✿ 4th Bud [Action]

[seiriald]

[It's been several days since the incident that confined her to the clinic, and frankly Kaori has become very tired of that place. Not only was she bored out of her mind, but merely the smell of it brought up fragmented memories of pain and fear from long ago. On top of that, it was lonely when no one visited. Sorry Vash, but she really can't take it anymore.

Therefore it makes sense that she sneak out, right?! Never mind that she is still badly bruised and sore everywhere due to damaged and sprained muscles, which makes walking very difficult. But what's some injuries to her? At the very least she can talk! Sort of... It takes some effort.

As for the destination she has in mind? Her apartment at the very top of CH4, pretty smart. Of course she probably won't get very far, and may end up resting in the flower shop instead. Feel free to intercept her anywhere along this stupid journey of sheer determination, she may or may not bite. And it may or may not take all day.]

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[seiriald]

[Her eyes widen visibly, now able to properly face him while her protective nature rises. She'd been worried about him, but just as unsure over whether or not she could trust him. Now she was... happy, was that it?]

Mithos...? [She wants to come closer, but refrains for now.]

[imatreenow.livejournal.com]

[Mithos tenses slightly when she speaks his name. That's right...for some reason he had given her that sign of trust - a chance, opening up the risk of betrayal - and that's when he had shut the journal on her. Unfortunately, that isn't possible when talking face to face. He still teeters on the fence between trust and distrust.]

...Yes, it's me. [Even if she can't see him to read his body language, his tension and uncertainty seep into his words.]

[seiriald]

[And she can tell that right away, since she often doesn't give away her name to people very easily either, for the same reasons. Fear of betrayal, of being hurt again and again.]

Why are you... out here? [Weakness, she'll hide it the best she can with Mithos.]

[imatreenow.livejournal.com]

[Normally he might bite back with something along the lines of "Why do you care?", but the anger and bitterness just aren't there. It's...strange. Uncomfortable, too, being unable to hide behind his anger.]

I needed food. [Of course he doesn't know that she can't see the bag of groceries in his arms. The very full bag of groceries - to ensure a lower frequency of trips. Such banal tasks are annoying.]

[seiriald]

Oh... [He seemed like the kind of person who would live alone, if they really thought the same. Except with her, she needs to have someone she trusts nearby.

Here they were face-to-face, yet she can't come up with anything to say of importance. Small talk seems wrong with him.]

[imatreenow.livejournal.com]

[He still wonders why he's even bothering. Caught between letting her in and shutting her out, unable to choose or reject either path, he doesn't know what to do. So he asks a question, maybe to test the waters.]

...Why do you care? [It isn't said rudely at all, not like usual. It's genuine curiosity and uncertainty.]

[seiriald]

You... left abruptly... [So much that it made her worried for a while. She has no idea what his emotional state was after that, and if they really were that similar then she knows it's dangerous.]

I think... I really startled you... something...

[imatreenow.livejournal.com]

[She did startle him. A lot. Actually, that might not even be the right word. It's more like she shook him to the core. He doesn't know what to say to that, hence a long pause.]

I didn't think there was anyone who's...like me. [It's bizarre to say aloud. Even if it may seem insignificant, it isn't at all. Like his heart is uncurling a tiny bit, against the wishes of the "logical" part of his brain, the part that warns him that he'll get hurt.]

[seiriald]

... It's hard... finding someone... [To find anyone who understands even remotely, how they were driven to the point they were. Her own usual shield is slipping away a little, just because she still gets along with others doesn't mean that she trusts them. Even here she can't be open about her hatred.]

[imatreenow.livejournal.com]

[He knows that well. Genis was the first person he opened up to in thousands of years, the first person who he thought could understand him, and even then...Genis had chosen Lloyd in the end. He had chosen to forgive the world and give it another chance; he hadn't truly understood. This girl, though...it really seemed like...]

They don't understand that forgiveness isn't an option.

[seiriald]

Exactly. [She'd tried, she really has. A part of her still wants to forgive, but every time she tried it was thrown back in her face with a heavy dose of pain, both emotionally and physically. Really, she's tired of it and wants nothing but pain inflicted on those people now.]

What they do... is horrible...

[imatreenow.livejournal.com]

[There's no need to agree; it's like stating that the sky is blue. Instead, he notices her obviously damaged physical state and her difficulty speaking. Mithos had noticed before of course, but the whirlwind of volatile emotions inside him had demanded his full attention. It simply hadn't been important. His tension is slowly dissipating from the relief of knowing that there is someone who understands and agrees rather than judges and attacks.]

...You're injured. [...Not that he cares. Of course he doesn't. He doesn't care about anyone besides himself and Martel...]

[seiriald]

[She gives a small nod, still trying to hide the extent of them. Being stuck in the clinic had been horrible, bringing up vague memories of experiments and pain, of screaming from her brethren to see how much they could endure before Humans decided they were done and disposed of them. For now, it was better that so many of her memories were suppressed, and that she get away before she acts on them.]

[imatreenow.livejournal.com]

[There is a pause, filled with Mithos' uncertainty of what to say. He still clings to his reservations, but...moth, meet flame.]

You should be inside. [Simply stating a fact of self-preservation. Nothing more...of course not.]

[seiriald]

[Said flame doesn't really have any sense of self-preservation, but if Mithos seems to care...]

Maybe... I don't like the clinic...

[imatreenow.livejournal.com]

[He doesn't fault her for that. His recent stay at the medical center was severely contemptible, but for reasons different from hers: he simply despises the idea of entrusting his wellness to untrustworthy humans. It also probably had something to do with the fact that Yuan was the reason he was there.]

Go back to your house then.

[seiriald]

I'm planning to... [In reality she'd rather make it to the flower shop first, not only because it's going to be difficult to climb that many flights of stairs, but she's always felt safe around them. They wouldn't betray her.]

[imatreenow.livejournal.com]

[That's something he wouldn't understand. There isn't a fragment of trust left in him for anyone in this village.

And even though he shouldn't care about this girl, he can't help but ask-]

Was it a human who did this to you? [The bitterness is creeping back into his words. More familiar territory.]

[seiriald]

Not sure. [It had been so unexpected, and Kaori had never known a Human capable of doing such a thing. Most of what was said that night made little to no sense to her, especially with the amount of pain she was in.]

I wouldn't be... surprised...

[imatreenow.livejournal.com]

The people here are no different from the filth in any other world. [Regardless of whatever lies Raine tried to tell him. The world is different, but the people are the same as they were in their own broken worlds. He does realize that different worlds have different races, but it's still entirely the same: one group subjugates another simply for being different. Kaori may not be a half-elf, but she is the same as him.]

[seiriald]

I've noticed. [This isn't the first world she's traveled to that also has Humans contaminating it. They were almost always the ones who tread upon them wherever she went.]

[imatreenow.livejournal.com]

They aren't even aware of how disgusting they are, judging us for our hatred when they are the ones who hated first. Whose fault do they think it is? [Childish logic. But when you've been cornered for so long, you take the first chance you can to lash back as fiercely as possible.]

[seiriald]

[Kaori listens quietly, briefly remembering a time when she adored Humans and wanted nothing more than to see their happiness in smiles, to be their friends. Hard to believe that it was only six years ago when she gave up on them, and with the death of every loved one she hated them more and more.

She wanted to lash out, too, like Mithos was now. Except for her to do so, she would have to act on it. Many in Luceti would be caught in the crossfire.]

[imatreenow.livejournal.com]

[It's...soothing, in a way, to say these things to someone who actually understands. So he'll keep talking, even forgetting about the (slowly ebbing) part of him that wants to keep far away.]

Humans do nothing but take, and trample, and destroy, yet they feel no remorse for their transgressions. They never change.

[seiriald]

Not even in... other worlds. [Everywhere she's been so far they've been the same, though Luceti not as much as others. There's little doubt in her mind that they would meet her expectations eventually.

Maybe even those who she'd opened herself up to, just a little.]