REVERIE INBOX

[stirtheblood]

You can try texting Vicious if you want.

Comments

[stirtheblood]

Without other people I don't got that much to be aware of, though. I don't rely on other people, but there's no point existin' in isolation. They're what makes it interestin'.

[derailer]

Hmmm, I suppose...

Is it only people that you find interesting?

[stirtheblood]

Fightin' can be interestin' too. And drinkin'. I dunno that I got a lot of awareness missin' there, though.

[derailer]

Oh—no, I am only asking out of curiosity now. Fighting monsters, do you mean?

[stirtheblood]

Ehn, depends. A lotta monsters are actually kinda boring to fight. But if you get a bunch of them or they're particularly tough it starts gettin' excitin'.

'Course, fightin' people can be fun too. Or gods.

[derailer]

Mmm.

[can't really act scandalized about fighting gods,]

I am curious, because... I did spend a lot of time "alone," in Hisui, but I was surrounded by Pokemon for much of that time, so it did not have the same lack of stimulation, as lonely as it still was.

[stirtheblood]

...Well, I do got enforcers or monsters tryin' to kill me basically all the time. Knights and stuff sometimes too. So it ain't exactly a total lack of stimulation.

[derailer]

It is not really "fun" if they are so actively hostile, though...

[stirtheblood]

Sure it is, long as they're some kinda challenge. I'd be in a lotta trouble if I couldn't have fun while facin' hostility.

[derailer]

...True enough.

[He will concede this.]

[stirtheblood]

...Was still pretty lonely, though.

[a big concession from Vicious]

Way more fun watchin' Kanata and the rest of 'em fight 'em off too.

[derailer]

Are they very talented at fighting?

[stirtheblood]

They are now. 'Course they've gotten a lot stronger usin' their blood sins.

[derailer]

"Blood sin?"

[That sounds a little bit sketchy.]

[stirtheblood]

Huh, guess I ain't told you about those before? Normally when someone's condemned as a transgressor, they get taken out by the enforcers pretty quick. But if they meet me, and they can own their sin, I can let them use it as a weapon. My guns're mine.

[derailer]

...This sounds somewhat similar to the copies of us that appeared the other day... Though, I do not think any particular sin or crime was required for those. And if the card is meant to be a weapon, I have not at all figured out how to use it, yet.

[stirtheblood]

We ran into somethin' called Truesight Stones, before. They show everyone their true inner self, or whatever, kinda like what happened here the other day. That ain't quite the same as gettin' a blood sin, but it did upgrade 'em. Maybe the card's just an upgrade for later?

[derailer]

I do not have anything in particular to upgrade. ...But, I do feel better having addressed such issues head-on. So I think I can be satisfied with only that.

[stirtheblood]

Oh yeah? What issues were you addressin'?

[derailer]

...Mmmnnn.

[He accepted them and all, but they were embarrassing enough to passively hear being spoken out loud by a separate entity. Not to mention:]

It is a little hard to talk about that sort of thing without it sounding like I am asking for sympathy or reassurance... Do you not feel similarly about your own copy? Or did you not encounter him?

[stirtheblood]

...Yeah, I ran into him. It was interestin'. When I did the truesight stone thing I thought I'd accepted everythin' I was ignorin'... Well, maybe that was true then. Stuff's a little different now.

[derailer]

Ha...! That sounds like an understatement. I admit, I did encounter him myself. So maybe it's unfair to you if I do not at least attempt to explain my own.

[stirtheblood]

Ain't really a matter of fairness. You can explain if ya want.

[a small twitch of his lips]

Promise I won't offer sympathy.

[derailer]

[He huffs in embarrassment. But fine! He can find a way to phrase this that is cool and casual and normal!]

...He was just very... pessimistic. As if the worst outcome in everything was going to happen, and I should just accept it preemptively, to spare myself the heartbreak. I shouldn't have any aspirations for myself. And so on. But, I can understand he was only trying to prevent me from being hurt again. I am not the only one who has had that kind of reaction to myself...

[stirtheblood]

Huh, ya mean your brother tryin' to protect ya from gettin' hurt? I guess. Feels like there's some different things there, though.

...I used to think there was no point in gettin' close to people, 'cause they'd turn on me and abandon me eventually. And for a while, I'd convinced myself I didn't care. The truesight stone showed me that ain't true. I've always been scared of bein' hated by the people I care about, and that's why I tried not to care.

I care now. But I guess I ain't really any less scared or convinced they'll give up on me. Still... acknowledgin' the worst might happen and avoidin' doin' stuff that you wanna do because of it are two different things.