This is not the best friend you are looking for.

[i_am_not_cute]

[As Pao-Lin wanders through the streets of Luceti, there are quite a number of questions on her mind. Things like, how did she get here? What is this place? Why does she have wings?

And where's Hubert?

This last one comes primarily from the fact that she's pretty sure she remembers falling asleep on the couch at his house the night before. Did he get dragged to where this place is, too? She's not sure whether she wants that to be true or not. It'd be nice not to be alone, but...he deserves to be safe at home. She's the Hero, not him: she'll deal with danger and protect him.

Not that Luceti seems all that dangerous, being the kind of homey village that it is. But it's unfamiliar, and so Pao-Lin keeps her gaze sharp and observant, keeping an eye out for threats...or her best friend.]

Comments

[i_am_not_cute]

So where is Luceti supposed to be, then?

[Pao-Lin's focusing on the more mundane details now, both as reconnaissance and to distract herself from the feeling of melancholy eating away at her. She hates this new distance between herself and Hubert, and is at a loss to figure out how to deal with it. Even before they started dating, she'd always felt close to him, connected somehow. To have all of those years of friendship just inexplicably gone...]

[ozwell]

[Ah. Of course she'd get that mixed up. She doesn't remember anything about Luceti.]

Luceti is part of an entirely separate world. It is a settlement maintained by the Organization, also known as the Malnosso. Here, they experiment on otherworlders, allegedly in search of a way to eject and bring them to their respective worlds. The wings and barcodes are but two proofs of our status as subjects.

We have been brought to this world for unknown reasons, and there is currently no known method of voluntary return.

[i_am_not_cute]

[At the mention of the wings, Pao-Lin's own pair flutter a bit, as if to wave a mocking hello.]

Barcodes...?

[ozwell]

[He gestures toward her neck.]

It's difficult to notice them at first. They're located on the nape of your neck.

[i_am_not_cute]

[She reaches around with a hand, her fingers searching. When she finds it, her heart skips a bit at the reality of it all.]

How do you know all this, anyway?

[ozwell]

[He crosses his arms.]

I was here until approximately three months ago for almost a year. Unlike you, who were detained here as well, I retained my memories of this place.

[i_am_not_cute]

[That's ridiculous. Surely Pao-Lin would remember something as huge as being dragged to some other world and meeting a completely different version of Hubert, shouldn't she?

On the other hand, given her prior experiences...she should really know better than to rely on something like her memories.]

Why would you remember things, then, and not me?

[ozwell]

There's no suitable explanation for such a phenomenon. Some remember; others don't. I doubt even the Organization could tell us.

[i_am_not_cute]

So you remember being here in Luceti, but you don't remember...us.

[Yes, she really did go and put that emphasis on the last word. It's so terribly cliched and cheesy, especially for a girl who prefers referring to someone like Hubert as her "partner", rather than her "boyfriend".

But she's still trying to adjust to the outlandish circumstances. She could be forgiven for being a little dramatic.]

[ozwell]

[ . . . Internally, he sighs. Outwardly, his expression softens the tiniest bit. He still carries a firm look.]

No.

[Because he's certain she's been fed a lie or lived a different life. Given the Malnosso's track record, the former seems likely. He's willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, however. He trusts Pao-Lin more than a lot of people in Luceti, and that shouldn't change because she has . . . different memories.]

Our memories are completely different. I cannot say why, but in any case, I can safely confirm that I'm not the Hubert that you know.

[It feels incredibly strange to say that.]

[i_am_not_cute]

[It's even stranger to hear it. Pao-Lin breathes as slowly and as evenly as she can, turning over the information she's been given. After a few tense moments, she speaks again.]

You said we've met here before. [That, at least, is a small relief. That means she's not quite working from a blank slate in trying to fix this mess.] What do you know about me, or remember about me?

[ozwell]

[This should be an easy question. And it is, except if it were anyone but her, he might have gone on an accidental tangent.

But, well, it's accidental.]

. . . that you are a Hero hired by HeroTV, who moved from Hong Kong to Sternbild, a city in America, in order to pursue that career. Your unique ability is to generate and manipulate lightning, a power that manifested within you over seven years ago. You work with and compete against other Heroes: Sky High, Blue Rose, Origami Cyclone, Rock Bison, Fire Emblem, Wild Tiger, and Barnaby Brooks Jr.

When we first met, we talked and battled.

[i_am_not_cute]

[She blinks.]

We...fought? Like a spar, you mean? [Her mind is trying to imagine Hubert "squishier than silly putty" Lhant getting into a fight, never mind sparring.] Or...did we actually try to hurt each other? [Even more mind-breaking.]

[ozwell]

A spar, of course. Given our vocations, we would have had no reason to truly confront one another.

[That's right. Who's squishier than silly putty now -- ]

[i_am_not_cute]

[Not to worry, SBV!Hubert gets into his first fight in college. That totally still makes him hardcore.

At this, Pao-Lin can't help but laugh a little, though it's a bit wistful.]

You and me sparring...that's kind of amazing. You didn't know how to even throw a correct punch in my world... [Hubert tried his best, at least.]

[ozwell]

[Nobody badmouths his girlfriend.

. . .

That might have been a muffled cough from Hubert.]

While I confess that hand-to-hand combat isn't my strongest point, I can assure you that I am aware of what I'm doing in a fight.

[i_am_not_cute]

[Fuck no. It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for.]

No, that's not what I meant, it's just you never... [She grows quiet. Hubert as a competent fighter is pretty cool, but it's just another thing signifying how different this one is from the one she knows.]

[ozwell]

[He waits patiently for her to finish, but when that doesn't happen he continues.]

This type of conversation should be held in-doors. Follow me.

[They've already said way too much out here. And he turns to head off -- not to his house, no, that's too crowded. He goes to the barracks.]

[i_am_not_cute]

[Slightly perplexed, but still curious, Pao-Lin follows after him, taking in the sights as she walks. Not that there's much around these parts, but it stills her mind for the moment, distracts it from dwelling on unpleasant thoughts. When the barracks come into view, she asks:]

What is that?

[ozwell]

[He doesn't stop until they come upon the entrance of the barracks, into which he gestures. Ladies first.]

The barracks. It's where we first met.

[i_am_not_cute]

[But she's a tomboy, not a lady...well, whatever. In she goes.]

This place sure is big...it'd be nice if we had something like this back in Sternbild. [She glances back at him.] You said we sparred before...who won?

[ozwell]

[Looking inside -- it's not much different from how he remembers it -- he stands straight with his arms folded again.]

We broke it off on a tie . . . but it ended in your favor.

[i_am_not_cute]

[She can't help but smirk knowingly -- an expression that this Hubert is probably very unused to seeing on Pao-Lin.]

Mmm. Of course it did. [She's being cheeky right now, and it's born of a familiarity that she really shouldn't be indulging in at the moment. But it helps her feel a little more normal.]

[ozwell]

[ . . . his dignity shrivels a little at that. Ultimately, he doesn't mind, and he approaches a dummy.]

You expertly wielded your element. It was practically impossible to dodge.

[i_am_not_cute]

[She remains where she is for the moment.]

But I'm sure you were still more than a challenge for me. You -- well, the you that I know [it's strange, having to clarify this, and there may or may not be a little twinge in her heart at this] -- always work hard and try your best.