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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

[exanimatus]

What are the numbers?

[payback]

... Seventy-two, and then two zeros.

- Ah!

[exanimatus]

Hm? [what's that 'ah'-ing about? D:]

[payback]

It just changed...

[exanimatus]

Really. [......okay, he wants to see this for himself. :|a]

[payback]

Uh-huh. [Sadly clueless... just in the castle lobby, staring at her hand.]

[exanimatus]

[...give him about forty seconds, and he'll show up behind her.]

Hi.

[payback]

AUGH.

[As she seizes up in alarm.]

[exanimatus]

Ah-- You nearly jumped that time.

[he'll lean over. what's on the hand? what's on the haaand?]

[payback]

[She's backing away from him all at once, hurriedly, looking horrified and clutching at the wrist of her marked hand - scared all out of proportion to how he looks! Why?

Alexstrasza's life-sensing radar didn't turn off when her loss started, that's why. And Zelman, being undead... well.]

What... what's wrong with you?

[exanimatus]

What? [...um. that response didn't seem quite right, somehow.] How do you mean?

[payback]

[She stares at him, simultaneously pale and somewhat blotchy.]

You feel... awful! [Or maybe it's just really weird - but the shock is considerable!]

[exanimatus]

[...huuuuh.]

Do you recall the conversation we had where I mentioned I was somewhere between dead and alive?

[payback]

[She seems to have backed to a distance that feels... tolerable at least, and there she remains, rubbing at her upper arms and staring at him. Tad curls around her and backs her up, staring at Zelman with... well, he's not challenging yet. But he's ready.]

Yes...

[exanimatus]

It's probably that.

[he glances at Tad for a moment (hey man you look... protective, that's cool) and raises his hand to illustrate something.]

Hey, show me your hand.

[payback]

[Whups, squeezing now on the wrist belonging to that number-printed hand.]

How come you wanna know? I mean really.

[exanimatus]

Because I am deathly curious.

[...okay, perhaps not the most appropriate choice of words. but he at least seems... sincere? ...in as far as that's possible?]

What bad could come from showing, hm? What do you think I'm going to do? I don't even know what it is.

[payback]

[/SQUINTS...

She does not look happy about it... but she does hold her hand up, palm out.

In the fluster of jumping around when he showed up, and arguing, the timer has dropped again. 71:57 is now printed.]

[exanimatus]

[...oh!]

Three days.

[payback]

... What?

[exanimatus]

Seventy-two hours is three days.

[payback]

[... She drops her hand so he can't see the numbers anymore and turns it to look at her palm.

What could that be counting down on, huh.]

[exanimatus]

[the immediate, cynical answers pop to mind, of course. but he merely shrugs.]

I'll admit that's bizarre, even for here.

[payback]

[Mum's the word on that.]

... Three days until what, do you think?

[exanimatus]

... Until you get your memories back, maybe.

[ironically that's one of his lesser theories, but it seems like the one that would freak her out the least.]