paradisalost | (no subject)

Who: Yuki Nagato (

errataentity and the Fifth Doctor (

cricketycricket)
What: Kyon has left.
When: Today.
Where: The castle.
Rating: G

She could place the exact second his existence vanished, but regardless Yuki found herself standing in front of his room, eyes on the blank nameplate affixed to the door.

1304

Previously:

1304
Kyon

Absolutely no difference in his 'leaving' than any others whose disappearance she had managed to observe. He was simply in the castle one moment and, in the next, gone. Illogical and improbable, much like the appearance of cherry blossoms out of season, or the appearance of an extinct species of pigeon.

Her mind began running through the various measurements and data she had compiled regarding the appearance and disappearance of castle residents. It sounded simple enough, but the underlying complexity completely outclassed even the most advanced human-built computers and would likely only be fully understood by a select few of the lifeforms currently trapped in this dimension. All the while her eyes remained nearly static, their only movement coming from sparse blinks. Her gaze hung on the nameplate.

In the span of seven minutes she had run thirteen checks, and in each one failed to find any kind of abnormality. Not even the slightest inconsistency.

So... he was just gone.

There was no further reason for Yuki to remain standing in front of that door (was there any reason for her to be there to begin with?) so she turned and walked down the hall. The possibility of Haruhi Suzumiya being the source of all of this was not nonexistent, but currently there was not enough evidence to support that theory. However, there was no mistaking the castle's power was extremely similar, if not completely identical, to hers. After all, Haruhi had the power to remove the existence of other lifeforms. Transporting them to different dimensions wouldn't be a problem.

There was no certainty he would return.

Yuki walked all the way from the thirteenth floor to the lobby, passing other residents and some ghosts in a deathly silence. She wasn't winded when she reached the lobby. She had, however, come to a realization during the walk down.

They were accumulating again. Those errors. Even though he wasn't present anymore, she could feel them building up inside of her. Gathering, amassing, all in gradual degrees.

Yuki blinked once and looked around the lobby. It was empty. She moved to sit down in a chair by the window, opened the book in her hands and began to read.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The Doctor had been spending most of his time since their return reading up on people, checking on things, and making sure the TARDIS was alright after having been turned into, by all signs and portents, a very unremarkable blue gym locker. Now, however, he down toward the lobby, intent on getting a finer view of all those multicolored leaves he'd seen through his window.

When he came across Yuki, he wandered up, hands folded placidly behind his back, and leaned a bit to one side, trying to read the title of her book without intruding.

She was fairly used to that kind of curiosity from a few of the residents here, and mostly from Kyon when they were back home. And his presence wasn't a problem, as she had been able to tell it was him (at least, one of the Doctors) as soon as he had entered the lobby.

Two heartbeats, a vascular and circulatory system to accommodate.

Her reaction was so fluid it might as well have been automatic - lifting the book high enough so that the title could be seen, but keeping it at eye level so she could keep reading.

Flowers for Algernon.

Five was, of course, vastly amused by how smoothly she adjusted to his presence - it was yet another bit of evidence in a long line of pieces that confirmed his theory that she wasn't human. He'd yet to get a concrete answer out of her about it, of course, but ... it wasn't polite to pry.

He helped himself to a seat on the floor, nearby, cross-legged, and spoke up softly, making it clear from his tone that she didn't have to respond if she didn't want to.

"Quite an excellent book. Have you read it before?"

Yuki lowered the book, not once taking her eyes off the page.

"No." And it didn't look as if she was going to stop reading until she was finished. Despite this being her usual hobby (obsession, more like, considering how many hours of the day and night she spent reading), she seemed strangely focused on the book.

Which she was. This was no different than dealing with everything back home. Haruhi would push and push and push without even realizing it, Kyon - and perhaps the other two - would get into trouble or some other dangerous situation would arise, there were the constant observation protocols she had to maintain, the IDSE....

She dealt with it all and she would deal with this, too.

"Ah." He frowned slightly, watching her for a moment. She was difficult to read, after all, but it had been clear during their stint at Paradisa High that she'd been troubled, and ... he worried, after all.

"... Should I leave you to it?"

"It doesn't matter," came her response. Multitasking was something she happened to be very, very good at, so a conversation or presence of another being in addition to her reading and maintenance of observation programs wasn't a problem.

And that was all that mattered, really. Keeping those going, and keeping her focus on the book.

"Alright, well, as long as I'm not bothering you." He settled in on the floor a bit more, getting comfortable.

"Were you able to reach the person you were looking for, when I last saw you?"

"......."

Her eyes hung on a single word, unmoving.

"... No."

"I'm sorry." He thinks about it for a moment, running over the possibilities of what it could be, here in Paradisa. Then he remembers the news that Jilly brought him, earlier, and that he'd seen several others lamenting similar problems. It was apparently the season for it, as it tended to be on occasion...

"... Someone you knew has gone home, then?"

She turned the page slowly, eyes still not moving.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry to hear that." He frowned, remembering the first friends he knew that left the castle. "... Were they the first person you knew to have left?"

"No," came her reply. She had noticed when July had vanished, but that hadn't had nearly the same impact.

"Just ... the first person you'll dearly miss, then." He nodded, slowly. "I've had a companion leave recently, as well, you know."

"...."

Yuki was silent for several long moments. There was a great deal of work she needed to be doing right now; the IDSE needed it for when she would be able to contact it again.

"... I will be fine," she eventually said, eyes moving from the page of her book to Five.

"Will be, yes, I've no doubt." The Doctor nodded, thoughtfully. "But, right now...?"