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[With the recent temperature fiasco, Pilouette hadn't been paying attention and September kind of snuck up on her. Now with a particular day coming up, she's found that she's ended up with a somewhat...odd problem. Having found herself unable to figure out an answer on her own, she decides to turn to the network. ]

You all know how people can come here from different worlds and different times and stuff, right? Well, um...hypothetically. Say someone just had their birthday. Like, maybe a month before coming here. But only a few months after getting here, it's already their birthday again!

Do I...uh, they just keep being the same age and wait a whole year or should they say they're older now? Oh! But the year is different, too, isn't it? I wonder if that matters...I've been thinking about it all day, but it just seems like, so totally complicated...!

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Yeah, I'd heard they were being pretty secretive about how everything works. But that one person did seem kind of awkward... Maybe they just don't know how to tell us...? [He really wants to believe they're not up to anything fishy.]

No kidding... but after getting to know so many people here, it's hard to think you could just make all of this up in your head. I have to wonder what I'll think about it when we finally get home.

[He feels you there, Pilouette. He feels you.]

I guess you could be right...and he did keep saying sorry.

[Which made her feel a little bad about being so angry about the whole temperature thing. He sounded like he might be more awkward than she is.]

Well, no matter what we think about it, it's not like we can tell anyone at home this stuff. What am I gonna say? "I sucked into another world to help power their city?" People would think I was like, totally losing it...!

[Well, it was over now, at least. No harm done...?]

Same here. I'd rather not be branded as a lunatic. But keeping that kind of thing a secret? I'm not sure if I could keep it all to myself. [He feels depressing thoughts coming on, and it comes through in his voice.] Especially when I think of the friends I've already made here. When I get home, how am I going to explain why I feel so awful?

[... oops, there he went again, into awful territory he should have probably avoided. Sorry about that.]

No kidding! It's not the kind of thing a person can just pretend never happened! [She can't help but let out a little sigh when he mentions his friends.]

O-Oh...Y-Yeah. Leaving friends behind is always pretty hard to deal with. I can like, kind of understand that.

[Though, moving away to a different part of a city and leaving them behind somewhere that's completely unreachable are two different things. Also, leaving friends behind here requires one to have actually made friends in this place. At least he has that going for him?]

That makes me wonder though...I wonder if any of us are from the same world and just don't know it. I mean, a whole world is probably pretty huge, isn't it? It's not like you can meet everybody, right? M-Maybe you wouldn't be leaving all of them behind. Possibly.

[He lets the topic drop, not wanting to depress himself further. He doesn't want to think about when he gets back.]

I guess it's possible. I usually just end up assuming they're different because half the time where they're from doesn't exist in my world anymore. [The one time he actually mentioned that to the person the situation really got awkward, so he won't be doing that again.]

Doesn't exist anymore...?

[Pilouette doesn't seem to get what that phrase might imply.]

So you must be from a time way ahead of them, huh? That's probably feels really weird just in itself. Just imagine if you ended up meeting someone from before you born...it would be like, way weird.

Something like that. Either way ahead of them, or in a different version of their world.

I think it's sort of like what if in the past, something major like a war didn't happen? It could really change things in the present, right? [He pauses, sounding unsure.] It feels that way, anyway... I guess I can never really know.

But you're right, it would be really strange. What if you became famous in the future or something and met people who knew your life story? [Is it alright to mention Steve? ... Yeah, he'll just leave names out of it.] I talked with someone who'd met a man from his future like that.

So, like, a kinda...[What's the term for it?] ...an alternate universe kinda thing? This place really is like being in a movie...

You really met someone like that, though? Meeting someone from a different part of time is probably weird enough, but finding out that people in the future know everything about you? That has to be like, totally hard for him. I don't think I'd be able to deal.

Yeah, exactly like that. It's bizarre to think about... so I usually try not to.

Y-yeah, the way he talked about it, he did seem to be having a hard time. I can't blame him. Knowing your future ahead of time? I'm pretty sure I'd rather keep all that a mystery...

This whole situation is just hard to understand.

No kidding...knowing what happens in the future, even all the bad stuff? It's not just hard to understand, it's like totally unreal. Except, uh, n-not unreal because it's actually happening. So it's like, totally real. ...W-Wait. That sounds really stupid...

[A brief pause.]

Y-yeah, it's totally hard to understand.

I get what you mean.

So, uh... I'm Shinju, by the way. I hope I helped answer your question, at least. [Even if he did add about ten more. It's probably better to go back to the original subject at this point.] Just go with whatever you feel like doing. Oh, I mean... they should go with whatever they like. And maybe they could invite me to this hypothetical celebration if they feel like it.

[Teasing? Nah...]

My name is Pilouette. [She lets out a small huff at his teasing, followed by a sheepish little laugh. She's started to realize that her vague little veil of "hypotheticals" wasn't to convincing after all.]

Yeah, I think I have a pretty good idea what to do about my problem now. I've never really celebrated my birthday and I probably won't this time either.... But if you wanted to hang out sometime or something, we could.

[After all, it might be nice for her to make some more friends in this place if she has to go around touching people all the time.]

[He's glad to hear she's open to the idea.]

I understand. [He'll probably end up skipping his own, too, if they're stuck here long enough.] But I'd like that. I'm learning a little more about fun places to go, so I'd be glad to show you some sometime.

[There's no turning back now, Pilouette. The friendship contract is sealed.]

[Friendship contract accepted!]

That would be great! I haven't really been exploring the city much, so it would really be nice to learn about whatever cool stuff is around...I usually I just go to work and go shopping or whatever.

Hopefully I know enough to impress you. [Ahaha.]

Oh, where do you work? Maybe I've seen you around and I just don't know it.

As long as you know where you're going, like, that's enough for me.

I work in this little sweets shop in District Three, between a couple of clothing stores. It's...It's not like, super big or visible or anything, but...

Hmm... I don't think I've seen it yet. But if I do find it, I'll try and stop by and see if you're in. I work at the Beachside Shack, myself.

The Beachshack...? I've heard about it but I've never actually been there...

[Actually, as excited as she had been about the beach when she first learned of it, she...actually hasn't been there much at all.]

I'll definitely come and check it out sometime!

Good! I'll look forward to meeting you, then. [And he definitely sounds like he is.]

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