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[contract_star]

[Hei appears a ways away from where the normal crowd gathers, carrying a brand new Satake telescope. He sets it up carefully on its tripod and settles in for some quiet time with the stars. He'll talk to anyone who comes by, though.]

Comments

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

Ohhh, I see. And because it's so heavy, everything else gets pulled in?

[contract_star]

Yup! Even light and time can't escape a black hole.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

Wow... [sudden thought!] We're not in a black hole here, right?

[contract_star]

[Looong pause, because he hadn't thought of that.] That's...well, I don't know. Nothing is supposed to be able to survive a black hole...but some people speculate that they're tunnels into other worlds...hm. It might be possible.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

That doesn't seem possible but then this isn't really possible, so at least a scientific theory is better than nothing...

[contract_star]

Heh, that's true. We shouldn't be standing in the middle of space in the first place. And people can be brought back to life. Science seems not to have much influence here...

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

It's still a little nicer to think there's some explanation.

[contract_star]

Hm. Well, this place might just be some kind of elaborate hologram. [A little sadly,] It might not be real at all.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

[frowns] Maybe. ...Does that mean some of us wouldn't be real?

[contract_star]

No, I think the people here are real. But the place itself might not be.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

That's good... [pauses, then somewhat sadly] Sometimes Sam makes it sound like maybe things aren't real. The people, too. But that wouldn't be fair at all.

[contract_star]

Does he? [Remembers something Sam said to him recently and frowns.] I suppose he does. He might just be worried about something else. Because you're right, that wouldn't be fair. [Then again for all Hei knows, he's been trapped inside the Gate all this time, but he's not going to say that.]

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

[nods slightly] I guess so. It's just hard to be attached to something if it's not real...

[contract_star]

[Smiles a little, thinking, and it's awhile before he speaks.] But we get attached to memories, and to hopes and dreams...they're not tangible, but that doesn't mean they're not real.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

[thinks about this] I never thought of it that way. Usually those things are based on something real, though.

[contract_star]

But you can never really be sure that dreams are real. Or even memories. You just believe that they are, and that ends up being good enough. Usually.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

Huh...That's true. [thinking about it now] Do you think it's okay to get attached to not real things?

[contract_star]

[Nods emphatically.] I do. Because even if they fade, you still have memories of them, right? But...sometimes you have to be careful. [Looks away out at the stars, smile fading a little.] If you get attached to something and believe really hard that it's real...sometimes, when you find out it's actually false, it...well, it hurts. [Plasters the smile back on so she doesn't worry or anything.] But real is hard to define, so it's okay to just let yourself get attached, and run the risk of hurting. It's all about risks, anyway.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

[softly] It's not fair when it hurts. [props her head up in her hands] I guess risks are very important. The right ones... [nods, somewhat to herself] It's better than thinking everything is fake. I wouldn't want you or Sam or Minato to be fake. [smiles, because ick sad and deep thoughts] Ne, but even if the stars here might not be real, they're really pretty.

[contract_star]

No, it's not. And I won't say "life's not fair," because it's kind of silly, actually--life's just life. [Beams at her.] I wouldn't want you to be fake either, Ms. Hashimoto.

[And a pleased grin.] They certainly are.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

[happy Fumie is happy and nods] You could teach me more about these things if you want. They're pretty interesting.

[contract_star]

[Always happy to oblige.] Hm, well let's see. I know a few stories about some of these constellations.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

[sits beside him] Those sound interesting.

[contract_star]

Hm...[Searches around for one he knows.] See that constellation shaped kind of like a "W"? That's Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia was a queen from Greek mythology, who liked to boast that she was the most beautiful creature on Earth. But the gods didn't like that, so they put her in the sky, where she has to float upside-down for most of the year.

[seventhcoil.livejournal.com]

[laughed at that] Maa, they make up really interesting stories to explain these things, don't they? It is pretty, though.