homophonic: vash

[camena]

Comments

[piteous]

That's... Convenient, even though awful at the same time.

[ this is not hehe ]

I really want to be optimistic and think you guys didn't need to die too many times. Ideally, no dying, but it sounds like it's a lost cause to hope for that.

[camena]

[ her gaze just drifts off, like... sure buddy... you can think that... ]

[piteous]

... Maybe I should have brought you more frozen yogurt.

[camena]

... No, this is plenty.

And you get used to it. It's fine.

[piteous]

... It shouldn't be fine, Alex.

[ But in the end, he knows there's not much they can do. ]

Were you guys successful? Collecting all the energy.

[camena]

[ a shrug... to which part? who knows. ]

It didn't really matter. We could collect energy and do everything right and something would still go wrong eventually. Every time.

[piteous]

No matter what you guys did...

[ That's so frustrating and he looks frustrated for her. ]

At least you three were together. Being alone in all of that sounds like a nightmare.

[camena]

... Yeah. It—we spent a lot of time split up to work, but... it was nice. Checking in between tasks. Slacking off, some loops.

And they came with me, through the gate.

[piteous]

... Makes you better appreciate the small moments, I think. They're nice.

[ Slacking off is great, sometimes, but... He goes quiet at that. ]

They did. They came with you and they're here. You three are here and made it out of the loops.

[ In a way, a victory. ]

[camena]

Yeah...

Netzach said that it took a long time to break the loops in reality. Everyone's world is different, though. So who knows.

[piteous]

... It sounds like he has been through a lot. Aged a lot, too.

[ Frowns. ]

Does this make you also older now, Alex?

[camena]

... I don't think so. I think I've just been 17 for a long time. But that was kind of already the case.

[piteous]

... Loops.

[ how did you guys form a team together is it by chance i ]

I personally think age is a mental thing.

[camena]

Loops.

[ ahaha. ]

... So how old do you feel?

[piteous]

Depends on company, I think. Sometimes I turn twelve, other times somewhere in my twenties—they clocked me that back at home on some posters.

[ So he guesses that's how he looks, in his mid-20s. ]

Sometimes I feel as old as I am.

[camena]

That makes sense to me.

Like... Who you're with is half of who you are.

[piteous]

... Sometimes you pick up stuff from them, too. The same for them.

I use someone else's catchphrase every now and then.

[camena]

Well, now you have to tell me.

[piteous]

It's... Not a fun one.

[camena]

You know what. I think I can handle it.

[piteous]

[ Mimics the person, low voice and serious. ] Life is a series of complex problems.

One day you will have to choose.

[camena]

... They're not wrong. But I don't know if that's really a catchphrase.

[piteous]

With how often he says it? Catchphrase. Motto. Those important quotes people lead with on their autobiography.

[camena]

It's a pretty good one. So... what sort of choice did he have to make?

[piteous]

... To protect who he wants to protect at the expense of other people.