ღ you know i'll take you to another world

[anythingforyou]

[...Well, if nothing else, this trip to Giratina's World has been enlightening if nothing else. Even if everybody just kind of found out nothing that they really wanted to find out, nobody had to die tonight, and frankly, that was enough.

This has to be one of the oddest places to do their usual 'after near death experience' parties, to say the least, but food is generally one of the better cures for such a thing and will be seen to, one way or another. Even in this weird, weird world.

Rest easy, everyone. Even in...quite possibly the most uneasy place known to man.]

Comments

[eudaimonikos]

Well, it sure seems like other people are. I could've just faked it, but that actually does seem weird.

[And anyway, people here know him too well now. Michael grumbles, still a little sulky, and looks sideways at Jake.]

How about you? You were quiet during all that.

[bloodspent]

[He shrugs.]

I didn't really feel like telling everyone they're fucking stupid for being shocked over bad shit happening to kids. I wasn't all that much older than Dawn when I became a mercenary. People do what they have to do to keep themselves alive. I don't know what fucking fantasy they're living in where shit like that doesn't happen.

[eudaimonikos]

You know, I'm not even sure that they are living there. I mean, Ignis isn't someone to talk about children taking on too much responsibility, and Camilla...well, I don't know, but she's royalty. That all starts young.

[Man, does he actually know anybody who had a safe and happy childhood?]

Obviously you're right. Human children die all the time. Doesn't make it okay, but it happens. Maybe the single combat with a banished deity thing was overkill...?

[bloodspent]

If kids are already in that situation, no one really gives a shit if it's okay. The only time people give a shit if it's okay is if the kid's already dead, nobody gives a fuck while it's happening.

If she'd lived, no one would have cared. I can guarantee that.

[This...he's starting to sound agitated, just give him a moment.]

[eudaimonikos]

...sorry. I'm just trying not to sound demon-y about it.

["Children dying is bad" hasn't always been a given for him.]

Do you really think so? People care about Lucas, he's a live kid.

[bloodspent]

[He's quiet for a moment, just...kind of turning that over in his head.]

...I fight a lot for little kids nowadays. They give me food or show me someplace to sleep for a couple of days, I go fight for them so they don't have to. So I'm coming in off of dealing with little kids hiring a fucking mercenary because no one else gives enough of a shit to protect 'em, and my perspective's going to be a little biased.

[eudaimonikos]

Boy, you have some really low rates.

[Is that inappropriate to joke about? OH WELL]

No, that makes sense. Lucas was the first human child I've ever really interacted with, so I don't have much context for it one way or another. I think I'd call it experience, more than bias.

[Michael goes quiet for a moment, chewing over his response.]

I do think this group would have still cared, if we met Dawn when she was alive. But I don't really think you're wrong. I know you aren't, we generally keep pretty up-to-date on shitty things humans do to each other...she would have been right in front of us, though. Maybe fighting a god or something. That's hard to ignore. Not like the knowledge that children somewhere else probably have it rough.

[So, if you carry that out...] Is it wrong of them here, to send children out on their own at that age?

[bloodspent]

[...Mm.]

Most people would probably say it is, yeah. I don't know if it is or not, though, because apparently that's just how they do things?

[He shrugs.]

I get that it's one of those things that we're not gonna agree on. It's just kind of weird listening to everyone trying to have some sort of moral advantage about it.

[eudaimonikos]

Just because it's how things are done doesn't mean it should stay that way forever. I think people put too much value on tradition.

[But he doesn't have many strong feelings on this particular one himself, so.]

Well, it might not happen much more. We've met Giratina now, and seen Cynthia again...there's no point in yelling at Cyrus about it more. There's so many other things to yell about there.

[bloodspent]

Assuming he doesn't do that fucking...thing again, yeah. He's got a goddamn talent for making sure that we only yell at him about what he wants us to yell about.

[eudaimonikos]

He does, doesn't he? And the thing about Dawn clearly bothered him, too...

[Does that mean it's something they should hit? His instincts are telling him yes, but his instincts are all geared towards hurting people.]

No. We should yell at him about his tragic backstory, that seems to be effective around here.

[bloodspent]

My thoughts exactly. He hates having that shit brought up, from the look of it, and there's more than enough to pick at.

[eudaimonikos]

Shame we couldn't have found Volkner. You think they're related, or he just gave him a few swirlies as a kid?

[Shrug]

Doesn't matter with their memories wiped anyway. But I'd have liked to have a little more potential ammo.