with knowledge comes great responsibility

[anythingforyou]

[What an absolute ordeal all of that was.

Today was certainly one hell of a day, that's for sure; they've managed to take care of another Guardian and gain it's trust (or at the very least, something resembling it), they managed to find Candice and manage to...well, maybe not get her back in a state that's altogether wanted, but ensure they managed to get her at least into a place where she could possibly regain herself. It will likely be a process, as such things are, but they've done their best, and they should have no regrets.

The center is definitely going to be a welcome reprieve for all of their suffering, at the very least. The Kompot is certainly more than enough to likely get everyone warmed back up and in a stable condition, along with the copious amount of blankets the locals have provided. They've got the time to rest and get ready for their next adventure.

Rest well, ye merry band of travelers. You've earned it.]

Comments

[heritrix]

It's incorrect.

[She can't help but think Shirou would be better able to emphasize with Sena if he were here. Saber, too. This isn't the kind of subject she's given much consideration to, before...

Rin looks away again, back across the Pokemon Center. There are memories that don't belong to her playing in her heart, and in that space, she imagines her pulse sounds like the gears of a ticking clock.]

It's incorrect... But it probably isn't wrong.

[There's a difference.]

It depends on how much you let it weigh on you. If you're not careful, you'll be stuck, and those feelings could swallow you up like quicksand.

If you feel disturbed after seeing the things we did today, though, that just proves how human you are. And that's important. When people get older, sometimes they lose sight of that. It's easy to see so many horrible things that you become jaded and numb.

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

[Sena flinches at the blunt answer. He hadn't expected Rin to answer so harshly, and his expression turns hesitant even when she continues to speak.]

It's wrong, but it's...not wrong...?

[He doesn't get it. He really doesn't get it.]

Getting stuck, though...that's something I'm not very good at, I think.

[If he was the type to get stuck so easily, he wouldn't constantly be getting faster, would he? He wouldn't be learning more, pushing forward. That's not the type of person he is.]

[heritrix]

[She hears him flinch back there, and—Ah, did she make him uncomfortable?

She didn't mean to, but even though she was trying to be reassuring, Rin can't say she's surprised. Her personality is like that; she knows she's too blunt for her own good sometimes.]

Then you shouldn't worry about it.

[Trying to correct her earlier blunder, Rin gives Sena a gentle smile.]

You have a soft heart, Sena. I'm saying that's a good quality. It's okay to both want to move on, yet not forget.

So long as you don't burden yourself with every "what if" or give in to despair, you can keep going. It's not even "moving on", because you aren't accepting anything that happened today. You're just making it your drive to try harder, instead.

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

If...you say so...

[A soft heart? Saying it like that, that makes him feel a little weak, actually. Soft hearts aren't a thing you're supposed to have in football. (But isn't Deimon full of them? As much as Hiruma and the Ha Ha Brothers and everyone else wants to say otherwise?)]

That...doesn't sound wrong, no...I mean, that's what I figured I should do, I think...I just hadn't thought of it like that.

[He'd called it "moving on." But it's carrying them as motivation, right?]

[heritrix]

[That's exactly what she's going for! But she can't tell he's realized that, or is receiving it positively in the case he has.]

I'm not helping much, am I?

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

Uhm.

[Noncommittal answer. He's not entirely sure yet.]

I'm not sure if you can really get help for this kinda thing.

1/2

[heritrix]

Yeah... [Humming, she laces her fingers together.] It's heavy. The best I can do is shift the load.

[heritrix]

[Okay, deep breath. Breathing in from the nose and out through the mouth, she pinches the skin of her knuckles.]

Sorry. There'll be no more unnecessary interruptions, I promise.

[If he wants to go on.]

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

[This time, Sena really does shake his head.]

It's not...unnecessary. Helps.

[The smile he gives is small and pained, but genuine.]

I can gather my thoughts a little, when we're talking...