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OPEN RP POST
overflow for TFLN, random texts, call me out, etc
overflow for TFLN, random texts, call me out, etc
[Continued from here.]
I only mention her because if you were close it would make explaining things easier. Instead I suppose I have to start from the beginning.
[With a sigh she leans her weight against the nearest tree. Before them is a clearing that allows the bright light of the full moon illuminate their late night discussion.]
How much do you know about our uncle, and the Insurrection of the Seven?
I only mention her because if you were close it would make explaining things easier. Instead I suppose I have to start from the beginning.
[With a sigh she leans her weight against the nearest tree. Before them is a clearing that allows the bright light of the full moon illuminate their late night discussion.]
How much do you know about our uncle, and the Insurrection of the Seven?
[ Looking at her stripped off her imperial regalia, so vulnerable and pale that it rivals the moonlight, it's almost like she isn't the fierce Edelgard he's met on the battlefield, not at this very instant, at least. She's someone else. Someone closer, and dearer to his memories.
But he's not sure she is, so he has to hold back the urge to ask her yet again if she wouldn't prefer to move elsewhere for this conversation. He's not allowed to show compassion for the Emperor of Adrestia, only for El. ]
I know he is said to have been one of the main instigators behind the coup; he joined with several other nobles, and together they rendered the former Emperor as little more than a figurehead. It was around that time that he defected to Faerghus, was it not?
[ And he also suspects their uncle was involved in the Tragedy of Duscur, along with... his sister, Patricia. But that's something he's keeping to himself for the moment. ]
But he's not sure she is, so he has to hold back the urge to ask her yet again if she wouldn't prefer to move elsewhere for this conversation. He's not allowed to show compassion for the Emperor of Adrestia, only for El. ]
I know he is said to have been one of the main instigators behind the coup; he joined with several other nobles, and together they rendered the former Emperor as little more than a figurehead. It was around that time that he defected to Faerghus, was it not?
[ And he also suspects their uncle was involved in the Tragedy of Duscur, along with... his sister, Patricia. But that's something he's keeping to himself for the moment. ]
[Slowly the Emperor sinks to sit in on the ground. While her drunkenness may not be evident in slurred speech or outrageous behavior one who knows her just-well-enough can easily pick out what is off about her. She is lacking in prim-and-proper behavior, no longer are her expression expertly stifled, and ever so clearly does that alcohol flush show against the paleness of her skin. Red and pink hues blooming across her cheeks and spilling over to the tops of her ears as a melancholy look settles on her expression.]
Duke Aegir used to be the man who tried taking most of the credit, but yes. You are correct. Sometimes I think my mother's exile and our year in Faerghus was all planned by him. That maybe even he knew we were friends, and used that against you. It was his hope that you would turn mad and be unfit for rule, after all. Making it easier for the Empire to sway the Kingdom in your time of mental unrest.
Duke Aegir used to be the man who tried taking most of the credit, but yes. You are correct. Sometimes I think my mother's exile and our year in Faerghus was all planned by him. That maybe even he knew we were friends, and used that against you. It was his hope that you would turn mad and be unfit for rule, after all. Making it easier for the Empire to sway the Kingdom in your time of mental unrest.
[ That... is a lot to process. She'll have to forgive him, if he stares. ]
It might be wrong of me to say, but... I can believe he would use me as nothing more than a pawn in his quest.
[ Honestly, calling him "uncle" was more of a formality than something born from any real affection; as far as Dimitri was concerned, Arundel was never truly part of his family. So unlike Patricia, who had once been nothing but kind to him even through her loneliness and longing... The only mother he had ever known, really.
And yet, she may never have seen him the same way. Edelgard was her child, not Dimitri. Her love for him and his father... all just a fake. ]
However, to use you, his own niece, in such a vile way... There must be strong evidence to support your suspicions. I never knew him at the time, but I heard he used to be a kind man, once.
[ What could have made him change so much...? ]
It might be wrong of me to say, but... I can believe he would use me as nothing more than a pawn in his quest.
[ Honestly, calling him "uncle" was more of a formality than something born from any real affection; as far as Dimitri was concerned, Arundel was never truly part of his family. So unlike Patricia, who had once been nothing but kind to him even through her loneliness and longing... The only mother he had ever known, really.
And yet, she may never have seen him the same way. Edelgard was her child, not Dimitri. Her love for him and his father... all just a fake. ]
However, to use you, his own niece, in such a vile way... There must be strong evidence to support your suspicions. I never knew him at the time, but I heard he used to be a kind man, once.
[ What could have made him change so much...? ]
[In her state she does not begrudge the time he takes to catch up. After all there is so much he was meant not to know. Many a plan relied on his confusion and ignorance. His hatred and rage. She was to be his blood red moon, and him a wild wolf chasing and howling after her in a blind hunt.]
If he was I never knew him as such. My first memories of Volkhard von Arundel that I can remember are of him smuggling me into the Kingdom. To me he was a cold man. Harsh, strict, and unyielding like steel. If I ever stepped out of line I was quick to know consequences for it.
[Physical consequences? No, not until she returned to the Empire. The consequences he gave her came in the form of emotional manipulation, verbal discontent, and the unfair power dynamic an older man holds over a helpless nine year old child. There was a reason she looked so afraid when he called to her the day they were to return to Adrestia.]
But back then I was a tool to him. And now he knows of me as little more than a finely crafted weapon to wield, and he is not wrong. You could say I was not born to rule, but instead made for it.
If he was I never knew him as such. My first memories of Volkhard von Arundel that I can remember are of him smuggling me into the Kingdom. To me he was a cold man. Harsh, strict, and unyielding like steel. If I ever stepped out of line I was quick to know consequences for it.
[Physical consequences? No, not until she returned to the Empire. The consequences he gave her came in the form of emotional manipulation, verbal discontent, and the unfair power dynamic an older man holds over a helpless nine year old child. There was a reason she looked so afraid when he called to her the day they were to return to Adrestia.]
But back then I was a tool to him. And now he knows of me as little more than a finely crafted weapon to wield, and he is not wrong. You could say I was not born to rule, but instead made for it.
[ The mention of consequences summons his eye back to her, and the ember of something crackles in him. Something primal. ]
Consequences? Do not tell me that man dared to--
[ He's lunged forward before he realizes, his tone raised by a few octaves. That something he felt, that beastly rage he had tried so hard to bury... It was all still there, neatly blended with a side of protective instinct he didn't know he had-- at least, not over an enemy. But perhaps, this isn't Edelgard he sees; it's his childhood friend, the girl who used to mean the world to him.
(Even now, he still holds her dear; right now, he wants to just hold her.) ]
This is all so... preposterous. [ By the work of a miracle, he manages to hold himself back, but that primitive fire is still there, scorching his throat, choking up his words. ] If that man mistreated you so, then why did you side with him? Why do you continue to fight the Church? Why won't you--
[ Why won't you join me, he wants to say. But that, too, burns to a cinder. ]
Consequences? Do not tell me that man dared to--
[ He's lunged forward before he realizes, his tone raised by a few octaves. That something he felt, that beastly rage he had tried so hard to bury... It was all still there, neatly blended with a side of protective instinct he didn't know he had-- at least, not over an enemy. But perhaps, this isn't Edelgard he sees; it's his childhood friend, the girl who used to mean the world to him.
(Even now, he still holds her dear; right now, he wants to just hold her.) ]
This is all so... preposterous. [ By the work of a miracle, he manages to hold himself back, but that primitive fire is still there, scorching his throat, choking up his words. ] If that man mistreated you so, then why did you side with him? Why do you continue to fight the Church? Why won't you--
[ Why won't you join me, he wants to say. But that, too, burns to a cinder. ]
My fight against the Church is complex, Dimitri. It may not have started out as my fight. I may be their weapon. However I found a way I could make this my own. I reclaimed the fight of merely unseating the children of the goddess to something more. But before I continue I need to ask you something, Dimitri.
[She shies away from his half-lunge not unlike a person leaning away from a dog attempting to jump on them.]
Would you rather live a life of ignorant bliss, or be tormented by the thought of a looming enemy you may never touch? Even if that enemy never meets you in battle, it might release itself on your grandchildren's grandchildren. It may not be a threat again for another hundred, or maybe even thousands of years, but it's there.
[At first she thought she'd grant him that one mercy. She'd force herself into a grotesque monster to encourage him to land the final blow. And with her dead, and Professor at his side, he could move on. Live a happy life without the knowledge of her past or the people who hurt her.
But her drunk self... it pulls out her longing. The tiny ache in her heart to be with her childhood friend. Her first love. The last person who knows her as "El" even if she insists she died the day she was brought back to the Empire.]
[She shies away from his half-lunge not unlike a person leaning away from a dog attempting to jump on them.]
Would you rather live a life of ignorant bliss, or be tormented by the thought of a looming enemy you may never touch? Even if that enemy never meets you in battle, it might release itself on your grandchildren's grandchildren. It may not be a threat again for another hundred, or maybe even thousands of years, but it's there.
[At first she thought she'd grant him that one mercy. She'd force herself into a grotesque monster to encourage him to land the final blow. And with her dead, and Professor at his side, he could move on. Live a happy life without the knowledge of her past or the people who hurt her.
But her drunk self... it pulls out her longing. The tiny ache in her heart to be with her childhood friend. Her first love. The last person who knows her as "El" even if she insists she died the day she was brought back to the Empire.]
[ Sticks and stones, Felix. Sticks and stones. ]
I never did play a role, Felix. The man standing before you now, and the monster you saw before... they are both real. They are both me. Hate me if you must, but I will never face away from that truth again.
I never did play a role, Felix. The man standing before you now, and the monster you saw before... they are both real. They are both me. Hate me if you must, but I will never face away from that truth again.
[ There's a pained frown when she shies away, and he wonders if she was scared of him. Even if she remembers their past now, he couldn't blame her if she was. Sometimes, even Dimitri was.
So he takes a step back and keeps his distance, letting her words sink in. Even as he tries to parse them, there's so much that's beyond his comprehension. Edelgard speaks of being their weapon, but whose? And who are the children of the Goddess? None of that makes sense to him...
Until something finally does. ]
I already live a life of torment. That will not change until the day I die.
[ Already, he is doomed to listening to the screams of the dead, clinging to his soul... To remembering the faces of those he killed and carrying their sorrows, to living in eternal regret over those he could not save. Most of all, he will have to forever live with the guilt of having abandoned his people in their greatest time of need, and allowed himself to buy into a lie for the sake of pursuing unwarranted revenge against someone who, he now realizes, might have been just as much of a victim as him. All because he was left in the dark. Because he didn't know.
He can never bring the dead back. But this much, he can still change. ]
I have faced away from the truth for far too long, but that is no more. If there is another enemy I must fight, then I will shoulder whatever burden comes with the knowledge. So, please, share it with me.
[ The knowledge and the burden. ]
So he takes a step back and keeps his distance, letting her words sink in. Even as he tries to parse them, there's so much that's beyond his comprehension. Edelgard speaks of being their weapon, but whose? And who are the children of the Goddess? None of that makes sense to him...
Until something finally does. ]
I already live a life of torment. That will not change until the day I die.
[ Already, he is doomed to listening to the screams of the dead, clinging to his soul... To remembering the faces of those he killed and carrying their sorrows, to living in eternal regret over those he could not save. Most of all, he will have to forever live with the guilt of having abandoned his people in their greatest time of need, and allowed himself to buy into a lie for the sake of pursuing unwarranted revenge against someone who, he now realizes, might have been just as much of a victim as him. All because he was left in the dark. Because he didn't know.
He can never bring the dead back. But this much, he can still change. ]
I have faced away from the truth for far too long, but that is no more. If there is another enemy I must fight, then I will shoulder whatever burden comes with the knowledge. So, please, share it with me.
[ The knowledge and the burden. ]
If only you had acknowledged that way back when...
[Would anything have changed? Felix isn't so sure himself. It wouldn't have changed anything about Glenn, that's for sure.]
Whatever. Like I said, it doesn't matter anymore.
[Would anything have changed? Felix isn't so sure himself. It wouldn't have changed anything about Glenn, that's for sure.]
Whatever. Like I said, it doesn't matter anymore.
Edited 2020-06-24 05:57 (UTC)
Very well. Try to recall each time you have faced my imperial forces. Remember the mages with the plague masks? Their magic strange, and their tactics more ruthless than the rest? Recall the horrible sight of Remire village? Kronya, and Solon? They are all connected. I do not know their real names, but if there is a true enemy of Fodlan it is them.
[But why, Edelgard, did you agree to side with them? Why accept their toxic help? Well... whether or not it's something she wanted to do, it's something that was necessary. It turns her stomach but in all honesty she was never really "saved" from the dungeon. Merely let out because the experiments were concluded. Ended in "success". Her physical chains merely became invisible. A new kind of binding.]
[But why, Edelgard, did you agree to side with them? Why accept their toxic help? Well... whether or not it's something she wanted to do, it's something that was necessary. It turns her stomach but in all honesty she was never really "saved" from the dungeon. Merely let out because the experiments were concluded. Ended in "success". Her physical chains merely became invisible. A new kind of binding.]
[ Mages with plague masks... Yes, of course he remembers them-- and he especially remembers the incident at Remire village. Much like those from the Tragedy of Duscur, he doesn't think he'll ever be able to forgot the screams.
But that... still makes little sense to him. Edelgard still associated with them, still had their help and offered them support in return. If she claims those are the true enemies of Fódlan, then... isn't she much like the same? ]
Knowing that, you still... chose to stay by their side. To aid them in their plans... or to have them aid you in yours.
[ He takes a step back, his frown deepening. No, that can't be right, can't be so black and white. ]
Tell me, Edelgard. Are you, too, an enemy of Fódlan?
[ He doesn't think she is; doesn't want to believe she is. ]
But that... still makes little sense to him. Edelgard still associated with them, still had their help and offered them support in return. If she claims those are the true enemies of Fódlan, then... isn't she much like the same? ]
Knowing that, you still... chose to stay by their side. To aid them in their plans... or to have them aid you in yours.
[ He takes a step back, his frown deepening. No, that can't be right, can't be so black and white. ]
Tell me, Edelgard. Are you, too, an enemy of Fódlan?
[ He doesn't think she is; doesn't want to believe she is. ]
I was... convinced to work with them. Initially I had wanted to take them out on my own, but what use would that be? At the time I was nothing more than a child. Besides, our uncle Volkhard von Arundel is one of them. I have spent more of my life under his so called "guardianship" than either of my own parents.
[What is a girl, malnourished and body strained from years of experience to do? Claw at her makers like a cornered rabbit and guarantee their unending and careful watch of her? Or does she play nice lying in wait like a snake in the underbrush ready to strike?]
Fodlan was already experiencing unrest before I started this war. The tragedy of Duscur, Lord Lonato's rebellion — those are only two of the many stirrings that led up to where we are now, Dimitri. Fodlan cannot face its final foe before shaking off the shackles of the Church.
[What is a girl, malnourished and body strained from years of experience to do? Claw at her makers like a cornered rabbit and guarantee their unending and careful watch of her? Or does she play nice lying in wait like a snake in the underbrush ready to strike?]
Fodlan was already experiencing unrest before I started this war. The tragedy of Duscur, Lord Lonato's rebellion — those are only two of the many stirrings that led up to where we are now, Dimitri. Fodlan cannot face its final foe before shaking off the shackles of the Church.
[ Lonato's rebellion... Yes, he'll admit Rhea's judgement and following punishment of all implicated parties might have been too harsh, but... Duscur? Is she implying the Church was involved in that much, too? But what could they possibly have to gain from slaying their biggest ally in the Kingdom...?
There has to be something else. She's feeding him disconnected pieces, and he can't figure out the puzzle just yet. ]
Then tell me, Edelgard. How is the Church at fault for the ordeal Lord Arundel submitted you to? How did the Church turn you into a weapon, and why do you wish to eliminate them before the people directly responsible for what happened to you? And--
[ A pause, a sigh welling forth. Out of all his questions, this is the answer he dreads the most: ]
Must you truly continue to fight on your own?
There has to be something else. She's feeding him disconnected pieces, and he can't figure out the puzzle just yet. ]
Then tell me, Edelgard. How is the Church at fault for the ordeal Lord Arundel submitted you to? How did the Church turn you into a weapon, and why do you wish to eliminate them before the people directly responsible for what happened to you? And--
[ A pause, a sigh welling forth. Out of all his questions, this is the answer he dreads the most: ]
Must you truly continue to fight on your own?
[It's difficult for her not to give in pieces. Between being tipsy so her train of thought isn't exactly linear, and... finally being honest it's just a lot. Her heart feels heavy. Dark. He bombards her with questions he has every right to ask, and yet all she wishes to do is shrink away and say nothing. However her stubbornness, her pride, does not allow her to recoil or retreat. Instead she simply settles down in the grass with her back against a tree. The moonlight reflecting in her hair.]
Why should I not fight on my own? Who would even choose to fight by my side?
[Clearly not the professor, who she had desperately hoped would because they share the same Crest.]
Why should I not fight on my own? Who would even choose to fight by my side?
[Clearly not the professor, who she had desperately hoped would because they share the same Crest.]
[ If he knew that's how he's making her feel, he would probably apologize, but he just can't help himself. For so long, he's desperately wanted to talk to her, to understand what drives her towards such radical directions and to find that path they can both walk together... Now that she's finally given him what may as well be his last opening, he just can't afford to waste it.
But... she's only a person, still. Tired and overwhelmed as she is, and so human in her vulnerability. So much more like the girl he once knew, rather than the Emperor he waged war on.
Eventually, he settles for joining her, with just enough distance between them so his presence wouldn't be overbearing. He kneels on one leg, and like this, they are closer together, both in height and in goals. So close that they could maybe, finally reach for each other. And so, he does.
Weapons and spells may be dodged, but words and feelings cannot. All he has to offer is the gesture, and his aching heart poured over an open hand and a single name. ]
El.
[ He'll fight with her, if she allows; if she does not, then to the very end, he will fight for her. ]
But... she's only a person, still. Tired and overwhelmed as she is, and so human in her vulnerability. So much more like the girl he once knew, rather than the Emperor he waged war on.
Eventually, he settles for joining her, with just enough distance between them so his presence wouldn't be overbearing. He kneels on one leg, and like this, they are closer together, both in height and in goals. So close that they could maybe, finally reach for each other. And so, he does.
Weapons and spells may be dodged, but words and feelings cannot. All he has to offer is the gesture, and his aching heart poured over an open hand and a single name. ]
El.
[ He'll fight with her, if she allows; if she does not, then to the very end, he will fight for her. ]
[Why? Why must he say that name? Sure he spoke it before, at the parley, when he gave her the dagger. However that was different! She was sober, and... Hubert and the Professor were there. It was much easier to convince herself to keep her cool at the time. However now he says her name like a prayer. A plea.
Her glass heart, no longer clear but instead opaqued by uncountable scratches, feels as if it might crack. Edelgard cannot stand to look his way. Absolutely not. If she sees his eye — blue and clear: the color of the sky, ocean, and freedom — staring at him through his hair — golden and mussed: the color of the sun, bales of hay, and representing happiness — she might just break. Even now she can feel her eyes water, but Edelgard falls back on old habits. She widens her eyes ever so slightly hoping the air will dry out her tears and save her from the embarrassment of being honest with her emotions.]
Did I not say... that girl was gone?
[Curses... her voice is wavering. Her faltering heart clear in her speech.]
Her glass heart, no longer clear but instead opaqued by uncountable scratches, feels as if it might crack. Edelgard cannot stand to look his way. Absolutely not. If she sees his eye — blue and clear: the color of the sky, ocean, and freedom — staring at him through his hair — golden and mussed: the color of the sun, bales of hay, and representing happiness — she might just break. Even now she can feel her eyes water, but Edelgard falls back on old habits. She widens her eyes ever so slightly hoping the air will dry out her tears and save her from the embarrassment of being honest with her emotions.]
Did I not say... that girl was gone?
[Curses... her voice is wavering. Her faltering heart clear in her speech.]
[ That waver, that glisten just barely threatening to spill, none of it escapes notice. None of it fails to reach him, an immediate reflection in his own eye and voice. ]
If she was... then she would have joined them a long time ago.
[ His father, Glenn, his friends... Their endless screams, ringing forevermore in his mind. All the people he could never have again by his side, yet shadowed his every move, the people who held on to him from the beyond, an inescapable grasp reaching for his soul. The people he could not save.
But, that girl? She's not a gravestone hanging on his neck. She breathes, and cries, and lives, still. She is right here, just an inch and a world away. ]
Am I to be condemned to that fate once more...?
[ He cracks in his speech and in the way his eye stings and in every shaking fiber of a body that can no longer fight the inevitability of the past, but refuses to accept a future that can still be changed. He breaks and caves and crumbles, in all but that hand, open and firm and safe, ready for the taking. Reaching for her, always. ]
El... Will you, too, become just another voice in my head?
If she was... then she would have joined them a long time ago.
[ His father, Glenn, his friends... Their endless screams, ringing forevermore in his mind. All the people he could never have again by his side, yet shadowed his every move, the people who held on to him from the beyond, an inescapable grasp reaching for his soul. The people he could not save.
But, that girl? She's not a gravestone hanging on his neck. She breathes, and cries, and lives, still. She is right here, just an inch and a world away. ]
Am I to be condemned to that fate once more...?
[ He cracks in his speech and in the way his eye stings and in every shaking fiber of a body that can no longer fight the inevitability of the past, but refuses to accept a future that can still be changed. He breaks and caves and crumbles, in all but that hand, open and firm and safe, ready for the taking. Reaching for her, always. ]
El... Will you, too, become just another voice in my head?
[That hand upsets her. A promise with no thought of the future behind its gesture. No thought of its consequences and what accepting it might mean to her. What is to happen if she takes that hand? After five years of war against the Church, Rhea and those loyal to her would not let her live. They, and perhaps most of the people wishing to maintain the status quo, will call for Edelgard's head. Demand and execution even more public than Lonato's. Make an example out of her, even if Dimitri would plead for her.
Quicker than a tipsy woman has any right to be, Edelgard grabs the wrist of the hand he offers and yanks him toward her. She aims to upset his balance he has and pull him onto her lap. She wishes to pull him close, look him in the eye, and force him to see her truth.]
Listen to me, Dimitri! I fight against the church because it has twisted normal men to side with monsters like my uncle in hopes of power. With the church's glorifying of crests why wouldn't an already corrupt noble agree to the torture and killing of children to see if one can falsify greatness by stealing it from others? Do you not wonder why none of my ten brothers or sisters ever attended the academy? Because they are dead! They are dead, and it is the love of crests and their power that killed them, and it nearly killed Lysithea as well.
I cannot live in a world that continues to allow that system to exist, Dimitri. They will not let me.
Quicker than a tipsy woman has any right to be, Edelgard grabs the wrist of the hand he offers and yanks him toward her. She aims to upset his balance he has and pull him onto her lap. She wishes to pull him close, look him in the eye, and force him to see her truth.]
Listen to me, Dimitri! I fight against the church because it has twisted normal men to side with monsters like my uncle in hopes of power. With the church's glorifying of crests why wouldn't an already corrupt noble agree to the torture and killing of children to see if one can falsify greatness by stealing it from others? Do you not wonder why none of my ten brothers or sisters ever attended the academy? Because they are dead! They are dead, and it is the love of crests and their power that killed them, and it nearly killed Lysithea as well.
I cannot live in a world that continues to allow that system to exist, Dimitri. They will not let me.
[ A promise with no thought? No, not at all. Rather than the screams of the dead, this time it is the living he seeks counsel from, the voices of reason who never stopped calling out to him. Head of noble houses and commoners alike, his friends have urged him to seek a peaceful end to the chaos. They do not wish to see more bloodshed, the Professor-- current head of the Church-- doesn't want to see more bloodshed. Why can't Edelgard see that?
His reasoning is right there, at the tip of his tongue, but suddenly forgotten as balance is swept away from him and he finds himself pressed against her, free arm as his only support between himself and her lap. But the surprise in his eye doesn't come from the abrupt shift; rather, it comes from realization. ]
... so all this time, you, too, have been chasing after ghosts.
[ Soft, and not a hint of judgement; how could he, when he had been much the same? The guilt of surviving, being moved by those who were gone and their lingering regrets, so blinded by grief over what could never be returned that he forgot about those that could yet be saved... He understands that, like no one else. He understands her better, too, like he's wanted for so long.
He only wishes it could be any other way, rather than through choked sobs and watery eyes that threaten to spill. ]
El, you listen to me. [ It's hard to keep his voice steady, and he may need a pause and a blink in between sentences, but he proceeds. ] I, too, have seen what crests can do to us. A dear friend who is seen as a bargaining chip rather than someone with her own aspirations, brother fighting brother out of resentment... and now, your siblings, as well.
[ Ingrid, who feels more tightly bound to her sense of duty than her desires, and Sylvain who has all but lost his self-worth as a person... Their troubles might pale in comparison to suffering of the imperial children, but they are there, and Dimitri isn't blind to them. ]
As a system, it is flawed; I know that. But I also know that it is not beyond change, and we can accomplish that as long as we work together, not against each other. There is no need or sense in ending lives so to save lives, and that includes yours.
[ He hoists himself up as best he can and sits in front of her, his arm freed from the strain. And like this, he can lift a hand to cradle the side of her head, never forcing, but asking with a look and no words. He's listening to her truth; will she listen to his? ]
You claim they will not let you live, but I will not let them have their way. Let us stand together, so that world will not stand still.
His reasoning is right there, at the tip of his tongue, but suddenly forgotten as balance is swept away from him and he finds himself pressed against her, free arm as his only support between himself and her lap. But the surprise in his eye doesn't come from the abrupt shift; rather, it comes from realization. ]
... so all this time, you, too, have been chasing after ghosts.
[ Soft, and not a hint of judgement; how could he, when he had been much the same? The guilt of surviving, being moved by those who were gone and their lingering regrets, so blinded by grief over what could never be returned that he forgot about those that could yet be saved... He understands that, like no one else. He understands her better, too, like he's wanted for so long.
He only wishes it could be any other way, rather than through choked sobs and watery eyes that threaten to spill. ]
El, you listen to me. [ It's hard to keep his voice steady, and he may need a pause and a blink in between sentences, but he proceeds. ] I, too, have seen what crests can do to us. A dear friend who is seen as a bargaining chip rather than someone with her own aspirations, brother fighting brother out of resentment... and now, your siblings, as well.
[ Ingrid, who feels more tightly bound to her sense of duty than her desires, and Sylvain who has all but lost his self-worth as a person... Their troubles might pale in comparison to suffering of the imperial children, but they are there, and Dimitri isn't blind to them. ]
As a system, it is flawed; I know that. But I also know that it is not beyond change, and we can accomplish that as long as we work together, not against each other. There is no need or sense in ending lives so to save lives, and that includes yours.
[ He hoists himself up as best he can and sits in front of her, his arm freed from the strain. And like this, he can lift a hand to cradle the side of her head, never forcing, but asking with a look and no words. He's listening to her truth; will she listen to his? ]
You claim they will not let you live, but I will not let them have their way. Let us stand together, so that world will not stand still.
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