[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?
[At the very least, they have the same interests. This is a relationship that will go far.]
Aaaaaaaaathis is so cool!
[Breathing is secondary to gushing over the monsters, even as she peers more closely at them, flitting from display to display and dragging Hiro right along with an arm wrapped around his.]
Look, look, look at the size of this one's teeth!
[Some things are just.....Ruby things.
...Though after a moment she pouts.]
I could...totally still take them even without Crescent Rose. [No she couldn't]
[He's a good sport about it at least, and honestly he probably assumed this was going to happen. Ruby being excited over monsters? Must be a day that ends in y. He does his best to keep up with her as he's steered around the various displays, occasionally throwing in comments or "facts" about some of the monsters in between her joyful exclamations. It's only when they're in front of Mechagodzilla that he pauses to look at her, giving her a skeptical look at her weak argument.]
Can we not? [And he shakes his head.] Besides if I remember right somebody told me that the one time she was without Crescent Rose things kinda went a little weird. [And by weird he means bad when she was knocked out by people underground while chasing Zwei. Sure do remember that story!] Also this one shoots missiles and energy beams. Kind of a huge problem.
[Yeah okay like Hiro's going to be a responsible adult and stop her. So Ruby's demonstrating her faux-karate moves right into a display of King Kong and it starts to shake...and slooooowly tilts a little too far to the side.]
Uh, Ruby? Show me those moves outside...we should go. Like. Now? [Because there goes the domino effect of kaiju. Thank you, Ruby Rose.]
[ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH~! And away they go and he doesn't even have time to yell as they speed their way out of the museum and away from the falling monsters. It's only when Ruby stops that he looks up, busy laughing instead of being remotely disturbed they might've ruined the display. ]
Still funny. [Shrug!] C'mon. There's a ton of other places I wanna show you before we log out. That was just the monster thing. [And off they go. They'll continue their cute, pure Disney date and Hiro will be a good tour guide and show Ruby all of the places he can that Tadashi created. They're probably in ViViD for a few hours...whoops. But at least they're together.]
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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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Aaaaaaaaathis is so cool!
[Breathing is secondary to gushing over the monsters, even as she peers more closely at them, flitting from display to display and dragging Hiro right along with an arm wrapped around his.]
Look, look, look at the size of this one's teeth!
[Some things are just.....Ruby things.
...Though after a moment she pouts.]
I could...totally still take them even without Crescent Rose. [No she couldn't]
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Can we not? [And he shakes his head.] Besides if I remember right somebody told me that the one time she was without Crescent Rose things kinda went a little weird. [And by weird he means bad when she was knocked out by people underground while chasing Zwei. Sure do remember that story!] Also this one shoots missiles and energy beams. Kind of a huge problem.
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... Yeah... But I've been working on it! Kinda! Like... my kung-fu!
[No she hasn't, she's just been watching Cerealia karate movie knock-offs.]
So that if I ever don't have Crescent Rose, I can kick butt this time! Like...whaaatcha, and ker-pow!
[Watch out for the display, Ruby Rose.]
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Uh, Ruby? Show me those moves outside...we should go. Like. Now? [Because there goes the domino effect of kaiju. Thank you, Ruby Rose.]
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...Oh.
[A beat--and then she grabs his arm.]
Yep, time to go!
[Ready for a Semblance trip? Because it's time for a Semblance trip. OFF THEY GO.]
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Remind me never to take you to another museum.
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[JUST FOR THE RECORD.
She's covering her bases here.
Even if he seems amused, she's still kind of distressed.]
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