“Should I talk to him?” Rockman asked. “He knows I’m here, and all.”

“Maybe? But…” Netto had said it all to her. That meant something, didn’t it?

While she was pondering the enormity of the messages in front of her, Rockman wrote,
[MSG: ] I don’t think my Netto-kun thinks of you as a ‘good soldier’, exactly…
[MSG: ] After you two met up in your apartment, I don’t think I ever heard anything like that from him.

(If anything, Netto-kun was the one who was too much of a 'good soldier', or who at least pretended to be. It felt strange to see Netto-san refer to himself that way.)

That brought to Rockman’s mind the strangeness with Rockman-san in the computer, and how rapidly things had fallen apart afterward. They’d talked to Rockman-san after that, but they’d never set the record straight with Netto-san. It felt like a major oversight, now.

In the meantime, though, Roll was carefully feeling a message of her own out.

[MSG: ] It… isn’t the tournament that Meiru-chan feels she can’t talk to you over, really. This started a long time ago, now.

Though it certainly hadn’t helped his case any. But Netto was clearly remorseful about it all, even when Roll was fairly certain half of that ‘crazy’ behavior hadn’t entirely been his fault. And if he'd just been preoccupied the times before, that explained a lot...

So she continued,
[MSG: ] But at the same time, that was all a long time ago, right?
[MSG: ] Meiru-chan’s making her own path toward moving on and setting things right, after what happened because of the rescue mission. So maybe we shouldn’t feel all awkward around you anymore, either.
[MSG: ] You seem really different from our Netto, but that’s not a problem for Meiru-chan with Netto-chan or Netto-ko. So it shouldn’t be a problem with Meiru-chan and you!

Really, the things that felt strangest to Roll were nothing to do with her and Meiru personally any longer—the way he’d made Mel feel, the way Netto-chan didn’t want anything to do with him.

[MSG: ] …Though, a lot of our friends seem ill-at-ease around you, too. So I wonder if she just feels as if she’s picked a side, by being friends with Netto-chan and Mel-chan…

She was still typing, this time about Netto’s opening line, when she noticed that the piano music had stopped. Meiru was probably getting herself a cup of tea, getting ready to settle in for the evening…

[MSG: ] Wanna see if Meiru-chan wants to talk about it? She just finished her piano practice for the night. ( ܸ.ˬ.ܸ)

(Roll figured it was better for Netto to ask than for Meiru to walk back in and discover she’d gone and messaged him on a whim. That was kinda weird.)

[MSG ] I think you're probably right
[MSG ] I mean, like. Not to defend myself too much here
[MSG ] But everyone met me under a really bad circumstance, lol

Netto ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out his next words. What was too much? She was a navi, and she wasn't necessarily a friend. But that also meant he had very little to lose by saying "too much".

[MSG ] You can only be so well adjusted under stress when your brother and your friends get chewed up and spit out, you know?
[MSG ] And all of that happening when I got on leave for the first time in years. Basically I mean, like, you're right, I think. I'd like to think you're right.

He shuffled, sighed, wishing this conversation was not happening over a text message. He was a bad texter- Laika and Enzan had a lighthearted hatred of their groupchat, because Netto constantly left cryptic messages in it. He just wasn't very good at texting!

[MSG ] And I think the other-mes think I'm like- perfect.
[MSG ] I'm what they should have turned into. A good son, a good friend, a good soldier.

Yeah, maybe this was too much. But now he was going and he really suddenly couldn't stop, just like when he was talking to that Rockman.

[MSG ] But like- there's a lot they don't even know. They just assumed that from duress and the way I look. I get it, I don't begrudge them, but- it's not my fault? I guess? It's not my fault all of that awfulness from my world spilled out into everyone else. It's not my fault anyone got infected with my awfulness or whatever.

There was a longer pause between messages. Netto had gotten up, despite his body's protest, to lean against the windows overlooking the view he'd been so obsessed with when he got the place. Felt like he barely looked out of them anymore. Then, in rapid fire:

[MSG ] And like, your poor operator had to see me going fucking crazy.
[MSG ] Pardon the language.
[MSG ] I just think it's apt.
[MSG ] Like I said. I didn't mean for all that to - infect everyone else. It's not my fault. But I guess- I guess, with all the people in that chat and all, we've all seen all this shit. I must look like an enemy anyway. And I don't do myself any favors, with my stupid little outbursts.

Netto tapped his foot, and ran a hand through his hair again.

[MSG ] It's hard to reach out when you're already on the back-foot. So, I guess- um. I appreciate you reaching out ahead of me.

Abandoning the conversation for a moment, she whirled around to face him. “Wait, what does he mean ‘out of hand’?”

“Well, uh, yeah,” Rockman explained. “It’s like Netto-san says. Rockman-san has… been through a lot.”

Roll made a face; she could tell Rockman was trying to cover for something.

“He lost control of Beast Out,” Rockman finally told her, and her face relaxed. “I hope he knows that I’m not… upset, or offended, or anything.” Of course it had been something like that. “Talking to Netto-san really helped me get it a little better.”

[MSG: ] Rockman says to tell him “apology accepted!” And he said talking to you about it really helped!

And then things circled back around to why they were having this chat in the first place. Roll was a bit lost as to what to do. “I think you ought to be honest with him, Roll-chan,” Rockman advised her.

[MSG: ] Well, the truth is, I just wanted to get to know you a little better! ^_^
[MSG: ] You and my Operator didn’t seem to click, and the same goes for some of the other people she’s gotten to know from the chatroom. But you were so kind to Rockman.
[MSG: ] So, I started wondering, maybe you all just started off on the wrong foot?
[MSG: ] And I kinda, well, decided to say hi for myself and see.
[MSG: ] I know it’s weird, but
[MSG: ] I dunno! (,,>﹏<,,)

[MSG ] I'm not really sure yet why it...called such a...random group together. Sorry you had to get involved. And that it scared your folks

[MSG ] I owe your operator an apology, especially. I'm sure Enzan was a dick to her

There was a long enough pause to indicate he was debating how to say my Enzan, not yours, I don't really know yours that well, all things considered but he got distracted too quickly by Roll's lack of knowledge about that weird virus.

[MSG ] My Rock told me he'd had a...accident, when a hangout turned sour. He didn't have an operator during a tough fight and had to rely on some...old tricks? And it got out of hand.

[MSG ] Between you, me, and your Rockman, he's been kinda mopey about it for a while. So- I mean, he's sorry. He's working on it. You know? We all got things we're working on.

He grimaced typing it all out- he really did talk too much.

[MSG ] Were you- reaching out, for any particular reason? Just to say hi?

[MSG: ] Well, it gave Meiru-chan’s friends at home a scare… but other than that, we’re doing great!

And just like that, another message was batted across the divide, one with a far more enjoyable subject…

[MSG: ] °ʚ(´꒳`)ɞ° Isn’t he?

…And a more worrisome one, though it dovetailed with what Rockman had shared earlier.

[MSG: ] He’s doing great today, thanks to you. But…
[MSG: ] An encounter?

Roll turned to the Navi in question. “What does he—?”

Rockman was mercifully spared from explaining the aftermath of the Hanged Man by Netto’s final volley of texts.

[MSG: ] Nono, you’re good! ^_^
[MSG: ] If we blamed ourselves for the stuff we did under somebody else’s control, that wouldn’t be too fair, would it?
[MSG: ] So of course I wouldn't do that to someone else!

Roll looked across to her window out to Meiru’s room, noticing Rockman follow suit out of the corner of her eye. She was only about halfway through her usual piano exercises, picking up speed as she usually did now that she was warmed up. Maybe Meiru expected the Netto who had seemed to hardly have time for her during the rescue, or at the sleepover; maybe she expected to get read the riot act like she had with her own Enzan, or have to deal with another Netto being as cross as hers had been. But that certainly wasn’t the impression she was getting now…

[MSG: ] I'm ok. Out of the hospital
[MSG: ] I'm sorry I haven't reached out to you and your operator. Are you all okay? You did good work against Serpentine.

(His fingertips twitched– just typing the name felt like incantation, like he would summon her with just those letters.) He quickly added:

[MSG: ] It was nice to chat with your Rock.
[MSG: ] He's sweet.

He felt a sudden urge then to add again:

[MSG: ] Is he alright? He was in a bad way when I saw him.
[MSG: ] I mean, he was okay. Just stressed. I know he had an encounter with, um, my navi.

He was clearly a somewhat anxious texter— it wasn't that he was afraid of Roll, he just had a lot to say. He kept double-texting, mindless of the annoyance.

[MSG: ] Who is extremely sorry for the whole thing, by the way. Um. And so am I, for the— netbattle. You did beat my ass, though.
[MSG: ] Sorry, lol, I've got too much to say.

“Well, you could, uh, ask how he’s doing, or—“

“Right, right!” Roll, inspired, began to type.

“Roll-chan, wait, wait—“

[MSG: ] It sounds like you took good care of my Rockman () the other night! So I just wanted to say thanks. ^_^
[MSG: ] Are you feeling any better?

“‘Feeling better’?” wondered Rockman, still a bit put out by being the main subject matter. “At least, he seemed like he was fine…”

“He looked pretty out of it at the Colossus Challenge,” Roll explained. “That was the last time Meiru-chan and I saw him, so it feels like I oughta ask.” He sure hadn’t seemed like the type to give Rockman what sounded like a very kind pep talk, for that matter… but then, everyone who’d been under Serpentine’s control had been a bit different.

Really, he was more worried about Rockman, who'd been silent and dazed since their whole ordeal. He was away with Blues, and Netto respected their distance; he couldn't imagine what it was like, really, to go through all of that by yourself.

On the couch, he glanced up at the ceiling. His apartment was quiet, and the final rays of the day were streaking into his windows. He had half a mind to fall asleep, too sore to force himself to move to his bed and too full of ennui to even care. Apparently— the doctors had told him— it was normal to get a little funky after getting hurt so bad.

Breaking up his thoughts was the sudden cacophony of noise– his PET rang twice over to him, and he scooped it up with a wince. The message made his eyebrows raise. Roll? That Roll? The one that had a hand in beating their ass?

Damn. Right. He supposed they'd be wondering about him– more likely, looking for answers. He typed up a reply: [MSG ] Oh, hi! What's up?

Though he did find it extremely strange that Roll of all Navis was reaching out to him. Not her operator? Not Rockman or his?