Aunt Cass usually keeps me out of the kitchen and on the floor working if I'm home and downstairs, that's how. Weirdly, customers sort of frown on it when you eat their food. [Give him a moment to supervise.] It's usually busier than this during lunch and dinner, too. Sometimes my friends and I sit down in the cafe instead of up in the house to work on homework and stuff.
[He furrows his eyebrows together in thought.] Tadashi and I keep talking about knocking out the wall between his apartment and the one I claimed a while ago. It's pretty much empty anyway, but I build machines. I'm not exactly an architect yet. Do you ever think it's weird there's only apartments and no houses in the colony?
Ooooh, yeah, that would work. The wrath of customers and Aunt alike would probably do it.
[A solemn shake of her head.]
It'd be nice to sit here though! Like to work on homework and things... I think I'd like that too. [Perhaps someday...though she supposes she doesn't have any homework to work on right now.
... CHANGE GEARS.]
I dunno if they have room for houses, honestly. It's all buildings, buildings, buildings.
That said, you should totally knock down a wall and see what happens. [Good Influences.]
You do not want to see my aunt when she's mad. [His ears still hurt just thinking about it. It's a side-thought as he nods in agreement, but he's already kind of picturing it, too. His friends, himself, and Ruby at his side with Tadashi working in the background before joining them, too. It'll be perfect someday.
...but that's someday.]
You just want to watch me destroy something, don't you? [A playful nudge.] Tadashi and I were going to do it a while ago, but a lot of stuff's happened. Our room back home used to be huge. We lived in the attic. [He's walking forward, taking Ruby with him to jump behind the counter and pull out two chocolate croissants.]
Not real food, but it'll give you health points anyway. [He's already tearing a chunk out of it with his teeth.] I could stay here forever, but...you wanna see the rest of the city don't you?
[She'd accept that. But yeah... yeah honestly? Yeah.]
you got me. I think it'd be fun! You'll invite me too, right? I've always wanted to knock down a wall.
[Ruby why......... but she's going to accept the chocolate croissant anyway, because...who wouldn't? Yum.]
I mean--yeah, I totally do. [She takes a bite of her croissant as well, considering.] But if you wanna stay here a while, that's fine too. I don't think there's any rush.
[Maybe there's not a rush, but they have croissants and he's taking her hand to lead her back out of the cafe, giving it another fond look before heading for the door. They'll come back later.]
All the more reason we can explore a little more. [Back to the streets they go.] Anyway, you really wanna knock out a wall that bad? I don't see why not. You can help me unpack all my stuff in my new room, too. [A grin.] Tadashi needs to get off of the couch and...I don't know. A while ago I asked him if we could share a room again but now I'm not sure about that either. [He loves his brother, he really does...but privacy's become a thing now.]
[Where Hiro goes, where Hiro leads, she'll always follow, especially in a place like this. This...is all she really wants, after all. His company, the chance to have him show her around, and whatever shenanigans they'll get up to from there.]
Okay! [Easily, so easy to please.] But yeah I definitely do. I've never gotten to knock out a wall. I mean, we made a mess with the food fight, but it got fixed and we still didn't knock out a wall. Just close.
[It was a RWBY food fight, what could you expect.]
... But yeah, I think having your own room's the best. Then you can fill it with your own stuff and nobody can complain! [Yes that's...definitely what he was concerned about.]
You go to a combat school and you've never actually knocked out a wall. I'm pretty disappointed, dude. [He smirks just a bit at the mention of the food fight. Yang's told him a bit about it. Remind him to never get in the center of a RWBY-food fight.
...bless Ruby and her innocence though. Even if the tips of his ears turn a little red he manages to mostly keep a straight face as he nods slowly. Yup. That's totally what this is about.]
The bedroom's already full of my own stuff and I think it bugs him because it's pretty messy. [He finds it amusing still.] I don't know. I'm still not really used to having my own room back home, but being here's kinda made me get used to it. It's pretty nice to be able to shut the door and do whatever I want in my own space without worrying about somebody else.
[He's finished his croissant by then and Ruby will notice they're walking up and down little hills more toward the heart of the city. Things are getting brighter and more traffic (cars and people) are showing up. Welcome to downtown San Fransokyo.] Before I built Baymax's armor, I used to walk pretty much everywhere if Tadashi wasn't picking me up on his moped. I think I remember where we're going. We've got a pretty long walk until we get to where this game's log-out portal is anyway.
Ms. Goodwitch is really good at putting things back together, okay!
[Hmph!!!! Not for lack of trying, but some things don't get past the watchful gaze of Glenda Goodwitch.......
Either way, she grins at Hiro's rambling, nodding thoughtfully. He'll get his own room, and he'll be happier for it, and there's a momentary thought that at least they can hang out together without getting interrupted then, but she doesn't pursue that any further than that, glancing around herself instead with great interest. Things are getting even more bustling, and it's just...so different from home in so many ways.]
That's fine! I like walking with you.
[Eheh...]
Besides... it's really lively here! It's kind of different from back home, but...in a good way. I really like this.
And I really like you. [Which. Is sort of blurted out before he can really comprehend it and he pauses, mouth twitching and twisting as he thinks of how to recover.
...but no. It's true. He--it's why he spilled to Naminé isn't it? He likes her very much, he likes this very much, and there isn't a person or a place that would make him feel the way she does. So it's something to accept, and maybe it doesn't hurt to tell her, too. There are other issues at hand though. Such as:]
--wait your headmaster's name is Ozpin and one of your teachers is named Ms. Goodwitch? [...why does that sound vaguely allegorical?] You've never really told me much about what home's like anyway. Just Beacon itself. I mean I get the place has a lot of Grimm but it's really not a city like this?
[...Cute. It spills out and she blinks at him before turning a little red, but she's beaming too, so it definitely made her happy. Even if she's also embarrassed.
That's just sort of how it goes, right?
But she can only smile in response, even if talking about home in comparison to this is kind of...well. It's definitely not this.]
Ehehe... [But she's not going to call him out on it. INSTEAD.]
Remnant's a lot different! I mean we have cities and things but like... [How does she put this...] Everywhere else is just taken over by the Grimm, you know? The cities are kind of like...last strongholds against them.
[Thank you for not calling him on it, Ruby, he'd rather not lose the man-card he's trying to actually obtain for himself. But he listens carefully and it doesn't take a genius to really understand what she's saying. He's read enough comics to get it.
And...it's sad, isn't it? That the world of Remnant's falling apart and that the cities are their only strongholds, that people like Ruby are the only ones who can defend a world that's succumbed to monsters. So he doesn't think much of squeezing her hand tighter and humming to himself.]
Sounds kinda like this place, too. Look at everything outside of the colony walls. Guess it's just all the more reason I've gotta try harder to make sure you can come visit me when all of this is over. You can meet the rest of my friends and see a normal ocean and when the sun sets in San Fransokyo it's probably the coolest thing I've seen. [Focus on the good things, not what Ruby's going back to.] As long as you don't meet Yama in real life, we'll be good.
[She grins brightly, nodding along. Remnant might be a sad place, but Ruby still likes it, and honestly? She takes it as a bit of a challenge.
That probably can't be that surprising.]
And you can come to Remnant sometime too! ...When I've fixed some of it, though. [Because of course she's going to fix it.] It's still a really great place, you'd fit right in!
[A beat.]
...Who's Yama? [She knows about the botfighting a little, buuuuut]
[Sure isn't a surprise that his badass girlfriend takes the remains of an apocalypse as a challenge. He's not sure about fitting into Remnant itself, but he'd like to see the Grimm up-close, and see Beacon, and maybe meet some of the other people Ruby's mentioned.]
Maybe if I really knew how to use weapons like you guys. You should let me train with Crescent Rose sometime. [He has zero doubts that she'll fix things though. That's just who Ruby is.
Instead of answering her question though, of course, he's rounding the corner and leading her down some stairs toward what looks like an abandoned warehouse area. Once they're inside there's a whole crowd of NPCs in a circle cheering and elbowing each other and a woman with an eyepatch collecting bets as she goes. In the center of the ring there's a small NPC with a controller in her hands, and across the way...he points.]
That's Yama. Used to be the best botfighter in San Fransokyo before he met me. [He grins.] Tadashi made him the final boss for this game. I have to beat him before we can log out whenever we're ready to do that.
Hmm... I guess if you really wanted to... you could try using Crescent Rose.
[This is a big!!! Deal!!! Because Crescent Rose is her baby and she doesn't generally let people mess with her. But this is different. This is Hiro, so...
... Anyway. She peers at the NPC thoughtfully, nodding.]
He sure looks like a grump! [Thanks, Ruby.] By beat him, you mean... botfighting?
[... no actual brawls? She might be hoping for brawls. Brawls are great.]
Wait really? [Huh. That worked really well.] It'd be really awesome and I promise I'll be care with i--her. Really! You can even supervise if you want.
[Because he knows Ruby won't let the weapon out of her sight if it's the last thing she does. He regards the fake Yama carefully, shrugging as he watches the man crush another opponent's bot with Little Yama. He can't help but make a face though.] You don't really think I could actually take on that guy without my gear, do you? [That's flattering, but no. Actual brawls sure aren't happening.] That's what I've got Megabot for. Besides...he's got friends. Friends that would be way too happy to beat me up. Trust me.
Besides...now you can see a real botfight in action. [A grin.] Trust me, you'll love it. [It's not people brawling but it's tiny robots brawling. Doesn't that count? It should.]
Yeah....... [He gets a mildly skeptical look (it is Crescent Rose, after all) and then she crosses her arms and frowns at him severely.] But I'll definitely be chaperoning!
[Okay.
But then she's right back up to her usual cheer, grinning at him.]
Okayyyy, when you put it that way, I guess I'd like to see. I guess. A real brawl would still be cooler.
We'll do a real brawl later. [It's not a serious comment and he'll probably regret it but whatever.] ...are you ready to leave now though? If I fight Yama, that's it. We gotta log out after that.
[Well with that, he's taking her hand and leading her away from the botfighting ring. Let's not get close to the boss fight just yet.]
The lab. Tadashi didn't get to program it I don't think but you can see the campus if you want. It's pretty big and it's actually sort of nice to look at. There's also this comic book shop not far from the school, and an ice cream place and also the junk shop we get a lot of our spare parts and stuff...[The longer he talks, the more nostalgic he actually looks.]
I like Cerealia because it means I get to spend time with you and Mary and Roxas and your sister and Yu and Rei and everybody. But I miss it here, too. Showing you everything would take a couple of days. You can't even see most of the city from one place unless you're way up in the air with the air balloons. The bridge is one of the most famous landmarks in the entire country, too. And we have stuff like subways and everything, too. [He pauses.] And the pier sometimes has wildlife down there like fish and sea lions and stuff.
[He pauses long enough to look her over.] What's the one thing you've always wanted to see in a place like this or like Cerealia?
[Let's go wander and do sidequests for a bit first.
But she's happy to listen to him ramble, because it's nice. It's nice to hear him talk about his home, to see the way he lights up and gets animated even as there's that edge of nostalgia to him too. It's a different Hiro from a lot of the different HIros she sees over the course of her time with him, and it's a good one.
But she tilts her head at the question, a little surprised by it, enough that she answers immediately without an ounce of hesitation or thinking it over--]
Well I always wanted to see your favorite places so this is a pretty good start, since I figured if you liked them I'd definitely like them too because I like you and the things you like--
[Away to sidequest hell they go. He probably doesn't notice that he's rambling or that Ruby's seeing other parts of him that most people don't. He probably doesn't notice the way his hands were waving a bit in his explanation or how his tone picked up.
But he sure does notice what she says after that and he pauses just long enough to stare before he bursts into laughter. It's incredible, he thinks.]
I've got just the place. [And he's suddenly turning, keeping a tight hold on her hand and leading her further up another street toward what looks like an artsy area of town. He's hoping Tadashi created what he's looking for, anyway...but as they walk he can't help but look at her from the corner of his eye.]
You still like me that much huh? [He'd meant to tease her, but...it's weirdly reassuring, too.]
[It becomes clear that he's leading her to what looks like a museum, but he's fine with this topic, too.]
Just checking! I dunno, sometimes people's feelings change after a while. Maybe I just don't want that to happen. [He's not sure he could handle something like that, really. He's about to continue but he hesitates, changing his mind and going quiet as he leads her into the museum.
Surprise, Ruby. Your boyfriend's brought you to what looks like a kaiju exhibit. Congratulations.] This is about as close to monsters as you'll get around here, I think.
[Steady and firm like a kaiju sounds about right. Some girls like boys who bring them flowers and jewelry. He's just lucky he has a girl who likes most of the same things he likes. He doesn't care that she's loud in the museum because it's an NPC museum and also Hiro likes her enthusiasm over the whole thing anyway. (He'd be just as loud in the real world, too.)
Instead of teasing her again he slides an arm around her shoulder, using his hand to point out some of the monsters. There's definitely a whole hall of them, at least 10.] I think the closest to real you're gonna get is if Fred shows up with his supersuit I made him. He wanted to be a fire-breathing lizard. Kaiju are pretty popular back home because like...it literally means "giant monster" more or less. There's a ton of movies and comics and stuff based around these guys but most of them aren't real. I'm sure some of them are myth-based but for the most part they're fake. [...and conveniently pointing to what looks like Godzilla.] Except for him. He's even a resident of Tokyo. [We just don't know why.]
As much as I wish we had real monsters, you don't even have Crescent Rose on you right now do you?
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[He furrows his eyebrows together in thought.] Tadashi and I keep talking about knocking out the wall between his apartment and the one I claimed a while ago. It's pretty much empty anyway, but I build machines. I'm not exactly an architect yet. Do you ever think it's weird there's only apartments and no houses in the colony?
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[A solemn shake of her head.]
It'd be nice to sit here though! Like to work on homework and things... I think I'd like that too. [Perhaps someday...though she supposes she doesn't have any homework to work on right now.
... CHANGE GEARS.]
I dunno if they have room for houses, honestly. It's all buildings, buildings, buildings.
That said, you should totally knock down a wall and see what happens. [Good Influences.]
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...but that's someday.]
You just want to watch me destroy something, don't you? [A playful nudge.] Tadashi and I were going to do it a while ago, but a lot of stuff's happened. Our room back home used to be huge. We lived in the attic. [He's walking forward, taking Ruby with him to jump behind the counter and pull out two chocolate croissants.]
Not real food, but it'll give you health points anyway. [He's already tearing a chunk out of it with his teeth.] I could stay here forever, but...you wanna see the rest of the city don't you?
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[She'd accept that. But yeah... yeah honestly? Yeah.]
you got me. I think it'd be fun! You'll invite me too, right? I've always wanted to knock down a wall.
[Ruby why......... but she's going to accept the chocolate croissant anyway, because...who wouldn't? Yum.]
I mean--yeah, I totally do. [She takes a bite of her croissant as well, considering.] But if you wanna stay here a while, that's fine too. I don't think there's any rush.
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All the more reason we can explore a little more. [Back to the streets they go.] Anyway, you really wanna knock out a wall that bad? I don't see why not. You can help me unpack all my stuff in my new room, too. [A grin.] Tadashi needs to get off of the couch and...I don't know. A while ago I asked him if we could share a room again but now I'm not sure about that either. [He loves his brother, he really does...but privacy's become a thing now.]
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Okay! [Easily, so easy to please.] But yeah I definitely do. I've never gotten to knock out a wall. I mean, we made a mess with the food fight, but it got fixed and we still didn't knock out a wall. Just close.
[It was a RWBY food fight, what could you expect.]
... But yeah, I think having your own room's the best. Then you can fill it with your own stuff and nobody can complain! [Yes that's...definitely what he was concerned about.]
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...bless Ruby and her innocence though. Even if the tips of his ears turn a little red he manages to mostly keep a straight face as he nods slowly. Yup. That's totally what this is about.]
The bedroom's already full of my own stuff and I think it bugs him because it's pretty messy. [He finds it amusing still.] I don't know. I'm still not really used to having my own room back home, but being here's kinda made me get used to it. It's pretty nice to be able to shut the door and do whatever I want in my own space without worrying about somebody else.
[He's finished his croissant by then and Ruby will notice they're walking up and down little hills more toward the heart of the city. Things are getting brighter and more traffic (cars and people) are showing up. Welcome to downtown San Fransokyo.] Before I built Baymax's armor, I used to walk pretty much everywhere if Tadashi wasn't picking me up on his moped. I think I remember where we're going. We've got a pretty long walk until we get to where this game's log-out portal is anyway.
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[Hmph!!!! Not for lack of trying, but some things don't get past the watchful gaze of Glenda Goodwitch.......
Either way, she grins at Hiro's rambling, nodding thoughtfully. He'll get his own room, and he'll be happier for it, and there's a momentary thought that at least they can hang out together without getting interrupted then, but she doesn't pursue that any further than that, glancing around herself instead with great interest. Things are getting even more bustling, and it's just...so different from home in so many ways.]
That's fine! I like walking with you.
[Eheh...]
Besides... it's really lively here! It's kind of different from back home, but...in a good way. I really like this.
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...but no. It's true. He--it's why he spilled to Naminé isn't it? He likes her very much, he likes this very much, and there isn't a person or a place that would make him feel the way she does. So it's something to accept, and maybe it doesn't hurt to tell her, too. There are other issues at hand though. Such as:]
--wait your headmaster's name is Ozpin and one of your teachers is named Ms. Goodwitch? [...why does that sound vaguely allegorical?] You've never really told me much about what home's like anyway. Just Beacon itself. I mean I get the place has a lot of Grimm but it's really not a city like this?
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That's just sort of how it goes, right?
But she can only smile in response, even if talking about home in comparison to this is kind of...well. It's definitely not this.]
Ehehe... [But she's not going to call him out on it. INSTEAD.]
Remnant's a lot different! I mean we have cities and things but like... [How does she put this...] Everywhere else is just taken over by the Grimm, you know? The cities are kind of like...last strongholds against them.
[It's post-apocalyptic.]
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And...it's sad, isn't it? That the world of Remnant's falling apart and that the cities are their only strongholds, that people like Ruby are the only ones who can defend a world that's succumbed to monsters. So he doesn't think much of squeezing her hand tighter and humming to himself.]
Sounds kinda like this place, too. Look at everything outside of the colony walls. Guess it's just all the more reason I've gotta try harder to make sure you can come visit me when all of this is over. You can meet the rest of my friends and see a normal ocean and when the sun sets in San Fransokyo it's probably the coolest thing I've seen. [Focus on the good things, not what Ruby's going back to.] As long as you don't meet Yama in real life, we'll be good.
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[She grins brightly, nodding along. Remnant might be a sad place, but Ruby still likes it, and honestly? She takes it as a bit of a challenge.
That probably can't be that surprising.]
And you can come to Remnant sometime too! ...When I've fixed some of it, though. [Because of course she's going to fix it.] It's still a really great place, you'd fit right in!
[A beat.]
...Who's Yama? [She knows about the botfighting a little, buuuuut]
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Maybe if I really knew how to use weapons like you guys. You should let me train with Crescent Rose sometime. [He has zero doubts that she'll fix things though. That's just who Ruby is.
Instead of answering her question though, of course, he's rounding the corner and leading her down some stairs toward what looks like an abandoned warehouse area. Once they're inside there's a whole crowd of NPCs in a circle cheering and elbowing each other and a woman with an eyepatch collecting bets as she goes. In the center of the ring there's a small NPC with a controller in her hands, and across the way...he points.]
That's Yama. Used to be the best botfighter in San Fransokyo before he met me. [He grins.] Tadashi made him the final boss for this game. I have to beat him before we can log out whenever we're ready to do that.
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[This is a big!!! Deal!!! Because Crescent Rose is her baby and she doesn't generally let people mess with her. But this is different. This is Hiro, so...
... Anyway. She peers at the NPC thoughtfully, nodding.]
He sure looks like a grump! [Thanks, Ruby.] By beat him, you mean... botfighting?
[... no actual brawls? She might be hoping for brawls. Brawls are great.]
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[Because he knows Ruby won't let the weapon out of her sight if it's the last thing she does. He regards the fake Yama carefully, shrugging as he watches the man crush another opponent's bot with Little Yama. He can't help but make a face though.] You don't really think I could actually take on that guy without my gear, do you? [That's flattering, but no. Actual brawls sure aren't happening.] That's what I've got Megabot for. Besides...he's got friends. Friends that would be way too happy to beat me up. Trust me.
Besides...now you can see a real botfight in action. [A grin.] Trust me, you'll love it. [It's not people brawling but it's tiny robots brawling. Doesn't that count? It should.]
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[Okay.
But then she's right back up to her usual cheer, grinning at him.]
Okayyyy, when you put it that way, I guess I'd like to see. I guess. A real brawl would still be cooler.
[Once Ruby Rose, always Ruby Rose.
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[It seems to have satisfied her--but she shakes her head quickly at that.]
No, no, not yet! I still wanna see more of your home! What else is here? Where do you like to go? What's your favorite place besides the bakery?
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The lab. Tadashi didn't get to program it I don't think but you can see the campus if you want. It's pretty big and it's actually sort of nice to look at. There's also this comic book shop not far from the school, and an ice cream place and also the junk shop we get a lot of our spare parts and stuff...[The longer he talks, the more nostalgic he actually looks.]
I like Cerealia because it means I get to spend time with you and Mary and Roxas and your sister and Yu and Rei and everybody. But I miss it here, too. Showing you everything would take a couple of days. You can't even see most of the city from one place unless you're way up in the air with the air balloons. The bridge is one of the most famous landmarks in the entire country, too. And we have stuff like subways and everything, too. [He pauses.] And the pier sometimes has wildlife down there like fish and sea lions and stuff.
[He pauses long enough to look her over.] What's the one thing you've always wanted to see in a place like this or like Cerealia?
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But she's happy to listen to him ramble, because it's nice. It's nice to hear him talk about his home, to see the way he lights up and gets animated even as there's that edge of nostalgia to him too. It's a different Hiro from a lot of the different HIros she sees over the course of her time with him, and it's a good one.
But she tilts her head at the question, a little surprised by it, enough that she answers immediately without an ounce of hesitation or thinking it over--]
Well I always wanted to see your favorite places so this is a pretty good start, since I figured if you liked them I'd definitely like them too because I like you and the things you like--
[...ugh, motormouth.]
Er--
[...]
.... Monsters? [#nailed it, flawless recovery]
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But he sure does notice what she says after that and he pauses just long enough to stare before he bursts into laughter. It's incredible, he thinks.]
I've got just the place. [And he's suddenly turning, keeping a tight hold on her hand and leading her further up another street toward what looks like an artsy area of town. He's hoping Tadashi created what he's looking for, anyway...but as they walk he can't help but look at her from the corner of his eye.]
You still like me that much huh? [He'd meant to tease her, but...it's weirdly reassuring, too.]
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... And then she stumbles a little when he asks that.]
W-wha-- Hiro! [DON'T TEASE HER ABOUT HER WORDVOMIT...] ... Of course I do......Duh....
[it's embarrassing, but she thinks that she's just... she just likes him more and more every day.]
I don't think that could ever change!
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Just checking! I dunno, sometimes people's feelings change after a while. Maybe I just don't want that to happen. [He's not sure he could handle something like that, really. He's about to continue but he hesitates, changing his mind and going quiet as he leads her into the museum.
Surprise, Ruby. Your boyfriend's brought you to what looks like a kaiju exhibit. Congratulations.] This is about as close to monsters as you'll get around here, I think.
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Ha! My feelings don't change that easily! I'm steady and firm like a--
[KAIJU.]
--aaaaaaaaaaaaa these are so cool! Look at them! How big are these?
[She's being loud in the museum. She's being That Person.] How many are there? Are there real ones around? [Can she fight one.]
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Instead of teasing her again he slides an arm around her shoulder, using his hand to point out some of the monsters. There's definitely a whole hall of them, at least 10.] I think the closest to real you're gonna get is if Fred shows up with his supersuit I made him. He wanted to be a fire-breathing lizard. Kaiju are pretty popular back home because like...it literally means "giant monster" more or less. There's a ton of movies and comics and stuff based around these guys but most of them aren't real. I'm sure some of them are myth-based but for the most part they're fake. [...and conveniently pointing to what looks like Godzilla.] Except for him. He's even a resident of Tokyo. [We just don't know why.]
As much as I wish we had real monsters, you don't even have Crescent Rose on you right now do you?
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