soulping | Puma Heart

Puma Heart

[There's a feeling. A feeling as if your edges are being burnt. Not quite painful, but akin to walking a fraying tight rope.]

[Then you manage to find stable ground.]

IRC is #heartisthekey

Have some mood music.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Aoko? Are you there?

Iri-san! Hey!

Are you okay?

I'm fine. I'm sorry, I went racing off after Pearl so suddenly. Are you still alright?

Uh huh. Kaito and I are both fine … we went through the door with the hand scanner.

Where are you? Did you find her?

That's a relief. I did. But I really don't think we're in the Chorus room. This place is... Some kind of mountain? It's snowing, there's a big building here too... And Pearl is acting strange.

She says she can see Puma, but I can't.

[ ooohhhhhhhhh ]

[ fuck ]

[ SO THIS SUDDEN MOMENT OF SILENCE IS PROBABLY NOT REASSURING, HUH. ]

... Oh.

...Oh?

[I'M VERY CONCERNED I DIDN'T EVEN TELL YOU ABOUT THE BLOOD OR POTENTIAL ZOMBIE YET]

That's …

[ Takes a breath. ]

He's done some things he's not proud of. Some … really awful things that he's never been able to forgive himself for, not ever. If there are manifestations of that there, you could get hurt.

I won't let that happen.

If they're things he can't forgive himself for, then they're things he regrets, aren't they? That means, maybe we can get through to him.

He regrets them. [ God, does he ever. ] … Most of them.

Iri-san, listen to me. Don't push too hard on this, not in here. If that's what I'm thinking of, I wouldn't be able to guarantee I wouldn't get hurt – and he'd never, ever hurt me on purpose outside of his heart.

. . .

But what if this is where one of the data spheres are?

I don't... I don't want to pry into his life, or his secrets. But I don't want to turn my back on him either.

You don't have to turn your back on him. Having people stand by his side … that's the most important thing, for him.

It's just, you need to know when to back off. Keep that in mind while you're looking around.

I can't even see him. So I'll... I'll have to rely on Pearl for that.

[How am I supposed to read reactions Pearl is a biased source!!]

We'll do our best.