[He falls quiet, then, watching Kashuu a little longer. He opens his mouth--maybe to voice a thought, or maybe to ask a question--but after a minute, he closes it again and shakes his head a little.]
[He waits quietly for the question or thought that never comes, and when it doesn't, he gives Yasusada's hand a little squeeze, casting an inquisitive look. Don't leave him on read...]
--I dunno. It could be. It could be something else in the prism with us. There're still a lot of unknowns.
[Whatever's on his mind, it seems he's decided now isn't the time, or that it isn't that important--he just shakes his head again.]
Yeah. [A quiet cough, since he really talked more than he should've, today. I assume look idk science. He will keep doing it though!!] I think... there might be something else, too. I know the residents said the prism doesn't really have a will, but... it seems weird that it would do all of that to those two, and then make us figure it out.
[It doesn't make sense, but it doesn't make sense in a logical way, so... maybe he's overthinking it.]
[Punk... He won't pursue it, though, just assuming Yasusada will mention it whenever he feels he should.]
Yeah... It's like I said yesterday. It wouldn't really be hard for something else to hide in here with us. If the prism really isn't malicious and just responds to us, but the people here - like us and the residents - can tap into it and use its power, then it might be being used by something that is malicious.
[But who or what that is? He sure as hell has no idea.]
[Ugh... confusing. Their regular missions are hard in their own way, but at least they generally know exactly who their enemy is, and what they have to do to carry out their tasks.]
There's too many places we can't get to on our own. Anything could be hiding there.
[Where's Horikawa when you need him...
He nods, though.]
I'll get back in that machine later. [He wanted to let the squishy humans and almost-humans go first, since he's mostly okay anyway.]
[WHERE'S HORIKAWA!! BINCH IS OFF MURDERING THEIR AUDIENCE PROBABLY, damn. Kashuu will reach out though, ruffling Yasusada's hair with his free non-piggy hand.]
Good. We're gonna need to be in decent condition, moving forward.
[Since they have so many squishies to protect... Not at all because Kashuu's worried about Yasusada and also still feels kind of guilty for being involved in any sort of way in what brought him to this state in the first place!!]
For now... I think it's probably best just to try preparing for whatever might happen tomorrow.
[HAIR RUFFLES... Yasusada bats his hand away with his own free hand, but it makes him smile anyway. Stupid.]
Yeah. Don't worry, I want to be repaired. [There's no reason for him not to--he's just being polite. And if it means a little more time spent with Kashuu, well, that's just an added bonus. It's not at all because he's reluctant to be away from him for hours and hours right now.]
I wonder if Buzen asked to be his second? He liked Ryunosuke. [Buzen likes everyone, but they were roomies, after all. And Buzen seems like that kind of sword, anyway.]
[PUNK!!! He whacks at Yasusada's hand that batted at his, because he is stupid, but no whappy paws today...]
I know, I know. [He's not worried that Yasusada's going to slack off when it comes to self-maintenance especially if this is going to be the situation they're dealing with, after all.
He gives the question a second of consideration, though.]
He might've, yeah. I dunno how much he talked to Kazuma, but... I mean, we don't really have to talk to a guy like that often to get a feeling for how he is.
[He notices, and he doesn't say anything about it, simply moving a step to stand closer to Yasusada.]
...Yeah, it has.
[At least Okita hadn't been under the delusion at the time that he'd been putting down a mad dog. At least he'd been in full possession of his own faculties, even if having to do the deed had been an awful thing for him.]
Those last moments... I wonder what they were like, for both of them.
[I can't believe google really said "yams doesn't get to be at Yamanami's execution
He's quiet, but the look on his face is easily recognizable. It's the same one he always gets, when he's caught up in thinking about the past.
Had Okita struggled, the way he had at Ikedaya? Had Okita been tempted to abandon his mission, too? If anything had been different, would he have chosen love over duty?
Eventually--]
Shale-san said, earlier this week, that they're worried that trying to get home will hurt people. [That was before the whole mess with Kazuma and Ryunosuke, but it's hard not to think of it now.] They said... if things keep destabilizing, we should try giving acceptance a chance. That not everyone completes their mission.
[...]
Of course I said no, and I don't think they're right, but--what are we going to do if they are?
[If they really are trapped here, forced to choose between acceptance or death. Not everyone completes their mission isn't something he can abide by on principle, and that's the sort of choice they have to make every time they go to battle anyway--but what about the humans? The civilians?]
["Not everyone completes their mission" is something he clearly can't tolerate, either... But of course, things are messy, here. It's not just about the two of them and Buzen who, he's certain, would rather die than accept a failed mission that meant they would forever be apart from the rest of their citadel. He knows he would personally, at least.
He's quiet for a second then, thinking that over. What are they going to do if they're right?]
...The humans here won't outlive us. Most of the others probably won't, either.
[It sounds like the residents have been here for some time, but he doesn't think of any of them as being particularly human, so... Surely, the clock will run down eventually here, as it does everywhere else, right?]
If they choose to accept, then we can wait.
[It sounds harsh, but... well. They do have much, much more time. They can afford to wait, to let the humans who choose life live out their time, and to then try again once they've died.]
But... I don't think-- [Hm.] ...I think we might've missed the window for that.
[It's harsh, perhaps, but it's not untrue. It isn't as though he wants the people here to die--far from it. But it's an undeniable fact of humanity, one that they're innately aware of from the moment they're brought to consciousness. Sooner or later, humans die. Nothing can change that.
He sighs.]
I think you're right. [You can't undo blood that's already been spilled. They know, all too well, that there's usually no going back from there.]
That seems like a bit of a distant problem for the time being, though. Right now, he's less concerned about figuring out how to get home and more concerned about figuring out how to not get everyone picked off one-by-one by either an out of balance world, or some malicious entity hiding therein.]
...For now, let's just focus on figuring out whatever the hell escalated things to this point. I really don't think it's the prism just responding to us.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
I just did. He's still saying Ryunosuke wasn't right, but... he said he lost control, too.
no subject
Could be that Kazuma's still not entirely in his right mind, but... [Well.] ...It definitely wouldn't be a surprise if both of 'em got messed with.
[Which he sure hates the idea of!]
no subject
[He falls quiet, then, watching Kashuu a little longer. He opens his mouth--maybe to voice a thought, or maybe to ask a question--but after a minute, he closes it again and shakes his head a little.]
Do you think it was the prism? All of this?
no subject
--I dunno. It could be. It could be something else in the prism with us. There're still a lot of unknowns.
no subject
Yeah. [A quiet cough, since he really talked more than he should've, today. I assume look idk science. He will keep doing it though!!] I think... there might be something else, too. I know the residents said the prism doesn't really have a will, but... it seems weird that it would do all of that to those two, and then make us figure it out.
[It doesn't make sense, but it doesn't make sense in a logical way, so... maybe he's overthinking it.]
no subject
Yeah... It's like I said yesterday. It wouldn't really be hard for something else to hide in here with us. If the prism really isn't malicious and just responds to us, but the people here - like us and the residents - can tap into it and use its power, then it might be being used by something that is malicious.
[But who or what that is? He sure as hell has no idea.]
--You should rest your voice, too.
no subject
There's too many places we can't get to on our own. Anything could be hiding there.
[Where's Horikawa when you need him...
He nods, though.]
I'll get back in that machine later. [He wanted to let the squishy humans and almost-humans go first, since he's mostly okay anyway.]
no subject
Good. We're gonna need to be in decent condition, moving forward.
[Since they have so many squishies to protect... Not at all because Kashuu's worried about Yasusada and also still feels kind of guilty for being involved in any sort of way in what brought him to this state in the first place!!]
For now... I think it's probably best just to try preparing for whatever might happen tomorrow.
no subject
Yeah. Don't worry, I want to be repaired. [There's no reason for him not to--he's just being polite. And if it means a little more time spent with Kashuu, well, that's just an added bonus. It's not at all because he's reluctant to be away from him for hours and hours right now.]
I wonder if Buzen asked to be his second? He liked Ryunosuke. [Buzen likes everyone, but they were roomies, after all. And Buzen seems like that kind of sword, anyway.]
no subject
I know, I know. [He's not worried that Yasusada's going to slack off when it comes to self-maintenance especially if this is going to be the situation they're dealing with, after all.
He gives the question a second of consideration, though.]
He might've, yeah. I dunno how much he talked to Kazuma, but... I mean, we don't really have to talk to a guy like that often to get a feeling for how he is.
[Swords just know Sword Guys.]
no subject
Yeah. I only talked to him a little bit before, but he really loves his sword.
[Sword Guys... there are arguably too many sword guys in this game, these bozos get away with too dang much.]
no subject
They really fucking do though oh my god it's absolutely hilarious. He just kind of sighs... But they're of course of the same mind, here.]
Yeah. A guy like that... Even if he doesn't have a lot of nice things to say about himself, he's gotta have a good heart, y'know?
[The sword bias.]
no subject
Mm. [...His grip on Kashuu's hand tightens; Yasusada doesn't seem to notice he's done it.] It's... been a long time, since we saw something like this.
[A human having to execute their beloved friend.
He wonders if Okita thought of Yamanami, at the end.]
no subject
...Yeah, it has.
[At least Okita hadn't been under the delusion at the time that he'd been putting down a mad dog. At least he'd been in full possession of his own faculties, even if having to do the deed had been an awful thing for him.]
Those last moments... I wonder what they were like, for both of them.
no subject
He's quiet, but the look on his face is easily recognizable. It's the same one he always gets, when he's caught up in thinking about the past.
Had Okita struggled, the way he had at Ikedaya? Had Okita been tempted to abandon his mission, too? If anything had been different, would he have chosen love over duty?
Eventually--]
Shale-san said, earlier this week, that they're worried that trying to get home will hurt people. [That was before the whole mess with Kazuma and Ryunosuke, but it's hard not to think of it now.] They said... if things keep destabilizing, we should try giving acceptance a chance. That not everyone completes their mission.
[...]
Of course I said no, and I don't think they're right, but--what are we going to do if they are?
[If they really are trapped here, forced to choose between acceptance or death. Not everyone completes their mission isn't something he can abide by on principle, and that's the sort of choice they have to make every time they go to battle anyway--but what about the humans? The civilians?]
no subject
He's quiet for a second then, thinking that over. What are they going to do if they're right?]
...The humans here won't outlive us. Most of the others probably won't, either.
[It sounds like the residents have been here for some time, but he doesn't think of any of them as being particularly human, so... Surely, the clock will run down eventually here, as it does everywhere else, right?]
If they choose to accept, then we can wait.
[It sounds harsh, but... well. They do have much, much more time. They can afford to wait, to let the humans who choose life live out their time, and to then try again once they've died.]
But... I don't think-- [Hm.] ...I think we might've missed the window for that.
no subject
He sighs.]
I think you're right. [You can't undo blood that's already been spilled. They know, all too well, that there's usually no going back from there.]
no subject
That seems like a bit of a distant problem for the time being, though. Right now, he's less concerned about figuring out how to get home and more concerned about figuring out how to not get everyone picked off one-by-one by either an out of balance world, or some malicious entity hiding therein.]
...For now, let's just focus on figuring out whatever the hell escalated things to this point. I really don't think it's the prism just responding to us.