Inbox for sticksandbones

[sesa]

I will make this pretty later

(Spoilers I won't, I always say I will but I won't-)

===

INVENTORY:

-Grenade Launcher with 3 ammo stacks (refreshes monthly)

-Nondescript gaming console (it's an offbrand Nintendo Switch)

-Some glowing star rocks from an investigation with Elsword in the Deep Woods

-A little knitted dragon from Elsword that I forgot to link and am too lazy to find now

-1 Kotatsu that he keeps in his room at the lab. It's red with light beige birds on it

-His toolbox from Rhodes

-A workshop that connects to Gnosis' lab via a breezeway. He lives there with Passenger now

-3 erythrites, used to make Passenger a pair of earrings

Comments

[sesa]

[Mizuki honey that does not help]

...compared to you, you mean?

[And Ifrit, and Kirara-]

[mooninthewater]

Oh, no, no, just the people you hang out with, I mean. So it’s kinda hard to pursue the romance routes and stuff. [ MIZUKI?? ]

[sesa]

[Mizuki honey]

W-well! I've had no interest in romance before now anyway!

[You are his little gaming buddies! He cares more about having friends than getting laid okay-

Well, at least until Elliot flounced into his life and made pigeon noises at him.]

And besides, I...I don't even know if this is really going to work out long-term. Elliot...may tire of me when he learns I am unable to do all of the things he seems to expect from me.

[Like killing a man]

[mooninthewater]

I get that, but… I just mean that’s probably why no one has pursued you, that’s all. S-sorry, I guess I was just trying to say that I was surprised you didn’t have a partner before.

[ Roundabout way of saying “you’re really pretty and nice and you should’ve had a partner beforehand.

Mizuki doesn’t slow, and he’s busy making sure they stay on the path, but there’s a brief pause in his step before he moves on. ]

…What do you mean by that? You think he doesn’t care about you, but rather the “you” he’s perceiving…?

[sesa]

Mmm...

[Sesa makes a noise in the back of his throat, a cross between a grumble and a growl.]

I've spoken with you before...about what happened with my brother. How I seek to find the truth of what happened. I've told Elliot before that I want nothing more than for justice to be paid in the wake of what happened to him.

Vengeance, he calls it. Which...I suppose that is exactly what it is. But as you can see, his idea of vengeance is...salting the earth, razing it all until nothing remains but ash. He seems very eager in seeing what I end up doing.

[mooninthewater]

Mmh. I recall… but I don’t think seeking justice necessarily means seeking something as… intense as that of what Mister Passenger did. But with all that in mind, Mister Passenger did share with me that while he does think what he did was deserved, he did still seem… mmmh… somber? I think, anyway.

…Then again, I’m not good at picking up on stuff like that, so…

[sesa]

[Somber...]

You mean...that he regrets the loss of life, even if he likely doesn't regret doing it.

[The unnecessary loss, rather. The innocents who died because of what he did.]

[mooninthewater]

It’s possible. Though, I don’t know for sure why he was somber about it, that seems the most likely reason to me, at least.

[ Rather, it does now that Sesa points it out. Mizuki didn’t read too much into the situation, simply attempting to get Passenger’s thoughts on the matter… ]

Have you ever tried to talk to him about it?

[sesa]

Mm...not in depth. Though I did see a bit of it for myself first hand when visiting the space in his heart.

[He touches his chest with his claws as he says that.]

So it did put things in a different perspective, for me. Though...do you think I should try to talk to him about it more? Do you think it would be helpful?

[mooninthewater]

I think that if it's something that bothers you, then it absolutely is worth talking about. If you keep everything to yourself, then that's a sure fire way of making sure your relationship with Passenger tanks fast. I can't say for sure if it'll help him or not, but from the sounds of it, it'll help you.

[ He's worried about his friend!! And just wants him to be happy. :( ]

[sesa]

Mmm. I certainly wouldn't want it to tank before it's hardly started.

[Sesa sighs, letting his arms fall back to his sides again.]

I thank you for your advice, Mizuki. I will try to be more open with him about these things in the future. Though to tell you the truth, I feel that he may already know...and it is possible I am worrying about things that may never actually come to pass.

It is hard, I suppose. He is not exactly...someone from a visual novel that I can get a good grade with, you know?

[mooninthewater]

…While it's true that your options aren't going to show up in a convenient manner and not a finite amount, I think that saying it's "a good grade" is a bit insulting to the writers who made those characters. The ones without any love put into them are definitely one-dimensional, but there's so many that hold complex characters, and learning how your own actions affect them all differently helps you in real social interactions.

For example, Haruka and Kanade from silentXnightmare both have mirroring options, but their characters are so different from one another that the "correct" options are never the same. Like the one scene where they leave the room and Player Character has a chance to snoop after they're told not to. Haruka values loyalty and will get mad if you do, but Kanade values free will and finds it charming. And this is just a very mild example, considering the routes get way more complex as you go. Like how free will has the price of Kanade's route having waaay more chances to get bad endings, and Haruka's loyalty quests being absolutely heart wrenching if you get the bad endings, and…

…Ehem, anyway, I'm not saying treat him totally like someone that has options occasionally, but Passenger is complex, but he'll also have things he values and differing ways of how he reacts to things. There's not really ever going to be a single "right" way to handle it. To handle people. So it's important to do the things that are important to you, and if things don't go right, maybe the match just isn't right.

[sesa]

[...damn Mizuki you really know your otomes don't you.]

No, I...I think I understand what you are saying, Mizuki.

[Even moreso when put into the context of a videogame.]

I cannot expect perfection. I cannot expect anything specific, for that would only be setting myself up for failure. And trying to figure out the "right" way to do it is just going to make things needlessly complicated.

[He sighs, his tail curling around his side.]

...perhaps at the root of it all, I am merely overthinking things.

[mooninthewater]

[ Mizuki just hyper analyzes every character from any otome or anime or video game or- ]

Understandable. One usually does so when thinking about how to handle a relationship. Don't be too hard on yourself, though. I believe in you, 100%! And, at the end of the day, I just want my friend to be happy.

And I'll, like, pick a fight with Mister Passenger if he makes you cry, too! [ He's only half-joking ]

[sesa]

[Sesa laughs, a deep chuckle in his chest that echoes through the forest around them.]

Haha...thank you, my friend. Though I hope there won't be any need for fighting.

[A fight between Mizuki and Passenger sounds. Scary. Knowing what they both can do...]

Coming on this trip with you is a good distraction from my troubles, if nothing else. I recall the trip feeling like it only took Elsword and I a few hours by foot, even though we were really gone for several days.

[mooninthewater]

I’m sure it won’t come to that, of course. I just also don’t take too kindly to people who hurt my friends is all.

And I do recall that. I was very worried about you two. Fortunately, people know where we’re going this time. It’s just a shame we can’t get to the lighthouse in the distance without traversing the fog. I really want to know what’s out there.

[sesa]

As do I. There is much left for us to discover, though perhaps if we can make it as far as the sea, we might be able to find a route that leads us closer to the lighthouse's cliffside? It's worth checking out, if nothing else.

[You know, before they potentially get eaten by a sea serpent.]

[mooninthewater]

Mmh, you think? I’m not too worried about it right now, I think. I mean, it’s not entirely safe at the moment, and if we’re lucky, maybe the next time the fog expands, it’ll be fine? I guess that won’t be fore some time…

[ Mizuki adjusts the box a bit. ] And if we’re going to traverse the fog wall anyway, that’s just convince me to go out to get close to the serpent for its gift anyway.

[sesa]

You make a good point. The fog seems to pull out and in relatively frequently, so perhaps the name of the game will be patience. We'll see once we get there what we have to work with.

[Sesa hums, thoughtfully.]

I hope the serpent likes it. I was not able to gauge much of its personality before, since it was asleep at the time.

[mooninthewater]

Mmh, I've noticed that the fog seems to pull back whenever we go into one of the Forest's games. I had the theory that maybe it expends a lot of energy putting them together for us, and it's probably why we have more stuff to explore after. It's just a theory... but I can't imagine why else it'd be like that.

And, maybe. If it doesn't, I'm sure it still doesn't hurt to try. But if it's anything like the 'gods' on Terra, I'm sure it'll at least appreciate the sentiment...

[sesa]

That's a reasonable theory. We should focus our exploration efforts during these times then, if possible. Who knows what we might find, mm?

[Hopefully nothing that wants to eat them.]

Surely! Who doesn't like gifts, after all? And it may perceive it as an offering, if nothing else.

[They shouldn't be far now, so they won't have long to wonder.]

[mooninthewater]

[ Immediately: ] Dr. Kal'tsit. [ Ask him how he knows- ] But I don't think the serpent will be like her, so we should be okay.

[ That they are! Fortunately for them, it's easy enough to get to where the safe path ends and the fog begins. He gives a little hum as he adjusts the chest. Should he just... throw it into the water... or- ]

Mmmh, I think We might have to go out there, just to make sure the chest doesn't sink immediately...

[sesa]

Mm, you are probably right. Though...when Elsword and I were here, he flew over the waves with me in tow. It won't be so easy for us to replicate that.

[Hm......if only one of them could swim....hm................]

[mooninthewater]

Well, I certainly can’t fly, but I can keep you afloat no problem!!! Watch!

[ Several noodles hoist Sesa up in the air while several others hold the box. And then he just throws himself towards the water. Have fun with that sudden fall, Sesa! ]

[sesa]

[Sesa? Screams??]

Waugh-!! M-Mizuki??

[He's of course being held by Mizuki's noodles, so there's no danger of him falling in the water and drowning. But they are in the water, and that's enough for Sesa to be just mildly alarmed, to say the least.]