[He’d never met her before, so had no idea about her her “amnesia.” Gokudera didn’t connect the dots between her or the book, but it was an interesting read and he may want to discuss. All in all, it felt more out of the blue, but as a pleasant surprise.]
Did you gift a lot of literature?
That’s fine. I can meet you there. It’s the cafe across from the hotel. Can’t miss it.
[Gokudera spends a good time in the cafe by the inn. It means a quick route to his boss’s side if he needs him. He’s already working on a coffee in a ceramic cup, nothing to-go, as he’s been here often enough to be considered a regular by this point. He looks down at his watch when he spots her, cocks an impressed eyebrow, then stands up to approach and greet her.]
Monika! [A nod in place of a bow. Gokudera really only bows to adults he respects and to his boss.]
How was your Holiday?
[He’s walking her to the table, pulls a chair out for her and then moves to his own, to pick up his coffee and take a sip. The silver-haired boy hums, sets it back down, then points a thumb over his shoulder while whipping foam with the back of his other hand.]
What’ll you have? My treat.
[Or a tally of repayment for the gift. Call it the Holiday Season or whatever.]
[ Monika still bows. Force of habit, coming from a romance game cheaply trying to imitate Japan. Still, she looks friendly as ever and a tad more confident than during their first meeting. ]
Hey hey~ [She smiled sweetly at him.] It's been a while, huh? I should have contacted you before, ahaha!
[ Gosh, how does she drop the "btw I was amnesiac last time we spoke" bombshell? And how did she make it sound like she wasn't crazy for having done it? Well, all things in due time. ]
Mhm... A salad maybe. [That probably sounded like a bit of a sad choice, so she added:] I'm vegetarian. Well, I've been meaning to try meat but that's something I need to be ready for.
[ She took her seat, resting her chin on her hand. ]
Surprisingly good, considering everything that came before. [Everything since August had really been one catastrophe after another.] How about yours?
[Gokudera assumes she is more settled in based off that friendly confidence she’s wearing.]
Not that long, it’s alright. I assume you’ve kept busy.
[He doesn’t seem bothered at all, honestly, and he’s in a much better mood than she had likely last seen him in. Gokudera is looking forward to a lot for the upcoming notyear considering time is frozen.]
My girlfriend is vegetarian as well. If you do ever want to try meat, maybe start working your way into chicken-broth or seafood soups so it won’t trouble your stomach.
[And they do have some soups and salads, so he’s putting in an order of salad for her before resuming their conversation.]
It was one of my best, actually.
[He had gotten engaged in another world last year, but now… new year, new world, new relationships. Gokudera idly rubs at his left hand, a bit disfigured, but nothing grotesque, with a simple unassuming silver band around his ring finger. It won’t likely stand out, considering he’s wearing many accessories, bracelets, rings, necklaces, buckles. He looks like he robbed a Hot Topic in the early 2000’s.]
What came before? You mean generally, or just for yourself?
[ Unfortunately for him, someone as romance-obsessed as Monika does immediately notice the silver band around his ring finger. It's quite easy to deduce what it means. The fact that it's so unassuming compared to all the jewelry he wears is a dead giveaway.
Fortunately for him, Monika has finally found love so his girlfriend isn't at any risk of being deleted. ]
Mhm. I've been busier than I'd like.
[ A vegetarian girlfriend, huh? A fun coincidence. But he was right, the problem with trying meat after not having had any for so long was the stomach's inability to properly process it. She could do without stomachaches, so she nodded at his tip and thanked him. ]
I'm glad to hear so. I was afraid the holidays would go poorly for everyone... There has been so many things going wrong generally speaking. Like the dragon and the giant... But you're right to assume it's more personal in my case.
[ And there was the topic. The fact she'd mentioned the giant was already a tell. ]
I was amnesiac when we met. A potion gone wrong. [That was technically the truth. The potion hadn't worked entirely as planned, but her memory loss had totally been the idea.] It was quite the experience... A friend panicked so much, it managed to bring my memories back. [Awkward laugh is a go!] I've been here for over six months actually. So no calling me newbie, ahaha!
[Gokudera wouldn’t be concerned. The matching ring is on the hand of someone who isn’t even in this world, and he’s in a relationship with two people in Avalon. No one is getting deleted on his watch except him, thanks.]
It’s good to be busy!
[He’s a workaholic who stalks his boss and is responsible for probably too much and no one ever appointed any of it to him. Gokudera just likes to take care of as much as he can. Then there’s less for his most important people to worry about.
Having been a guinea pig for his sister’s poisonous cooking, Gokudera knows a lot about how to be kind to stomachs. He should take his own advice, but frequently does not. After all, he’s not eaten much of anything so far this day, just had some coffee and done some reading, tended to his creatures…]
Ah, I hope that something can be done next year to provide even more help to those from Lestari and Celliwig. Maybe a… memorial event, or something of a fundraiser to bolster relationships with those people…
[He knows a few Lords and Ladies who may want to sponsor such an event, but hasn’t thought of how to ask for that support. Gokudera has not been able to give enough aid to refugees. He’s very talented at destroying things.]
What was the potion supposed to do?
Tch, I’m not going to stop calling you Newbie, nice try.
[He gets up, fetches the salad, and places it on the table before taking his own place and continuing to drink his coffee.]
[ She got started on her salad after this-- They had some things in common when it came to being workaholic. Though in Monika's case, it was more because of her perfectionism. Anything being less than perfect? No good. That and nowadays it's a good way not to think too much about her past. ]
Mhm. It'd be nice. [She nodded.] And we need to work towards avoiding further disasters, too...
[ There had been a lot of talk on the network about it, especially after the dragon had been slain. She stayed away from fighting and debating for the most part... But she couldn't really turn a blind eye to those events.
Regardless-- ]
Even if I'm not an actual "newbie?" [She smiled deviously.] I'll have to find an appropriate nickname in return then, ahaha! Careful, I'm pretty good with words.
[ As for the topic of the potion? She got very evasive all of a sudden. ]
It was like, um... Well to be honest, I don't feel comfortable going into the details. It's a tad personal. [She looked away shamefully. Again, it was the truth. Monika's tip of the day: you don't ever need to lie if you know how to word things properly in order to hide the most inconvenient details.] But it didn't feel honest not letting you know I was amnesiac. [She looked back at him with a smile.] You were really nice to me.
Gokudera is also a bit of a perfectionist, but usually in whatever he has a hand in, especially his own development. It’s really not something super noticeable.]
Can’t hurt.
[He’s fought a dragon before, but… in this world he’s a bit annoyed at how everything happened. Oh well.]
Give me your best shot.
[He has plenty of stupid nicknames.]
Just treated you with the same kindness you gave me… [He mutters into his mug.] So do you still want to start a literature club here?
[They don’t have to explore any topic she isn’t comfortable with, and he isn’t the type to pry.]
Give it some time and I'll have the best nickname for you.
[ She just needed to know him a bit better first... She wanted to find the perfect nickname, after all. Nothing less would do! ]
Ahaha, no. [She shook her head. She'd already thought about opening a literature club and... Nope, not here.] I do have a youtube show called The Literature Corner though! I figured the best way to get more people to realize Literature is not boring is to reach through a popular platform and try to make it all sound interesting. [She looked pretty proud about it.] I have plenty videos up already, you can give it a look sometimes!
[ Monika took her own device and sent him a link to her homepage. ]
Not really— There aren't really any interactive features besides the comment sections and a link to my mailbox. [She raised a finger.] It's more of a way to introduce people to literature and encourage them to write their own things. Having your work read on a video and praised does a lot, you know? If you write a poem, I could even feature it in one of my videos, ahaha!
[ If anything, she seemed to be pretty proud of this little channel of hers. And besides, there were no other girls to steal her spotlight in it! ]
[Gokudera clicks it as soon as it’s sent and he’s reading over it. He pauses, shifts about to pull out his glasses, then goes back to reading, listening to her as he looks over the other links for information.]
I don’t know about poetry… personally, but if I did submit something, I may not want to share my actual name…
[He feels that then any criticism will feel less like a personal assault.]
That's not too uncommon you know. Plenty of authors use pen names.
[ She didn't have one herself, though she wondered what she'd pick if she was to use a pen name... Maybe that name from her creator's other project she had peeked in. She felt a special attachment to it. But now wasn't the time for that. He had taken the bait, and so-- ]
So, does that mean I can count on a submission of yours?
Who said you get to know it’s me? I could submit anonymously. I’m sure you get a lot of submissions.
[He’ll humor her, but he’s also not going to give her the impression that he’s excited about possibly writing something artfully. He can be a bit of a grump.]
[ She could always hack into the network to see the identity of the poster... But she tried not to misuse her hacking skills any more. She was better than that! Maybe! ]
I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll submit~!
[He seems a little more cheerful to know that she has submissions. She ought to, being as passionate as she was when they first met. Gokudera really doesn’t know if he has any talent for writing, though, so worries whatever he may submit would be worth a wastebin.]
You really shouldn’t.
[What incredible stories he has (or so he’s been told by Midoriya), are very personal, painful, but there are acts of heroism, and he’s sure he could make the heroes he’d met seem that much more powerful. Never himself. But… what if he wrote so cold and clipped that it would be boring. Gokudera lacks the confidence to submit something written as art. He gets up to get a refill on his coffee, then returns and is holding a little toy plesiosaur dinosaur, spinning its tail about one of his fingers, then watching as it then spins its neck around the rest of his hand.]
Oh come on. I'm sure you're underestimating yourself. I'm not expecting you to submit something Shakespeare himself could have written, you know? It's a mistake most new writers make. Most people when they are new at something, in fact. They compare themselves to the best in their chosen field. And of course, compared to them what they do is not nearly as good. Even my writings can't compare.
[ Oops. His lack of confidence triggered Monika's Tip Of The Day. She knew exactly how he felt, she'd felt that too. Everyone did at some point. ]
Think of it like trying a new sport. You wouldn't compare your performance to an athlete participating in the olympics, would you? [A pause.] As a general rule, your best comparison is with yourself. Look at what you've done yesterday, and try to do a little better today. The improvement may not even be noticeable, but after a year? You've done real progress!
[ She laughed awkwardly, before resting her eyes on his little toys to avoid direct contact. ]
Ahaha! Sorry, I'm rambling again... It's a bad habit from home.
Well, my own expectations aren’t even that high. It’s more that it’s self-expression, and it feels personal.
[He doesn’t think it will be very good for him to read. Maybe more interesting for someone else? Does he want to really share it? Gokudera won’t know until he sets out to write it. The hesitation is there, but he’s more inclined after hearing her.]
You’re not rambling. No need to apologize.
[The ‘toy’ blinks at Monika, then Gokudera sets it down. It shifts and then moves like a seal, body lurching and wobbling until it’s in front of her salad, peeking on at it and staring up with big watery eyes.]
I guess, if I send it to you, that’s okay… But I won’t be looking for criticism. It might feel good to just get it out.
Personal... Yes, I understand. [She nodded.] I was terrified before sharing a poem I wrote for the first time, too.
[ She hadn't really considered that angle. Poem-sharing had become so natural to her, it was like someone had hardcoded it into her head. ... Unfortunately, that analogy was probably truer than she'd like. ]
I'm looking forward to it. But don't force yourself, okay? Do it when you feel comfortable doing it.
[ Wait, did that... Toy blink and moved? She blinked in quick succession as it reached her salad. ]
[A lie. It is scary to be so open, or have something that feels him out there where he can’t control it, or how it’s interpreted.
He huffs, but doesn’t seem so bothered for long.]
Okay.
[The dinosaur yawns and then turns its head, tucking it behind a fin, then moving it right back to drop a glass bead by Monika’s plate… or where it had been.]
Sorry for not introducing you. This is my familiar, Larry. He’s just disguised as a toy.
[ Not terrified at all, right. It was always kinda cute when someone seemingly grumpy and hardened suddenly showed they were just human, like everyone else. She smiled but said nothing more on the matter. She knew she wouldn't like to be pressed on if one of her vulnerabilities came under the spotlight.
So instead she glanced at the toy. ]
Oh, I see. [She approached her hand to try and "pet" it.] He's absolutely adorable.
He’s usually really big and eats all sorts of trash.
[Larry sqwaks up at that hand, then bounces up to intentionally bonk his little head against it. Then he coughs up another trinket, a pearl this time. Gokudera frowns. What’s with those as of late?]
Larry likes to give people marbles. That’s different. Guess he likes you.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Did you gift a lot of literature?
That’s fine. I can meet you there. It’s the cafe across from the hotel. Can’t miss it.
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Alright! See you there in an hour~
[ And being the very picture of punctuality (most of the time anyway), she would be there right on time. ]
Text to action here~?
[Gokudera spends a good time in the cafe by the inn. It means a quick route to his boss’s side if he needs him. He’s already working on a coffee in a ceramic cup, nothing to-go, as he’s been here often enough to be considered a regular by this point. He looks down at his watch when he spots her, cocks an impressed eyebrow, then stands up to approach and greet her.]
Monika! [A nod in place of a bow. Gokudera really only bows to adults he respects and to his boss.]
How was your Holiday?
[He’s walking her to the table, pulls a chair out for her and then moves to his own, to pick up his coffee and take a sip. The silver-haired boy hums, sets it back down, then points a thumb over his shoulder while whipping foam with the back of his other hand.]
What’ll you have? My treat.
[Or a tally of repayment for the gift. Call it the Holiday Season or whatever.]
Aye aye!
Hey hey~ [She smiled sweetly at him.] It's been a while, huh? I should have contacted you before, ahaha!
[ Gosh, how does she drop the "btw I was amnesiac last time we spoke" bombshell? And how did she make it sound like she wasn't crazy for having done it? Well, all things in due time. ]
Mhm... A salad maybe. [That probably sounded like a bit of a sad choice, so she added:] I'm vegetarian. Well, I've been meaning to try meat but that's something I need to be ready for.
[ She took her seat, resting her chin on her hand. ]
Surprisingly good, considering everything that came before. [Everything since August had really been one catastrophe after another.] How about yours?
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Not that long, it’s alright. I assume you’ve kept busy.
[He doesn’t seem bothered at all, honestly, and he’s in a much better mood than she had likely last seen him in. Gokudera is looking forward to a lot for the upcoming
notyearconsidering time is frozen.]My girlfriend is vegetarian as well. If you do ever want to try meat, maybe start working your way into chicken-broth or seafood soups so it won’t trouble your stomach.
[And they do have some soups and salads, so he’s putting in an order of salad for her before resuming their conversation.]
It was one of my best, actually.
[He had gotten engaged in another world last year, but now… new year, new world, new relationships. Gokudera idly rubs at his left hand, a bit disfigured, but nothing grotesque, with a simple unassuming silver band around his ring finger. It won’t likely stand out, considering he’s wearing many accessories, bracelets, rings, necklaces, buckles. He looks like he robbed a Hot Topic in the early 2000’s.]
What came before? You mean generally, or just for yourself?
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Fortunately for him, Monika has finally found love so his girlfriend isn't at any risk of being deleted. ]
Mhm. I've been busier than I'd like.
[ A vegetarian girlfriend, huh? A fun coincidence. But he was right, the problem with trying meat after not having had any for so long was the stomach's inability to properly process it. She could do without stomachaches, so she nodded at his tip and thanked him. ]
I'm glad to hear so. I was afraid the holidays would go poorly for everyone... There has been so many things going wrong generally speaking. Like the dragon and the giant... But you're right to assume it's more personal in my case.
[ And there was the topic. The fact she'd mentioned the giant was already a tell. ]
I was amnesiac when we met. A potion gone wrong. [That was technically the truth. The potion hadn't worked entirely as planned, but her memory loss had totally been the idea.] It was quite the experience... A friend panicked so much, it managed to bring my memories back. [Awkward laugh is a go!] I've been here for over six months actually. So no calling me newbie, ahaha!
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It’s good to be busy!
[He’s a workaholic who stalks his boss and is responsible for probably too much and no one ever appointed any of it to him. Gokudera just likes to take care of as much as he can. Then there’s less for his most important people to worry about.
Having been a guinea pig for his sister’s poisonous cooking, Gokudera knows a lot about how to be kind to stomachs. He should take his own advice, but frequently does not. After all, he’s not eaten much of anything so far this day, just had some coffee and done some reading, tended to his creatures…]
Ah, I hope that something can be done next year to provide even more help to those from Lestari and Celliwig. Maybe a… memorial event, or something of a fundraiser to bolster relationships with those people…
[He knows a few Lords and Ladies who may want to sponsor such an event, but hasn’t thought of how to ask for that support. Gokudera has not been able to give enough aid to refugees. He’s very talented at destroying things.]
What was the potion supposed to do?
Tch, I’m not going to stop calling you Newbie, nice try.
[He gets up, fetches the salad, and places it on the table before taking his own place and continuing to drink his coffee.]
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[ She got started on her salad after this-- They had some things in common when it came to being workaholic. Though in Monika's case, it was more because of her perfectionism. Anything being less than perfect? No good. That and nowadays it's a good way not to think too much about her past. ]
Mhm. It'd be nice. [She nodded.] And we need to work towards avoiding further disasters, too...
[ There had been a lot of talk on the network about it, especially after the dragon had been slain. She stayed away from fighting and debating for the most part... But she couldn't really turn a blind eye to those events.
Regardless-- ]
Even if I'm not an actual "newbie?" [She smiled deviously.] I'll have to find an appropriate nickname in return then, ahaha! Careful, I'm pretty good with words.
[ As for the topic of the potion? She got very evasive all of a sudden. ]
It was like, um... Well to be honest, I don't feel comfortable going into the details. It's a tad personal. [She looked away shamefully. Again, it was the truth. Monika's tip of the day: you don't ever need to lie if you know how to word things properly in order to hide the most inconvenient details.] But it didn't feel honest not letting you know I was amnesiac. [She looked back at him with a smile.] You were really nice to me.
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[No problem.
Gokudera is also a bit of a perfectionist, but usually in whatever he has a hand in, especially his own development. It’s really not something super noticeable.]
Can’t hurt.
[He’s fought a dragon before, but… in this world he’s a bit annoyed at how everything happened. Oh well.]
Give me your best shot.
[He has plenty of stupid nicknames.]
Just treated you with the same kindness you gave me… [He mutters into his mug.] So do you still want to start a literature club here?
[They don’t have to explore any topic she isn’t comfortable with, and he isn’t the type to pry.]
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Give it some time and I'll have the best nickname for you.
[ She just needed to know him a bit better first... She wanted to find the perfect nickname, after all. Nothing less would do! ]
Ahaha, no. [She shook her head. She'd already thought about opening a literature club and... Nope, not here.] I do have a youtube show called The Literature Corner though! I figured the best way to get more people to realize Literature is not boring is to reach through a popular platform and try to make it all sound interesting. [She looked pretty proud about it.] I have plenty videos up already, you can give it a look sometimes!
no subject
Alright. I can give it a watch…
[He finishes his coffee and sits back comfortably.]
Sort of like an online book-club…?
[Gokudera pulls out his device and scrolls through the network.]
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[ Monika took her own device and sent him a link to her homepage. ]
Not really— There aren't really any interactive features besides the comment sections and a link to my mailbox. [She raised a finger.] It's more of a way to introduce people to literature and encourage them to write their own things. Having your work read on a video and praised does a lot, you know? If you write a poem, I could even feature it in one of my videos, ahaha!
[ If anything, she seemed to be pretty proud of this little channel of hers. And besides, there were no other girls to steal her spotlight in it! ]
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I don’t know about poetry… personally, but if I did submit something, I may not want to share my actual name…
[He feels that then any criticism will feel less like a personal assault.]
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[ She didn't have one herself, though she wondered what she'd pick if she was to use a pen name... Maybe that name from her creator's other project she had peeked in. She felt a special attachment to it. But now wasn't the time for that. He had taken the bait, and so-- ]
So, does that mean I can count on a submission of yours?
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I really only journal, and if I used a pen-name, you wouldn't even know it's me.
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[ She's not letting go of this. Well, not just yet at any rate. ]
If you don't want I won't force you, but I'm really curious to see what you could come up with.
no subject
[He’ll humor her, but he’s also not going to give her the impression that he’s excited about possibly writing something artfully. He can be a bit of a grump.]
Probably some kind of haiku… who knows?
no subject
[ She could always hack into the network to see the identity of the poster... But she tried not to misuse her hacking skills any more. She was better than that! Maybe! ]
I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll submit~!
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You really shouldn’t.
[What incredible stories he has (or so he’s been told by Midoriya), are very personal, painful, but there are acts of heroism, and he’s sure he could make the heroes he’d met seem that much more powerful. Never himself. But… what if he wrote so cold and clipped that it would be boring. Gokudera lacks the confidence to submit something written as art. He gets up to get a refill on his coffee, then returns and is holding a little toy plesiosaur dinosaur, spinning its tail about one of his fingers, then watching as it then spins its neck around the rest of his hand.]
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[ Oops. His lack of confidence triggered Monika's Tip Of The Day. She knew exactly how he felt, she'd felt that too. Everyone did at some point. ]
Think of it like trying a new sport. You wouldn't compare your performance to an athlete participating in the olympics, would you? [A pause.] As a general rule, your best comparison is with yourself. Look at what you've done yesterday, and try to do a little better today. The improvement may not even be noticeable, but after a year? You've done real progress!
[ She laughed awkwardly, before resting her eyes on his little toys to avoid direct contact. ]
Ahaha! Sorry, I'm rambling again... It's a bad habit from home.
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[He doesn’t think it will be very good for him to read. Maybe more interesting for someone else? Does he want to really share it? Gokudera won’t know until he sets out to write it. The hesitation is there, but he’s more inclined after hearing her.]
You’re not rambling. No need to apologize.
[The ‘toy’ blinks at Monika, then Gokudera sets it down. It shifts and then moves like a seal, body lurching and wobbling until it’s in front of her salad, peeking on at it and staring up with big watery eyes.]
I guess, if I send it to you, that’s okay… But I won’t be looking for criticism. It might feel good to just get it out.
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[ She hadn't really considered that angle. Poem-sharing had become so natural to her, it was like someone had hardcoded it into her head. ... Unfortunately, that analogy was probably truer than she'd like. ]
I'm looking forward to it. But don't force yourself, okay? Do it when you feel comfortable doing it.
[ Wait, did that... Toy blink and moved? She blinked in quick succession as it reached her salad. ]
Um... Is that toy alive?
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[A lie. It is scary to be so open, or have something that feels him out there where he can’t control it, or how it’s interpreted.
He huffs, but doesn’t seem so bothered for long.]
Okay.
[The dinosaur yawns and then turns its head, tucking it behind a fin, then moving it right back to drop a glass bead by Monika’s plate… or where it had been.]
Sorry for not introducing you. This is my familiar, Larry. He’s just disguised as a toy.
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[ Not terrified at all, right. It was always kinda cute when someone seemingly grumpy and hardened suddenly showed they were just human, like everyone else. She smiled but said nothing more on the matter. She knew she wouldn't like to be pressed on if one of her vulnerabilities came under the spotlight.
So instead she glanced at the toy. ]
Oh, I see. [She approached her hand to try and "pet" it.] He's absolutely adorable.
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[Larry sqwaks up at that hand, then bounces up to intentionally bonk his little head against it. Then he coughs up another trinket, a pearl this time. Gokudera frowns. What’s with those as of late?]
Larry likes to give people marbles. That’s different. Guess he likes you.
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