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[Mutters something about how it's not a daily occurrence before sighing again, shoulder going limp in her hold. He's not alright, of course he isn't; no one here is. But he can't very well tell her that, either. He remembers his own arrival and how perplexing it had been. Complaining about a selfishly bad mood is hardly productive, or kind, when she's dealing with her own information overload.]

I'm okay. [Because that's really all he can manage to say, when bombs are falling and angels are cowering and all he really wants to do is hit someone again.] I should be asking you that, actually. How much did they tell you...?

[She tries, and fails, to keep herself from looking exhausted.]

I don't know. The woman that was supposed to be explaining things to us seemed...[She pauses, trying to find a way to put it charitably.] Distracted. Something about a war they need us to fight in, because their enemy is also targeting our own worlds. They told me to pick a weapon--I just picked my jewels, of course--and took us into a room to see some sort of movie. There was a city with a bright light, and a bunch of numbers. I...don't think I really understood what point they were trying to make.

Edited (I SAW REPETITION AND IT BUGGED ME SO I FIXED IT sorry I'll stop editing now) 2013-10-01 04:57 (UTC)

["Like some sort of movie"... haha. If only. If only it had been some sort of movie. It figures that the Initiative wouldn't be plain about what's actually happening—they did the same thing to him when he arrived. But this...]

Not a movie. [His voice gets stuck, so he swallows and takes a steeling breath. Being in the observatory isn't helping; the screens are still running dozens of numbers, and he can only wonder how many of those numbers represent lost lives.]

... Let's go somewhere else. I can explain.

[She nods.] Of course. Wherever you'd like to talk, I'll listen.

[He's relieved she's so agreeable, and gestures for her to follow without any hesitation. The sooner they're out of here, the better.]

We have an apartment... sort of. It's more like a room, right now. You're probably assigned to one, too.

[The corridors he leads her through are dull and featureless—metal shafts that give one the impression of traveling through metal tubing, with no obvious end in sight. The doors along the walls, each numbered, are the only things that break up the scenery. If he hadn't been here for this many days already, he might have walked by his and Rosette's door without even realizing it (as he'd done more than a few times, those first three days). But even in the dim emergency lighting, he finds the number 304 easily enough and pulls the door open.]

In here.

[She doesn't even try to hide a disappointed reaction when she walks into the room. It's cramped and just as cold and sterile as the rest of this place. She'll make do, she's had worse places to sleep during her work, but this is still far from the rich comfort of her home.

She sighs, and glances around for a place to sit, before deciding it'd be better to just stand. Instead, she leans against the wall farthest from the door and crosses her arms, forcing herself not to wince at the chill against her back.]

...This place is so strange.

[He watches her take in the room and actually manages something slightly more akin to his usual wry humor.] We didn't have a lot of time to make it luxurious.

[Ahhh... but that's depressing, too. His weak smile falters a bit and he takes a seat on one of the lower bunks. It seems a bit rude to sit while she stands, but he isn't sure his legs will keep him upright for much longer. He sighs tiredly before continuing, running a hand through his hair.]

I really am sorry about earlier. You're probably going to run into a lot of volatile moods in this place, at least for a while.

[She shrugs.] If you don't get along with someone, you don't. And you of all people have a reason to be uncomfortable around a priest. [But now she sounds like she's lecturing.] But you should try to avoid causing a scene. Rosette causes enough problems for herself without you calling more attention to the two of you, and if people guessed your true form they might get hostile, no matter how kind you really are.

[In the back of her mind she knows that Chrono probably knows everything she's saying, but...being bossy helps her feel like she has some sort of control.]

Now, what happened here that's so bad?

[He definitely knows everything she's saying. Every moment of every day is a careful dance of never revealing too much, never letting on... in some ways, it's even more stressful than it is at home. He knows for sure what the consequences are there. Here, everything is a mystery. In a way, just sitting in a room with her is a welcomed relief. He doesn't have to lie or pretend.

A pittance of a comfort, given everything else, but he'll take it.]

... It's a bit of a long story, [understatement] so I'll keep it brief. I guess the first thing you should know is that, in this world, humans have developed powers far beyond what we could ever imagine in our world. [Weapons deadly enough to drape entire continents in eternal twilight; he can hardly even imagine it.] What you saw on that screen wasn't a movie. The United Earth found the city we were originally operating out of, and destroyed it in seconds, with a single weapon. That's what we're fighting against.

[He swallows, hard, and there's a very noticeable pause before he continues. He feels bad laying it all out so bluntly, but he knows Satella can handle it. More importantly, she has the right to know. Everyone should know about the atrocities that were committed down there, so that they can be stopped.]

There were at least half a million people still living there.

[Her haughty attitude almost immediately dissolves at the news, and her face pales.]

A half a million in just a few seconds? That's...that should be impossible.

Yeah. But...

[He looks up at her, shrugging a little helplessly.]

There are a lot of things about this place that should be impossible. Traveling through time, living on the moon...

I have no idea what to think or expect anymore. [The true, daunting scale of this conflict is only beginning to dawn on him, as the ashes settle over Exsilium below. This is nothing like any war he's ever fought before.] But... we have to fight. It's the only way to stop this.

["Have to fight"?

Satella thinks about that for a long moment, sitting down on the bunk across from Chrono as she does.

She doesn't take kindly to being taken from her home without a choice to fight in a war, "they're targeting your home" or not. But if their enemy is willing to use a weapon like that, maybe they should fight. Maybe they really were taken here by the 'good guys' and the villains are the other side.

...But part of her wonders if it's really that simple. After all, she's sitting here talking to a demon. Chrono's not evil, despite his nature and his temper. Is the world really that black and white?

She doesn't know the answer.]

So...that's what you've decided to do.

[She pauses, frowning.]

Chrono...how long have you been here?

Three months, [a tight, tired smile] as of today. I know... it's hard to believe or fully understand. You don't need to make a decision right now.

But I knew some of those people who've died. [The smile drops, and he thinks back to the hours he and Rosette would spend visiting the orphanage. It was nostalgic, in a way, and though the children were understandably rough around the edges, they didn't yet carry the weight of their elders' judgement and cynicism. He told them stories, Rosette cooked... he told them of the sun.

Assured them they'd see it someday, too.]

This isn't just someone else's war anymore.

[Three months. She saw them just last night. She only met them a few days ago! This place was so hard to grasp...

She raises her gaze to the ceiling to avoid looking at Chrono as she thinks. Chrono seemed so kind-hearted and warm to others, so if he really knew some of the people who were killed...frankly it's impressive he's handling it as well as he is.

It makes sense to her why Chrono's made the choice he has. And as reluctant as she is to fight in a war, as she thinks through her options, does she really have a choice?]

...You're the closest thing I have to a friend here. [She tilts her head back down to look at Chrono, solemn.] I don't fully understand what's happening here, but if this is your war, then it's my war.

[He can't help being taken aback for a moment, and it likely shows on his face. He hadn't expected- support? Acceptance? Three months since they'd met, for him—and even then, she'd been so cold and aloof for much of their acquaintance. But that last night, before they'd been taken...

She is the kind of person who doesn't show her true self to other people. And she's never made friends until now.

Maybe it isn't so surprising.]

... Thank you, Satella. [An odd sensation, thanking someone for agreeing to fight a battle like this one. But it warms him, somehow. Makes some of the weight a little more bearable.] Really.

[On one hand, something about seeing his expression--how surprised he seems to be, how grateful he is--makes her feel happy inside. Like for the first time in a while, maybe she's really forging some sort of connection with someone.

It's the sort of warmth she's rarely, if ever, experienced since she lost her sister. Even Steiner, as grateful as she is to him, is someone she feels disconnected to in some ways because of the barrier of master-and-servant that's always existed between them on some level.

BUT...]

[On the other hand she's REALLY NOT USED TO THIS and she suddenly feels extremely awkward and vulnerable and out of her element. She frowns and looks away again, reaching behind her head to fiddle with her hair in an attempt to burn some restless energy.]

D-don't get the wrong idea! I'm not the sort of person that fights others battles for no reason! I just can't stand to see you looking so pathetic. And anyway my only other option is to sit around here being bored with nothing to do. It's not like the devil without horns is going to be here. So...I...[She huffs, not sure what else she can say.]

[This is exactly the type of reaction he'd expect from Rosette, and can't help thinking how similar the two are sometimes, even if they don't realize it. He wisely doesn't actually voice this observation.]

I haven't looked in a mirror lately; it must be pretty bad if even a bounty hunter is taking pity on me.

[He knows this isn't actually the reason, of course; Satella has a kind heart, even if she doesn't admit it. He's certain she couldn't stand by and watch a city disappear without doing something about it, either.]

[What's this? A chance to make a joke and possibly recover her 'cool big sis' persona?]

Don't fool yourself, Chrono. No matter how frightening your true form is, in this form you always look like a lost child desperately trying to be seen as an adult. [She leans forward and flashes a flirty smile.] Of course, that's part of your charm...

[AND WE WERE DOING SO WELL.

He leans back some, pulling a face. He really isn't sure whether he should be offended or not. ('Desperately trying to be seen as an adult'?? 'Charm'?)]

Actually, I think you might be imagining that—

Which? The 'lost child' persona or the charm?

[He actually has to think about that for a moment.]

Both. [FIRMLY. He is totally in control of this conversation. Definitely.]

[She laughs.] I know you can't be as young as you look, so perhaps I'm imagining the former. But you won't get me to budge on "charm." I don't think you'd be followed by girls everywhere you go if I was simply imagining your charm.

[ The color rises treacherously in his face. ]

I am not followed by—

—...

[ Well actually, if he bothers to think about it, he kind of is, isn't he. ]

........

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