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[payback]

[Doop doop doop... just in the castle lobby, but you know, it's Paradisa. There's always a journal open somewhere when things happen.

For a few minutes the journal picks up dictation of... mostly nothing. Rin talking quietly to someone, apparently Tad, from her tone and how there's no response back. This continues for a few minutes before she suddenly cries out sharply.]

Ouch!! Oh - jeez...

[There's silence for a moment. Whatever just happened, from her reaction it sounds like this was painful! But when she speaks she sounds... hesitant, and kind of nervous. A little more normal for her at this point.]

What's this...?

Comments

[losemycherry]

Something wrong? You didn't get a paper-cut, did you?

[payback]

Ah - [She hadn't realized the journal was open. There's a pause as Rin looks for the book and pulls it over into her lap. Slowly:]

N-o... ah, I don't know. I don't think this is normal.

[losemycherry]

What's not normal?

[Yamada begins forming her own suspicions, none of which are appropriate to mention here.]

[payback]

... There are numbers on my hand. [A pause.]

Who're you?

[losemycherry]

Oh, sorry. I'm Yamada! What's your name?

[payback]

I'm Rin! Anyway, they don't hurt now. The numbers. But I guess they did when they appeared?

[losemycherry]

Strange! Well, what do the numbers say? Maybe I can figure out what they mean for you.

[payback]

... It's weird. There's seventy-two, and then two dots, and two zeros - and it just changed, now it says seventy-one and then two dots and fifty-nine.

[losemycherry]

Sounds like a countdown timer. Something will probably happen when it reaches two zeroes, two dots, and another two zeroes. Maybe it'll be something good for you? I mean, it could easily be ticking down to something bad, but until you find out, there's no sense fretting over it, right?

[payback]

... A timer? [ffffrrp a long... pause. She has an idea that she might know, already, what this timer could be counting down towards.]

So what does that come out to? How much time is that?

[losemycherry]

That'll depend on how quickly the numbers are changing. If it's every second, you have a bit longer than a minute. But from your previous message, it sounded like there were a few seconds in between ticks, so probably a few minutes yet.

[Yamada is a smart student, but rarely gets to show off this part of her. So she's greatly enjoying herself right now.]

[payback]

Ah... [Rin sounds... uncertain. She doesn't think she likes this at all, really - but...]

Thank you. Um, Yamada, right?

[losemycherry]

[Startled.] Um...yeah! Have we met before?

[payback]

No... silly, you told me your name!

[losemycherry]

Oh, yeah! That's right. <3

So anyway, you be sure and let me know what happens when that timer ticks to zero. I'm curious now!

[payback]

Um... sure, I'll do that! Thanks for helping me out, Yamada... ahaha...