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Who: Duckbutt and Afro Queen
What: So I hear you're sweet on my twin brother...
Where: SPRINKLETOWN. (Now with 50% more nondairy options)
When: March 2/11
Warnings: Sex, drugs, and explosions abound

Lash and Claus!

Who would have guessed? They did get along together, but Lucas had been totally surprised when his twin had told him the news. They would make a good pair, he thought -- he hadn't just been paying lip service when he'd said that. He had promised to put in a good word, too, and he had every intention of doing so: he wasn't the kind of person to meddle, per se, but when two people brought out the best in each other, it was hard not to give a nudge or two in the right direction.

There was a little more to it than that, admittedly. A quiet, lurking concern that had been gnawing at the back of his mind ever since his return from the Other Tazmily, as he'd come to call it. He still wasn't sure that he wanted to say anything about it, though. This was Final Destination City Claus. Lash had never even met the Other Tazmily Claus. Was it really something he ought to say? He hadn't even told Claus himself about what had happened at the Seventh Needle.

He pushed the thought out of his head as he caught sight of a familiar cloud of poofy black hair heading down the hallway. One thing at a time. "Lash! Wait up!"

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Lash was a little bit distracted, admittedly. Not just with trying to unravel her old nation's mystery and the whole White Dwarf deal, but waiting to see what would happen when Hawke would ask Jake about a meeting with Hachi (Lash had a much smaller patience. It was good that she wasn't the leader) She had a feeling once things took off, it would be hard to keep up. Of course that was nothing to the mess that was her emotional life right now (or you know, how she felt about it. Leave it to the wunderkind to think her love life was more important than her old nation being a near lie). Everything felt new and confusing again. There was some guilt too.

So what better way to ignore both of those things by making an overly complicated class involving tanks and a game of paintball? There were so many papers and permission slips to fill out, it gave her a way to tamper and change her mind to other subjects. Besides, tanks were awesome. It was for this reason that Lucas' voice didn't register right away until she caught the 'up' part of his call and turned around to see Claus' younger brother running up to her. He looked a lot better than the last time she saw him. That still felt weird too, giving out hugs. The pile of papers in her hands, she didn't give him a wave, just a firm nod.

"Hey! How is?"

"Great, thanks." And that was true. With Valentine's Day having come and gone, Jeff's absence was pressing a little less heavily on his heart. He had always been the kind of guy to try to keep his chin up, even if he did ~~constantly spew angsty walls of text SOB~~ dwell on things. Having something positive to focus on did make it a lot easier. So thanks for that, Lash's many confusing hormones.

Might as well at least make an attempt at smoothly sliding into the topic at hand, though. It never hurt to be polite, engage in a little small talk, etc. "Um... what are all the papers for?" He asked. "...Do you want some help carrying them?" He added, after a pause. Papers weren't heavy, but it was still a lot to carry.

"Oh just a bunch of permission slips and release forms I had to fill out (sometimes forging for certain people who didn't hand them in) regarding this week's class," she explained, appearing somewhat grateful to nearly shove half of them in his arms. "Thanks. There's a lot of tank diagrams I had to double check and safety standards and so on and so forth...."

They walked outside and to her dorm, where she quickly opened the door, waving her arm for the canons to shut down.

And then the carefully filed papers were flung on the small table in the front entrance before she took the ones Lucas was holding. She stretched her arms. "Man! Sometimes being a teacher is completely boring!" Because for some reason she needed to reaffirm that paperwork was boring, even if she had purposefully done this. Image to keep and all.

Edited 2011-03-02 22:56 (UTC)

From the brief glance he managed to steal, Lucas... had absolutely no idea what Lash was planning, except that it was probably something that would have had him immediately excusing himself to go lie down in the nurse's office. That was just Lash for you, though: never a dull moment.

"Well... why not take a little break?" Lucas suggested. "I know about an ice cream place that's got some pretty good sorbets." Lash, after all, lived with Kumatora. While ordinarily Lucas would have been delighted if they were joined by one of his best friends, he kind of had a feeling Claus probably didn't want word of his romantic entanglements to spread around to too many other Tazmilians just yet. A little discretion wouldn't hurt, especially if it involved delicious frozen desserts.

If only Lucas knew about Kumatora finding out about it already, he might have changed his mind. "A break does sound nice..." Lash could appreciate going for sorbets; despite the cold weather, working on the tanks to check their safety measure was most certainly a lot of hard work. It could prove a lot more fun as a distraction than filling out another batch of papers.

"Just gimme a minute, I'll take a quick shower. Feel free to use the TV or play a video game while you wait!" It didn't quite cross her mind that Lucas might not be into those things, but she was true to her word. Before he could look over, she had already tossed the dirty clothing in her room and the shower was running. In a few minutes she was already out, drying her hair and putting on a pair of clean clothing.

"Okay! Let's go!"

Edited 2011-03-03 09:08 (UTC)

Fortunately, this wasn't the first time Lucas had waited around for a girl to grab a shower. He really didn't have any intention of going near the Happy Box or those video games things, but he certainly didn't mind waiting for a bit. Lash really didn't take long at all, anyway; in no time at all, they were both out the door and making their way down the snowy streets.

"So... your class has something to do with tanks, right? You mentioned tank diagrams." Lucas finally ventured, after a moment of walking in silence. "I bet Claus will like that. He's really brave, so he loves that kind of high-action stuff." Wow, Lucas. Subtle as a brick. Flint really had raised an honest one: when it came to words, he may well have been the least sneaky individual on earth.

Fortunately, most of it flew right over Lash's head. Perhaps if she'd taken the time to analyze it she might have noticed the clues, as unsubtle that Lucas had been about them, but why would you question your brother taking about your twin have in a casual manner? Besides, Lucas was the last one she'd ever pin down with an intention in mind.

"I know! We kinda have been going out in Neotanks for a while go empty warehouses for the fun of it!" Oh woops, that should be some sort of secret. Or Maybe Claus had told Lucas. Or maybe he hadn't, shit and damn. Well, it wasn't like Lucas would tell anyone. Except maybe his father. "...uh, don't tell your dad. I don't think he'd approve." Especially if she started to tell him the part about the spiders and the explosions and hmm. Perhaps it was better if she tuned her mind out of that.

She jumped right into a puddle of watery slush when they got to the main street, looking both ways before making a made dash to the other side of the road.

"Come on, come on!"

Edited 2011-03-04 11:19 (UTC)

Hanging out in large, empty buildings, admittedly, did not sound like a very entertaining time to Lucas. He wasn't entirely sure why Flint would disapprove of two people going to a warehouse, either. He'd usually let Lucas go wherever he felt like when he was growing up. Maybe it was just some sort of girl thing he wasn't picking up on.

He shrugged it off, splashing along after Lash. "I don't think Dad will care that you're hanging out with Claus, Lash. You've been friends with us for a long time. I don't think he'll mind the Neotanks, either... as long as you're not wrecking anything with them, I mean."

"I dunno, your dad kinda gives me the creeps sometimes." And if someone gave Lash the creeps, than there was reason to be fearful. At least if your name was Lash, anyway. "But, if you say so! I'll take your word for it."

They stood in front of the ice cream and sorbet parlor ~~of tears and sadness~~ as Lash stepped inside, the automatic doors moving to the side in a robotic fashion. The air inside smelled like baking cookies and cinnamon.

"I'm getting really hungry! What are you going to order?"

"I know he looks a little serious, but you don't have to be nervous! Dad's got a really big heart. You just need a little time to get to know him." Lucas walked in behind Lash, stopping to take in a deep breath. Yum... something smelled good! He gave the selection a thoughtful once-over.

"Hm... I usually just get vanilla. Maybe I should try something new today?" There certainly wasn't a lack of choices. Cake-flavored ice cream? That seemed a little like making... pizza-flavored soup or something. Maybe it had actual cake in it somehow? He stepped into line to place his order, looking back at Lash. "How about you?" They might not have cake-flavored sorbet or anything, but there wasn't a lack of choice on the lactose-intolerant side of things, either.

"I guess so. Maybe it's because he's your dad or something." She shrugged a little, shivering a little and turned her mind back into the menu again.

Lash had many choices, yes, but you never went wrong going with your favorite fruit crushed with sugar and ice water. "Pomegranate Sorbet." she told the lady in front, not really being polite about it. "Triple scoop." As an after thought she then quickly added, "and put some gummy bears on top too." No one else must know her secret. Her very delicious secret. She looked over at Lucas. "You want me to pay for you?" Honestly, she wasn't sure if Lucas HAD money.

Lash, you would not believe the exchange rate between FDC dollars and ~DRAGON POWER~. Still, that probably spared the rest of the lineup from a half-hour gong show of Lucas counting out quarters and fumbling with bills (they all look so alike, okay). "Thanks, Lash, that's really nice of you." See, nice. Dad would definitely like her. "I'll treat next time, then."

After their orders were paid for and they were settled at a table with their delicious frozen desserts, Lucas decided to cut to the chase. He stole an uneasy glance around -- nobody else they knew happened to be getting ice cream. Good. No chance of anybody overhearing.

"Um... Lash? About Claus..." he ventured hesitantly.

"Tee hee hee, it's no problem. Kumatora's dadmoms are pretty generous when it comes to our salaries." Lash had no idea that it was probably because they had no use for money, so everything that was made was being used to pay for the building, and then right back at their employees. Ahh well, ignorance was bliss and the pocketbook could approve of it. She did look at him confused when he began to look around, as if there was a hidden camera somewhere. Then he said the word and it had more impact than before, so she repeated it in the form of a question. "Claus?" There was a slight frown.

"Oh. He told you what happened huh?" Oh well duuuh of course he would have told his brother. She stopped eating the sorbet for a second, placing the long spoon in one of the scoops, intertwining her fingers so she could rest her hand on top of them and look at him. She gave him a look, an eyebrow raised. Had Claus sent her? Was he somewhere in the cafe? Was that why Lucas had looked around before talking to her at first? They could telepathically talk to each other, maybe he was telling Lucas what to say. Maybe she was over thinking this.

"Look, I'm still not sure where this is going at all. I-i know there was a kiss but it's not like..." Lucas had probably never seen her act this flustered as she tried to find the correct words, nearly slipping from her headrest. "...anything it set in stone? I hope he told you that too..."

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, he said that. I... I do think you'd be good together. He gets so happy when he's talking about you. You've known each other for years, and you... you suit each other. I think Claus needs somebody who can keep up with him. Maybe... maybe you need someone who can keep up with you too, Lash."

Well, he had promised to put in a good word, after all, and that really was what he thought. It really wasn't hard to pick up on how flustered Lash was, though; Lucas didn't have it in him to lay on too much pressure. He helped himself to some ice cream, sucking thoughtfully on the spoon before he continued.

"But... if you're not sure yet, then you're not sure. That's okay."

She turned her gaze from the boy down to her own dessert, before leaning her head on only one hand so she could use the other to idly mix the sorbet into an even bigger mush. While Lucas' words were kind and part of her felt almost honored to be considered good with him, it still sent a lot of mix signals to her brain. Lucas was his brother's twin, of course he'd be happy with whoever Claus would end up dating! Even if she had been just a fuzzy pickle on a toothpick. Lucas was...well Lucas! Always sooo nice. Maybe it wasn't because Lash was that great at all, he was just being himself. Doubting about herself? THAT made her feel strange In the end, she ended up laughing to dispense her own doubts, and speaking up about the least significant detail in all that Lucas had said, remembering the trips she had with Claus to explode things.

"Yeaah he does get around a lot doesn't he?"

Err wait that came out really bad. "I mean uh, he moves a lot not...you know...oh forget it." She coughed. "It's just a long story. I have a lot of baggage. You probably remember some of it..."

Yes Lash, please do remindd Lucas of that time you were so angry you acted like a dick towards him, showing him images of yourself as a kid. That was certainly going to go over well.

Edited 2011-03-21 08:37 (UTC)

~~hey that pickle on toothpicks was a TOTAL BABE OKAY~~

Don't worry, Lash. Your accidental double entendre was lost on Lucas' innocent ears. "...We all have ugly things in our past, Lash." The subtle reminder of the skeletons in Lash's closet, however, were not lost on him in the slightest. He squirmed in his seat uncomfortably. "But that's... I think it might be another reason why you're good for each other. Claus can understand that." This Claus, thankfully, had broken free of the Pig Mask Army before he could really do anything that couldn't be fixed. This Claus. But...

"Have I... ever told you what happened the last time I went home?"

"I guess..." Somehow it was hard to imagine Claus having skeletons in his closet. Or they'd be well polished one with little bow-ties and...wait that was a terrible mental image. She pushed it away and watched him move around his seat as if it suddenly didn't suit him anymore. She'd been training to notice emotions, so it wasn't too hard to realize something was wrong.

Only to realize he was squirming because he was talking about his brother again. Phew! Although that didn't help her situation at all, remember the words Claus had once told her in the factory as she looked at his wings. Their talk about monsters and... "I guess he can..." That was a strange subject change. "Not from what I remember. Why?"

Edited 2011-03-21 07:51 (UTC)

Lucas didn't need to have asked that question. He... hadn't really told anyone but Jeff. Even after all this time, he still wasn't quite sure how to say it. He toyed with his spoon uneasily.

"The Tazmily I went back to... it wasn't the same Tazmily I left." That one sentence was all that was needed to start the avalanche. Before he knew it, Lucas was pouring out the whole story: how Tazmily had fallen back under the Pig Mask Army's control, how Flint still turned away from him and Kumatora had never even heard of Smash Academy. The discovery of Duster, the toppling of Thunder Tower all over again, the encounter with the all-wrong Ulty in the Chimera Lab.

The Masked Man. The growing horror and dread each glimpse of that winged figure brought. The seven needles, the end of the Magypsies, and the fate that had intertwined itself with his twin's. New Pork City, and the truth about the white ship and the Egg of Light. Porky's Absolutely Safe sanctuary.

The seventh needle. The Masked Man, mere footsteps away from condemning everything to oblivion. Lucas staring down the man he already knew to be his brother, knowing that the fate of the world rested in his hands, but still being unable to raise his weapon against Claus. The final flash of PK Thunder, ricocheting off Lucas' badge and striking his brother down.

When he finished, his voice was small, shaking, more like the lonely lost child he'd been when he'd first come to Smash Academy. "I... I think this school changed things, Lash. That Tazmily... I think it's the Tazmily that was supposed to be."

And the Claus of that Tazmily was supposed to end everything.

The Claus of that Tazmily died for it.

It was a of information for her to digest, and nothing she had been expecting. At first she had listened starring at his face even if Lucas himself wasn't looking at her, before returning to her sorbet. She kept spinning it, so much by the time he was done, it was nothing more than a cold liquid, sticky mess.

A few years ago Lash hadn't had anyone to call family at all. She couldn't understand how human beings could grow attached to each other by something as stupid as being related or having the same blood line. Yet the first time Jake had given her a picture of her mother, she had cried. Knowing she once had a twin sister and she had been killed because SHE had been imperfect, it made her shiver.

Lucas and Claus were an entirely different ballpark. In them, she saw what could have happened with her. At times there were, yes bits of pang of jealousy, admittedly. There's was closeness she could never hope to get with Jake, nor did she honestly peruse it (but she as still jealous, such was life). But watching the twins helping each other, talking excitedly about activities, well, even a wunderkind could have her heart soften just a bit.

She had met Pokey before, at the school. They'd even done a few things together. Claus had talked to he about that.

"He called me his little monster..." When that thought entered her mind as he continued to talk, she had to bite her lip down to stop herself from saying anything or sobbing.

Was this the destiny of twins? To always end up killing each other? Some cruel test of fate? She didn't know. But in that moment she saw Lucas in a whole new light. She'd always thought of him as much weaker than she gave him credit for. He was a sweet guy, and despite that they were nearly opposite sides of the coin, she admired him for his truthful heart. But this...for someone like him, she could only even begin to imagine the pain it was to fight your own brother as some sort of soulless monstrosity. Your own twin. After not seeing him for so long...

And just like that, he was done, and all her thoughts stopped. It almost seemed like there was no one else in that ice cream shop at that moment. In the end, all she could offer to him was an, admittedly, rather pathetic attempt at a hug. She was trembling slightly herself.

"I'm sorry."

None of it was her fault, obviously. Yet it seemed like the best words to say right now.

"You didn't deserve that."

Edited 2011-03-24 08:04 (UTC)

...It was hard.

For a moment, his heart had thrown itself back into that stormy, shadowy place. Back to his father taking a blow meant for him, back to Claus' scent, back to his mother's whisper. Back to the heart-wrenching moment of goodbye. He hadn't been prepared for it. The weight of his family being torn asunder again was almost too much for him to withstand.

In a way, he... almost resented the school for it. There had been a time when he'd been used to it. The empty space where his mother had once been had never stopped hurting, of course. Nothing had filled it. It was always going to be like a missing limb, and the phantom pain would never fade. But Claus had been gone for years. It still ached, but pain had a way of dulling over time, from an overwhelming agony to just an ever-present throb. Flint... it was almost normal to have little more than glimpses at his father's retreating, silent back. Maybe if he'd never known what it was to see his twin's smiling face again, it wouldn't have hurt so much to see it erased forever. Could have endured his family splintering again just a little better.

...That was bitter thinking, and he knew it. He drew away from Lash, keeping his hands on her shoulders. "It's okay. I'm going to be okay. But Claus... I..." A soft intake of breath. "Claus is still here, Lash. That Claus... he tried to do some terrible things. He didn't know any better, but... he can understand what it's like to have regrets. We all can. Don't hold onto it for too long, Lash. I know there'll always be times when you're not sure. I know the ugly things won't go away, but..."

His voice faltered. He let go of Lash. Had to look away.

"...But people do."

A slow, quiet sigh. "I'm not telling you what to do, or asking you to feel sorry for anybody. But don't... don't let doubt be the reason you hold back, okay? Don't be scared to reach out to whoever's there, because they won't be there forever."

Lash fell back into her own chair and sighed.

"Lucas I..." she bit her lip before blurting out an insult she might regret. This wasn't the time to call anyone anything. She could be serious when the time called for it too. "So-called ugly things never held me back..." she pushed one of her fists to her chest so hard you could hear the thwack. "..I know what I am. If I judged Claus what type of person would I be?" Someone who doesn't care.

Someone I used to be.

"I don't have many regrets," she admitted. "What I did in the past happened and no matter how my views have changed since then, I did what I did back then." She stopped speaking again to take a long breath of air. "I know that people die. I know that all too well..."

A time ago, she remembered not knowing that Hawke was alive and how her first time crying was when she ran into his arms. But she couldn't really explain that to Lucas. The problem wasn't the ugly past. It was what to do about all the people who cared about her. And in the end, she was afraid. Afraid of breaking someone's heart.

That, she finally realized, hurt much more than a thousand deaths.

"You're an amazing brother," she finally told him, completely changing the subject yet remaining in the same tangent. "When we first me I thought you were, well, kinda of a weakling." Lash wasn't one to tiptoe around things. "I guess that was my old way of thinking speaking for me. You have...a truthful heart. And bravery only a few of us could claim as their own." She laughed somewhat bitterly. "Arguable maybe a little crazy too but I still can't imagine facing your own twin..."

She put an arm on him and smiled. Where her eyes humid? It was rather hard to tell.

"One time, I was going to be killed off by Von Bolt, and Jake saved us. Despite the fact we were in opposing fractions. Funny how a few years later I found out he was my half-brother, right? I guess in a way, I'm supposed to be dead somewhere too, huh? Maybe that makes me and Claus even more alike than you think..."

Or is it when hell and heaven are full, the dead shall walk the earth once again?

"You have a half-brother?"

Wow, Lucas, way to kill the moment. He was genuinely surprised by that, though. Lash never spoke of family to him at all; he'd almost wondered if she'd even had one, or if like Claus, she'd been ripped away at a young age, maybe had the memories of parents and siblings buried long ago. To just hear a sibling's name dropped out of the blue like that was kind of unexpected.

Lash wasn't the one to go around bragging about family (which was amazing considering...everything). It was only when Lucas looked at her puzzled that she realized her mistake and drew out a long sigh.

"Right...I found out last year that my mother, that is also Jake's mother, was captured along with her family and experimented on. Jake was just a baby...she bargained with a one of the higher-ups to work for Black Hole and be his female donor. In exchange, Jake and his dad were sneaked out."

It was her turn to spill history out.

"Black Hole never had much use for emotions. New children were conceived by finding the best fitting male and female and pairing them together. Love was never part of the equation. Artificial insemination can cause a few complications, however..." She trailed off again and looked at the ground.

"...twins, triplets or even quadruplets are not uncommon..." Her hand tapped the table in a nervous beat. "It makes sense, in a way. You get two for the price of one. Tricking genetics. I was supposed to have a twin sister. However, all female carriers are required to get a full health scan of their unborn children. Black Hole only wanted healthy soldiers, after all." She laughed bitterly and fought back the tears.

"One of us was...defective."

Edited 2011-03-31 09:46 (UTC)

Female... donor? Artificial insemination? There were a lot of terms here that Lucas really didn't understand. If there was one thing that he'd learned growing up, it was that the world had quite a few dark and ugly things in it, but he'd still come from a place where he'd been pretty sheltered. Marriage without love was an entirely unheard-of concept in Tazmily: it was like trying to make bread without flour or grow a tree with no roots.

"Defective...?" How could a baby be defective? People weren't something that could turn out broken or wrong. ...Was that maybe another way of saying she'd been sick? He may not have exactly understood what Lash was getting at, but he had a feeling that it was nothing good - she'd said she was "supposed to" have a twin, not that she had one. "Lash, I... I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she sighed, resting her head in her open hand. "I don't exactly talk about these things out in the open. Especially since I was the problem."

She stood up again and showed him her right hand, bending down the pinky to show him the odd bent it had to it. "This is why I write with my left. I hate when the finger rubs again the next one when I do. That's not just it, of course, there's more medical abnormalities on me." Sorry Lucas, you weren't going to see her fused toes or the bump on her back. "Might not look like much, but there was enough of a high risk that I could have been born dumb and useless. Anyway. Doctor messed up. Terminated my dizygotic twin sister instead of me. He covered up his tracks until I was born, but lucky for everyone involved I ended up being some sort of Black Hole superstar." She coughed, realizing how many technical terms she'd be tossing at Lucas. "Dizygotic means non-identical by the way. You and Claus are monozygotic. That means identical." The need to cry had passed from talking about it, so she merely shrugged and crossed her arms.

"Anyway...uh I don't even know what I was going to end this with. I...guess you don't want me to tell any of this to Claus, right?"

Edited 2011-04-19 22:45 (UTC)

Lash had started to hint at something very alarming. Did people from Black Hole really think somebody could be dumb and useless? Was that something they thought they could decide right from the moment a baby was born? And what, exactly, did she mean by doctors terminating someone?

Still, it didn't seem like something Lash wanted to talk about, if she was changing the subject. Lucas wasn't entirely sure it was something he wanted to push, either.

"I... I think if he hears it from anyone, it should be from me. I was the one who..." Killed him? Claus would have still been alive if Lucas hadn't been wearing that badge. "...I was there. It's just not an easy thing to explain, though... how do you tell your own brother that you watched him die? I... I don't want to scare him with something like that, but... there really isn't a gentle way to say it."

"I think Claus will understand." She frowned her brow, uncrossing her arms only to press the tips of her fingers on each hand together. "It's hard, but I think if the situation being reversed he would have done the same." It was a pretty dark thought, but Lash knew it was brutally truthful. She really had a feeling that Claus would have done the same thing in his shoes, as hard as it might have been.

"He's brave enough. If anything, I think the sooner he finds out, the sooner the both of you can move on after it. Keep a secret too long, and it becomes a question of why didn't you tell me before and the real message may be lost then. I know if you had killed me in the future and didn't tell me until a few years after finding out I would be angry." And angry Lash was not a very pretty picture. Claus probably was much more calm than her in that regard. "Just don't wait too long, okay?"

I mean it's not like she CARED for Claus or anything.

Admittedly, Lucas wasn't sure he found much comfort in the idea that Claus would have watched him die too, had their circumstances been reversed. The logical part of him understood what had been at stake: the last needle had to be pulled, and in that moment, Claus had to have known he couldn't have been the one to pull it. Maybe this place's Claus was free of Porky's control, but maybe the chains were still too strong for the other Claus.

From a statistical standpoint, it had obviously been right: the choice had come down to sparing everyone's lives, or sparing one life that, as much as Lucas didn't want to think it, as much as the brother living here disproved it... had maybe already ended all those years ago when Claus had sought out Mecha-Drago.

In the end, though, Lucas was simply too soft. Lash had enough experience with death to take the edge off of it, to blunt it down into something that could be held at arm's distance and comprehended. "Yeah... yeah, I guess you're right," Lucas agreed softly. "Hiding it from him isn't really protecting him from anything. I just..." It was hard to put into words, to explain the dissonance in his mind between the reality waiting for him and the utopia he had here. The strange fear that trying to bring anything from that place here would break the fragile illusion Smash Academy had built for him.

"...I'm worried saying it will make it real."

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