Inbox [Victory Road]

[nellacerniera]

You've reached Bruno Bucciarati. Please leave a message.

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Comments

[nellacerniera]

Might as well see how far we can get, right?

[Bruno has to admit, he's rather intrigued by the thought.]

[orangesmith]

Yup! [And Narancia's determined enough to push for those badges!

What else should he tell Bruno...]

Oh yeah, there's there two - Carly and Jolyne - who helped me when I got here with having somewhere to go and all that. They're living in the Sevii Isles, but I can go hang out with them if I want to stop travelling for a bit. [Yes, Narancia pretty much got adopted. Isn't that great?

...What's not so great is what Narancia asks next.]

...By the way, did you beat the boss? I don't know if you did or not because I was brought here in the middle of everything.

1/2

[nellacerniera]

[He's nodding along to the first part, Bruno's very glad to hear Narancia got pretty much adopted while he was here.

But before Bruno can remark on the first part, before he can tell Narancia he'd like to meet Carly and Jolyne sometime--

--comes the question.]

I lied, it's out of 3

[nellacerniera]

[Oh, this is a conversation he knew was inevitable, that he knew was going to have to be had at some point.

He knew it was probably going to be early on into meeting with Narancia like this.

But he's not sure there's anything that could've prepared him for actually trying to have this conversation. He's not ready.

It's taken him so off-guard, he can't even really scramble to remain composed, and there's a couple of false starts, where Bruno opens his mouth to answer, but no words come out. Where he's not sure how the hell he's supposed to put this, when he doesn't have an answer either--]

OKAY DONE SORRY

[nellacerniera]

[He takes a breath, and closes his eyes.]

... I don't know. I was brought here before things ended.

[... Sometimes simple is best.]

[orangesmith]

...Damn it. [So Bruno doesn't know either. Then again, there was that pause, and Narancia's not an idiot, he knows that something isn't right with Bruno's reaction.]

What happened before that? I...the last thing I remember is saying that I wanted to go back to school, and then I was here. Were we getting close?

[nellacerniera]

[... Well.]

I did what I could to give the others an opportunity. That's when I was brought here... I can only hope it'll help at this point.

[Bruno knows Narancia's not an idiot, and... He knows he can't keep everything to himself forever.

But there's really no tactful way to put the things he's trying to avoid.]

[orangesmith]

What happened, Bruno?

[Something happened, and Narancia wants to know what. It doesn't sound like the group lost, but what exactly did happen?

[nellacerniera]

[He can't avoid it forever, no matter how much he wants to.

... Best to just... get this over with, then.]

You died, Narancia. And so did I.

1/2 :,)

[orangesmith]

...What?

[Give him a moment.]

2/2

[orangesmith]

We're dead?! I don't remember dying, how...

[And now it's hit. He's predictably not taking it well.]

[nellacerniera]

... It happened really quickly. I'm sorry.

[There was a reason he kept being cagey, Narancia!!

But now... he doesn't know what to do. He wants to say something else, but he's just... at a loss.]

[orangesmith]

Fucking damn it! [Meanwhile, Narancia's really not taking the news well, slipping into anger at not being able to avoid death.]

Was it the boss?! I'll kill him if I see him! [That might not be the wisest idea. Or possible, since people don't die here.]

[nellacerniera]

["Narancia, you said it yourself that people don't die here"

... is what he wants to say, but he can't bring himself to say it.]

Narancia...