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(no subject)

Who: Kirito / OTA
Broadcast: Audio / Fleetwide
Action: Aboard the Paisley
When: Now!

[What follows is a somewhat exasperated, very tired plea to the public, accompanied by a slow grinding noise every couple of seconds. For those who would recognize it, it's the sound of metal being sharpened, slowly and painstakingly.]

Hey, question for ships out there with security officers. Is it possible for those of us who don't have access to weaponry to buy or trade for a gun? I've got a project I'd like to try working on, but I don't have the parts here.

If trading for a weapon outright is against some sort of rule, or no one's willing, I'd take parts or schematics instead. Anything's better than what I have.

[For those aboard the Paisley, Kirito has been buried in engineering for a loooooong time, and the sound of grinding metal may or may not be echoing in the hallway outside of the entry door. Sorry ~~not sorry~~ for the potential headaches.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A few times. Mostly for uh, business reasons.

[If he can even call it business. He can't even manage a smile; instead, he focuses on his ring as if it's the most important thing in the world.] Couldn't tell you which prefecture I was in either - besides the one your Parliament's in.

Chiyoda? Does that sound familiar?

[That's still pretty close, actually. Small world.]

Not really.

I wasn't around too long the last couple of times, anyway. [He hesitates, twisting the ring and finally taking it off for the first time since he's arrived on the Fleet.] Tokyo was, well... where I became a vampire.

[Oh, man. That's unexpected. Kirito's eyes widen for a moment as he takes in that information, then he shifts a bit awkwardly, looking away.]

Bad memories, then.

[He's guessing. Stefan often gives off the impression that he's not fond what he is, so Kirito figures it's a fair assumption.]

Some of them.

[He doesn't exactly blame the country - or its people - for who he is. At the same time, it's hard to visit, because the memories haunt him with every step. Feeling way too naked without his ring, he slips it back on.]

Others weren't so bad. Like eating real ramen, or navigating the city without knowing the language.

What, you liked that part of it? I always get kind of frustrated when I'm stuck in an area that's English-only. Especially when it's information I really need.

[Maybe he needs to grow up a little more.]

Well, yeah - I got frustrated a lot. But you see so much more of a city when you leave the tourist-y areas and really explore.

Plus, I had a couple of friends who were fluent, so they did most of the talking.

Did you visit the castle at all? It is something of a tourist area now, admittedly, but for good reason.

I think so. The traditional one, right?

Most of my visits were actually business-related, but we had some downtime. [When, you know, he wasn't busy sitting in Parliament buildings, getting turned into a vampire, or helping people evacuate the city.]

That's the one. Edo Castle, it's called. I went there about a week before I was brought here. It was too cold for a proper tour, but I've heard the scenery's amazing in spring.

I'd believe it. We went in that awkward period between winter and spring, but it was still gorgeous then.

If we ever get back to Earth, I'd definitely visit again.

[At his words, Kirito's gaze drops, and he can't bring himself to respond for a while. If. What a depressing way to phrase it. For him it's never been an if. Even in SAO, when he'd been trapped for years and running solo, fighting for his life, the persistent thought of when he'd go home, when he'd be free again, had kept him going day after day. He'd made a promise to himself, to the people he knew. To Asuna.

Thinking of her, and their date to the very castle he and Stefan are discussing, makes everything hurt. So much for keeping himself distracted.]

Don't say it like that.

[Ah, right. Stefan winces at his own callousness.] Sorry.

It's not that I don't think we'll ever get home. [He sighs, a little more bitterly than he'd like.] I'm not sure where home is at this point. It's definitely not in the US anymore, and even though my family's all in Jordan something still... feels kinda off.

[It feels like something of a clumsy recovery, but Kirito tries not to begrudge Stefan for it. He did apologize, and maybe it's easier to lose focus when it's been a long time. Or, in this case, when you don't have a particular goal.

He can relate.]

I used to think that way. A few years ago, I wasn't sure if I really belonged where I was.

[He'd all but forgotten what the word 'family' meant.]

You'll figure it out.

[He almost laughs at the thought - not because Kirito said something absurd, but because Stefan's been trying to figure it out for months.

Hard to figure out where home is, if you've been struggling between two identities and two very distinct universes. Would Atroma shuffle him back to his family in the Middle East, or back to a vampire brother he constantly fought with? The answer's not as clear cut as it should be.]

Probably. [He shakes his head a little.] Might take me a bit more time, but I'll get there one way or another.

[Kirito shrugs. It took him like five years, he knows it's not an overnight thing.]

Going from experience, the worst thing you can do is overthink it. The more you dwell, the more you'll second guess yourself.

[This guy might as well be the poster child for dwelling too much on something, but... it is pretty solid advice.]

Not like I can dwell on it a lot here, either. We get a lot of downtime between planets, but there's been enough to keep us busy.

[Also not the healthiest coping mechanism, but when home seems so far away, it doesn't seem as terrible.]

[Shhhh Stefan, follow the wisdom of youth.]

I can't say I'm not grateful for the distraction, myself.

[He's giving himself more to do because even the planetary downtime isn't enough to keep him happy. He thrives on ~~quests~~ projects.]

Yeah, not counting the stuff planet side, there's still a lot of work to be done on the Iskaulit.

[He's been sprucing up the interfaith center, even if it's not quite to his standards yet.] You've checked it out, right?

I've been over, yeah. It has a lot of potential. I'm not sure if I'll be doing anything there yet, though.

[New as he is, he lacks the resources to really get started with anything, and with his current project in the works, whatever funds he has available will be going towards that, first and foremost.

But in the future... hmm. Definitely intriguing.]

Let me know if you do. I'm sure the center'll be up and running then.

In the meantime... [He finally remembers that he's made Kirito food, so he reaches for the plate and hands it over.] I haven't seen you in the kitchen in the while, so I thought I'd bring some over.

[Kirito blinks in surprise at the offer, then glances at his communicator. Whoa, it's later than he thought.]

Geez, sorry- I wasn't paying attention to the time. Thanks for the meal.

[He accepts the plate and immediately starts wolfing it down without hesitation. Space rations aren't exactly exciting, but any food is good when you're hungry.]

No problem.

[At least this time, it's some teriyaki beef flavored combo! Stefan experiments a lot with flavors, but once he finds something his crew likes, he tries to stick to it as often as he can.] Doing stuff like this... it makes me feel more human. Plus, no one else's really volunteered.

[It'll never be as good as Asuna's - nothing is - but that little taste of home makes Kirito smile a bit helplessly. He doesn't respond at first, the first bite making him realize how hungry he'd gotten. Before long, though, he waves a hand somewhat dismissively.]

I think you put way too much stock in being human. Doesn't really matter, what you are.

[He smiles a little at that.]

Maybe not, but unlike me, you still need to eat. I can't always remind you to grab a meal or two.