...If it had been me, he would've followed. [Softly.] I've always been okay with dying, but--I didn't want that.
[He is a sword, after all, no matter how human he appears. Battle and bloodshed form every part of him, and he's familiar with the risks they take. But last night, he'd felt more human than ever before when he'd clung to Kashuu and thought I don't want us to die.]
...I'm sorry that it was like this. [Roxana and Meteion--as their numbers shrink, they all know that the chances of a loved one falling victim to refraction increase, but it doesn't make it any easier to handle. Roxana was a good friend.] But thank you for saving me.
Mm. [...It's difficult, trying to explain the bond that they share, but maybe he can try.] Kiyomitsu--looking at him is like looking in the mirror, sometimes. And we were... apart for a long time, once. I don't think--neither of us could go through that again.
[If you go, I go.]
The first time I left here, with Vax and Damien and Atsushi-kun... at the end of it, the illusion of him killed me, and then killed himself. And when he was gone... [He pauses, and shakes his head. That's not his to share.
But is it any wonder that with all of that between them, they've made a promise like this?]
[THE ALREADY CODEPENDENT SWORDS HAVE BEEN THROUGH A LOT.]
Me too. [He can't be ungrateful for it, no matter how much he liked Roxana. He still doesn't understand why Percy and Vax were the only ones saved (even though he certainly doesn't begrudge them for it), and he'd wished for something similar for her, too--but he can only feel relief, that he's still standing on this side.]
...I was really doubtful, before, about what everyone was saying about the dead. About whether rescuing them was really something we could do--something we should do. But now... I really want to believe that we can.
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...Me too. [He takes a deep, steadying breath.] I promised I wouldn't leave him behind.
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[A pause.]
I voted for Roxana...partly because I wanted to spare you.
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[He is a sword, after all, no matter how human he appears. Battle and bloodshed form every part of him, and he's familiar with the risks they take. But last night, he'd felt more human than ever before when he'd clung to Kashuu and thought I don't want us to die.]
...I'm sorry that it was like this. [Roxana and Meteion--as their numbers shrink, they all know that the chances of a loved one falling victim to refraction increase, but it doesn't make it any easier to handle. Roxana was a good friend.] But thank you for saving me.
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[It makes sense, but the very idea of it upsets her, and she sighs. That kind of devotion that weapons have, perhaps?]
You shouldn't apologize. In that moment, you didn't know. And you saved a life. So we saved yours.
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[If you go, I go.]
The first time I left here, with Vax and Damien and Atsushi-kun... at the end of it, the illusion of him killed me, and then killed himself. And when he was gone... [He pauses, and shakes his head. That's not his to share.
But is it any wonder that with all of that between them, they've made a promise like this?]
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[Her face falls. That's...horrifying.]
Well, now I'm even more relieved that you getting voted didn't happen.
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Me too. [He can't be ungrateful for it, no matter how much he liked Roxana. He still doesn't understand why Percy and Vax were the only ones saved (even though he certainly doesn't begrudge them for it), and he'd wished for something similar for her, too--but he can only feel relief, that he's still standing on this side.]
...I was really doubtful, before, about what everyone was saying about the dead. About whether rescuing them was really something we could do--something we should do. But now... I really want to believe that we can.