[voice]

[mighty_pirate]

Gee, a lot of people have been talking about missing friends lately.

Do people disappear a lot? Should I uh...Should I be worried about this?

Comments

video;

[endlesswitch]

Should you not be looking forward to leaving if that is the case? What a pessimistic man!

voice;

[mighty_pirate]

Well, yeah, I'd love to go home but who knows where these people go?

video;

[endlesswitch]

Who knows, who knows? Perhaps thrown to rot somewhere as a useless piece that was once placed in this game, ufufufufufu. Or perhaps something far more cruel.

video;

[mighty_pirate]

There are worse places than this?

video;

[endlesswitch]

This world is rather tame.

voice;

[mighty_pirate]

It is?

I think it's nuts!

voice;

[endlesswitch]

Your definition of insanity must be quite light!

voice;

[mighty_pirate]

But...The carriages have no horses and the buildings are huge and everything has mayonnaise on it!

voice;

[endlesswitch]

You must be entirely too new to magical and modern things, as well. How sad, how sad.

[Video]

[lockandkeyblade]

I wouldn't worry about it! Most people end up back home safe and sound.

[A pause.] You're alive back home... right?

voice;

[mighty_pirate]

Yeah, I remember someone saying that but-

[Pause]

Alive? Er...Gosh, I think so. I mean...Yeah! I'm still paying off my boat loans so I must be alive.

Wait, are some of the people here dead?

[permavideo on sora's side]

[lockandkeyblade]

Boat loans?

[He nods.] Yeah. For some people, Siren's Port is a second chance. Getting stuck here is a good thing.

[mighty_pirate]

How does the Core get dead people? They're not like...ghosts or zombies or something...are they?

[lockandkeyblade]

Nope. No creepy ghosts or brain-eating zombies. Just people like you or me.

Maybe the Core goes back in time or something? Pulls em' right from before they keel over?

[mighty_pirate]

Wait...but if it goes back in time how do they know they're dead?

[lockandkeyblade]

[He opens his mouth to reply. And stops. Oh. That's...]

Good question.

You'd probably have to ask somebody who actually died from their world and ask em' what they remember.

[A pause.] Carefully. It's probably a touchy subject...

[mighty_pirate]

I don't....I don't know how I'd even begin that conversation...

[lockandkeyblade]

[a sigh.] I didn't either. Sometimes it sort of just sneaks up on you when you least expect!

[And blindsides you the way it did Sora.]

And other times, people are already at peace. Some people I used to know from my world don't really treat it like a big deal...

[mighty_pirate]

You know people who died?

[lockandkeyblade]

Some friends and some not-friends.

It's really sad but... that's why you gotta make the most out of the time you've got with them now, right?

[showbizpanache]

[A very soft, high-pitched, quite feminine voice answers.]

It isn't a good use of your energy to worry.

[mighty_pirate]

Sorry, ma'am, I can't help it!

[showbizpanache]

I'm just saying, it's quite unpredictable and occurs very frequently, so the best you can do is just enjoy your time with your loved ones while you can.

[He'll, er, let the 'ma'am' slide for now.]

[mighty_pirate]

I don't have any loved ones! I'm a pirate!

[showbizpanache]

I--wha? O-okay. Well, I-I suppose you have nothing to worry about then.

voice.

[directorestheim]

It's the way this place has always been.

I wouldn't worry. Disappearances, from those who have returned, tend to mean people have gone home.

voice.

[mighty_pirate]

I really hope that's true. I wouldn't want to suddenly be on the moon or not existing or something.

voice.

[directorestheim]

There's yet to be a case of that.

[But he has to concede...]

Although if that happened, I doubt they would have returned to tell the tale.

voice.

[mighty_pirate]

Do you know anyone who's gone home?

voice.

[directorestheim]

Yes.

[The answer is short and succinct, and that would be all unless he actually wanted to know more.]

voice.

[mighty_pirate]

Well, what happened to them? Is it true no time is passing back home?

voice.

[directorestheim]

Some might have stayed home. Some came back here.

[And at the second question, there's a light and barely noticeable sigh.]

That's true as well, yes.

voice.

[mighty_pirate]

Have you gone home?

voice.

[directorestheim]

Yes. So I can indeed tell you that there are people who return home when they disappear from this place.