prismatica | text; un: D.Vel

So, it turns out that something hilarious can happen here if you decide to celebrate your birthday here based on "how long you've been alive" instead of just what the calendar date says because the month was different back home when you first got pulled into a different world.

So yep, forgot my eighteenth birthday was on Monday. Which is dumb, because I remembered last year's, but apparently I put the reminder on this thing wrong and it didn't repeat it this year.

But anyway, enough about me being dumb about my birthday, being here for two of them made me think of something.

Just how many of us who are here have actually been here for over a year? I mean, I know there's some of us, but I don't think many of us have mentioned it before.

And... well... is anyone else here not sure what they'd do if they were given a choice about going home, instead of just vanishing and showing up back there?

[She meant that last question more for those of them who have been here a while, but really there's no reason to limit it to just them. There's probably plenty of reasons that someone who just got here would want to stay rather than go home, after all. ]

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Well, I mean, there are some things waiting for me at home. It's not — mmm. Like I said, it's sort of complicated.

I think for me it's more like...I think one way or another I'm going to end up there, so choosing to stay here is really just asking for more time to delay it. But I'm not afraid of it, or anything. And I have some promises to keep back there, too.

Okay, yeah. From what you're saying now I guess it's not like where my mind first went.

But I guess if you're sure you're going to end up there no matter what happens then there's no reason not to stay here for longer if you have a choice. Though at that point I don't really think it's actually a choice.

It is to me. In both cases, I'd have to leave behind someone important to wind up in the other place.

But one of the things I did when I got here, after a while, was to think about what I wanted to do with myself while I was here. And I decided that I wanted to build something permanent. Something of me that would stay here, even after I leave, whenever that might be. You know, so in some small way my being here meant something. Made a difference.

But if it's actually inevitable, you'll have to do that anyway regardless of what you want.

I see. That's... I can see why you'd want to do that. Now that you've said that, it actually explains why so many people want to make businesses here. Though I don't think everyone who's doing that realizes it. [ Some of the people announcing businesses definitely weren't the type to think about it like that.]

So what did you end up building here?

Mm, that's true. But back home..."what I want" stopped mattering a long time ago. So I guess by now I've accepted it, a little.

Anyway, I opened up an adoption shelter for stray cats. I figured that someone else will take it over after I'm gone, so that the good work will keep going even if I'm not the one here doing it.

Oh. I see.

[You're making it really hard for Videl to not try to just go ahead and pry into whatever happened, Reimi. But for right now she'll just focus on the other thing.]

Oh wow. Yeah, I can't see anyone not wanting to keep that running if you end up back home. I mean, I'm sure that you have other people helping you with it right now, right?

There's always a handful of people around, yup! Some of them are just volunteers, and sometimes people work with us for a while and then move on to other things, but I never really assume my employees are making a lifelong commitment or anything when they sign up. I'm just glad for the help they offer while they're here.

Yeah, that makes sense too. I mean, I doubt "animal rescue shelter" employee is what most people want to dedicate their whole life to. Running one of them like you're doing maybe.

It's good that you have some people to help you. I can't imagine running something like that on my own.

Mm, truthfully? I didn't think I could do it, either, when I started. It's just that a lot of other people thought I could, and they all encouraged me a whole lot, so I thought — well, what's the worst that could happen? Even if I try and fail, at least I tried.

And you succeeded!

But you're right. There aren't really a lot of situations where you shouldn't try to do something just because you're afraid you might fail at it.

[ Maybe she should start thinking of stuff she wanted to do here as like an actual job thing? Sure she's been getting by on just moonlacing, but maybe it was time to do something else besides just train for the next city wide disaster.]

I did! And honestly, it's not...hmm. Let me think how I want to put this.

One of my closest and oldest friends is...really good in a particular field. I mean like a prodigy, world-renowned and all of that. And it's his passion, too. He's not in it for the fame or anything, it's just...it's always been this focal part of his life.

I've never had anything like that. And even helping the cats isn't a passion for me, it's just...a good thing to do, that I'm comfortable with. Sometimes I wish I knew what my passion was, but I guess maybe I just don't have one, haha.

... That first part actually sounds really familiar. Except maybe I wouldn't call what he's really good at his passion, but everything else there still fits him. [ She's well aware that Gohan does not like fighting anywhere near as much as his father or brother do. Doesn't change the fact that he was good at it though.]

And even if running the shelter isn't your passions, it's still something good that you're doing. And I'm sure you just need some more time to figure out what your passion is. Maybe try out a few new things while you're here and see if any of them click?

You know, I tried dancing back when I first got here, but it sort of went by the wayside when I started focusing on other things. I guess I just always sort of figured that I'd missed the boat on that one, you know? Since to be good at it you have to start when you're young, and all.

But maybe there's something else. I don't know! I guess it couldn't hurt to try, you're right.

Well, I think in that case it probably depends on what you mean by 'good', but I do understand the feeling.

[ After meeting Gohan and his family and friends it became pretty obvious that even though she had been doing martial arts since she was a kid, she didn't learn how to use ki anywhere near early enough to be able to do anything against the threats that were actually around. If there was one good thing about being pulled into the last world she had been in, it was giving her a reason to keep going with her training.]

Is there anything you wanted to try doing and haven't yet? If there is you probably have a good place to start.

text; un: D.Vel

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