Audience: Aoi Mukou

[probe]

Comments

[gamerbrain]

Makes sense!

[ because it's not a game and she knows they're not really npcs... it's just easiest for her to think in those terms. anyway she hurries off and retrieves... a bag of chocolate chips? and turns around holding it up, like... these? ]

[probe]

[honestly, wrath is not totally unlike aoi in that regard so they get it.

they laugh a little at the chocolate chips, though.] Close. Bring those too, though.

It'll say cocoa powder on the container, sweet thing.

[gamerbrain]

Got it.

[ after a suspiciously long moment of searching - she brings over the chocolate chips! and this time she successfully found cocoa powder, too. but also? cocoa beans? for some reason? ]

[probe]

[well, she's doing her best. wrath reaches over to tuck her hair behind her ear, affectionately.]

Good job. [they hand her a measuring cup.] Hold this.

How are you doing lately, Miss Aoi?

[gamerbrain]

[ she's good at holding a thing. ]

... Aoi... Expected this place to be a lot more fun. Aoi thought somewhere indulgent wouldn't have so much disappearing.

[probe]

[they pour flour into the cup.]

Ah, yeah. I guess you guys weren't exactly expecting murder. [...] I'm sorry it's not as fun as you thought it was going to be.

[gamerbrain]

Aoi can handle it... But Aoi feels bad for everyone else... They're trying so hard because they have a wish that they want.

[probe]

[... as they're baking:]

Yeah. Yeah, it, um. [a little sigh.] It sucks, to see people lose out.

[gamerbrain]

[ she is mostly just watching attentively because she fears if she tries to help she'll mess it up. ]

Could Aoi wish for everyone to get their wish?

[probe]

[occasionally wrath has her hold a thing for them as they mix! helping.]

Maybe? I don't actually know how it's going to work out, babe. I've never seen the desire thing in action.

[gamerbrain]

[ nice ]

Even the NPCs don't know how it works?

[probe]

Nope. Spoilers, right?

[gamerbrain]

Aoi usually knows spoilers.

[probe]

Which makes Aoi a lucky girl. [they boop her on the nose.] I can't break the fourth wall like you.

[gamerbrain]

Lucky...?

[ a boop. she just goes cross-eyed looking at their finger. ]

It's easy, once you get used to it. Once you realize how much exists outside of the fake world. But... Not everyone is from a fake world like Aoi to begin with.

[probe]

They aren't, no. [they tuck aoi's hair back behind her ear.]

Sometimes I wish I was, though. I feel like it'd make things easier in some respects.

[gamerbrain]

Like what?

[probe]

Like... figuring out how to make this all work the way I want it to, I guess. If you can save and then reload, it's not so bad.

[gamerbrain]

Yup. You can really swing things in your favor like that. If you say the wrong thing you can try again. If you hurt someone, you can undo it.

It's a lot nicer. You can even do it through trial and error.

[probe]

Yeah, see? I wish I could do that.

[they put the brownie batter in a pan.] I feel like I uh, I probably say the wrong thing more than I mean to. It's never bothered me before, but.

[gamerbrain]

Aoi's been feeling that way, too...

Since coming here? Or did it start to bother you before?

[probe]

It bothered me before, I think, but not as much as it does here.

I like you guys a lot. It's bummer when I upset any of you. Except for Vlad. And like, Childe. [wrath,]

[gamerbrain]

You can't make everyone happy...!

[ ... she doesn't know vlad or childe enough to care that much if they get upset. ]

... But Aoi thinks there's something good about not just resetting your progress when you mess up. Since it's not a game, there's more than just a Bad End or a Good End. You get more chances to say the right thing.

Aoi's not any good at it. But you can make up for saying the wrong thing, later.

... Aoi thinks you can, anyway.

[probe]

[hmmm. they pause in baking, and then they lean over and press a kiss to aoi's forehead. their lips are very warm.]

I think that's really good advice, actually. You're right, it's more real to try and get to the right thing yourself.

[gamerbrain]

[ wehehe ]

Yup. And you're not stuck with pre-written branching dialogue options. You can say all kinds of stuff.