cogitationbox | Teddie what did you do?

Teddie what did you do?

[Even though he knew this trip was largely a distraction because Terra and Aqua were going out on a mission and didn't want him following, Ven's day had been amazing so far. Regardless of the reason for the impromptu mini-vacation he was glad to get out of the castle again and visit Inaba. It was great to see Yosuke again and this time he finally got a chance to meet Teddie when they visited Junes!

The two of them got along great so when Yosuke was momentarily called away, he probably didn't think it was a big deal to leave the two of them alone.

But... it was.

Because Teddie thought it would be a fun idea to take Ventus to see the world he came from.

By the time Yosuke gets back all he'll find is one very distressed looking Teddie with some very, very bad news.

IT'S 2 PM. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR VENTUS IS?

It's the TV. He's in the TV.]

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[If Rise knows anything after years in showbiz, it's how and when to make an entrance.

So of course, maybe a minute after Yosuke hangs up with Aqua, Rise arrives at the food court, a little breathless but ready and rarin' to go...and, both notably and unfortunately, alone.]

Yosuke-senpai! Hey! So, bad news first...

[She gives Yosuke an apologetic look as she comes to a stop beside him.]

Sorry, looks like it's gonna be just us for now. None of the others are answering their phones--I know it's super-busy at Yukiko-senpai's inn right now, and Chie-senpai's probably helping. Naoto said she was gonna leaving on a big case a few days ago, and Kanji has those sewing classes for kids... But I left them all messages, so hopefully they'll call back!

[And now, the good news!]

I got through to Senpai, though! He texted me back, saying he'd find us as soon as possible!

[She's...not entirely sure how that'll work, since he'd gone back to the city, and hey, did jumping into a TV outside of Inaba even work? But that doesn't matter--it's Yu-senpai. If he said he'd do something, then Rise believed that he'd find a way to do it, no matter what.]

[The relief that shows on his face is palpable. Rise, you're a nationally famous idol that he adored and yet Yosuke has never been as happy to see you as he is right now.]

[The carousel of bad news... that hurts a bit, but it's not entirely unexpected. He knew about the Inn being slammed beforehand, and Kanji's classes were going way better than anyone could've hoped. Naoto... if he had mentioned to her about Aqua before now, maybe she'd be able to drop things to come and help, but he was stuck in the grave he'd dug.]

[His Partner is a bit of a surprise - how the hell is he going to manage that? - but a re-assuring one.]

Thanks a lot, Rise. I can't tell you how much this all means to me.

[It's rare that Yosuke's happy-go-lucky attitude drops without him being angry, but this is one of those times.]

[If there were speed limits in the Lanes Between, she probably broke every single one of them in order to get to Inaba as fast as humanly possible. And luckily for her, that light corridor opened up right in the ladies restroom of Junes! Convenience! Especially since the last time she was here she got stares for her clothing choice.

It takes her about 1.5 minutes in total to arrive and change, and find her way to the food court. And Yosuke was already talking to someone. Must be one of his friends, right?]

Don't thank her just yet...

[If this were a video game, angry violins would likely be playing very quietly in the background as Aqua entered the food court. And for once, no armor and all street clothes!

...and a bit of helmet hair, but details!]

I came here as fast as my glider would go... any word?

[Looking at both of you, and completely unaware of who Yosuke's kouhai is.]

[Any other time and any other situation, Yosuke would be jumping for joy and grinning like an idiot. After all, his girlfriend's right there!]

[But she's there because he made a massive mistake, and even if he didn't make the mistake directly he still feels all the responsibility weighing down on him.]

[He shakes his head in response to her question, because no matter how she meant it, the answer's the same.]

Most of my friends didn't answer, so once Teddie gets back with our gear it'll be us heading in there to find him. We haven't looked yet because Rise - [He gestures to his friend] - will probably need to ask you a few questions to get a better fix on Ven, but she's the best. I promise, we'll find him once we're in there.

[A beat, and then-]

Oh, right. Rise, this is Aqua, Aqua, my friend Rise.

[Meeting new people, Rise is a pro at this. She flashes a bright smile and gives a cheerful wave.]

Hi there! Nice to meet you!

[She really REALLY wants to add something like, 'I wish I could say I've heard a lot about you, buuuuut~' and maybe get Yosuke in a little bit of trouble...but this isn't the time for that. Teasing can and WILL come later, for now they have to focus on rescuing Aqua's little brother.]

I'll find him for sure, just leave it to me! But Yosuke's right, I need to know more about him to make it easier to get a fix on where he is--what he's like, how he thinks about things, if he's been dealing with anything important lately, stuff like that!

[She nods, smiling faintly in return.]

Nice to meet you, too.

[Aqua places a hand to her chin, trying to think of what Ven may have gone through recently... Well, may as well be up front.]

I've known Ven since he was brought to our castle, and I can't really think of anything other than training incidents that would have happened to him before we "raptor-proofed" Yosuke's house that one time...

[She goes quiet for a moment, as she remembers something that hasn't happened yet.]

He's the kind of boy who is all sunshine and happiness who makes friends with anyone he meets, but he doesn't get out much if at all. Master and I are very protective of him, because he doesn't remember anything about who he was before he was brought to our home. Our Master said it was a "training accident", but I don't think Terra and I ever really believed that.

[And something about her tone meant she really doesn't believe it.]

[Rise listens intently, nodding a bit, then offers a reassuring smile.]

Aw, wow, he sounds really nice! That's definitely enough to start with!

[...She might have to ask more about that 'training accident' later on though, once they're actually in the TV...because yeah, it's completely obvious that Aqua doesn't believe that's what it was at all.]

[...

Okay, she knows they're in a hurry, but. She has to ask.]

..."Raptor-proofed"...?

[Well, the meeting is going well!]

[... was going well.]

[Does he really have to explain that? Man, why couldn't Teddie be back faster?]

I, uh... sort of convinced him that Jurassic Park was a documentary. So to get back at me, they showed up and completely raptor-proofed my place, which meant boarding up everything.

[Rise just stares at Yosuke with a you did what? expression after that first sentence...then starts laughing after the second one.]

Wow, they really got you good, huh, Yosuke-senpai?

[Definitely sounding impressed here. She hasn't known the other girl five minutes, and she is already leaning very heavily towards being 100% approving of Aqua as her friend's gf.]

[L a u g h i n g despite herself.]

We did. It took him quite some time to escape the raptor-proofing, too.

[He smiles weakly, the first time he's been able to do so in the last twenty minutes.]

Yeah, and then I had to buy everyone ice cream on top of everything. Worth it though, since I got to hang out with them both after everything.

Soooo...basically it was a regular day for you then, huh?

[It really sounds like it, he does get stuck buying a lot of people (read: MOSTLY TEDDIE) Topsicles a lot of the time.]

Yeah, but more fun than a regular day.

[And hey, speak of the devil, here comes Teddie now! He slips Yosuke his kunai and puts his own claws into his costume, and just like that the group is ready to go. Yosuke stands from his seat and looks at the three of them.]

It's a small crowd today, but... let's go do what we do best, yeah?

Yeah! Let's do it!

[Aqua nods.] Let's go.

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Teddie what did you do?

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