Messenger Box

[eyeswideopen]

If you need to get a hold of Komaeda, here's where you do it.

Messenger birds, action, what have you.

Comments

[Amulet, 3/24]

[unghosting]

[Not long after Elios's announcement as to the new representatives of the Arehtei is sent out -- enough time for a humble swordsman such as himself to place names to faces, if we're being honest here -- Komaeda will feel a faint, wordless poke over his amulet. Nothing aggressive. Nothing he even has to respond to, if he doesn't wish to chat. It feels a lot like someone familiar sliding into place at your side on a crowded street, really. Kevin's just getting his attention.]

Congratulations.

[That's all he says. Kevin did not try for the position for many reasons. But he thinks back on his last conversation with Komaeda as a good one, and it pleases him to think someone who understands Kevin's own thoughts was able to stand up.]

[Amulet, 3/24]

[eyeswideopen]

Thank you. For this and your advice. [The reply is warm. It's like sitting before the hearth as the fire's warmth seeps into your skin and settles there. It's not invasive, just...warm. Komaeda feels so good about himself right now that he couldn't stop the leak if he tried.

It's one step in the long war against the feelings he grew up with.]

You were right, not that I ever doubted it. Knowing your place in the world...makes everything clearer.

[All his life he's wondered why he existed. What purpose there was to him living. There's still so far to go before he can really say he knows his own reasons for everything. But for once, that doesn't feel so terrible.]

[unghosting]

I'm glad.

[It's a lesson that Kevin had to learn the hard way, and he might have saved a lot of people a lot of heartache if he hadn't forgotten his own place. Well over a hundred people, in fact. He doesn't know this guy very well -- doesn't know if he's ever done awful things himself, what sort of baggage he carries -- but if all it takes to avoid future heartache is dropping his admittedly somewhat cryptic advice, that's fine. Kevin will do what he can.]

If Peromei says anything really useful about how to help her, you'll let me know, right...? Hah, since it's your job now.

[eyeswideopen]

Of course! I'll pass on anything she says about that. [He pauses, feeling like there's more he should say. Kevin had helped him in ways he didn't know about. Even if the advice had been cryptic, Komaeda had understood it because he'd made a lot of mistakes.]

And if she mentions Enoshima Junko doing anything, I'll pass that on...

[Another pause. He decides to just say it.] Her sister is gone, but I'm from the same world they are. If needed, I can be called upon to discuss her. I'm a bit uneasy! The unrest among the people...this is as they say, her hour.

[unghosting]

-- are you really? I'm terribly sorry about that.

[Kevin does not hate Junko as passionately as he could, but that's...mostly because Junko's crazy is nothing personal, as far as he can tell. The crazy that comes out of his own world tends to be centered around other people. Junko may be a grade-A lunatic, but at least she has yet to take it into her head to drop the entire world into the Abyss in the name of love or what have you. Which is not to say she wouldn't, but at least in her case it'd probably be a game to see if the valiant heroes could stop the mere little girl who was their villain before the world ended or some such. That's slightly less...offensive...?

...mostly this is his way of coping with the fact that he can't just kill her and have done with it.]

That sort of thing -- as a member of the Enforcers, it's my job, too. I've been here so long and been so ordinary that many of the locals here accept me. Likewise, if this is the sort of thing that could be of use to you, please let me know. I hear things.

[eyeswideopen]

It would be of great use to me. Due to my new position, I'm going to lose my ordinaryness and people won't say whatever around me. [He might as well be upfront. Considering they'll be working together and he still feels grateful. Komaeda has a lot to do and he keeps piling more work on. He hasn't had an actual break in some time but he's...dare he say it he's happy with this life.]

I can more accurately assist if I know the shifts in talk. ...and where she might strike. Out of those of us left from our world, myself and Detective Kirigiri know the most. Just tell her I referred you.

[Hinata knows some but in terms of experience and some small part of him is being fiercely protective, keeps him out of it.]

Other than that, I'm...I'm going to get used to this. There's already work but I'll tackle it all a little later. I want to savor this feeling a little longer.

[unghosting]

Mm -- I wasn't present to watch the challenges, but I heard they, ah. Packed something of a punch, you could say.

[Yet another reason Kevin is glad he decided not to attempt to gain the position for himself. It's no surprise at all that the applicants were dug into so fiercely, and Kevin expected they would be the second he heard there'd be "challenges" for tests. The fact that they were public, however, might well have had him walking out. The last thing he needs is for any of his myriad pains to be broadcast to all and sundry, Empatheias is bad enough about that as it is.]

You should take what time you can. And me, I'll keep my ears open for you. You'll be happy to know that Miss Hibiki is very much improved. Since that's the case, I'm able to be out of the house more often again.

[eyeswideopen]

Ah, I knew she'd get better. [He smiles inside his own home because, she'd done it. With help sure, but who doesn't need that? This place has taught him a lot about things like that.]

Mm, but like I said I'll keep an eye on things as well. And...if Peromei says anything about the past I could pass that on as well. While I have ideas about it, I'm sure it would benefit everyone to know the solid facts.

[There's a pause as he turns his attention back to the challenges. He had had to keep things balanced. Sometimes sinking into despair or blazing with brilliant hopes. By the end of it he'd been so tired...]

...as for the challenges, yes! They packed a punch is one way of putting it.

[unghosting]

Were they as awful as the ones from the maze?

[It does not escape Kevin that this sort of topic is a touchy one, and even if people were able to witness what Komaeda went through anyway, that doesn't mean he wants to talk about them. Because of that, to inject a little light silliness into the conversation, he adds:]

Back then, my boss and I had to eat our way through a room full of awful cupcakes in order to find which one held the key to the door out. One of the worst ones tasted like asparagus. Ah, it was terrible, terrible.