I don't think there's strictly a right or wrong answer. I would put the majority first, but it'd be rather bold to claim that my values are the be-all and end-all.
[said gently. they don't seem to judge mikazuki for the path he chooses, either.
and then, another memory plays:
She's dying in your arms. The only person who's ever cared about you, ever been kind to you. Death is something so commonplace in this society, you know this, and yet your heart is shattering in pieces.
You beg her not to go, not when you haven't even done anything to repay her for all that she's done for you. In response, she smiles. She tells you, now that you're all grown-up, you don't need her to look after you anymore.
And then, she disappears into pieces, disintegrating into the wind.
You're hardly left with time to grieve. The conflict rages around you, and dimly, you're aware--this is the end of the human race. But as self-centered as it may be right now, you can't bring yourself to focus on that.
Not that your mother, who just murdered --------, would let you, either. She grabs your arm in an attempt to lift you up from where you were staring at the ground, and she yells at you to stop crying and to follow her. -------- is gone, and she is "her" now. But she isn't--never will be.
A man steps in to defend you. Rarely has anyone ever, except for the mother figure you just lost (and of all people, it would be someone you're terrified of), so you barely know how to react. Your mother isn't intimidated, however, having taken on --------'s power. Even her appearance is hers, as she transforms before your eyes: what was once a comforting face now becoming a source of fear.
The man warns you that what she has done--stealing this identity--will destroy her physically. She doesn't listen, and instead, she blames you. You ruined everything, and so you must take responsibility, she says. If it weren't for you, she wouldn't have had to kill --------. As frightened as you are, you can't even muster up any words.
Then, suddenly, the chaos from the conflict around reaches here. Flames blaze, immediately disintegrating your mother, while the man attempts to shield you. Even so, the fire is evidently taking its toll on him; neither of you will survive like this.
But then -------- appears again, as she begins to dispel the fire. It's not your mother, who would only take on that form to torment you. It's her, truly her.
And gradually, you understand. This is a dream. Some of these events never happened. The rest, though--these are memories you lost. And as the pieces click in place, you start to wake up from the illusion, in more ways than one. The nightmare is finally over.]
mikazuki is quiet, silent as he watches them, understands them. (to a degree, recognizes them.) he turns to face cetus instead of admiring the wiwaldi garden.
he reaches out, his fingers brushing against the shoulder of the uniform.]
they're quiet for a moment, not movin away from mikazuki when he touches them. and then, they hold up a finger against their veil, as though making a shushing sound.
their voice becomes clearer, no longer muffled—and mikazuki will hear now that it almost sounds like one inside his head, rather than one heard through his ears normally.]
... I think you know what my answer to that will be. [then, once again, their voice takes on that odd, muffled quality.] Of course, that's based purely off what you know of "Cetus", who's told you things like how they don't know much about happiness—or hobbies—and they're ambivalent towards flowers. Someone who wouldn't know much about time or systems that dictate your fate either, as they've said before.
to some degree, he had already guessed some time ago. even knowing that there was likely a veneer of falsehood between them, it was not enough to deter the sense of familiarity. even still, it felt like something too fragile to name - to call direct attention to, and so mikazuki did not.
but the sound of a voice inside his head, brief as it is, manages to make his expression soften terribly. ah.
his hand lifts from the shoulder of the uniform, upward toward the veil - though he remains just centimeters away from truly making contact with it. but he will reach nonetheless. so close, and yet so very far.]
I do.
[even if there is so much he'd like to say. even if 'ah, i missed you' is so clear in his gaze.]
I do understand... and yet it will not stop me from always wishing for better for you.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
guestservices) wrote2022-06-11 09:46 pm
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cetus observes in silence. and then, once all is said and done, they say, simply—]
... You've certainly taken on a troublesome burden onto your heart.
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hence his slow smile]
Oh? Do you think so?
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Well, ultimately that's up to you to decide.
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Is it better to keep after what is simple?
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I don't think there's strictly a right or wrong answer. I would put the majority first, but it'd be rather bold to claim that my values are the be-all and end-all.
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And you would choose to protect the greatest number of individuals first?
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Your own survival? [sounds fake and not like a jan character] Or something else?
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It'd be nice to be able to protect everyone, but I'm afraid I don't have it in me to risk everything else that's important unless I have to.
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It is a steady way to live.
[he admires it, even if he knows that it is so far from his own way of being]
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[said gently. they don't seem to judge mikazuki for the path he chooses, either.
and then, another memory plays:
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mikazuki is quiet, silent as he watches them, understands them. (to a degree, recognizes them.) he turns to face cetus instead of admiring the wiwaldi garden.
he reaches out, his fingers brushing against the shoulder of the uniform.]
... are you alright?
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they're quiet for a moment, not movin away from mikazuki when he touches them. and then, they hold up a finger against their veil, as though making a shushing sound.
their voice becomes clearer, no longer muffled—and mikazuki will hear now that it almost sounds like one inside his head, rather than one heard through his ears normally.]
... I think you know what my answer to that will be. [then, once again, their voice takes on that odd, muffled quality.] Of course, that's based purely off what you know of "Cetus", who's told you things like how they don't know much about happiness—or hobbies—and they're ambivalent towards flowers. Someone who wouldn't know much about time or systems that dictate your fate either, as they've said before.
[softly,]
I'm sure you understand.
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he isn't really surprised.
to some degree, he had already guessed some time ago. even knowing that there was likely a veneer of falsehood between them, it was not enough to deter the sense of familiarity. even still, it felt like something too fragile to name - to call direct attention to, and so mikazuki did not.
but the sound of a voice inside his head, brief as it is, manages to make his expression soften terribly. ah.
his hand lifts from the shoulder of the uniform, upward toward the veil - though he remains just centimeters away from truly making contact with it. but he will reach nonetheless. so close, and yet so very far.]
I do.
[even if there is so much he'd like to say. even if 'ah, i missed you' is so clear in his gaze.]
I do understand... and yet it will not stop me from always wishing for better for you.
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cetus: flowers
mikazuki: do you like flowers
cetus: .............. no
there's a bit of a smile in their voice when they speak.]
As gracious as always. [...] You really are the bane of my existence sometimes.
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[a little more playful…
he lets the back of his fingers brush against the veil before he retracts his hand]
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Ask rather difficult questions.
[questions that made it difficult not to reveal potentially identifying opinions. they reach up, briefly, to make sure the veil's still in place.]
You really don't let up in your efforts to get to know people.
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[it’s really like
he’s been given silent permission to be shameless now]
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[terrible.]
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[now he’s just assuming things]
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That's quite the presumption to make about someone you've only known for a few weeks, I think.
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Oh yes... Do forgive me. I have simply been reminded of a dear friend... someone that I had wished very much to meet again.
You'll have to excuse the rambling recollections of this old man...
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Be careful. You might be going senile.
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I'm sure you have options.
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