Inbox;

[flaredo]

"Heeey, you've reached Yang! Well, actually, you didn't reach far enough, 'cause I'm not here right now! But don't yang up! Just leave a message on this baby, and I'll get back to you soon enough, okay?"

[ Please specify VOICEMAIL, TEXT or CALL. ]

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[dielectrics]

[ At least he manages something approaching his usual suspicious stare at that question. He has too good of an idea why she's asking it, after all. ]

Why do you wanna know?

[flaredo]

Because asking you is a lot easier than tracking you down blind.

[ implied: she will. ]

[dielectrics]

[ Urgh. Exactly why she thought he wanted to know, and he knows that she really will spend days trying to track him down. It's not worth all the effort to hide from her for that long. ]

Fine, I'm in our— my room.

[flaredo]

Which is where? Work with me here.

[ and she's already moving, from the looks of things. Well, Yang didn't like to sit still, anyway. Might as well multitask. ]

action;

[dielectrics]

[ He heaves a much put upon sigh, but says: ]

I'll text you the address.

[ And hangs up. But he does at least text her with directions.

When she gets to his room, though... Well, Killua's looking kind of put upon not only because of the whole bff vanishing thing, but also because the bff has left him with seven cybuddy companions of various sorts of robotic animals. All of which are crowding around the door at his feet, making his eyebrow twitch when he answers her knock. ]

action;

[flaredo]

[ She's not sure what she expected when he answered, but all the little woodland robots clustered adoringly around him definitely wasn't on the list. ]

Well, geez, if I'd known you already had company... [ but she'll check to make sure there isn't an underwear-stealing snowman among his buddies. ]

[dielectrics]

They're Gon's.

[ He says plaintively, much aggrieved by his inherited robot buddies' continued existence. ]

Anyway, what do you want?

[flaredo]

[ She doesn't answer-- not vocally, at least. Instead, she'll ease her way in, kick the door shut behind her, and grab one of his shoulders...

... To pull him into a hug.

At least she's letting his feet stay on the floor this time. ]

[dielectrics]

[ For the first second, Killua's honestly too shocked to do anything but just let her hug him.

Then his brain stops blue screen of deathing and he starts flailing like an angry cat trapped in a sack. ]

What are you doing?!

[flaredo]

You're angry. You're hurt, and upset, and you just lost someone important.

[ throughout Killua's irate thrashing, Yang's voice stays soft and level, and her hold stays firm.

Ruby had been too young to truly understand when Summer had never come back. But Yang had been just old enough and that knowledge, what had followed, how she'd felt-- ]

I'm not the kind of person who can leave a friend alone when that's the last thing they need.

[dielectrics]

I'm fine!

[ He totally is. One hundred percent! Zoldycks don't do things like have sad emotions about their best friends up and disappearing. ]

I'm not the one who's back into pieces or whatever it is.

[ He says, still thrashing. Although maybe, possibly, not quite as hard as he could. ]

[flaredo]

You're not. [ And her eyes narrow, flashing red, even as she agrees. ] So what? Does that make it any easier? A guy who didn't have some kind of issue with his friend just up and vanishing wouldn't call me, would he? So-- if you're going to be a stubborn idiot--

[ A squeeze. ]

Then so will I. I've got all night.

[dielectrics]

[ He struggles for another minute— but he doesn't want to hurt her, and he's pretty sure that's what it would take to get her to let go. With a sullen sort of compliance, he goes still, stiff and very much enduring the hug. ]

I don't get you at all. You're so annoying, all I wanted was to know if that kind of thing happened.

[flaredo]

You're not honest with yourself. So annoying or not, you're stuck with me for awhile.

[ even if hugging him is like hugging a very surly cat. ]

[dielectrics]

Just because I'm not telling you doesn't mean I'm lying to myself!

[ He is the surliest cat. At least he hasn't gotten out his actual claws yet. But after a moment, he wriggles, trying to at least extract his head enough to look up at her. ]

Can we at least go inside before someone sees?

[flaredo]

[ ... Teenage boys. But Yang sighs, freeing up a hand to reach for the door knob. ]

Okay, okay, let's go preserve your dignity.

[dielectrics]

[ He may have to do an awkward shuffle since she's not letting go, but at least eventually, they're inside and away from awful prying eyes. He kicks the door shut behind him. And asks, hopefully: ]

Now will you let me go?

[flaredo]

If you hug me back, sure.

[ see, she's reasonable. ]

[dielectrics]

[ There is absolutely nothing reasonable about that, and Killua bristles all over again at the suggestion. ]

Not a chance.

[ It's one thing to be forced to endure a hug. Giving one is the final level of this social link. ]

[flaredo]

So you're a former assassin and you can't handle hugging a girl.

... Well, I guess we all have weird fears.

[dielectrics]

I'm not afraid of you, I just don't like it.

[ He squirms, but alas, there's still no escape and after a moment, he settles down. ]

...hey, you said you know other people who've disappeared, right?

[ His voice is low and carefully, painfully casual. ]

[flaredo]

Yeah. [ this, she says pretty much immediately, and she'll maneuver them to the ground, so she can press her back against something solid. ] What about it?

[dielectrics]

What do you think happens to them? [ He pauses for a beat. Swallows. ] Do they know they're... [ broken, lost, any number of words. ] gone?

[flaredo]

I can't say for sure, but I doubt it. [ Yang also pauses before she moves a hand to rest it on his head, keeping the other arm around him. ] Maybe it's like how we don't remember anything about our worlds apparently being destroyed. Like you're asleep.

[dielectrics]

That'd be— good.

[ He doesn't relax, not exactly, but he doesn't make any move to shove off her hand, either.

It's better to think that Gon doesn't know what's happened to him. That he's not drifting somewhere in a stream of data, alone and helpless and conscious of it all. ]

Has anyone found something we can do to get them back?