[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.
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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.