hydrokinetics | Where do we go from here, and what did you do with directions? [W7, Thursday]

Entry tags:

Where do we go from here, and what did you do with directions? [W7, Thursday]

[He knew this was coming for a while now, but it didn't make it easier. He knew how it would happen, too, but it still didn't make it easier. Reading Noctis's letter was hard and there's a spike of shame and an equally large spike of affection for the boy when he reads it. It's why he immediately decides to follow his wishes and he seeks Milla out. He approaches quietly with an item in-hand, body obscuring it a little until he gets a gauge on her mood. No doubt she's feeling just as defeated.]

Hey, Milla...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[if she's feeling defeated, he's never be able to tell just from her demeanor. because honestly. . . she looks ready to fight.]

[Percy can find Milla at the homestead, Higekiri's sword in hand. she's practicing her movements, the sword whistling through the air as she swings it. and although her injuries slow her down, it's easy to tell there is some skill in the way she wields her blade]

[she stops when Percy calls out to her, lifts her head slightly as she lowers the weapon at her side]

Percy?

[He approaches her then and it's clear that what's in his hand...is a cup of noodles. They're made and soft and mostly warm and he's holding the cup carefully so he doesn't spill or burn it.]

Brought you something. If you want it?

[a. . . ah. . .]

[she blinks at the noodles, then up at Percy, then at the noodles again. hesitantly, she reaches out to take them from him with one hand. she's careful not to spill it, too]

Thank you, but may I ask what prompted this. . .?

[she has a gut feeling she already knows the answer to that question, though]

Well...[He's also pulling a fork out of his pocket to hand to her.]

...we need to talk. But Noctis wanted me to give those to you first.

[. . . of course he did. of course he did. that moron. . .]

[a moment passes, before Milla ducks her head and smiles, eyes closed. she sheathes Higekiri's sword, lifts her head again and takes the fork. she was getting hungry thanks to all of this physical exertion, after all. now is a good time to break for a snack]

I see.

Shall we sit down while we talk, then? I could use some rest.

That sounds good to me. [There's a tinge of regret in his tone, but he tilts his head to gesture Milla follow after him.] The lake? Or somewhere else?

[she picks up on that, but doesn't comment]

There's an apple tree nearby. Let's go there.

[and she starts off in that direction, gesturing for Percy to follow]

[This time he lets Milla lead, hands in his pockets and head down as they walk. It's only when they're at the apple tree that he just sort of drops to the ground, waiting for her to follow suit.]

...do you know why Noctis would want me to give you a cup of noodles?

[she leans against the trunk first to brace herself, before she also slumps to the ground. slowly, because you know. broken ribs]

[she doesn't respond right away, instead using the fork to poke at the noodles quietly. strangely enough, she doesn't eat them yet, either]

. . . he knows I like food. [a lot. she likes food a lot] And we had spoken about cups of noodles before. It's one of his favorite meals.

He's definitely fond of them...it wasn't that surprising of a request, I guess. [He's still staring at his shoes though, even as he sees Milla poking at the noodles with her fork.] ...he also wanted me to tell you he's sorry. I'm not sure why though.

[. . . it's weird. she's suddenly not very hungry at all, and that never happens to her. she places the fork on top of the cup and brings it down into her lap. she'll poke at it again once it cools a bit]

I suspect he's dead now, that's why.

[she says, calm, cool, collected and completely neutral. she shifts, pulling something out from the pockets of her skirt]

I gave this to him for safekeeping the day before yesterday. This morning, I found it on the ground in front of the hotel.

That's the only explanation that makes sense.

...he is. You're right. [He hates being the bearer of bad news, but he's known since Umbra delivered the letters. But he spots that item and he tilts his head.] What is that?

[the letter she received said pretty much the same thing, so. . . even if she hadn't suspected simply from finding her aspyrixis lying on the ground in front of the hotel, the letters definitely confirmed it]

[she toys with the device in her hand, turning it around and around as she stares idly off into the distance]

It's an aspyrixis. A medical device from my world. At one point, I was injured so badly that I couldn't walk.

This device restored to me the use of my legs. I keep it with me, to remind myself to press forward no matter what setbacks I may face.

Edited 2017-03-03 04:19 (UTC)

[He's silent, if only because it's very, very hard to think of Milla as being so badly hurt that she'd be permanently damaged that way. Milla's always been strong and someone he admires greatly. Almost invincible in a way, seeing how she's training even now with broken ribs.]

Is that what was waiting for you when we got here? I think that's as good of a reminder as anything, but you've never struck me as the kind to need reminding anyway.

[Milla's spirit burns as hot as fire, but the human body has limits. and sometimes, those limits hold her back]

Yes, it is what was waiting for me when I arrived. And while it's true I don't necessarily need an object to remind me of what's within my own heart. . . [a breath]

Well. Everyone has some sort of sentimental object, don't they? I suppose this one is mine.

Seems like a weird thing to find sentimental. [It's not really judgmental but it's quiet and curious.] But you gave it to Noctis to remind him the same?

[it is a weird object to find sentimental, but what can Milla say? she's kind of a weird person]

I did, yes. And I suppose. . . to also remind him of me.

[since she is fairly certain that if (when, she reminds herself) they go home, she'll likely never see Noctis again]

He has a difficult road to walk ahead of him when he returns home. If I can't be there to support him in person, then perhaps the memory of me can.

He told me a little about what's waiting for him. Sort of. [He got the vague sense, at least.] It's scary to think about, but I think he probably appreciated that. Noctis is sentimental that way, too. [There's a pause then.] ...he means a lot to you, doesn't he?

[she glances over at Percy when he asks that question, the air filled with a heavy pause. how does she describe how she feels about Noctis when she herself still doesn't fully understand?]

He does, yes. [she finally says, slowly] We've grown close. But honestly, I feel like I've grown close to everyone in our group of allies. You, Jason, Natalie, Damian, and Shinnosuke as well.

We've all kind of bonded, haven't we? Just some of us more than others. It's weird to think about but it makes sense, too. People always gravitate to other people like this.

...he's okay, you know? He's on the train now.

Ah. You're right. Difficult situations do tend to bring people closer. I've always wondered why that is so.

[closes her hand around the device and lowers it into her lap, along with the noodles]

I know he is.

[both "okay" and "on the train." it eases her heart a little bit, but at the same time. . . is death ever easy, even when you know what lies beyond?]

. . . and I'm aware we'll all have to enter the train sooner or later, if we wish to go home.

[It's quiet. But he nods finally.]

You're sure that's the final way to go?

[. . . she nods, too]

I am.

The Sheriff hasn't outright lied to us yet, even if he hasn't been the most forthcoming.

This doesn't mean I'm happy about it, mind.

I don't think any of us would be. But at least the train is safe. And if that's really the way to go then we can finally get out of here. On the other hand call me crazy for not wanting to die right away.

[the noodles are cooler now. she finally lifts them up and twirls a few around her fork for a bite]

Percy.

It's never crazy to not want to die. Not when we all have so much to live for.

And if dying's the real answer...does that then make it selfish instead?

[He lets her eat the noodles, but he's leaning back against the tree and looking ahead instead of at her. Somehow it's easier to talk about this that way.]

Perhaps, although only in the context of this game.

[she sure isn't mincing words over here. but. . .]

But I don't see why that's a bad thing. Everyone is selfish, in some way or another. That's quintessentially human, isn't it?

Pushing back against that selfishness to do what one believes in their heart is the right thing. . . that's the true wonder of what humanity can accomplish.

I guess that makes sense. [Selfishness can lead people to doing the most awful things, but he doesn't think of that. He thinks and wonders if selfishness can sometimes be a good thing in this case. Doing what's right. Stuff like that.]

...you've learned a lot about humanity lately, haven't you?

I have. I have you and everyone else in our group to thank for that.

[that's why she likes humans so much. even after spending so much time with them back home, she's still learning. there are always new things for her to discover]

. . . have you learned anything, Percy? During your time here?

[A half-smile. What a bunch of a dumb humans to draw influence from.]

I've learned a lot here. I haven't figured out if it's all good or not. But I don't regret it. The people I met and the things I learned from them are definitely things I can't regret.

Mmmn. I feel the same. And whether what you've learned is good or bad. . . it's still something you've learned, isn't it?

And that's knowledge you can use for the future, whatever it may hold.

...how do you do it? Stay positive like this all the time even knowing what's coming? How do you manage to always do it?

[tilts her head towards him and offers a smile. it's tired, but no less full of the determination she had become so well known for]

I know I have no other choice but to go forward, regardless of what waits for me. And so forward is where I go.

[it's not much of an answer, but it's a difficult thing for her to explain. this is just the way she is. the way she's always been. the way she'll always be]

Where I'm from, being positive and moving forward aren't always mutually exclusive. [A tinge of a bitter grin comes with it.] Sometimes we just have to do it even if we know it's, like, the worst idea ever.

...it's something I try, but I don't think I could ever manage it the same way you do. It's kind of awesome.

I think you've managed quite well, Percy. Or at least, well enough.

[she still feels like he's the one she needs to thank for the Bounties uniting so quickly]

If you hadn't, I somehow don't think we would be sitting here talking right now.

[He ducks his head a bit.]

True. If I hadn't opened my big mouth and nearly blew Damian's cover, we wouldn't have found each other and we'd be in a lot worse condition than we are now. [On the other hand...it was sort of cool, wasn't it?] I don't like losing, Milla. That's never an option for me so that's why I have to keep going until this is completely over. Whatever that really means. I just wish sometimes it was easier to think everything's going to be okay no matter what.

You didn't nearly blow his cover. You pointed the right people in the right direction.

[she firmly believes this!!]

. . . and as long as you're still able to keep going forward when everything is over, I think you'll be okay.

I think all of us will, in the end.

[dat optimism]

[...he feels a weird amount of shame when she says that, even if he won't say why. It's hard to be optimistic when he knows all of the answers here, but he can't tell her. Why worry her? In the end he nods.]

We will. I promise. We'll be okay in the end. [He's just...going to shift a little to lean against her? Sorry, Milla.] Noctis would want us to keep going anyway. I might have helped find some of the right answers, but now we're stuck looking for the rest. I'll keep going if you do though.

[instinctively, she leans a little into him in return. she understands how comforting even the slightest physical contact can be in difficult times]

I think we've all come too far to give up on answers now. Don't you?

[It definitely, definitely helps.]

Of course I do. I just don't know if we're going to like the answers we're bound to find. Isn't that how it always works? The answers you spend forever looking for are always the worst ones. That's the part I don't know if I want.

It is, it's true.

[but somehow, knowing that doesn't scare her]

But I still don't think that's a reason to back down. To be frightened. . . perhaps. But I believe that fear is something you can push past.

...then we'll push past it together. Promise? [It's a stupid thing to make her promise, but it's the only thing he can think of while he knows what's coming. He needs to know that everything will work out.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Where do we go from here, and what did you do with directions? [W7, Thursday]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject