[Even that much responsibility of being able to stop anyone's powers sounds tiring to her, but she isn't here to pass judgement. She just rests her finger against the handle of the cup and gently spins it around on its saucer, waiting for it to cool down.]
What are some of the incredible things you've seen?
Normal people, powered people, they're all incredible in their own right -- but I suppose I know many interesting abilities. The other three also have some, but I won't out them like this. You're free to guess, however!
Let's see... you said somebody can heal, somebody can summon little items... you can stop other people's abilities... what about something like fire or lightning? Have you seen anyone use that?
Things tend to be a little more complex than that! There is one man I know who can control Earth itself, and I think for a sole element, that's about it. They tend to be very specific, and very individual, too.
(but a sip doesn't harm. it's easy to talk about this - like he said, it's no secret. they're everywhere, the purpose of dazai's current employment is to deal with ability users no one else can.
so, more of the same. he just won't out anyone, really, because that's rude.)
[Her eyebrows quirk up, way up, even as her expression falls somewhat at the idea of somebody being able to control the whole planet. That sounds like a nightmare, actually. She already sealed away one world-ending deity, she isn't exactly keen on giving a repeat performance.]
That sounds... really dangerous. There are a lot of people with those kinds of powers where you're from?
A lot, a lot, a lot. I don't think we outnumber the non-ability users, but we do stand in good numbers. Sometimes, it is troublesome, but that's what certain institutions are for, and that's what my work usually entails. A "normal" government army can't deal with, say, a man who is able to send anything he touches flying backwards.
(delightful, isn't it? it's a world of possibilities. dazai's never found anyone with his own type of skill, so, isn't he just so important.)
[She's quiet a bit at that, still mentally trying to work out what, exactly, that all would mean for the world. Persona users don't seem to be all that common, as far as she knows. Strega had caused enough trouble, and there were only three of them. And they could be killed -- not easily, but it was possible.
It's a long few seconds before she realizes she'd stopped spinning the teacup, and another second to realize that she probably looks way too serious, so she smiles again.]
I guess it's a good thing you're around to stop people who are causing trouble, huh?
(he is a genius, but he didn't have to be one when he notices the change in her behavior. a familiarity with others is a tool for introspection, and he waves a hand to dismiss the credit.)
It's me and a bunch of people, anyway. Most importantly, seems like you have a similar burden on your shoulder. Is it a blessing or a curse that you find yourself here?
[She laughs a little, because her? Burdened? Maybe she is, but telling anyone about her problems has never turned out well, so she's not about to start now.]
No, nothing like what you were describing. [Moving right along,] Besides, I don't think it's a blessing or a curse. More like... waiting?
[Purgatory, she doesn't say, but she's pretty sure that's what this kind of interminable waiting for sentencing is meant to be called.]
I think you're walking towards your death, but bottling up feelings about it is how you're dealing with it. Resigned, but not yet comfortable.
(he paid attention. no outward anger or disbelief onto dazai's own wishes, nodding as such is her own fate, but moving things away from her thoughts and feelings so quickly - she has not asked once why he wants to die.
isn't that intriguing?)
Whether this place is a curse or a blessing - I don't believe in good or evil. It can be both, neither, it's up to the frame you want to set around this world.
[She just stares at him for a long time, expression perfectly neutral. Not shocked, not dismayed, just like she's forgotten how, exactly, she's supposed to make expressions. It's shocking, hearing her attitude laid out so clearly from someone who is still practically a stranger, shocking enough that she doesn't really have a response. Asking how he knows that would mean confirming it, and she doesn't quite know if she fully agrees with it or not. Not strongly enough to reject it out of hand, but enough that she isn't totally sure.]
Someone once told me that everyone is waiting to die. Some just have longer to wait than others.
[Akinari had raged against his ill fortune for so long before coming to terms with it. Really, she shouldn't even be regretful for her own fate. It's just...
It would have been nice to see everyone for graduation. Like they'd promised. The smile that rises to her face is small and bittersweet.]
(he's as uplifted as ever as she processes what he had just said. it's fine -- most people don't react too well when he sticks a finger in a wound, but it hardly bothers him. he might have spent no more than a couple of hours in her company, but it was clear as day for someone like him.
perhaps she should have accepted the alcohol, which he sips idly as he waits for a thought back from her.)
Fortunately, or unfortunately so, to a certain degree. Some will close their eyes to it, and some, like me, yearn for it more than anything, and can't reach it no matter how much I try. Is it a blessing that you're here, buying time, or a curse that you're prolonging the inevitable? I'm not so sure.
[She just asks it, point-blank, because he doesn't seem to have a problem with frankness. Blessing, curse, she doesn't know. All she knows is that she'd come to terms with what she had to do for her friends, only to be stuck in-between whatever this is.
Nope, just apparently, really bad at suicide and facing people who just don't kill me good enough.
(hopefully that answers that question, doesn't it? frankness, to be fair, is something he lacks. he lies as one would change clothes, gaslights like no other, but when it comes to just how much he wants to be done, that one he's straightforward about.)
[Again, there's nothing judgmental in her stare. It's more like she's forgotten how to make expressions for a moment, just looking at him evenly. It's hard to reconcile, really; on one hand, she gets it. On the other, they all risked their lives so everyone would have a chance to live how they wanted. It's shocking in a way that she doesn't truly know how to respond.
Eventually, she finally decides,] Well... I'm glad I was able to meet you in the time we have together.
[And that, at least, is a genuine sentiment. She wouldn't call Dazai a friend, but he is interesting. She could probably learn a lot from him.]
(almost like two people who accepted their death long ago shaking hands. while she seemed to have frozen a little, he never quits the obnoxious, sanguine smile. a mask under a mask under a mask under a mask - then there's very little for dazai to go by. this is better, isn't it?)
Not to worry, since I'm very incompetent at it, seems like you'll be stuck with me for the duration of this weird dream!
[As if they'd struck some kind of agreement, her expression thaws into a smile more reflexive than anything else. She still doesn't quite know what to do with all of that, but it's in the open now, and she isn't going to tell him what to do. Again, she can't help but think about Akinari and how he'd said that the impacts they make on people are so important. Maybe that's what she can do while she's here.]
I have my theories. A dream isn't one of them, neither do I think this is an afterlife. Do you have any takes?
(the Book could be an answer, but also, it isn't any. the book is a simple concept - write a coherent narrative, and it becomes real, creates countless universes behind them as good measure, but that means someone would have to have written this, with all these people, to the last detail.
I don't know! [Another frank admission as she finally picks up her forgotten coffee cup and takes a thoughtful sip. Again, there's no Velvet Room that she's aware of, but that doesn't mean Igor isn't around somewhere with Theo or one of his siblings guiding someone else through their journey.
Her lips thin a little with a pang of something that might be jealousy. Hopefully it's one of Theo's siblings, not Theo! She's his guest!]
Could be a test from some god or other powerful being, [she continues, starting to gently spin the coffee cup again.] What are your theories? So far, you only told me what they aren't.
Gods often don't work like that where I come from.
(see, chuuya? little, tiny, angry chuuya? surprise, has one inside of him, it's fine, this is fine. understandably, considering the meshing of different realities, he isn't putting that as impossible in his list of probabilities.
often times, however, expressions come from thoughts, and thoughts come out of mouths. wonderfully connected, aren't they? her next words are not solely wondering.)
I'm a detective, correct? I simply cannot say for sure what I haven't gotten enough evidence to support. I will say that yours feels likely.
[Well, that makes sense. Even with all the weird powers Dazai described, none of them seemed to fit the description of a Persona-user. Of course, that could just mean that Dazai's never encountered one. She does wonder what he'd say if he knew she had several gods inside her own heart at the moment. Odin, Helel, Surt...]
Detectives can't share theories?
[Yeah, no bud, she doesn't buy that for a second. She rests her chin in her free hand and tilts her head with an interested hum. Go on, spill!]
I just did, though! I don't think you are wrong. I just don't know what could have been, you can tell me yourself since it seems like you had experiences like it.
(she didn't have to tell him. not with the faces she made a second ago, but he shrugs. she can go ahead and spill, he'll spill a little bit, too.)
It's a really long story. Maybe I'll tell you later.
["Later," like she and Shinji had both been doing to each other to talk about their experiences. She spins her teacup again, moving on to add,] I guess it could be aliens, but I feel like there'd be way better people to abduct than us.
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[Even that much responsibility of being able to stop anyone's powers sounds tiring to her, but she isn't here to pass judgement. She just rests her finger against the handle of the cup and gently spins it around on its saucer, waiting for it to cool down.]
What are some of the incredible things you've seen?
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[She laughs a little, still swirling the teacup.]
Let's see... you said somebody can heal, somebody can summon little items... you can stop other people's abilities... what about something like fire or lightning? Have you seen anyone use that?
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(but a sip doesn't harm. it's easy to talk about this - like he said, it's no secret. they're everywhere, the purpose of dazai's current employment is to deal with ability users no one else can.
so, more of the same. he just won't out anyone, really, because that's rude.)
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That sounds... really dangerous. There are a lot of people with those kinds of powers where you're from?
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(delightful, isn't it? it's a world of possibilities. dazai's never found anyone with his own type of skill, so, isn't he just so important.)
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[She's quiet a bit at that, still mentally trying to work out what, exactly, that all would mean for the world. Persona users don't seem to be all that common, as far as she knows. Strega had caused enough trouble, and there were only three of them. And they could be killed -- not easily, but it was possible.
It's a long few seconds before she realizes she'd stopped spinning the teacup, and another second to realize that she probably looks way too serious, so she smiles again.]
I guess it's a good thing you're around to stop people who are causing trouble, huh?
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It's me and a bunch of people, anyway. Most importantly, seems like you have a similar burden on your shoulder. Is it a blessing or a curse that you find yourself here?
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[She laughs a little, because her? Burdened? Maybe she is, but telling anyone about her problems has never turned out well, so she's not about to start now.]
No, nothing like what you were describing. [Moving right along,] Besides, I don't think it's a blessing or a curse. More like... waiting?
[Purgatory, she doesn't say, but she's pretty sure that's what this kind of interminable waiting for sentencing is meant to be called.]
Why, what do you think it is?
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even though, yes, he smells the bullshit.)
Does it matter what I think it is?
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[Satisfied her coffee is cooled down enough, she takes a sip and gazes at him over the rim with a little shrug.]
Even when you think you know the answer, it helps a lot to get multiple opinions.
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(he paid attention. no outward anger or disbelief onto dazai's own wishes, nodding as such is her own fate, but moving things away from her thoughts and feelings so quickly - she has not asked once why he wants to die.
isn't that intriguing?)
Whether this place is a curse or a blessing - I don't believe in good or evil. It can be both, neither, it's up to the frame you want to set around this world.
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Someone once told me that everyone is waiting to die. Some just have longer to wait than others.
[Akinari had raged against his ill fortune for so long before coming to terms with it. Really, she shouldn't even be regretful for her own fate. It's just...
It would have been nice to see everyone for graduation. Like they'd promised. The smile that rises to her face is small and bittersweet.]
cw suicide talk
perhaps she should have accepted the alcohol, which he sips idly as he waits for a thought back from her.)
Fortunately, or unfortunately so, to a certain degree. Some will close their eyes to it, and some, like me, yearn for it more than anything, and can't reach it no matter how much I try. Is it a blessing that you're here, buying time, or a curse that you're prolonging the inevitable? I'm not so sure.
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[She just asks it, point-blank, because he doesn't seem to have a problem with frankness. Blessing, curse, she doesn't know. All she knows is that she'd come to terms with what she had to do for her friends, only to be stuck in-between whatever this is.
She's still tired.]
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(hopefully that answers that question, doesn't it? frankness, to be fair, is something he lacks. he lies as one would change clothes, gaslights like no other, but when it comes to just how much he wants to be done, that one he's straightforward about.)
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[Again, there's nothing judgmental in her stare. It's more like she's forgotten how to make expressions for a moment, just looking at him evenly. It's hard to reconcile, really; on one hand, she gets it. On the other, they all risked their lives so everyone would have a chance to live how they wanted. It's shocking in a way that she doesn't truly know how to respond.
Eventually, she finally decides,] Well... I'm glad I was able to meet you in the time we have together.
[And that, at least, is a genuine sentiment. She wouldn't call Dazai a friend, but he is interesting. She could probably learn a lot from him.]
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(almost like two people who accepted their death long ago shaking hands. while she seemed to have frozen a little, he never quits the obnoxious, sanguine smile. a mask under a mask under a mask under a mask - then there's very little for dazai to go by. this is better, isn't it?)
Not to worry, since I'm very incompetent at it, seems like you'll be stuck with me for the duration of this weird dream!
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[As if they'd struck some kind of agreement, her expression thaws into a smile more reflexive than anything else. She still doesn't quite know what to do with all of that, but it's in the open now, and she isn't going to tell him what to do. Again, she can't help but think about Akinari and how he'd said that the impacts they make on people are so important. Maybe that's what she can do while she's here.]
Is that really what you think it is, a dream?
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(the Book could be an answer, but also, it isn't any. the book is a simple concept - write a coherent narrative, and it becomes real, creates countless universes behind them as good measure, but that means someone would have to have written this, with all these people, to the last detail.
sounds unlikely.)
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Her lips thin a little with a pang of something that might be jealousy. Hopefully it's one of Theo's siblings, not Theo! She's his guest!]
Could be a test from some god or other powerful being, [she continues, starting to gently spin the coffee cup again.] What are your theories? So far, you only told me what they aren't.
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(see, chuuya? little, tiny, angry chuuya? surprise, has one inside of him, it's fine, this is fine. understandably, considering the meshing of different realities, he isn't putting that as impossible in his list of probabilities.
often times, however, expressions come from thoughts, and thoughts come out of mouths. wonderfully connected, aren't they? her next words are not solely wondering.)
I'm a detective, correct? I simply cannot say for sure what I haven't gotten enough evidence to support. I will say that yours feels likely.
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Detectives can't share theories?
[Yeah, no bud, she doesn't buy that for a second. She rests her chin in her free hand and tilts her head with an interested hum. Go on, spill!]
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(she didn't have to tell him. not with the faces she made a second ago, but he shrugs. she can go ahead and spill, he'll spill a little bit, too.)
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["Later," like she and Shinji had both been doing to each other to talk about their experiences. She spins her teacup again, moving on to add,] I guess it could be aliens, but I feel like there'd be way better people to abduct than us.
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