]

I would love to see the garden. I didn't know you could grow plants in a place like this.

Edited 2016-10-21 06:42 (UTC)

S' special...I think.

[It's always been a special place for them, at least.]

[Where someone else might reach to take Ginko's hand, Frisk instead looks up shyly at Ginko before turning to lead the way, pausing and looking back to be sure he's following along.]

It's...um, it's really nice. An' calm. They don't gotta fountain, but th' tree's nice t' sit under.

[He's just as happy the hand-holding didn't happen; hugs are strange enough, even coming from friends. He wouldn't know what to do with hand-holding.]

It sounds pretty good.

[He'll follow along behind the child, vaguely wishing for a cigarette. It's not exactly the best idea in an enclosed space like this, but it would give him something to do, and give him an excuse not to try and make smalltalk.]

...I'm glad to hear there are some natural places on the ship.

[And that's something they know, have known just about as long as they've been on the ship. It had taken months before Ginko was comfortable enough to let them sit close enough to lean against, even longer before he'd reached for their hands himself when they needed comfort.]

[They should be used to this by now...shouldn't they?]

...yeah.

[And Frisk knows how hard it is for him to talk, so they let the conversation slide away, leading him on quietly down the halls and into one of the elevators. They know the quickest way to the garden from any area of the ship by now--there and the observation deck. Quiet places to curl up, to look up at the leaves or the distant, twinkling stars and try not to remember how long it's been since--]

[Don't think about it.]

It's...um. Over here.

[They open the door very quietly, looking up at Ginko through bangs and lashes, hoping against hope that he might remember a flicker of something, anything.]

[The other Ginko, meanwhile, has no idea any of this is going on. After parting ways with Frisk earlier, he'd just kind of wandered off to the garden himself; now, he's sitting under the tree with his knees pulled up to his chest, staring off into space and thinking about who-knows-what.

When he hears Frisk's voice, though, he blinks and glances over toward them - then freezes when he sees the man standing with them.

That's...

What?]

[He steps through the door as Frisk opens it, just not really sure what to say at this point. It's pretty clear the kid is expecting something from him, but...

He's distracted by a slight movement in the garden. And it's pretty impressive, with green things growing everywhere and even a tree like Frisk said. But it's what--or rather, who--is sitting under that tree that really leaves him speechless.

A small, skinny white-haired boy. That's... it's not possible... but it is, isn't it? He'll just stare at his younger self now, don't mind him, Frisk.]

[Frisk holds their breath, watching Ginko, and...they're not really sure what's happening here. They frown, and turn to look...]

[At.]

[Ginko?]

Huh?

[After a few moments, Ginko finds his voice. He doesn't stand, but he's got his hands braced on either side of him, like he might be considering it.]

Frisk, what's...

...Who is that?

[Well. Frisk can see... the boy, so that's a good sign. It (probably) means Ginko hasn't lost his goddamn mind.

He's stopped walking, and he cups one hand over his mouth as if holding a cigarette, and slips the other into his pocket. This... is going to take some careful handling, no matter what exactly is going on here... but for now, it's probably better if he just... rolls with it. So that's. Ginko. It's got to be; Frisk's reactions to him since he first met them, and the boy's unique coloration... yeah, no doubt about it. That's... him, as a child.

The real question is, what is he doing here if he's... already here? He's never seen anything like this, and he thought Edensphere had prepared him for everything. Is this a mistake on the part of whoever runs this place? And what's going to happen once they notice? He'll need to talk to one of the people who claim to be in charge, at some point--assuming they'll see him. But all that will have to wait until he... well. Talks to himself.]

...hey.

[Introducing himself to... himself feels a little weird, so he'll just leave it at that for now.]

Edited 2016-10-22 02:03 (UTC)

Um.

[Frisk looks up at the adult Ginko, then back to their friend with an utterly perplexed expression. How did this happen? There's...you can't have two SAVEs active at once, can you? And Ginko can't even mess with those in the first place, he doesn't have nearly enough Determination!]

I...think he's you?

[Again Frisk looks up at Ginko2, before running over to Ginko1 and holding their hand out. To help him stand up, or looking for reassurance? Who knows!]

He, um. He said he just got here.

[Ginko takes the offered hand and stands up, still unable to take his eye off... himself, apparently.]

He must have...

[He's pretty sure he would have heard about this earlier otherwise. Probably, anyway.

The fingers of his free hand clutch at the fabric of his uniform's pants as he speaks again, this time addressing the Other Ginko.]

Hey.

Edited 2016-10-22 02:36 (UTC)

[He nods a little as... as Chibi stands up.]

Yeah, I just arrived. I... [Rubbing the back of his neck again.] This is the first I've heard about... this.

[Frisk holds Ginko's hand with both of their own, watching him with worry before turning back to his older self.]

You...really don't remember me? Or...or any a' this?

[That's the part that's really tripping Frisk up, in this whole mess.]

[Ginko has finally managed to tear his eyes away from the older version of him, but only to stare off into some corner for a few seconds before looking back to him...self.

He stays quiet as Frisk asks that question, though, his attention fixing even more solidly on the new Ginko.

Could that be true? Had he really just... grown up and just forgotten all this?]

No, I... don't. I'm sorry.

[None of this was familiar, and being in space as a kid should be something he definitely remembered. Could this be the Tree's fault again? His hand shifts to his chin, rubbing his skin thoughtfully.]

...it might be a side effect from where I used to live. I spent a while there without any of my memories, so it's... possible I didn't get some of them back.

[There are other explanations, of course, but this one is just as plausible as any other, and there's no way to prove anything for sure.]

[Frisk blinks and looks up at Ginko with suspiciously wet eyes, but no tears start falling.]

But...

[That can't be right...it can't be! Surely he would remember a little bit--this isn't fair!]

[...it isn't...]

Maybe it's...Chara couldn't remember, neither. Not...everythin'. Stuff was different.

[They look back to the younger Ginko, their voice soft. It's not that they don't trust his older self to know these things, but...]

Maybe he's...another of you?

Another me...?

[That's... weird. And seems not great.

...If that's the case, he wonders how far back the differences go.]

[Ginko frowns thoughtfully, not sure he likes the idea of that... but it's as plausible as his proposed notion, and he likes it a tad bit better than the idea that he's walking around without even more memories.]

If that's the case... I really don't remember this at all. I was taken to another place about... mmm, maybe twenty years after wh--when you're from.

[The last part of that statement is accompanied by a vague motion of one of his hands in Chibi's direction.]

Other than that my life was... as normal as it could be, I guess. I grew up. I did my job. That kind of thing.

Your job?

[Frisk blinks at big-Ginko (they really need to decide how to think of him) and frowns a little, curious.]

What's that? Is it with the mushis?

[Twenty years? Honestly, it's hard to imagine that he'd even have lived that much longer. He guesses the part about ending up in another place would be weirder if it weren't for... well. The entire past couple years.]

It must be... right?

[What other job could he have been doing for twenty years?]

[He nods at both of them, encouragingly. If he ignores the weirdness of talking to himself... well, it's really no different from talking to any child, is it? So he might as well treat it that way, until he could wrap his mind around this whole thing.

And he's not surprised Frisk knows about this. Chibi must have told them, of course.]

That's right, I'm a mushi-shi. Or... I was. It wasn't a bad life, really. I got to travel around and see some really amazing things, and also help a lot of people, after all.

[But it's a life he never wants to go back to, if he can help it.]

[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.]

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

You...

You were helping people?

[Video]

action; .../sob

action; i'm sorry this child is a trainwreck in slow-motion

action; He and big!Ginko should get along very nicely then

action; they actually, but yes 8')

action;

action;

action; here we go

action;

action;

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ten million years later...

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