You're not sure when you fell asleep, but a gentle poking at your cheek has you opening your eyes.
"Hello!" the person looking at you greets with a warm smile and wave.
You greet her back.
Wait, you didn't mean to say that.
"So, you're him, huh?" She asks with a smile. She examines your face and even touches your ears.
You nod.
It appears you can't control your body, odd.
"Wow! you look so cute with your ears!" She says with a smile. She takes out a small camera and wraps her arm around your shoulder. With a happy smile, she takes a picture of the both of you.
"I'm sure she'll love this." Summer says with a bright smile.
Yes.
This is concerning
Your head turns and you see your dorm room. Only you and Summer are here.
Your mouth moves and you hear yourself ask her if she's feeling better.
Is this perhaps a dream? It feels as if someone els was in control of your avatar.
"Yes! I'm glad you asked! I've been told all about you!" Summer says with a chuckle.
You nod.
It's a very interesting experience, you think.
A knock is heard at your door.
Why is this version of you calling on his storage domain? Perhaps he's hungry?
"Oh, I'll get that!" Summer says with a heartwarming smile as she gets up and turns her back to you.
Wait, don't do that, something feels wrong.
A Sword appears in your hand, its edge lusting for blood and rendering all defenses invalid.
Stop, you command it!
The door opens and you see Ruby entering the room.
Stop!
You swing.
.....
Someone screams.
!
You wake up.
-----------------------------------------------
With a startled gasp, you wake up and open your eyes.
A soft "Eep" is heard to your left.
You quickly turn your head and see a familiar face. Summer Rose is by your bedside, and she's giving you an awkward wave.
"Eheheh, did I get caught?" She chuckles as she scratches her cheek.
Caught?
"Oh? Then I'm safe?" She asks with a sly grin.
What? What's she doing something to you?
"No! I was just poking your cheek, promise!" She replies quickly looking away from your tail.
Looking around, you see that Summer and you are the only occupants in your room.
Trying to get answers, you ask her what she's doing here.
"Oh, um, it's a little embarrassing. Promise you won't rat me out?" She replies with a warm smile.
That seems fair, you won't.
"Yay! Well, I woke up a while ago and had a bunch of stuff thrown at my face. I'm just taking a breather now" She says with a little chuckle.
Stuff? Would she like to talk? You've heard talking is a good way to help others relax, though, every time you tried that it didn't work.
"Hehehe, well, cheer up! It's already working on me!" Summer says with a giggle as she gives you a large yet sad smile.
Is she sure?
"Yep! Anyways, since you offered, I'll go ahead and share. I've always found telling strangers about problems similar to what trouble you to be a good way to relieve stress." She says taking out a chocolate bar.
Actually, you now realize she's wearing the Beacon infirmary patient gown.
"Oh? Do I have something on my dress?" She says with a knowing look.
No? It seems quite clean to your eyes.
She pouts and begins telling you her story.
"So, I just recently found out I've accidentally been taken from my home. Everyone here reminds me of all my friends and family, but it's very clear that this isn't my home" She says with a bitter smile.
What does she mean?
"Well, there's this girl that reminds me of my daughter, but she's a bit too old. She's very sweet and I really like her, but I just want to go back home and see my own daughter as soon as possible" She replies with a sigh.
Ah, so looking at her hurts?
"No! It's just, looking at her makes me wonder what my daughter is thinking right now. I wouldn't mind spending time with this girl, but my mind is always thinking of back home" She replies softly.
Turning your head to the window, you see that it's a bit past noon.
That's understandable. Did she tell this to the girl?
"No, I'm sure that would devastate her. They way she looks at me is....well, it's how I'd look at her if something were to happen to my own daughter" Summer replies with a bit of hesitation in her voice.
What about the others that remind her of home?
"Ah, well, they really might as well be copies." She replies with a giggle.
Are they that similar?
"Yep! Though, being reminded of people that...passed on is a bit of a blow" She says with a frown.
Ah, that's unfortunate.
"Yeah..." She says looking at the ground.
So, does she have anything else she'd like to share?
"Erm...sure, that's what this is for, right?" She replies with a small chuckle.
You nod.
"Umm, I'm worried about how I'm going to get back home. I asked, but no one's given me a concrete time frame yet. That's really starting to stress me out a bit." She says with a sigh.
Opening your senses, you decide to examine her thoroughly. All the marks the rift left on her are bare to your soul and you learn how much time she has left.
Three weeks, she has three weeks.
"Eh?" She asks tilting her head.
She has three weeks before she can return home.
.....
"Thank you." She says with a warm smile. You can see she doesn't believe you but is grateful for your words none the less.
You nod and ask her if your friends told her about you.
"Friends? What do you mean?" She asks with confusion.
Well, then why did she go into your team dorm room?
"Ah...hehe. I sort of snuck out of the infirmary and chose a random room to hide in for a bit." She says looking away from your eyes.
That's not very good, the nurses are there to help.
"Yah, but they have such big needles!" Summer says indignantly.
She has a point.
"...... Was that a pun?" She asks with narrowed eyes.
..... No?
"Well-" Summer begins to say but is interrupted by the door swinging open.
Yang walks in and points at Summer.
"Ha! I told you she'd somehow find her way to Mordin! You owe me 5 Lien Talitha." Yang shouts triumphantly.
Ruby quickly walks in behind Yang.
"Oh! Mordin, sorry....I sort of forgot to wake you up" She says with a sheepish laugh.
Summer turns to you and then back to Ruby. Her mouth widens into an "O" and you see her grin.
"So, this your special friend, huh? Well, remember what yo promised, ok?" Summer says with a smile as she pats your shoulder.
You nod. Promises are contracts and you rather dislike breaking contracts.
Summer lets out a relieved breath and turns to everyone else.
"Ummm, what? What did you talk about?" Ruby asks. There's something in her voice, it makes you feel as if she's hoping you were both talking about her.
You can't say, it was a promise.
Ruby's nervous face deflates into one of sadness.
"Well, how about we all go grab something to eat? I'm sure she's starving, right?" Yang interrupts as she points to Summer.
Food is always an acceptable answer to problems.
You hear Ruby chuckle at your answer and then agree to Yang's plan.
And so, you, your team, Yang and Summer head off to eat lunch in a private location.
While eating-