[He's surprised to hear Rinne mentioned. He and Rinne talked about that sort of thing once, but Rinne didn't seem to know anything more than he did at the time. Have Rinne and Jun talked about it since then? Then he remembers that conversation they all had back in the pastry shop, about failure to have sex turning a person to stone, and he assumes Jun must mean that. He shakes his head.]
No. It wasn't about that.
[He shivers again. He hugs his arms tightly around himself. Normally he'd try that "Aura" thing Weiss taught him, but he knows there's no chance of being able to calm his mind down enough to activate that now. All he feels inside himself is a horrible crushing dread belied by guilt, and it makes him want to clam up and say nothing. But he forces the words out, anyway.]
It was the Red Cardinal lady. You remember what she said about "fate," don't you? She said, "What the resort takes from us is our fate." By being intimate with someone here, you're changing your fate, because it's someone you wouldn't have met otherwise. That's where the resort gets its energy.
[He pauses for a second after that; that's stuff he already told Jun, but Jun didn't seem to put much stock in it. But he never told Jun this next part. Maybe Jun won't take this next thing seriously, either. But it's clearly tearing apart Hiyori, and his voice trembles as he goes on.]
But that wasn't all she said. I asked—
[He sniffs loudly; it sounds like a sob is building up.]
I asked what happens if you're just being intimate with someone you already know from your home world. And she said she didn't think that would help "extend our existence" here.
[Ah. He came out with it. But there's no relief and no respite from the sick feeling inside him. Now that he's said it out loud, he can't ignore their predicament any longer.]
Which I guess is a fancy way of saying she thinks we'll turn into statues if we continue like this. Just like you did inside my dream.
[Fresh tears bead in his eyes, and he sniffles again, his voice cracking as he finishes:]
no subject
No. It wasn't about that.
[He shivers again. He hugs his arms tightly around himself. Normally he'd try that "Aura" thing Weiss taught him, but he knows there's no chance of being able to calm his mind down enough to activate that now. All he feels inside himself is a horrible crushing dread belied by guilt, and it makes him want to clam up and say nothing. But he forces the words out, anyway.]
It was the Red Cardinal lady. You remember what she said about "fate," don't you? She said, "What the resort takes from us is our fate." By being intimate with someone here, you're changing your fate, because it's someone you wouldn't have met otherwise. That's where the resort gets its energy.
[He pauses for a second after that; that's stuff he already told Jun, but Jun didn't seem to put much stock in it. But he never told Jun this next part. Maybe Jun won't take this next thing seriously, either. But it's clearly tearing apart Hiyori, and his voice trembles as he goes on.]
But that wasn't all she said. I asked—
[He sniffs loudly; it sounds like a sob is building up.]
I asked what happens if you're just being intimate with someone you already know from your home world. And she said she didn't think that would help "extend our existence" here.
[Ah. He came out with it. But there's no relief and no respite from the sick feeling inside him. Now that he's said it out loud, he can't ignore their predicament any longer.]
Which I guess is a fancy way of saying she thinks we'll turn into statues if we continue like this. Just like you did inside my dream.
[Fresh tears bead in his eyes, and he sniffles again, his voice cracking as he finishes:]
So now I don't know what to do.