maybe one of these days they'll go on an actual date

[cutefaced]

Comments

[zerotohiro]

...it's going to be dangerous. I don't know if it's a good idea. [And before she says it:] It's a different kind of dangerous than the game was. I don't know what's going to happen.

[cutefaced]

The game--

[...yeah, he absolutely beat her to that. Yona pouts.]

...is it going to make it harder for you to do what you need to if I'm there?

[zerotohiro]

...yes. [At least he's honest.] It's not anything you did, but it will. I'll come back after everything's over though.

[cutefaced]

[That's not easy to hear, but... it is the truth.

She nods.]

I'll wait for you.

[zerotohiro]

Thank you. [It's not easy to say either.] After everything's over, I promise I'll explain. I just have to be sure.

[cutefaced]

Okay...

[She clearly doesn't like it, but she'll go along with it.]

Um, should I stay in here while I wait for you?

[zerotohiro]

It might be for the best. Aunt Cass doesn't check the garage if I'm not here so she won't notice anything's up. I'm not going back out until tomorrow though.

[cutefaced]

...in that case, can I go out and explore the city during the day while you're gone?

[Yona no.]

[zerotohiro]

Depends. Are you going to know where you're going? [YONA NO.]

[cutefaced]

I'll memorize the way I go so I know how to get back!

[YONA NO.]

[zerotohiro]

That sounds like a recipe for disaster, so maybe not. [He raises his eyebrows.] At least not until I catch you up to speed with how the modern world works. You can't..be all princess-y here.

[cutefaced]

Does your world not have princesses?

[that's not what he means, yona...]

[zerotohiro]

I mean yeah, it does, but not here. We have never had princesses in this country. Maybe if they were visiting but not living here. I think.

[cutefaced]

Oh... okay. Um, I'll just have to get used to it, then.

[Her expression falls a little at her next thought - I'd have to get used to it even in Kouka - but she is aggressively trying not to think about what exactly it is that's brought her here, so uh. Here we are.]

But in the meantime I'll wait until you're free to show me around.

[zerotohiro]

[He feels a little bad, but...he gets an idea soon enough.]

...hey Yona. What if I told you there's a way to show you a lot of the city without even leaving the garage?

[cutefaced]

Really?

[That sounds fake, but Hiro wouldn't lie to her, so... she'll allow herself to be intrigued.]

How?

[zerotohiro]

[He's moving almost immediately, grabbing a Kreitech laptop from his workbench and settling near her chair as he boots it up, navigating his way to a web browser and pulling up real-time maps of the city.]

There're satellites and cameras everywhere that take pictures all the time.

[cutefaced]

Eh...?

[She peers at the laptop as he pulls up the maps. They default to the location, of course, so she's greeted with... the outside of the garage! Her eyes go wide.]

That's right outside. If we go out there will they see us on these?

[zerotohiro]

Probably. [Definitely, but let's not go outside? He's going to click away to another map that shows the golden gate bridge.] It's cool though, right? You can see everything from here.

[cutefaced]

It's so big!

[She stares at the image of the golden gate bridge with no small amount of interest, and leans in to get a closer look.]

...I think I saw this when you were bringing me back here? Or, um. Before that. When I was falling. You could see it even from where we were even though I think we were far away.

[zerotohiro]

It's pretty much the most identifiable landmark of San Fransokyo. It's also how people travel across the bay and stuff. People come from all over the world to see it if you can believe that. If you want, later on we can go take a closer look. [A beat.] It's worth it. Trust me.

[cutefaced]

I want to!

[she spent most of her time in her room or the castle grounds before coming here, hiro, she wants to see the world]

You have to tell me how they manage to get it to stand up like that. It looks like it could fall over, but it doesn't!

[zerotohiro]

[...just...staring...]

Yona. Do they not have bridges where you're from?

[cutefaced]

They do! But they're made of wood, and usually go over a stream or a river, and they're never that big.

[CUT HER SOME SLACK, HIRO.]

[zerotohiro]

The Golden Gate Bridge is definitely not made of wood. It's science. It's angles and physics and materials that keep the whole thing standing.