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[eatsyourscience]

[Souji's sitting out on the lawn. His dragon, a fat gray thing, is running around in the grass having a grand time, and he's just keeping an eye on her as she does.

He starts the feed looking more or less neutral, like usual.]

There really aren't a lot of people here anymore, are there?

[He pauses and something kind of like worry creeps into his expression.]

Why do you think that is?

Comments

[eatsyourscience]

Yeah. If Wonderland is dying, will it eventually be too weak to send people away again? I think about things like that.

[entreats]

For now it should be fine. There's even still some new people showing up.

[ It's viewing things maybe a little more optimistically than she usually would, but Souji deserves to have some hope about going home after so long. Especially when it's still factually possible. ]

[eatsyourscience]

[He smiles a little. That's less pessimistic than she'd normally be and he appreciates it.]

That's true. Or well...people who have been here before.

[Then he looks pensive again.]

It's strange that they can remember things. That's new.

[entreats]

It's like this place is clinging on to what's familiar.

[ Bringing back people who were already here. Those people remembering this place, too.. ]

Maybe it's slowly trying to restore the population here to what it was before.

[eatsyourscience]

[He's quiet for a minute. If it's going to bring back people who were here before, and still keep him here, he's got a list he'd like to share with it.]

If you had a choice, would you stay here?

[entreats]

[ She's quiet for a moment. Usually she's pretty good at being blunt about this sort of thing, but somehow it feels harder exactly because Souji has been so nice and patient with her before.

But that's also exactly why she doesn't want to lie either. ]

.. I think I'd go back. Even though that means I'd probably just be dead.

[ Sure, there was an older her here during that event, but Wonderland probably just made that up. She already knows how things ended for her. ]

[eatsyourscience]

Why?

[He's known people who were dead at home, or who knew for sure they would die when they returned. To some, Wonderland is the better alternative.]

[entreats]

The alternative just doesn't seem very appealing to me.

[ Forever staying here like this? Not even aging? Having to deal with all these weird events? ]

I was ready for things to be over back home. I didn't think I'd have more days to spend like this to begin with.

[eatsyourscience]

[He considers that for a moment and thinks he can understand it. Being ready for the end and then not getting it would probably be frustrating.]

I've known people who wanted to stay. Even with the events, sometimes it's just better than where they were. I wish for their sakes that they'd come back. But for the people who don't want to be here...

[He shrugs. He'd hope those people could go home, but hoping only goes so far, especially after such a long time.]

Maybe it could be a trade off. People who want to be here for people who don't.

[entreats]

Yeah. If I could give up my spot to someone who wanted to stay here rather than in their own world, I'd do it. [ Even if it was someone she didn't even personally know. People in shitty circumstances deserve better lives, Ange does heavily believe in that - it's just that she had already given up on a chance for that herself a long time ago. ]

But it's not as if this place would ever be kind enough to give us that option.

[eatsyourscience]

No.

[Wonderland can be surprisingly kind at times, but its kindness always comes with caveats.]

It goes through cycles. This is probably just a low point and it will go back to being normal again soon.

[Wonderland Normal.]

[entreats]

[ Ange isn't sure she's optimistic enough to fully trust in that, but.. then again, who's to say in this place? Maybe it really will go back to normal. And if it eases his mind, then she'll definitely go along with that thought for now. ]

If anyone could know that, it's you. You've been here for a long time, right?

[eatsyourscience]

[He's not sure how much he believes it either at this point, but he tries to be optimistic.]

Yeah. Eight years.

[Which is just a depressing thing to say out loud. He should be 25, which makes that almost a third of his life.]

[entreats]

[ She can imagine that's pretty depressing. She's been here for quite a while too, but the thought of 8 years is still enough to make her head spin.

Which means she definitely doesn't want to put an even more depressing spin on this conversation either. So she just continues in as deadpan joke tone as she can muster-- ]

Old man.

[eatsyourscience]

[He looks surprised for a second before laughing softly.]

Then you should show some respect.

[entreats]

[ Thank god that at least worked as intended. ]

How? Should I help you cross the street? That's kind of hard to pull off here.

[eatsyourscience]

Well, just put up with me, I guess.