[The paper crinkles in her hands as her fingers tighten. Yeah, that... sounds correct? She thinks it does? A vague picture of a girl that feels familiar, even though the voice behind anything she'd said feels more made up than memory...]
What about Virid-kun? Or Pikachu?
Pikachu could talk, right? I remember him saying a lot when we caught Virid-kun, but...
[She'll finally turn, closing the distance herself between them with her sword in one hand and the paper in the other, holding it out to him.]
I went to write down their names, and I... I can't even remember Hajime-chan's full name. Virid-kun, either - I know his was complicated, but...
[Her handwriting is slightly boyish, boxy and juvenile, but the following can be read in order: EMERAUDE SOL-ZAGATO HAJIME xxx xxx PIKACHU VIRID xxx SHARON KRUGER CATER SHUUYA KANO]
Yeah! Exactly, that's exactly what I was gonna try!
[what a GOOD GUESS that i didn't spoil at the top of that mingle thread!!!!!]
I'm gonna start with something simple, cause I don't think everybody's comfortable just saying stuff like that, but...
Even if it's just something like names, or places, or stuff you like... even if we just try to do something for the dead, too... maybe people will understand better that way whether it can help us or not, you know?
I think it's an admirable idea, Hikaru. Memories are precious. They can make things that seem far away feel closer. They can inspire you and motivate you. They're the things that make you, well, you.
So if we can find a way to retain our memories as long as possible, I think it'll help all of us.
I really, really hope so, Nii-chan. I know everyone has things they just... [A stir of something oddly complicated from her, anxious and remorseful but completely, willfully determined.] --they know they can't forget, no matter what. I just hope they can trust others with those precious things, until we can find a way to give them back to each other.
(Charming. If he had to choose a word for her right now, he'd say she's charming.
He can feel what she's feeling. To be determined even when anxious and filled with regret... that's a strength that not everyone has. Some would be paralyzed by it but to see Hikaru push through it is inspiring in it's own way,)
I think you'll find that some people will be more willing to open up than others. There are those that are like open books but then there are those that keep their secrets close to them.
(Like himself.)
But it also depends on how or when someone is asking...
Yeah. I... don't want to try to force things out, if people really have things that they can't share. People like Shuuya-kun, or Rufus-san, or Raven-san... people that either don't want to talk, or... feel they can't share what hurts.
They deserve as much of a chance to be known too, though. Even if it's just as what they want to share, and not... not necessarily what's the most important things on their hearts.
[She'll gently nod, dragging herself over to sit in one of the lobby chairs and waiting for him to follow. Only then will she start.]
I'll let you know when it's done, okay?
Once, there was a world where the strength of your belief was the source of power, the source of anything that could be done. One young girl with golden hair was set to rule that, due to her heart being the strongest of anyone else. She wished only for the happiness of her world, their protection, and neverending prosperity. She prayed for nothing but that, because that was a duty she held dear.
She loved her world. But in loving her world so strongly, she could not risk love anything else. For if her prayers ever stopped, the world would start to crumble under the fear of its people.
...
One day, she met a man. The man was sworn to protect her.
(It's story time!! So it's time to sit and hear her out.
It already starts off fantastic-- like something from a storybook. He can imagine a beautiful young girl, one with a kind face, and a warm smile and yet... the story itself isn't quite as neat.
The problems with it are obvious. There's a fatal flaw in the world's design and he's not surprised. There's a catch. Of course there's a catch.
Even if Claude is listening, giving Hikaru his full attention, it's clear from the look in the eyes that he's already figuring out the story, and yet, he stops himself from getting too far ahead and refocuses his attention on Hikaru. He won't say anything! But his expression is enough to say, "Go on" and "What happened?")
[He's a smartiepants, so this doesn't surprise her a whole lot. I'll spare the emotionshare for now, they are sitting too far apart and this would be an exhausting rollercoaster otherwise.]
The girl tried to reconcile her prayers with the desires of her heart. She tried to wish for both - for the man she had fallen in love with, and for the people she loved and wanted to always protect. But the world started to slip away. Skies started to fill with vicious storms and the rumbling of the earth. The people grew afraid, and from their fear came monsters of their own design.
The girl knew that she needed to choose one over the other, or her people would continue to suffer. But she couldn't choose. She... decided not to choose.
She locked herself away, in a place known only to the man she loved - so that he could not stop her, and that she might try to forget her feelings. But her world only grew worse, and as her heart filled with despair, so did the hearts of her people. The world thought she had been captured against her will, and held hostage by a man who was now a villain in the eyes of everyone but a single few. Hundreds came to try to rescue her. All were killed, because her love would not dare to see the girl shackled to her position. He fought for her freedom, and was called a monster.
So from her hiding place, the girl summoned a special group from past their barriers. Her Magic Knights. They knew nothing of the world, or its problems, or of where she was hidden. All they knew was to rescue the girl who had summoned them, and to save her world. They encounters many trials and dangers to show that they, too, had the strength of heart needed for their task. All the while, the man who loved the girl fought back against them. But they fought through. And they found where he was hidden.
They fought him with the desire to save the world. He fought with the desire to save her.
The knights overpowered him, and they killed the girl's only love, while all she could do was watch.
(It's fine, I'm canon familiar enough to know how she might be feeling
As for Claude? He's sympathetic. He can't relate to any of this but he's well read enough to know a tragedy when hears one. He's never liked tragedies. He'd always found that their plots and twists could have been entirely avoided if they'd just done a simple thing.
If only they'd spoken up
If only they'd considered another option
If only they'd been honest
For a genre so popular, one would think the lessons learned from them would be more common knowledge.)
... And what happened to the girl and her knights?
(Their fates were bonded the moment they arrived, after all.)
The girl emerged from her hiding spot, filled with hatred... and, when told of their efforts to rescue her... the girl attacked her Magic Knights.
The knights were caught off-guard. This was the girl they had come to rescue, who now loathed the very knights she had called on. But a small part of the girl's heart that remained, one that still hadn't been consumed, took pity on her knights.
She told them her story. Of her mistakes, and her love, and how foolish she had been. And she told them of their purpose, and how they had been deceived.
The girl could not be harmed by anyone from her own world, nor could she harm herself. Thus was the power of her belief. Her knights only purpose was to be summoned to kill her, and her alone.
Her heart that grieved her people begged for death. Her heart that grieved her love... begged for death of everything else.
So her Magic Knights slayed the girl, and sent to her to be with her love.
And the world itself started to crumble to pieces.
[... Her smile is tired and sad.]
Was it the fault of the girl, or her love, Onii-chan? Or the knights, and their ignorance? Or the world, whose system was beautiful but painful?
(Oh, boy, this sure is a heavy question and he has to think for a moment, taking in the story, going over different points and assigning different values of weight and importance. It's all a judgement call, one he's used to making as a young leader in training and one he'll have to master sooner than later.
The girl for falling in love. The knights for not knowing. The world for being cruel.)
Everyone is at fault. (That's his answer.) It was unfair of the world to expect any single girl to sacrifice so much and it was unfair of the girl to bring these knights to the world and not tell them wha their true task was. The knights meant well but were misinformed.
It doesn't absolve anyone of blame but it doesn't leave any single side with all of it, either. The entire situation was unfair from the beginning.
... In the end, the world is the same, the girl is dead, and her knights know better. The girl can do nothing and the world isn't going to change on its own. If the knights are truly sorry for what happened... they'll use their strength and new wisdom to change the world. Apologizing, accepting fault, feeling sorry for themselves... none of that will fix what was wrong. Only actions with words of reason can and they're the only ones in the story that can act.
[unlike ochako, that wink doesn't kill her dead! Mostly because she is oblivious. But at least she isn't dead!]
Is it silly of me that I wondered? You remind me a lot of a boy I met once in a forest, Claude. He was really relaxed, and I never got to know him all that well... but when we met, he knew some things that seemed a little wild. I didn't learn until much later that he was a prince, and that he only pretended to be someone he wasn't to try and protect the people he loved, because there wasn't anything else he could do. He was determined from the start... but he spoke with a lot of confidence and thought, like you do.
[Her smile brightens a bit.]
You've gotta know better things that mine, though, silly. You're way older.
(He might have smiled just a little at her story, the air around him becoming particularly amused at something she just said. It's quiet, like someone in on an inside joke that she isn't a part of. It's funny how that works out!)
Once upon a time, in a faraway place, there was a young boy. This boy came from a despised lineage.
(That sure was an opener. He speaks calmly and lightly, his tone light and casual but tinged with a quiet sadness,)
In short, his mother was the daughter of the enemy. Because of his mixed blood, the boy was called weak and a coward. Most people around him hated him and treated him like an outsider. The boy didn't understand at first. After all, this land had been the only home he had ever known. But it made no difference to the others. Because he wasn't like them, they rejected him and called him names.
(And sometimes they did even more than that but he opts to leave that part out of his story. Hikaru doesn't need to know about the almost-accidents and the more blatant attempts on his life.)
But the boy knew better. He knew he wasn't weak or a coward because he was his mother's son and she was the strongest woman in the world. After all, she'd fallen in love with the enemy and decided to be with him. She could have stayed in her home and had a perfect life... but instead, she left it all behind and never looked back. Not everyone can do that. In fact, not a single one of the boy's enemies was brave enough to even consider it.
The boy was proud of his mother and would yell this at anyone that called him names but no one cared. It didn't matter if he tried to fight or explain himself... their minds were already made up.
[She remains quietly oblivious. She's just glad he's happy by the remark, even if she doesn't understand why.
Of course, she falls respectfully silent as he starts his story in return, letting him weave a tale of a boy born into a situation that he didn't quite deserve - a product of a love that was, for some reason, hated. There isn't quite empathy in how she watches him - prejudice, though she feels strongly about it, is still not something she knows well from experience. So while she can imagine the hurt that might come, should she were in that poor boy's position... a fear still rises at her own ignorance, quieting her further, letting her mind search his words and try not to decide for herself just quite yet.]
...He sounds like he was very brave. To stand up for what matters even when everyone around might despise him without any reason...
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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What about Virid-kun? Or Pikachu?
Pikachu could talk, right? I remember him saying a lot when we caught Virid-kun, but...
Do you remember what his voice sounded like?
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Pikachu's voice was... not what I expected it to be, I remember that much. (But he can't exactly recall it,) And Virid had dark hair...
(He closes his eyes, trying to recall more but... it's foggy.)
We're forgetting.
(That's why she's asking so he'll just say it for her.)
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[She'll finally turn, closing the distance herself between them with her sword in one hand and the paper in the other, holding it out to him.]
I went to write down their names, and I... I can't even remember Hajime-chan's full name. Virid-kun, either - I know his was complicated, but...
[Her handwriting is slightly boyish, boxy and juvenile, but the following can be read in order:
EMERAUDE
SOL-ZAGATO
HAJIME xxx
xxx PIKACHU
VIRID xxx
SHARON KRUGER
CATER
SHUUYA KANO]
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(Emeraude?)
(Sol-Zagato?)
But he recognizes the other names and list makes sense to him,)
Maybe you can ask around. It's possible that someone was closer to them and might know more.
(Of course, that doesn't take away from the fact that they're all forgetting.)
The same goes for the others, too.
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I have something I wanna try, if people are willing. Gathering memories somewhere that all of us can see, that we want to share.
I don't know if it will work, but... if our minds can't hold it, then we gotta find another way.
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(At least, thats how it usually works. People gather at funerals and ceremonies, exchange stories, and those stories live on through other people,)
If you need help organizing something, let me know.
Writing things down might help. And I don't mean in our devices... not when information can just disappear.
(Those profiles that are removed after everyone has been taken care of for the week...)
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Yeah! Exactly, that's exactly what I was gonna try!
[what a GOOD GUESS that i didn't spoil at the top of that mingle thread!!!!!]
I'm gonna start with something simple, cause I don't think everybody's comfortable just saying stuff like that, but...
Even if it's just something like names, or places, or stuff you like... even if we just try to do something for the dead, too... maybe people will understand better that way whether it can help us or not, you know?
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So if we can find a way to retain our memories as long as possible, I think it'll help all of us.
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He can feel what she's feeling. To be determined even when anxious and filled with regret... that's a strength that not everyone has. Some would be paralyzed by it but to see Hikaru push through it is inspiring in it's own way,)
I think you'll find that some people will be more willing to open up than others. There are those that are like open books but then there are those that keep their secrets close to them.
(Like himself.)
But it also depends on how or when someone is asking...
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They deserve as much of a chance to be known too, though. Even if it's just as what they want to share, and not... not necessarily what's the most important things on their hearts.
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(And himself, he thinks. But he wonders if Hikaru chose to not say his name explicitly on purpose. He appreciates it.)
Correct. Which reminds me... I believe you owe me a story. Have you decided yet?
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But she nods almost immediately at his question.]
Mmm! I knew one to tell you from the moment you asked.
It's... a little complicated, but I'd like to hear what you think about it.
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(Which means he put a lot of thought into his own. Truly. Even now, he's not quite sure what he wants to say.)
Well, the rules were you would start. Take your time. I don't mind listening at all.
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I'll let you know when it's done, okay?
Once, there was a world where the strength of your belief was the source of power, the source of anything that could be done. One young girl with golden hair was set to rule that, due to her heart being the strongest of anyone else. She wished only for the happiness of her world, their protection, and neverending prosperity. She prayed for nothing but that, because that was a duty she held dear.
She loved her world. But in loving her world so strongly, she could not risk love anything else. For if her prayers ever stopped, the world would start to crumble under the fear of its people.
...
One day, she met a man. The man was sworn to protect her.
And she fell in love.
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It already starts off fantastic-- like something from a storybook. He can imagine a beautiful young girl, one with a kind face, and a warm smile and yet... the story itself isn't quite as neat.
The problems with it are obvious. There's a fatal flaw in the world's design and he's not surprised. There's a catch. Of course there's a catch.
Even if Claude is listening, giving Hikaru his full attention, it's clear from the look in the eyes that he's already figuring out the story, and yet, he stops himself from getting too far ahead and refocuses his attention on Hikaru. He won't say anything! But his expression is enough to say, "Go on" and "What happened?")
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The girl tried to reconcile her prayers with the desires of her heart. She tried to wish for both - for the man she had fallen in love with, and for the people she loved and wanted to always protect. But the world started to slip away. Skies started to fill with vicious storms and the rumbling of the earth. The people grew afraid, and from their fear came monsters of their own design.
The girl knew that she needed to choose one over the other, or her people would continue to suffer. But she couldn't choose. She... decided not to choose.
She locked herself away, in a place known only to the man she loved - so that he could not stop her, and that she might try to forget her feelings. But her world only grew worse, and as her heart filled with despair, so did the hearts of her people. The world thought she had been captured against her will, and held hostage by a man who was now a villain in the eyes of everyone but a single few. Hundreds came to try to rescue her. All were killed, because her love would not dare to see the girl shackled to her position. He fought for her freedom, and was called a monster.
So from her hiding place, the girl summoned a special group from past their barriers. Her Magic Knights. They knew nothing of the world, or its problems, or of where she was hidden. All they knew was to rescue the girl who had summoned them, and to save her world. They encounters many trials and dangers to show that they, too, had the strength of heart needed for their task. All the while, the man who loved the girl fought back against them. But they fought through. And they found where he was hidden.
They fought him with the desire to save the world. He fought with the desire to save her.
The knights overpowered him, and they killed the girl's only love, while all she could do was watch.
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As for Claude? He's sympathetic. He can't relate to any of this but he's well read enough to know a tragedy when hears one. He's never liked tragedies. He'd always found that their plots and twists could have been entirely avoided if they'd just done a simple thing.
If only they'd spoken up
If only they'd considered another option
If only they'd been honest
For a genre so popular, one would think the lessons learned from them would be more common knowledge.)
... And what happened to the girl and her knights?
(Their fates were bonded the moment they arrived, after all.)
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The girl emerged from her hiding spot, filled with hatred... and, when told of their efforts to rescue her... the girl attacked her Magic Knights.
The knights were caught off-guard. This was the girl they had come to rescue, who now loathed the very knights she had called on. But a small part of the girl's heart that remained, one that still hadn't been consumed, took pity on her knights.
She told them her story. Of her mistakes, and her love, and how foolish she had been. And she told them of their purpose, and how they had been deceived.
The girl could not be harmed by anyone from her own world, nor could she harm herself. Thus was the power of her belief. Her knights only purpose was to be summoned to kill her, and her alone.
Her heart that grieved her people begged for death. Her heart that grieved her love... begged for death of everything else.
So her Magic Knights slayed the girl, and sent to her to be with her love.
And the world itself started to crumble to pieces.
[... Her smile is tired and sad.]
Was it the fault of the girl, or her love, Onii-chan? Or the knights, and their ignorance? Or the world, whose system was beautiful but painful?
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The girl for falling in love.
The knights for not knowing.
The world for being cruel.)
Everyone is at fault. (That's his answer.) It was unfair of the world to expect any single girl to sacrifice so much and it was unfair of the girl to bring these knights to the world and not tell them wha their true task was. The knights meant well but were misinformed.
It doesn't absolve anyone of blame but it doesn't leave any single side with all of it, either. The entire situation was unfair from the beginning.
... In the end, the world is the same, the girl is dead, and her knights know better. The girl can do nothing and the world isn't going to change on its own. If the knights are truly sorry for what happened... they'll use their strength and new wisdom to change the world. Apologizing, accepting fault, feeling sorry for themselves... none of that will fix what was wrong. Only actions with words of reason can and they're the only ones in the story that can act.
(And that's his decision.)
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She looks as though she has something to add. But she bites it back, her expression oddly fond.]
You really do talk like a leader with a strong belief, don't you, Nii-chan?
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That's because I am one. (Wink!) Now... I believe it's my turn.
Though, I'm not sure how I'll be able to top yours.
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Is it silly of me that I wondered? You remind me a lot of a boy I met once in a forest, Claude. He was really relaxed, and I never got to know him all that well... but when we met, he knew some things that seemed a little wild. I didn't learn until much later that he was a prince, and that he only pretended to be someone he wasn't to try and protect the people he loved, because there wasn't anything else he could do. He was determined from the start... but he spoke with a lot of confidence and thought, like you do.
[Her smile brightens a bit.]
You've gotta know better things that mine, though, silly. You're way older.
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(He might have smiled just a little at her story, the air around him becoming particularly amused at something she just said. It's quiet, like someone in on an inside joke that she isn't a part of. It's funny how that works out!)
Once upon a time, in a faraway place, there was a young boy. This boy came from a despised lineage.
(That sure was an opener. He speaks calmly and lightly, his tone light and casual but tinged with a quiet sadness,)
In short, his mother was the daughter of the enemy. Because of his mixed blood, the boy was called weak and a coward. Most people around him hated him and treated him like an outsider. The boy didn't understand at first. After all, this land had been the only home he had ever known. But it made no difference to the others. Because he wasn't like them, they rejected him and called him names.
(And sometimes they did even more than that but he opts to leave that part out of his story. Hikaru doesn't need to know about the almost-accidents and the more blatant attempts on his life.)
But the boy knew better. He knew he wasn't weak or a coward because he was his mother's son and she was the strongest woman in the world. After all, she'd fallen in love with the enemy and decided to be with him. She could have stayed in her home and had a perfect life... but instead, she left it all behind and never looked back. Not everyone can do that. In fact, not a single one of the boy's enemies was brave enough to even consider it.
The boy was proud of his mother and would yell this at anyone that called him names but no one cared. It didn't matter if he tried to fight or explain himself... their minds were already made up.
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Of course, she falls respectfully silent as he starts his story in return, letting him weave a tale of a boy born into a situation that he didn't quite deserve - a product of a love that was, for some reason, hated. There isn't quite empathy in how she watches him - prejudice, though she feels strongly about it, is still not something she knows well from experience. So while she can imagine the hurt that might come, should she were in that poor boy's position... a fear still rises at her own ignorance, quieting her further, letting her mind search his words and try not to decide for herself just quite yet.]
...He sounds like he was very brave. To stand up for what matters even when everyone around might despise him without any reason...
He must have been lonely.
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