Room 504, Thursday Evening

[intraspective]

So, once upon a time Ino was pretty sure Romeo had made her promise to tell him about anything crappy happening on the island before someone else did. Which explained the message she left for him.

… Four days late, sure, but she was trying here.

Leaving her door open, Ino was sprawled out on her bed and scribbling into a notebook she'd started working through on Tuesday. Writing down every little thing she could remember about Jenova, what she knew about Jenova from other sources (well, Elena and Reno), and what she could guess about her from—being her for a weekend.

Ino wasn't sure what purpose there was in it, really, except for the fact that—

This way she'd know her new shiny fear as inside and out as she could.

[Open door, open post!]

Comments

[raspberryturk]

This was about the SOLIDER kid. Wasn't it? Reno found himself exhaling messily, and then hitting confirm on the Portalocity ticket order.

"I... don't wanna be the one who says it, Rookie. I don't. But when you're talkin' about her, there ain't much that can be done."

[intraspective]

She swallowed.

"Except hope that she gets destroyed again?"

[raspberryturk]

Reno was making a reach for the Corel Ale now. Now seemed like a damn good time to reach for the Corel Ale.

"Everything 'bout his world seems to be goin' the way it went here, so far," he pointed out. "I mean, ain't no mention of Zack headin' off to some island for school around here, but the rest... Sounds like it's been goin' the same. Ain't no reason why her bein' stopped should be any different, either."

[intraspective]

Ino did not want to argue for her possibly not being destroyed but--

"But even a little ch-change can make a big difference."

And oh, was Ino going to cling to that forever.

[raspberryturk]

Don't say it, Reno. Don't say it. Don't. Don't. Don't.

"You wanna be the one who risks changin' it for the worse, knowin' full well what's out there, now?"

[intraspective]

Flinch was a poor word to describe Ino's reaction. Shudder wasn't much better.

She didn't want to make things worse--but things could be just the same made better. Nothing was set in stone. If everything was set in stone then what was the point in trying?

No one was needed if nothing ever changed.

"I--" Ino, don't, "I've got to go. I-I'll see you when you get here."

Then she hung up on him. And just shivered.

[raspberryturk]

She'd hung up.

She'd hung up, and Reno knew better than to call her back just yet. She said she would see him when he got there. That would have to do.

Still and all, he was going to have to sit there for a minute, cradling the phone in his hands. Staring at it. Playing the words she'd said over and over in his head.

That's only one world.

They couldn't change it. They couldn't. Even if it wasn't their Gaia, Reno couldn't possibly live with that many more lives on his head.

He opened the bottle he'd reached for earlier.

They couldn't.

... Couldn't they?