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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?

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[entreats]

[ It's something Ange has also often thought about, so she answers without having to think much on it again. ]

This place has seemed kind of off lately. With the whole thing with the Jabberwock, and the queens disappearing.. Even with other things before that. Maybe it just can't sustain having a whole lot of people around anymore because of that.

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[tetractys]

OH, THEY'VE BEEN EATEN!

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[eatsyourscience]

Maybe you're right.

[He'd been thinking along the same lines, honestly.]

There have been times when Wonderland started to break down before, but I've never seen it so...small.

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[eatsyourscience]

That probably isn't it.

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[tetractys]

IT COULD BE!

[entreats]

Are you worried about the population shrinking even further?

[ Honestly, what she really wonders is whether he's worried about being the last person here or something along those lines - but no matter how rude Ange may seem on the surface at times, that feels much too personal to ask so easily. ]

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[eatsyourscience]

That's true. But I'm pretty sure it isn't.

[eatsyourscience]

[That might be part of it.]

I'm not sure. It's a good thing for most of the people who are leaving.

[Not all, but a lot.]

[entreats]

[ That she can agree on, even though she's one of those few people who have nothing to return to. ]

But it makes you wonder what's going to happen to us who are still left here, right?

[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.

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[tetractys]

WELL, WHO CAN SAY. I GUESS WE'LL NEVER KNOW FOR SURE!

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[eatsyourscience]

It's kind of a depressing stance to take, though.

[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?

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[tetractys]

LIFE IS PRETTY DEPRESSING SOMETIMES, YOU'RE RIGHT!

[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. ]

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[eatsyourscience]

Sometimes.

Do you like it that way?

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[tetractys]

OH, SURE, I THINK IT'S A RIOT WHEN YOU GUYS GET SAD ABOUT YOUR MEANINGLESS EXISTENCES!

[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.]

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[eatsyourscience]

Is your existence more meaningful?

[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.

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[tetractys]

OH, NOTHING IN THE UNIVERSE HAS MEANING! BUT MINE'S A LOT COOLER!

[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.