AUDIENCE FOR: Butt Strife

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It won't be. It's Monday. [they don't know what might possibly be coming, but again, there is zero doubt.] You just...have to be ready for those surprises and take them as they come. Deal with them and make sure other people are staying on track, too.

And we'll keep operations running for the week.

[skyagain]

Don't think I've got a lot of influence on people staying on track or not. [ he does not think that highly of his capacity to tell people to shut up. he let it slide earlier but... he looks at gemini ]

You gonna be good doing that one more week?

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[...]

I don't really have another choice, do I. [factually.] We're close to everything being over. It's one more week.

[...but.]

Anyway if you mean will I be good trying to influence people to stay on track, then no, because we aren't really meant to guide you. We have to keep doing our jobs.

[skyagain]

Wasn't talking about you doing that. [ he frowns ] ... And everyone seems selective in how they listen to you guys anyway.

[ which is unsurprising, since the same happened in the realm. but still. ]

... Guess you're right that there's not much of another option, though.

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[. . .]

I'm...[hm. there's another pause, and they kind of settle for petting meow wow's dumb fuzzy ears.] I don't know.

[about. what. anything. that's probably what it is.]

[skyagain]

[ he leans his elbows on his knees as he bends to look at sora more directly ]

... About what?

[ he sounds surprisingly patient when he asks ]

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[stop looking at them no. but they're petting meow wow and still. thinking.]

There's only a week left.

[surprisingly, repeating it probably doesn't offer much more clarity.]

One more week, and whoever's in the lobby will check out and that's it. Everything's over.

[skyagain]

... Right. [ he does know where gemini is heading after this, so after a pause where he just stares in concern; ] You're still going back to that place?

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[ah yes, the dreaded question.]

Yup. The Final World. [they don't remember if they told cloud what it was called.] I have to go back just like I did after our time in the Realm.

[skyagain]

... You still sure about that?

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...you know how I ended up there in the first place, right?

[skyagain]

[ for the most part, but; ]

It's not like leaving it would undo what you did.

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How do you know that?

[skyagain]

Because you haven't been there for at least four months, have you?

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[there's a pause.]

No. I went back for a little while before I came here.

[which is what makes this a little worse! sometimes your heart breaks the first time, and you accept it. then you go to a place where you meet friends and do something good, you have to leave, and you accept it. but doing it a third time is where it gets a little rough, and they're not sure how to really verbalize that when everything and everyone else is falling apart around the hotel for a variety of reasons.

cloud, at least, is someone they trust enough to confirm that part.]

[skyagain]

...

[ he hesitates for a second before he shuffles a bit closer, putting an arm around gemini's shoulder in a kind of side hug ]

Still means you've left it twice so far. You really think it being permanent would do anything?

[guestservices]

[they seem surprised at first because this is cloud.

but eventually they do sort of sag into it.]

I don't know if I want to risk it is the thing. After what Chirithy said about messing with the laws of nature or whatever. And with what that guy in the black coat said, and Yozora...it feels like I have to be there. Even if I don't know why yet.

[skyagain]

... I guess. [ it's their choice, ultimately, even if cloud doesn't agree with it or even fully get it. ] Sounds like a shitty deal to me.

[ that doesn't mean he won't tell sora he disagrees tho :T ]

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Well...Chirithy warned me before I did it. So I knew what would happen before I went back to save Kairi the last time. [so this is their own fault and they've accepted that, too.]

[skyagain]

I'm not talking about the initial one. [ that one, he gets making that choice. but. ] I'm saying having to go back to it is.

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...I'm trying not to think too much about it. [haha.] Because it's going to bum me out a little, and that's gonna show, and then people are going to think I'm upset about stuff and I don't need or want to tell everyone about what's going on. It's different with you because you cheated already.

[eavesdropper.]

[skyagain]

[ gently moves his hand so it baps him in the head. it won't move the veil but the sentiment ]

It wasn't cheating, there's only so much I could tune out.

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[there's a pause. and they kind of. scuttle a little closer. if cloud doesn't move, they are going to lean against him very lightly.]

I kinda wish it was only a few people. I have to listen to everybody and it's a lot to sort through. [you all talk so fucking much. anyway.]

But okay, so it wasn't cheating. You still get it. [a pause.] It has been quite a challenge to fulfill my role as customer complaints while being as neutral and objective as possible. [another pause.] Subjective? I still get those two mixed up.

[but it means it's been difficult to also think about their own problems while they're on the job, so with a week left it finally came to a head.]

[skyagain]

[ they can lean. he's letting it happen. ]

I don't know how you deal with having everyone in your head. [ it felt like a lot of sort through even when he only had like, three people left. people talk so much. hell. ] Objective. That's the one that's supposed to be unbiased.

[ it's answering irrelevant comments as he mulls what sora said over, thinking ]

... The job's a good distraction from everything else. It was sort of the same for us.

[ sort of because they didn't have full memories to worry about, but they also all kind of ignored their own personal lack thereof memories because of the present issue. ]

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[thanks cloud. they are...kind of exhausted in a whole different way at the moment.]

Uh. The same way I dealt with having so many people in my heart before, I guess. [this means nothing to cloud and they do not bother to explain.] But right. Objective. Like...objection. I haven't really minded the distraction so much. There's always something bigger to focus on, but...people are going to start asking what to do, and talking about bringing people back like it's such a sure thing this time, and asking if we're going home, too.

[it's. cloud. so they're hesitant to continue, but:]

...I dunno. Everything just feels wrong today right now.