Deerington Inbox

[incandescentfaith]

Hello, you've reached Rei Hino.
I'm sorry to have missed you.

Please leave a message and I'll contact you as I am able.

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[mypartnerintime]

[Curse this alien magic!

She shifts awkwardly.]

...Ugh.

[She punctuates that by grabbing a pillow on her bed and playfully flinging it in Rei's direction.

...But she didn't say no.]

[incandescentfaith]

[Rei ducks to the side, laughing slightly.]

I'm not sorry to call you out like this.

You make a great couple.

[mypartnerintime]

Is it that obvious? [Does the whole town know at this point? Max looks amused but also hella embarrassed.] We were. In Wonderland. It's different here.

[incandescentfaith]

I'm psychic. And Chloe's...really not good at not broadcasting her emotions like a megaphone.

[Yes. It's obvious.]

...But Wonderland?

[mypartnerintime]

Yeah. Wonderland. That's the place I came from before. Chloe was there too, for a year and... it was awesome. [The best year of her life.

She turns a questioning look on Rei.] But that's another time and place. I don't think she likes me here the way you think she does.

[incandescentfaith]

Wait. You were...like, Through the Looking Glass Wonderland...

[She actually needs a moment to mull that over...]

And what makes you say that?

[mypartnerintime]

Yeah. [Her questioning look turns into one of mild amusement.] It sounds crazy, but yes. Sometimes I wonder if it was all just some... loco hallucination. That's actually easier to believe. [But it was very much real. In a strange sense of the word, anyway.

She shrugs.] Anyway, here in Deerington it's... I dunno. It's a lot of things. She's not ready for a relationship, she's... uh, fooling around, I guess. [It's hard to hide how much that hurts.] She has a lot more friends here. Better friends... [She sighs and shrugs again.] God, it sounds like a humongous mess. I don't want to drag you into my dirty relationship laundry, Rei.

[incandescentfaith]

Max. I asked. If you aren't comfortable sharing, that's fine, but it's not imposing on me, in the slightest.

[she leans forward, reaching out to put a hand on top of Max's.]

So don't worry about me, if you need to vent.

[mypartnerintime]

[She seems caught between venting and not. She settles for something in the middle.]

I think February was enough venting already. I just dunno what to do about it all. I'm starting to feel like Wonderland was a one time deal, as far as Chloe and I go...

[It's really hard to admit that.]

Man, I don't even know if that's selfish to think that. Or selfless? Can it be both? [She huffs a humorless laugh.] Rei, you need to be ready to slap me the next time I go crazy like that.

[incandescentfaith]

It's both. Definitely.

[Really, it's fine, Max. Just relax.]

I will, though. I seriously worried you were possessed.

[mypartnerintime]

[She gives Rei a weak smile. Then she sighs, some of the tension leaving her.]

Tell me about it. Or, actually, don't, because I'm sick of talking about me. Tell me about Ouse.

[incandescentfaith]

Uh. Ouse is a bit of a complicated story, just so you know. A lot of it I can't tell because it's not my story to tell. But...

[Here it comes.]

She's a Miko that's from around the time of the Meiji Restoration. About the time America was finishing up it's civil war.

She's...very sweet. And not quite human.

[mypartnerintime]

[Max has a lot of questions right off the bat. And she's not hesitant to ask them.]

What's a Miko? And... not quite human?

[incandescentfaith]

I'm a Miko. It's the Japanese word for Shrine Maiden.

And Ouse's transcended humanity and become a spirit. She...really should have died, a long time ago. But she's got a duty to perform, so she stays.

[mypartnerintime]

[Max has no idea how to react to the entirety of that. She isn't even sure she's understood correctly.]

...Is she happy staying? I mean, if you're together, then I assume that she is.

[incandescentfaith]

I mean. She stays in the world of the living. She refuses to cross over. And I think she is, yes. She wants to help people. And...when it's time for us to leave this world, I'm going to find her again.

[Rei pauses, exhaling.]

I'm going to make sure she gets the life she deserved. With my power.

[mypartnerintime]

[There's a mild smile on her lips.]

That's hella romantic, Rei. [There's a pause. She means it, in the best possible way. When she speaks again her tone is a little teasing.] You're such a softie deep down.

[incandescentfaith]

I won't deny that.

[She can't. And even if Max is teasing, she's going to own up to it.]

Being prickly has benefits, but I got tired of being lonely.

[mypartnerintime]

Imagine how the poor porcupines feel. [Mhmm, yes, that's relevant to this conversation.] I'm glad I met you post-prickly then.

[incandescentfaith]

Well, it was always a little less noticeable with women.

[mypartnerintime]

[She gives Rei a questioning look.] What does that mean? [A quick look of realization passes over her, which quickly turns into a teasing one.] Oh, special treatment, huh?

[incandescentfaith]

Men mostly annoy me. [she shrugs.] And I guess I'm a lesbian. I never really thought about it too hard.

[mypartnerintime]

[She shrugs right back.] You don't really have to, I guess, unless it bothers you. As long as you like someone... you'll make it work out. [She runs a finger over her cheekbone.] And I gotta admit, there are a bunch of men I don't like too, but... I've met a couple of really good ones. But I guess that's also true for girls.

[incandescentfaith]

I've met a few good men too. But by and large...

[Shruuuuuug.]

And I can't imagine kissing, or being intimate, with a man. So... [she trails off. This stayed a bit from the idea of her giving girls preferential treatment, didn't it.]

[mypartnerintime]

[Max answers that shrug with her own equally long shrug.]

Have you, uhh... been intimate with a lot of girls?

[She doesn't know how to phrase that in a less embarrassing way, but there you go.]