hikage.

[axilium]

something will go here later

Comments

[psychedelica]

[ at that, Hikage just closes his eyes and shakes his head. ]

I'm serious when it comes to you. Someone has to be. [ this isn't going anywhere, though. They should be worrying about Steph right now. ] Whatever. I know you won't listen. Just take care of her.

[ hikage can't do it. ]

... I don't suppose you have any big new ideas after the trial.

[axilium]

Sorry, Hikage, but I'm no miracle worker.

[psychedelica]

I have to ask. You always figure things out before the rest of us do.

[ mostly before Hikage, but also, like, in general. ]

This probably isn't a surprise, but the dead aren't gone. They're just being held somewhere else. That's all I've learned that's worth anything.

[axilium]

Did you get the confirmation from a director?

[psychedelica]

[ tch ]

No. But I don't think the person I heard it from was lying. There's no reason to think the directors are any more trustworthy than her, anyway.

[axilium]

Are you actually making friends?

[psychedelica]

[ and just like that, he looks annoyed again. ]

Are you going to be doing this to me, too? You're such a hypocrite.

[axilium]

Steph and I just want the best for you!

[psychedelica]

I'll listen to you when you make friends.

[axilium]

Sanji likes me.

[psychedelica]

Ugh...

[ hikage does not like sanji ]

[axilium]

[he laughs, lightly.]

Try to get along with him, would you? Sanji's a lot at first, but he's been a good ally.

[psychedelica]

I'm tolerating him.

[ that's as good as it's gonna get. ]

He's not good at prioritizing, and the way he acts around women is annoying. If I needed allies, I'd pick someone else.

[axilium]

[he smiles, though it's somber.]

I would say that he's great at prioritizing, actually.

[but he's not going to get into all of sanji's issues in grimm, so he moves on.]

Well, it's too bad. Anyone you are getting along with here, at least? Alliances can be useful.

[psychedelica]

...

[ why does it always feel like Steph and Belph are acting like his parents... whatever. Tragically, he likes Belph too much to really brush him off, although his brow is still furrowed in annoyance. ]

Lili seems intelligent.

[axilium]

[a laugh]

Yeah, you two seem like you would be able to tolerate each other.

[psychedelica]

She's practical. That's a good quality to have in a place like this.

[ he pauses, considering Belph for a moment. ]

... I bet she can't tolerate you, though.

[axilium]

I'd congratulate you for coming to that conclusion, but it was an easy one.

[psychedelica]

[ once again, he contemplates how miraculous it is that he can tolerate belph

anyway. after giving him a look: ]

She's better at getting information from the directors than I am. Not that I know I can trust her, either... but she seems like one of those idealistic, honest-to-a-fault types. They're usually easy to work with.

[axilium]

Those types are also easy to piss off, so watch your step.

[psychedelica]

I've played this game before.

[ a beat. ]

... I talked to Purple Heart, too, but they didn't tell me anything. I don't know why they don't expect us to be angry with them.

[axilium]

Yeah, but didn't your plots usually end with everyone miserable or dead or whatever? Should I be worried for Lili?

And because they're only human, dude. Or not human. Who knows? But same gist. People generally don't like being yelled at.

[psychedelica]

[ it was obviously a joke but hikage's still frowning. ]

I'm not doing that anymore... No, I can't do that anymore. [ even if he tried to go back to living that way, he doesn't think he'd be able to enjoy it the way he used to - he's been forced to remember that there's more to life, and now he has people he doesn't want to let down, too. ] ... I don't like being kidnapped. They should deal with the consequences of their actions or try harder to blend in if they don't want to be treated differently.

[axilium]

... And I'm glad to hear that.

[both for hikage's sake and, like, everyone else's.]

Not getting defensive takes a certain level of graciousness. People like Dragon and Tiger had been dealing with people like us for who-knows-how-long, so they were probably used to it, but that isn't necessarily the case here.

[psychedelica]

... You told me you didn't want me to.

[ to kill - it's a muttered addition. he remembers!! not that he could forget. how rare is it for someone to not only care about hikage's life, but the way he lives it...? he only hopes he can meet those expectations. belph's, steph's, and his little sister's, too. ]

In any case, knowing I'm being governed by a bunch of amateurs only makes me feel more annoyed.