Tartarus - Emergency Stairs
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Good thing we rested up in the hangar. |
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Definitely. That would've gone a lot worse if we'd run into them fresh off our battle with the Titan. |
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Augh! Why does something always interrupt us whenever you guys talk about how you met?! |
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Are the Phantoms boring you, Epel? |
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It's not that. I'm just curious to know more about my dorm's housewarden and vice housewarden, I guess. |
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As I recall, I came up to Vil and spoke to him while he was reading in the courtyard.
He looked positively picturesque sat upon that bench, set against the backdrop of a sunny afternoon.
I was so terribly nervous. |
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Liar. You didn't show a hint of nervousness. Oh, I'll never forget our first conversation... |
Flashback Start
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"Hi there! I caught your show the other day."
"I've seen you perform many a time, but you hadn't really stood out to me before."
"The way you played the villain this time, though? Sublime!"
"There are precious few actors who could pull off such a cold, tyrannical, tantrum-prone fiend so convincingly!" |
Flashback End
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And that was how Rook and I met. |
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Whoa... |
| He could've just said you were great and stopped there... | Was that a compliment or an insult? |
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Oh là là... To me, it was the highest of compliments. |
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Even if it was, you speak your mind far too freely. At the time, all I could think was, "Where does this guy get off?" |
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Can't blame you there... |
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From then onward, Rook would come up and talk to me even when I didn't engage him at all.
He'd share his completely unsolicited opinions on my performances, then go on his way.
Both his positive impressions AND negative ones.
At first, I thought he was no more than an armchair critic, trying to tell an actor how to do their job.
But over time, I realized that his observations were oddly perceptive. |
Flashback Start
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"Hey! I saw that musical you just starred in."
"Your expression in the final scene when you realized your love wasn't to be? Wonderful."
"Hi again! You seemed right at home in your last play, but not so much in this one. Anything the matter?" |
Flashback End
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He'd highlight all the parts of my performance I was quite happy with.
And then when I did as the director asked, but wasn't happy with the result...
He'd zero in on those moments as well.
"Were you satisfied with your final scene? It didn't seem like you were."
At one point I just went ahead and asked him—"How would YOU have performed that scene?"
And then...
He went on for FIVE HOURS STRAIGHT. |
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Five hours?! |
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What a rewarding discussion that was.
We touched upon not just Vil's acting, but works of media we'd both seen, theatrical productions, scripts...
The next thing I knew, it was well past my dorm's curfew. I had to sneak back in. |
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Before then, I was fully convinced that no one my age knew as much about theater and art as I did.
But Rook quickly disabused me of that notion with his breadth of knowledge.
Frankly, I couldn't keep up with half of what he said, much to my chagrin. |
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The difference between you and me is that I simply had more free time when I was a child. |
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After that, I started meeting with Rook in the courtyard regularly after school. |
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I remember this one time it was snowing, and our conversation grew so heated we both came down with colds. |
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Ahaha! Wow, I guess even you two acted like silly kids once.
Why'd you stay outside when it was snowing, anyway?
You're in the same dorm. You could've just talked inside. |
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Actually, I was still in Savanaclaw back then. |
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Oh, neat, you were in Savanaclaw... WAIT, WHAT?! |
| You were in Savanaclaw?! | You've got to explain that one! |
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Well, you see... Ah! Look there.
We're coming up on the next containment facility. |
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You're right. Let's pause the chitchat for now, shall we? |
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What?! You can't stop there! I'm dying to know more! |
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Hah hah hah! I'd be happy to share as much as you'd like.
...If we all make it safely through this area, of course. |
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Oh, right. The Phantoms are gonna be stronger down here... |
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Just so. We won't have an easy time of it. And there's no telling what Ortho and Idia will throw at us.
Stay on your toes. |
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