059: Let Them All Walk Away

[contract_star]

[Hei is at his hut again. He's sitting on the bottom step, leaning tiredly against the railing. By now it's clear that he's been growing his hair out, as it's now down to his chin.]

[There's a single, half-empty bowl of ramen with him as well as a tumblerful of something alcoholic. A basic, composition notebook is open on his lap and he's idly writing something on one of the pages--though you might notice that "Ryotarou" is written in Sharpie on the front. There's also a pair of black and electric-blue Air Trecks propped next to him on the step.]

[Hei yawns and taps his pen against the paper, frowning a little.]

Comments

[anotherharuka.livejournal.com]

[Eh? Oh, it's Hei-san. What's he writing, she wonders?]

[contract_star]

[Little Sister alarms go off! Hei looks up and smiles at her.] Hello, Miss Kaminogi.

[anotherharuka.livejournal.com]

[Bright smile]

Hello, Hei-san! Is this your house?

[contract_star]

My...? [He laughs.] No, no. This is...it's just a souvenir, really.

[anotherharuka.livejournal.com]

A souvenir? What do you mean?

[contract_star]

Well, I was in an experiment recently...I was trapped on an island with just this hut. And somehow the hut remained when the experiment ended.

[anotherharuka.livejournal.com]

Experiment? Who would do something like that?

[contract_star]

[Mirthless smirk.] That's what we're here for. That's what the Twins do.

[anotherharuka.livejournal.com]

[This definitely isn't something she's heard before.]

But...what experiment? Does everyone know this?

[contract_star]

This whole place is an experiment. But sometimes they run personalized experiments on individuals. That's just how it is here.

[anotherharuka.livejournal.com]

So...why doesn't anyone leave?

[contract_star]

We can't. We can come and go from here, but we can never really leave.

[anotherharuka.livejournal.com]

Ah...that's strange.

[Haruka looks down at her feet.]

Karasu and I tried going home, but it was kind of weird there...

[contract_star]

You get used to it.

Ah, I met Karasu. He seems... [A beat, then,] Nice. How were things strange, though?