In this world, you are a little kid who knows nothing. You struggle to adapt to the environment. How can you not when you're so driven by technology? You spent your whole life building new and amazing things with advanced technology, and now you're essentially starting at square one in the world of science and engineering. How fascinating that you appear to keep going back to this struggle. Oh, and not to mention the frustration of not being able to fix what's broken.
You'll find out. What you lack in finesse you make up for in reckless curiosity.
I also note that you don't put as much trust into people. I believe not thinking about the world turning against you is a healthy reaction, for once. Bravo.
Hard not to miss the excitement on your end. Let me be frank: if he'd been able to see into the future and know that she would have been attacked, would he have gone after you or would he have let you make your mistakes and stayed with her? Also, because she's so high up in the political and social ladder, would she not have guards stationed everywhere paid to keep her safe? Did he know that they had power like that? If he'd known it would happen, then wouldn't he have suffered the same fate? We have no idea how many people they can effect all at once. We know that it's at least four. What if these people have the power to control hundreds?
However, he was also in crisis, so whatever he snapped at you should be taken with a grain of salt.
Then tell me how you're not a good friend since you do tend to stick to people through good and bad, even if you can't physically do so?
Let me ask you this: if I decided that the only way to save a whole city was to kill myself, then is that considered heroic of me when you take into consideration my true nature?
Also, unless it's a magical girl outfit, then I want nothing to do with it. That would look better on me than tights.
PS: I'm pretty sure neither of them are the one I'm thinking of. I rather doubt that they'd have any paternal relation to what I would call a kitsune, and not of the zenko or benevolent sort, either. I would say he was more of the yako classification.
That doesn’t make me a little kid, Joshua, and you know it. I’m NOT a kid. I’m…not. I just haven’t figured out how to make everything work yet but that doesn’t mean I’m actually still a kid. I’ll figure it out. In “reckless curiosity” or whatever.
…like you’re one to talk. You don’t trust people very much either, you know. I’m trying to get better about it at least. I don’t care if that’s a sarcastic bravo, I’m taking it.
I don’t know, that’s something you’d have to ask him. And you’re not GOING to, got it? Just…leave it alone. What’s done is done. So what are you saying, that there’s literally nothing we could have done? There had to have been something to lessen the damage, especially since it wasn’t just her that was effected. We need to learn more about these people. That’s my next goal even though everybody told me to back down. I’m not letting them do this alone.
I take most things he says with a grain of salt these days. I know better.
And that’s why I’m not a good friend. I know better, or I think I do. I make things worse for people. I agitate them and make them worry about me instead of focusing on the big issues and even if I stick with people through good and bad there are probably cases I should back off and I don’t because I’m stubborn. I don’t know if it’s true but…I don’t know. Haven’t you ever had times where you wonder if people actually like you or if you’re just an obligation to them?
…well in your case, wouldn’t killing yourself destroy the city anyway? How would that save it? But if it was the only option…maybe. You’d be doing what was right, wouldn’t you?
…just stop talking. The last thing I need to do is imagine you as a magical girl or a senshii or anything.
PS: …ah. I don’t know a lot about her, but…I can see what I can find out. Okay?
You're 16, Hiro. In-between child and adult, yes, but you've been leaning more to child than adult. You wish to prove your maturity, but by doing so you prove your immaturity.
I trust others in the way that matters most. It's simply a matter of work to gain more than that simple courtesy.
I'm not going to talk to him about it unless it gets brought up, I assure you. You only say that there "might have been a way" only now that the thing has happened. It was an infiltration mission, Hiro, and one that was pulled off nearly seamlessly. They're professionals and unless you had an inside man to feed you information on their moves, then I'm sad to say that there was absolutely nothing more you could've done for her. All anyone else could have done was join in almost getting themselves killed, if not actually dying. I'm keeping my own wits about me to see if I can dig up anything more about these people. They've yet to attack our side, but that may only be because yours is a much easier target.
[This next bit is the reason for Joshua's slight delay. He's reminded of when he'd been younger and having that same question directed to everyone around him, even Sanae and his own parents. Yet, he'd been so desperate for a friend that believed he wasn't just seeing things and could help him understand what was going on...he just didn't have room for those doubts after a while.
And now, after a year away from people he knows closely? Now that he can only reflect on his past whenever he thinks about them? Joshua does wonder if perhaps his friendship with Sanae has been becoming more of an obligation on his side. He has doubts and fears, but he doesn't want to give life to those thoughts. It'll hurt too much to have them confirmed, to know for sure that his closest friend had been the one who wanted him dead.
It's only after he's able to combat these thoughts and feelings that he puts pen to paper again.]
I saw things that most people didn't see when I was alive. Of course I had those doubts when I was younger. They got dispelled as I grew older and still retained a close friendship with the one person who saw what I did and knew what it meant. The bonds we have are constantly tested by time and circumstance. You'll never truly know their thoughts even if you were a telepath.
Is it right to destroy a whole district's way of life even if it meant saving Tokyo from being poisoned?
Don't knock it 'til you try it. The girls' uniforms usually had better protective abilities than the boys' in my world.
PS: Much appreciated. I can do the same on my end.
[Not even going to correct you, J. Thank you for making him feel older than he is.]
Okay then ye old wise one, how do I prove my maturity without being immature?
And what way is that anyway? Isn’t there really only one real way to trust somebody?
What else do you know about this, Joshua? What else do you know about how they executed this and planned everything? Our side isn’t the easier target, we just have stronger people to knock out. There’s a difference.
Anything you find out, you’ve gotta let me know. We need to be working together on this case. I need to report back to our people and make sure we’re all protected.
…I remember you told me about this, sort of. What if those doubts never go away though? What do you do then? What if those bonds fail the test? Maybe you don’t have those answers and that’s okay, but…it’s something I’m thinking about a lot. Maybe I should ask the monarchs to gift me with telepathy so I stand a chance of understanding people anyway.
Dunno. Is it right to let the Void destroy this world and all of our worlds if it means a chance of new life? Think about it.
Yet another thing that you have to find out for yourself. Just don't be so impatient to be treated as an adult before you're truly ready for it.
I believe I spoke of it in our conversation in April. There are different ways you can trust a person, and my trust does not always mean my friendship. However you trust someone, it's as real as any other emotion associated with them.
Only what everyone else knows about it. Shard magic was used and that it was a certain Cult's doing. I assume infiltration based on how she'd reacted and in the fact that she's well guarded. How could it not be infiltration? Based on the fact that these people can look like anyone they come into contact with, I would guess that her attacker was planted in the heart of her defenses without anyone even lifting an eyebrow in suspicion.
Also, you're mistaken on that front. Your side is the weakest because of one very, very important element that chaos is so fond of. Your freedom. You work in independent groups. You thrive off of being independent and doing your own thing. Backstabbing is more generally accepted and understood. Not to mention the fact that it's so very easy to take what your court stands for and twist it into something that can invoke the wrath of the other court as well as everyone else. My court has been working as a solid team and encouraged to do so. Think tactically: would you target the side that works as a single unit or the one that's already divided?
I'm in agreement on this. The Cult is a problem to all of us, not just Shardbearers.
Then I would re-evaluate why you're in such a relationship. Doubt can be a healthy thing in small doses, but constant doubt is a warning sign. It means you don't fully trust that person, and you'll need to figure out the heart of why that is so. If those bonds fail the test, then make new ones. Not all friendships last forever. Sometimes, friends drift apart and never speak to each other again. But people always find a way to forge new bonds, sometimes stronger than what they used to have.
Even with telepathy, you'll never understand them. You'll never understand why they think that way or the true context of those thoughts. It's simply because you never experienced what they did or you experienced the same thing in a different way.
I don't need to. I know what I would do. Even I know that my judgment can be flawed, and so I give chances to have my mind changed.
[...He's never really been thanked before and he doesn't actually know how to respond to it. Perhaps Joshua's getting too close, too tied to this kid.]
I have this feeling that the face you'd make if you told me this in person would be priceless.
Being a kid in this war makes me a liability for everybody else here. I don’t want that anymore. I just want to make things right, whatever that really means.
I know you did but that doesn’t mean I understand it any better now than I did then. How can you trust somebody without giving them your friendship? Isn’t that sort of an important part of it? I don’t think I could trust people I don’t consider a friend, even if it’s only a little bit of trust. Do you trust your enemies then? Have you ever done that?
…goes back to not being able to trust people that aren’t our friends. Infiltration only happened because we still let our guard down just a little bit. We’re taking precautions now to make sure this isn’t gonna happen ever again. Ways to make sure we can tell who’s who.
And our freedom isn’t destroying us.
[And yet he has a conversation with Jason that’s very similar to this later. Imagine that.]
The people I care about work as a team and we don’t isolate ourselves. And you know what? Just because your court’s working as a solid team doesn’t mean that you guys are any safer than we are. Didn’t your king just get killed? This isn’t about backstabbing or weak points. We’re ALL targets now. The problem is we can’t figure out what the pattern is yet and who’s really undermining who.
But until people start focusing on the Cult instead, we’re gonna get nowhere.
…that would mean probably re-evaluating my relationships with every single person I know. Maybe I’m scared of what I’ll find out. Who knows? I was just curious, it’s not a big deal. There a joke in here about atoms and covalent bonds, but I’m going to skip it and save what’s left of my reputation with you.
Like I said, at least I’d stand a chance though. That’s better than not arming myself at all, don’t you think?
…you’re better than some then. I’m gonna take that as a challenge to try and change your mind then. It’ll be fun, give me something to do. Knowing you, you won’t make it easy anyway.
You’re hilarious. Forget it. Just…keep all of that in mind. For whatever.
Take small steps instead of large leaps. I know patience doesn't come easily to you, but it's necessary.
Not really. You can be friends with someone but not trust them. Just as you can trust someone without being their friend. As for my enemies, the trust gets taken away if they'd earned it and not given at all if they're my enemy from the start.
It'll happen again. Until we have ways to defend ourselves against that kind of attack, even the best precautions can be cracked given time. However, it's something to help, and I can't deny that. I just want you aware that it's not going to be 100% effective for the long run.
Hiro, Hiro, I'm not saying that your freedom, your individuality, or your side as a whole is bad or wrong for doing what they do best. Don't get so defensive and start looking at it tactically. Your side is divided into tight-knit groups. Sure, you may come together for a common cause, but when that's all said and done? You'll go right back to your own little world within your groups. When you plan an attack, you go for the fort that's easier to isolate and sabotage.
Here's another thing to think about: that little attack your side led with the Dullahan? I would bet quite a bit of gold on the probability of the Cult having spies there to observe the fight. Analyzing the weaknesses of my side's defenses as well as how your side works in a fight. The results of that battle will likely have a great deal of bearing on their next target.
Be afraid, then. I'm sure it's just a passing thought to you. After all, why else would you bring it up with me?
Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.
Somehow, I don't think you have a clue of what you're talking about. ♥ My mind was made up and then changed. Right now, I still haven't made up my mind. There's too little information for me to make an informed and fair decision.
Yeah, I’ve heard. I’m working on it though…promise.
That doesn’t sound like a very healthy friendship dude. Actually neither of those sound very healthy for anybody and I stand by they’re mutually exclusive.
What ways, Joshua? What ways can we really build to defend ourselves against this kind of thing? Answer that and then I’ll agree with you. With the way you make it sound NOTHING is going to be 100% effective for the long run.
…sorry, I guess. Things are just getting out of control again. I still don’t see why we can’t keep our tight-knit groups when we usually band together for the greater cause at the end of the day. Isn’t that the more important part? Have people constantly working on different goals to mindmeld later?
You really think so huh? That…wouldn’t surprise me, considering how easily they can blend in among us. What do you think it means then? Who’s next? If they pinpoint all of the weaknesses of the Seelie court it makes sense for it to be you guys, unless they’re stupid enough to attack us again while we’re reorganizing.
…we’re doomed if we don’t do something, aren’t we.
I’m never gonna be a telepath and you know it. Quit messing around. [He sure did just bypass the fact that he’s scared of anything.]
I know what I’m talking about enough to keep me alive still. Isn’t that the important part? Think about it.
Speaking of keeping myself alive…in the interest of keeping BOTH of us alive we should probably cut this short. Contact me if anything else comes up.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
6/10, rune-sealed letter
You'll find out. What you lack in finesse you make up for in reckless curiosity.
I also note that you don't put as much trust into people. I believe not thinking about the world turning against you is a healthy reaction, for once. Bravo.
Hard not to miss the excitement on your end. Let me be frank: if he'd been able to see into the future and know that she would have been attacked, would he have gone after you or would he have let you make your mistakes and stayed with her? Also, because she's so high up in the political and social ladder, would she not have guards stationed everywhere paid to keep her safe? Did he know that they had power like that? If he'd known it would happen, then wouldn't he have suffered the same fate? We have no idea how many people they can effect all at once. We know that it's at least four. What if these people have the power to control hundreds?
However, he was also in crisis, so whatever he snapped at you should be taken with a grain of salt.
Then tell me how you're not a good friend since you do tend to stick to people through good and bad, even if you can't physically do so?
Let me ask you this: if I decided that the only way to save a whole city was to kill myself, then is that considered heroic of me when you take into consideration my true nature?
Also, unless it's a magical girl outfit, then I want nothing to do with it. That would look better on me than tights.
PS: I'm pretty sure neither of them are the one I'm thinking of. I rather doubt that they'd have any paternal relation to what I would call a kitsune, and not of the zenko or benevolent sort, either. I would say he was more of the yako classification.
6/10, rune-sealed letter
…like you’re one to talk. You don’t trust people very much either, you know. I’m trying to get better about it at least. I don’t care if that’s a sarcastic bravo, I’m taking it.
I don’t know, that’s something you’d have to ask him. And you’re not GOING to, got it? Just…leave it alone. What’s done is done. So what are you saying, that there’s literally nothing we could have done? There had to have been something to lessen the damage, especially since it wasn’t just her that was effected. We need to learn more about these people. That’s my next goal even though everybody told me to back down. I’m not letting them do this alone.
I take most things he says with a grain of salt these days. I know better.
And that’s why I’m not a good friend. I know better, or I think I do. I make things worse for people. I agitate them and make them worry about me instead of focusing on the big issues and even if I stick with people through good and bad there are probably cases I should back off and I don’t because I’m stubborn. I don’t know if it’s true but…I don’t know. Haven’t you ever had times where you wonder if people actually like you or if you’re just an obligation to them?
…well in your case, wouldn’t killing yourself destroy the city anyway? How would that save it? But if it was the only option…maybe. You’d be doing what was right, wouldn’t you?
…just stop talking. The last thing I need to do is imagine you as a magical girl or a senshii or anything.
PS: …ah. I don’t know a lot about her, but…I can see what I can find out. Okay?
6/10, rune-sealed letter
I trust others in the way that matters most. It's simply a matter of work to gain more than that simple courtesy.
I'm not going to talk to him about it unless it gets brought up, I assure you. You only say that there "might have been a way" only now that the thing has happened. It was an infiltration mission, Hiro, and one that was pulled off nearly seamlessly. They're professionals and unless you had an inside man to feed you information on their moves, then I'm sad to say that there was absolutely nothing more you could've done for her. All anyone else could have done was join in almost getting themselves killed, if not actually dying. I'm keeping my own wits about me to see if I can dig up anything more about these people. They've yet to attack our side, but that may only be because yours is a much easier target.
[This next bit is the reason for Joshua's slight delay. He's reminded of when he'd been younger and having that same question directed to everyone around him, even Sanae and his own parents. Yet, he'd been so desperate for a friend that believed he wasn't just seeing things and could help him understand what was going on...he just didn't have room for those doubts after a while.
And now, after a year away from people he knows closely? Now that he can only reflect on his past whenever he thinks about them? Joshua does wonder if perhaps his friendship with Sanae has been becoming more of an obligation on his side. He has doubts and fears, but he doesn't want to give life to those thoughts. It'll hurt too much to have them confirmed, to know for sure that his closest friend had been the one who wanted him dead.
It's only after he's able to combat these thoughts and feelings that he puts pen to paper again.]
I saw things that most people didn't see when I was alive. Of course I had those doubts when I was younger. They got dispelled as I grew older and still retained a close friendship with the one person who saw what I did and knew what it meant. The bonds we have are constantly tested by time and circumstance. You'll never truly know their thoughts even if you were a telepath.
Is it right to destroy a whole district's way of life even if it meant saving Tokyo from being poisoned?
Don't knock it 'til you try it. The girls' uniforms usually had better protective abilities than the boys' in my world.
PS: Much appreciated. I can do the same on my end.
6/10, rune-sealed letter
Okay then ye old wise one, how do I prove my maturity without being immature?
And what way is that anyway? Isn’t there really only one real way to trust somebody?
What else do you know about this, Joshua? What else do you know about how they executed this and planned everything? Our side isn’t the easier target, we just have stronger people to knock out. There’s a difference.
Anything you find out, you’ve gotta let me know. We need to be working together on this case. I need to report back to our people and make sure we’re all protected.
…I remember you told me about this, sort of. What if those doubts never go away though? What do you do then? What if those bonds fail the test? Maybe you don’t have those answers and that’s okay, but…it’s something I’m thinking about a lot. Maybe I should ask the monarchs to gift me with telepathy so I stand a chance of understanding people anyway.
Dunno. Is it right to let the Void destroy this world and all of our worlds if it means a chance of new life? Think about it.
...thank you for everything though. I mean it.
PS: I AM NEVER WEARING A GIRLS' UNIFORM.
6/10, rune-sealed letter
I believe I spoke of it in our conversation in April. There are different ways you can trust a person, and my trust does not always mean my friendship. However you trust someone, it's as real as any other emotion associated with them.
Only what everyone else knows about it. Shard magic was used and that it was a certain Cult's doing. I assume infiltration based on how she'd reacted and in the fact that she's well guarded. How could it not be infiltration? Based on the fact that these people can look like anyone they come into contact with, I would guess that her attacker was planted in the heart of her defenses without anyone even lifting an eyebrow in suspicion.
Also, you're mistaken on that front. Your side is the weakest because of one very, very important element that chaos is so fond of. Your freedom. You work in independent groups. You thrive off of being independent and doing your own thing. Backstabbing is more generally accepted and understood. Not to mention the fact that it's so very easy to take what your court stands for and twist it into something that can invoke the wrath of the other court as well as everyone else. My court has been working as a solid team and encouraged to do so. Think tactically: would you target the side that works as a single unit or the one that's already divided?
I'm in agreement on this. The Cult is a problem to all of us, not just Shardbearers.
Then I would re-evaluate why you're in such a relationship. Doubt can be a healthy thing in small doses, but constant doubt is a warning sign. It means you don't fully trust that person, and you'll need to figure out the heart of why that is so. If those bonds fail the test, then make new ones. Not all friendships last forever. Sometimes, friends drift apart and never speak to each other again. But people always find a way to forge new bonds, sometimes stronger than what they used to have.
Even with telepathy, you'll never understand them. You'll never understand why they think that way or the true context of those thoughts. It's simply because you never experienced what they did or you experienced the same thing in a different way.
I don't need to. I know what I would do. Even I know that my judgment can be flawed, and so I give chances to have my mind changed.
[...He's never really been thanked before and he doesn't actually know how to respond to it. Perhaps Joshua's getting too close, too tied to this kid.]
I have this feeling that the face you'd make if you told me this in person would be priceless.
[Hey, Neku logic has been working so far.]
6/10, rune-sealed letter
I know you did but that doesn’t mean I understand it any better now than I did then. How can you trust somebody without giving them your friendship? Isn’t that sort of an important part of it? I don’t think I could trust people I don’t consider a friend, even if it’s only a little bit of trust. Do you trust your enemies then? Have you ever done that?
…goes back to not being able to trust people that aren’t our friends. Infiltration only happened because we still let our guard down just a little bit. We’re taking precautions now to make sure this isn’t gonna happen ever again. Ways to make sure we can tell who’s who.
And our freedom isn’t destroying us.
[And yet he has a conversation with Jason that’s very similar to this later. Imagine that.]
The people I care about work as a team and we don’t isolate ourselves. And you know what? Just because your court’s working as a solid team doesn’t mean that you guys are any safer than we are. Didn’t your king just get killed? This isn’t about backstabbing or weak points. We’re ALL targets now. The problem is we can’t figure out what the pattern is yet and who’s really undermining who.
But until people start focusing on the Cult instead, we’re gonna get nowhere.
…that would mean probably re-evaluating my relationships with every single person I know. Maybe I’m scared of what I’ll find out. Who knows? I was just curious, it’s not a big deal. There a joke in here about atoms and covalent bonds, but I’m going to skip it and save what’s left of my reputation with you.
Like I said, at least I’d stand a chance though. That’s better than not arming myself at all, don’t you think?
…you’re better than some then. I’m gonna take that as a challenge to try and change your mind then. It’ll be fun, give me something to do. Knowing you, you won’t make it easy anyway.
You’re hilarious. Forget it. Just…keep all of that in mind. For whatever.
6/10, rune-sealed letter
Not really. You can be friends with someone but not trust them. Just as you can trust someone without being their friend. As for my enemies, the trust gets taken away if they'd earned it and not given at all if they're my enemy from the start.
It'll happen again. Until we have ways to defend ourselves against that kind of attack, even the best precautions can be cracked given time. However, it's something to help, and I can't deny that. I just want you aware that it's not going to be 100% effective for the long run.
Hiro, Hiro, I'm not saying that your freedom, your individuality, or your side as a whole is bad or wrong for doing what they do best. Don't get so defensive and start looking at it tactically. Your side is divided into tight-knit groups. Sure, you may come together for a common cause, but when that's all said and done? You'll go right back to your own little world within your groups. When you plan an attack, you go for the fort that's easier to isolate and sabotage.
Here's another thing to think about: that little attack your side led with the Dullahan? I would bet quite a bit of gold on the probability of the Cult having spies there to observe the fight. Analyzing the weaknesses of my side's defenses as well as how your side works in a fight. The results of that battle will likely have a great deal of bearing on their next target.
Be afraid, then. I'm sure it's just a passing thought to you. After all, why else would you bring it up with me?
Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.
Somehow, I don't think you have a clue of what you're talking about. ♥ My mind was made up and then changed. Right now, I still haven't made up my mind. There's too little information for me to make an informed and fair decision.
6/10, rune-sealed letter
That doesn’t sound like a very healthy friendship dude. Actually neither of those sound very healthy for anybody and I stand by they’re mutually exclusive.
What ways, Joshua? What ways can we really build to defend ourselves against this kind of thing? Answer that and then I’ll agree with you. With the way you make it sound NOTHING is going to be 100% effective for the long run.
…sorry, I guess. Things are just getting out of control again. I still don’t see why we can’t keep our tight-knit groups when we usually band together for the greater cause at the end of the day. Isn’t that the more important part? Have people constantly working on different goals to mindmeld later?
You really think so huh? That…wouldn’t surprise me, considering how easily they can blend in among us. What do you think it means then? Who’s next? If they pinpoint all of the weaknesses of the Seelie court it makes sense for it to be you guys, unless they’re stupid enough to attack us again while we’re reorganizing.
…we’re doomed if we don’t do something, aren’t we.
I’m never gonna be a telepath and you know it. Quit messing around. [He sure did just bypass the fact that he’s scared of anything.]
I know what I’m talking about enough to keep me alive still. Isn’t that the important part? Think about it.
Speaking of keeping myself alive…in the interest of keeping BOTH of us alive we should probably cut this short. Contact me if anything else comes up.
And stop sending me hearts.