MASKTOURN

12:13 PM

"This whole universe and timeline thing is...certainly something else," Kenji sighs with a small shake of his head. "I'm sorry, that must be really strange for you." His face visibly falls at the mention of Asha's kids. "I'm... Shit, I'm sorry about that too. Hopefully we can figure something out with people who've been through something like this before." Maybe it's best to play along and pretend he thinks they'll get home too. @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"Yeah, it's a lot to wrap my head around no matter how much Albanes tries to re-explain it to me.." Asha sighed. "There's a lot of good people back home to take care of them, but I need to get back... How's your sister doing?" @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

"She's not the best at explaining things sometimes," Kenji shrugs, a little tersely. It somehow seems like both a defense and a slight insult at the same time. "I'm glad you have people in your corner though." He smiles, though, at her question. "She's great. Eris's the baby of the family; she'd always struggled a little connecting with us, so her living with me helped us get a lot closer. She ended up getting her masters and moved out with her girlfriend about five years ago." @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

'Why am I always invited to these tournaments full of gay people..?' "That sounds fun! What was her masters program? My friend wrapped up her PhD a few years back." @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

“She majored in biology and then bounced around for a little bit before she settled on forensic science.” It’s abundantly clear through his tone of voice that Kenji is ridiculously proud of her. “I’m..honestly not sure where the interest came from, but she’s really dug deep into it. What does your friend do?” @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

Asha couldn't help but smile, it was nice how much Kenji cared for his sister. She could talk about Asher all day too. Though Asher's interests were a bit less.. Scholarly. "My friend Ariana studies geology, there's a really tall mountain that you can see by our village that's pretty interesting. The mountain of a million steps, if you've ever heard of it..? She studied how it's remained standing for all these years. And then her wife Genesis is studying astronomy right now, there's hardly any light pollution out in Mlipuko when there's no fireworks, so it's great for stargazing." @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

“Oh, neat,” Kenji smiles. “I haven’t heard of that one to be honest, though my home was pretty flat and then I moved to the city, so I haven’t gotten to see too many mountains. Those are both really impressive fields though, good for them!” “Do you have fireworks a lot?” He questions, tilting his head slightly. @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"Oh, all the time. My village lives off fireworks and gunpowder, and as the ruler of the village, I have the firework powers." Asha smiled. "It's not every night, but once a week we have a small show. And when the rain season starts and everything blooms we have a big event. Then around my birthday there's another one.. Okay, yeah there's fireworks a lot." @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

Kenji’s eyebrows raise behind the mask. “You..have the powers?” He repeats. “Did you gain them as a result then?” Yeah, that’s definitely a lot of fireworks. “It sounds like a fun place to be. Mlipuko, you said it was, right?” @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"I gained them in a tournament in my village when I was little- the last Motomjo died, and they have all the children in the village who are ten or younger compete to see who gets the powers next. Me and my future husband won together, which was a first time that ever happened, so we both got the role." Asha smiled as she recalled it all. "Turns out he had the powers the whole time, but he kept it a secret so we could keep working together. He was amazing." @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

"Wow, that's interesting," Kenji hums. "I don't..think I've heard of something like that before, to be honest. My siblings and I, and other people I know with powers, at least as far as I know, were all born with them. You and your husband met as kids then? That's sweet." @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"Mm, most of the people I've met with powers gained them that way too. Especially at the tournaments. But a lot of other people I know actually got them later too- Roque got her powers after her sister died, my friend Keana got hers after she died and came back, and Juno didn't even have his healing powers from birth. It's pretty common too." @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

Juno... Why does that name sound weirdly familiar? Maybe someone he'd met when he'd gone missing? Hmm. He blinks, snapping back to the present. "Sorry, I..thought I recognized one of the names for a sec. Anyways, maybe I'll have to tell Eris about that kind of thing at some point. She's sort of stopped holding out hope at this point... But hey, maybe she's got a shot somehow." @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

".. Um, if it was Juno, he also goes by Yeonaixho. Apparently he's, ah, evil in a lot of people here's experience. But he's nice in my universe." Asha said. "And having powers isn't everything, I mean, it seems like you'd be spared from getting taken to these awful events without them." @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

"...Huh," is all Kenji has to say to that. "Um, yes it was Juno, but... I don't know. Albanes must have mentioned him, maybe." That seems much more reasonable than the hazy, muffled memories he'd thought of first. "You're probably right about that," he continues with a sigh. "Though I don't know if that would change her mind at all. Being the only one without's been tough for her." @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

.. Another thing Asha would have to ask Albanes about. "I've also seen that in people, they think they need powers to be something.. But it seems like to me she's getting along just fine without them." Asha said. "What powers do the rest of your family have?" @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

"I think so too. She works harder than anyone I know," Kenji agrees. "I have smoke, and my husband has.. I'm not sure how to explain it, exactly, but he calls it detection. His brother Blue has a sort of technology thing, and then my sister Nadia calls hers 'aim' and my brother Lilo's 'phase'." @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"Interesting.. All of your powers sound really vague." Asha chuckled. "What's the name for your powers?" @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

Kenji pauses, then shrugs with a faint grin. "I guess they do. Mine doesn't have a special name though, just smoke." To show his point, he drags a tendril of light gray smoke out of thin air, wrapping around his hand before it dissipates. It looks nothing like what Asha might remember about her version of him. @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

".. Hm. Interesting. Your powers are a bit different too." Asha hummed. "But you look pretty different, and older, so that's to be expected." @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

“Different from the…other me, you mean?” Kenji asks, eyebrows furrowing slightly behind the mask as his head tilts. “I don’t think my age would really change anything… This is just how they’ve always been.” @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"Yeah, from the other you." Asha nodded. "But it was such a long time ago, and I never saw you again after we got off the boat on the mainland. I don't entirely remember." @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

“Hmm..” The headache is receding, mostly, but it still lingers. Kenji shrugs, trying to shake the feeling further. “Well, either way I’m still me, so I’m sure it’s not all that different.” @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"Hah, yeah." Asha said, though she hardly knew that other Kenji in the first place. "Who's your opponent here?" @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

“Oh, I’m..still not a hundred percent sure, to be honest,” Kenji admits. “I ended up missing the announcement. Seki told me it was someone named something like Amy or..or Ellie, but they weren’t too sure either.” @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"Oh, if it's Ellie I met her, she's really nice.. Oh, that sucks." Asha frowned. "I'm fighting Kal, have you met him?" @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

“Ah, well. Don’t worry. I don’t plan on killing anyone.” That sure is a statement. Kenji moves right on from it, lips pursing as he thinks back. “I…don’t think I do, no. Do you know him?” @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

".. Mhm, he's a close friend of mine, but I think this Kal isn't exactly the one I knew from the other tournament. But from a universe similar enough that most of the same stuff happened." Asha said. "He's really nice, I'll.. Feel bad when I have to win. I need to win." @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

“I’m…sorry to hear that.” Given the circumstances it’s..not really worth all that much, but he at least offers it. It’s ruined slightly when he asks, though not meant unkindly, “You think you could go through with it?” @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱 (edited)

".. I know I could, if I have to. I Habs a family back home, and a village to look after. I don't mean to demean his work, but.. I could do what Kal does with all his charity work. I'm rich, and my village is prosperous again. I have more depending on me to get home." @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

Kenji’s obscured gaze shifts away from her, slightly. “…I see your point,” he says after a moment, seemingly hesitant to agree but not for the reason she might think. He doesn’t think any of them are getting home. “Best of luck, then. I’m not sure when the fighting will start, but..I hope you’re not first, at least.” @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"Thank you, I hope I'm one of the later ones as well.." Asha nodded. "I'll see you l-" And just as she was saying that, the mental announcement rang out. She froze for a second, before hurrying off toward the arena. @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

"Thank you, I hope I'm one of the later ones as well.." Asha nodded. "I'll see you l-" And just as she was saying that, the mental announcement rang out. She froze for a second, before hurrying off toward the arena. @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

Kenji shoots upright at the sound of the announcement, face paling instantly. Fuck. No. Not Aarni. Stomach rolling with sudden panic, he sprints as fast as he can past Asha without another word.