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[continuousgroaning]

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[andtherevolution]

I guess that makes sense...

[Suddenly, her eyes light up, and she flashes Tina a grin]

...but you know, there's nothing stopping you from going on adventures now.

[continuousgroaning]

[Tina taps her chin, considering that, then smiles sheepishly.]

... I dunno. I'm afraid I'd get hurt, honestly.

[andtherevolution]

Yeah... I guess real adventures can be pretty dangerous, huh.

[Thinking, thinking...]

But there's still plenty of fun things you can do here. Think about something you've always wanted to do - anything at all.

[continuousgroaning]

Ride a horse. [That reply is without hesitation.] I've loved horses ever since I was a baby, but we could never afford riding lessons or anything. The closest I ever got was when Uncle Teddy took us to the race track once.

[andtherevolution]

[Wait, the racetrack? What was her uncle.. nevermind. Utena's smile falters for a half-second before she ups her enthusiasm]

Well, now's your chance to ride a horse for real! Heck, you might even get offered to do it. Who knows, maybe some fancy riding school will want to do a photo shoot with you or something.

[She says with a wink, half-joking about the photo shoot.]

[continuousgroaning]

Mmmm... [Tina closes her eyes and tilts her head back at that idea.] Being paid to ride a horse? That would be a dream come true. I mean, people here DO love imPorts, so there's a pretty good chance I could arrange something like that.

[andtherevolution]

And I bet you could arrange a lot of other stuff, too. Like... okay, so let's say you get to ride a horse. What's something else you'd like to do?

[continuousgroaning]

[Tina considers that, making a "hmmm" noise as she does so.]

Maybe get some of my writing published. But I'd have to come up with some different ideas first. Apparently fiction by and about imPorts is really popular, though. It'd be a nice way to make some extra money.

[andtherevolution]

Wait, really?

[She blinks, her eyes widening just a bit]

I mean, I know there's stories, but can you really make money off of that stuff? I mean, it seems like a good way to piss people off - uh, no offense.

[continuousgroaning]

I've been told I could. I should probably take some writing classes first, though. Because I wouldn't want to upset anybody.

[andtherevolution]

I don't know if this is something a class can fix. I mean, how would you like it if someone made up a whole bunch of stuff about you without asking?

[She keeps her voicecasual, trying not to sound harsh or judgmental. Key word: trying]

[continuousgroaning]

Well, it's not like I go around showing everyone what I write.

[andtherevolution]

Everyone's going to see it if you get published, though.

[continuousgroaning]

In that case, I'd just have to make some characters up, right?

[andtherevolution]

Hey, that's an idea! I mean, that's what real writers do, right? They don't base characters on just one person - they base them on a whole bunch of different people.

[continuousgroaning]

I've never really done that before... but that's what writing lessons would be for, too. So I'm not stuck just inserting myself and my friends into things. ... and it'd help me come up with some original ideas.

[andtherevolution]

It'd be good practice, yeah... I think it's great that you're doing this, though. I'm no good at this sort of thing, so being able to make up any kind of story is pretty amazing.

[continuousgroaning]

It definitely helps pass the time here. I don't have any combat or healing powers, so... sometimes I do feel a little useless. Having an outlet helps a lot.

[andtherevolution]

You're not useless!

[Whoa, that's one heck of an outburst there. Utena catches herself and breathes in deep]

Really, you're not. I know it doesn't feel that way sometimes, but there's more to this place than just fighting. It's just as important to help people when everything isn't falling apart.

[continuousgroaning]

[Thankfully, Tina doesn't seem unduly bothered. She sits up and hugs her knees to her chest.]

... Thanks for saying that. I mean, it's confusing enough trying to figure out my place in the world back home, and now I'm here without my family... I want to feel like I'm contributing SOMEHOW.

[andtherevolution]

['You already are', she wants to say, but she thinks better of it. Utena remains quiet for a moment, before eyes light up]

...hey, Tina. Who else do you hang out with around here?

[continuousgroaning]

My housemates are always good to me. But I haven't found a whole lot of people my own age to hang out with, either.

[andtherevolution]

Well, maybe that can be your contribution. Just finding people like you and making them a little less lonely.

[continuousgroaning]

Not a bad idea. ... I wasn't the best at making friends back home, but I haven't had much trouble getting people to talk to me here. It's nice.

[andtherevolution]

Mmn... That's one good thing about this place. I had friends back home, but there's people here that I wouldn't have even dreamed of talking to back home. People from different countries, different times... heck, different worlds, even.

[Staying still has taken its toll on Utena, and she glances out the window as she stretches her legs out]

But no matter what, in the end we're all ImPorts. I guess that makes it easier to understand each other.