risingwinds | Twenty-Fifth Shooting Star

[It's been a while now since Fuuko's departure. During that time, Ven's been quieter than usual. Not tearful, but a bit more subdued than his usual, goofy self.

Even when he addresses the journal, his tone's a bit soft.]

You know, I gotta wonder. I know lots of you guys have found love here, but how do you guys deal when that person disappears? D'you keep waiting 'til they come back, or do you just... move forward? It's kinda tough spot for me. I'm not gonna let it bring me down or anything, but it's still sad. And it's just like when anyone else leaves-- unexpected.

But it was nice while it lasted. Fuuko's a great person, and I think she brought something special to the village. Who else would go outta their way to throw a huge starfish festival? To tell you the truth, I don't think I'll ever look at starfish the same way.

[He pauses.]

Wonder what Terra and Aqua'd think, though. It's been almost three years now...

[He doesn't expect anyone to react to that last bit. After all, his friends haven't shown up in a long time.]

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We were friends. [Fuuko was one of the most unique people Sheena knew and she was very protective of her starfish friend.] She said she liked you a lot.

Whew, I'm glad to hear that-- on both counts. I dunno how many friends Fuuko made here, but I know she was kinda bummed out for a while after all her friends from home disappeared.

Still, I know she's gonna be missed. Sorry I had to be the bearer of bad news.

[He figures Sheena's probably just as sad as he is. It's never fun when friends disappear.]

Fuuko was good at making friends. Heh, even the people she was mad at probably thought it was friendly.

[The one benefit to being emotionally splintered is finding the ability to handle sad news without much actual sadness.]

It's okay. That kinda thing happens every day here.

Yeah, I know she was pretty hard on Masaomi at first, but I think he took it in stride. Hard to imagine anybody actually disliking her. They'd have to be completely Heartless for that.

[It'd be like hating a puppy or a kitten. Who does that?]

And just because it happens doesn't make it any easier. It'd be nice if they at least gave us a chance to say goodbye first.

Sometimes...it feels like people expect it, kinda. Most of the time though, nobody does.

I think it's kinda a mix of both. You start to expect it the minute somebody leaves, but if they come back or if you get close to somebody new, it's easy to forget that risk. But is that really so bad? I know I'd feel pretty crummy if I kept thinking about how all my friends could disappear tomorrow.

[Or even today. That's just how it is.]

Yeah. Eventually you don't think about it as much.

[Then the disappearances remain a painful surprise, of course.]

Twenty-Fifth Shooting Star - voice;

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