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[softlyfalling]

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[softlyfalling]

[ huffs lightly, ]

Well, I can only recommend it, I suppose, and—

It wouldn't be bad to have some kind of commemorative photo from this, actually.

[selfpreservationist]

[hands her back her phone]

Want to take one now?

[softlyfalling]

Oh, that sounds... great, actually.

[ she fiddles with her phone, flips it to the camera, and turns it sideways in one hand, holding it out to get both of them in frame. ]

All right, three, two, one—

[selfpreservationist]

[remembers he's supposed to look AT the camera and smile a split-second before she takes it]

[softlyfalling]

[ grinning: ] Not used to it either, huh?

[selfpreservationist]

Apparently not. Here, let's take another one for my phone.

[he fiddles with his phone until he can pull up the camera app and mimic what shrike did a second ago]

[softlyfalling]

[ she ducks her head a little bit and leans in— ]

Ready when you are.

[selfpreservationist]

[click! it takes him a couple tries to hit the button without making the camera blurry, but he gets it.

and looks kind of pleased with himself]

... now it's something we can both share.

[softlyfalling]

...it's a good memory, already.

[selfpreservationist]

... yes, it is.

So. The museum?

[softlyfalling]

Ah—yes, definitely!

[ easily distracted by people being cute.

anyway it's a bit of a trip, but not a bad one by train. Cut to—

EXT. THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, TOKYO ]

It's really kind of impressive that they just... have all this art that anyone can go look at, and it's like that in the place this is based on, too... I don't think I've been anywhere like this, before, unless you count the little museum people put together in the hospital building.

[selfpreservationist]

There aren't museums where you're from?

[softlyfalling]

...no, I don't think so.

[ looking around— ]

Probably the closest thing would be the collections that some temples have, or government buildings? Most of it's commissioned from artists, I think...

I think there's a lot of things really different about where I'm from, though, so I'm less surprised every time, now.

[selfpreservationist]

Let's see what this place has to offer us, then.

[softlyfalling]

[ scanning through the exhibits list, lingering on the ukiyo-e— ]

...oh, they have calligraphy, and—actually, this style of painting reminds me a little of some of the art styles I'm familiar with...

[selfpreservationist]

We can start there. I'm not as familiar, myself...

[reading]

"The Floating World", hm... that's evocative.

[softlyfalling]

Mm... I'm not sure why, but it does seem to capture something about the style.

A little dreamlike...?

[selfpreservationist]

I was thinking the same thing. A flourishing red light district... must have seemed like a dream to those who lived it.

[softlyfalling]

I suppose it's like living to... some sort of storied ideal, perhaps. A life surrounded by beauty, with few concerns other than the pursuit thereof. A romantic hero's world.

[selfpreservationist]

Hmm. It sounds right up my alley, actually.

[softlyfalling]

How does someone like you end up with demon-hunters, anyway?

[selfpreservationist]

... that's a good question.

[softlyfalling]

...I suppose not all of us get a choice as to whether we find our way to the field of battle or not.

[selfpreservationist]

At the very least, I don't think it's the kind of career someone comes by naturally. I'll be very surprised if I was a young man with aspirations of murdering devils during grade school.

[softlyfalling]

[ pfft ]

I suppose I can't necessarily take Nero as the rule, there, as cute as it is to imagine.

[ tilts her head— ]

What do you think you intended to be?