irismessaging | II. [VIDEO]/[ACTION]

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II. [VIDEO]/[ACTION]

[Nighttime. It feels so different when the sky is void of the usual summer mugginess and over-cast skies that often clouded the skies of Iwatodai. It seemed, for the first time since leaving The Door, Minako could finally breathe again.]

I don't know why I waited so long to come up here. The view's unreal. [She is dangling her necklace in front of her, letting it swing like a pendulum in front of the waxing crescent moon. Ten more days, give or take.] Anyone still awake enough to come join me?

[She'd mentioned star-gazing before to some of her fellow campers. They hadn't made an organized effort to make it happen just yet, but surely they wouldn't mind her testing the waters, so to speak.]

What time is it? Don't wanna miss curfew... [She sat up on the roof, lifting her hands to slip her necklace back over her head when a soft skidding noise made her jolt.] ..... [She went still suddenly, though her breath caught. She'd slid down a few good inches of the roof, but her foot maintained some bit of traction.] Eheh...that was close!

[She starts to push herself back up to where she was sitting, but what traction her foot had managed was once again lost, and this time her sliding decent didn't stop.]

[[ooc: Cabin 11 folks, feel free to hear the commotion on the roof and the consequential sound of Minako falling off someone off the side of the cabin. Of course action is open to anyone on camp if they want to come check on her!]]

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[Minako's eyes squint as she fitfully glares out onto the lake. That was an ulterior motive. Sigh.

Of course, if she was being entirely honest, there were some things she wished she could have lived longer for...but telling any of those to Akihiko now...it'd just make things worse. No, it'd make things impossible. He wasn't ready for those kinds of admissions. She trusted him, but she couldn't be that cruel.]

...?! [She's snapped out of her melancholy thoughts by the warmth of Akihiko's hand sealing over hers against the cool night soil. She turned to look at him, leaning back slightly but not pulling her hand away. There it was again, like her thoughts were out there for everyone to read.] ...I...wanna do...?

Yeah... [Akihiko's brows furrow as he tries to figure out how to articulate his jumbled thoughts.] Like, I don't know... Childhood dreams? [...It made more sense inside his head.]

I mean... Was it really okay for you to... just go like that?

[He probably shouldn't be asking her so many questions about her eventual death, but he feels compelled to know. And if she does try to pull away from him, he will just hold on tighter. This is important, and he isn't willing to let her go right now.]

Hey... You mentioned happiness before. [Thinking back to that night she had come talk to him, after he told her about Shinji's arrival to camp.] What about you? What would make you feel happy?

[She didn't know how to respond to his questions, if only because, upon arriving in Iwatodai once again, she'd stopped floating around, and found roots. She'd just begun to appreciate friendship as something more than to see you from place to place...] I think...up until I showed any potential, I'd been more concerned with graduating high school. [Her smile was pained, and her eyes finally met Akihiko.] It's ironic, thinking back on it now, but I figured that my life would finally begin once I graduated and I could be out on my own.

[She looked back down to the grass and started plucking at individual blades with her other hand.] It's probably for the best I didn't make too many plans beyond defeating the next Shadow...that way I don't have the disappointments the rest of you would've had, in my shoes.

......

[Akihiko forces himself to maintain eye contact with her, but can't help the pain that flickers across his expression just then. Was that really her only goal up to the point of... her end? Minako hadn't even managed to accomplish it, given the fact that she instead saved the entire world at behest of her own life...] But you... couldn't even...

[He closes his eyes for a long moment, and exhales heavily. There is an uneasy tightness in his chest, one that he doesn't know how to get rid of. It's this same feeling of helplessness that he hates, being unable to do anything for the people he cares about.

When Akihiko opens his eyes again, his facial features don't look as strained as before, in spite of the phantom pains that still linger within him.] ...It'll be different here, Minako. You can make plans for the future, without having to worry about... that. [He pauses briefly to squeeze her hand in reassurance.] If you're not sure right now about what happiness means to you... maybe you can find out. You know I wanna help you. Everyone else feels the same way too.

[She'd never admitted it while alive, simply because it seemed pretty aimless. She was keen on going where the current took her, and when she was moving around all the time, it seemed to suit her lifestyle after finally giving up on stubborn ambitions and inflexible desires. It was something of a Zen way to approach her life, which might explain why she hit it off so well with the monk back then...]

I'm...hoping thing's will be different. But not too different. [She giggles and turns back to look out on the lake.] Besides, I feel like I should be asking you these questions, thinking about it. Isn't there anything you'd like to do before solstice?

Well, a good kind of different, of course. [He seeks to clarify.]

......

[Her question causes him to pull his hand back, withdrawing subconsciously. Akihiko has been thinking about solstice ever since they were told what might happen to them. As usual, he puts up a strong front and acts like nothing is bothering him, when inside, he’s actually been curling with unease and uncertainty. It’s much easier for him to comfort and help others, so that he doesn’t have to think about his own problems. Being wanted and needed gives him a sense of fulfillment, contentment. It isn’t the exact kind of happiness that he has defined for himself, his secret vision of his own future, but he thinks it’s the closest he can get.

A long time passes before he finally answers.]

Yes. [His deep voice is cool and detached, a reflection of the demeanor that he’s used to assuming, for the sake of being selfless.] I’m not ready to die yet. It’s not that I’m afraid of dying. [Because he doesn’t see his own life in that way.] But there are still things that I want to do, before the end comes.

[Akihiko shakes his head.] Honestly, it doesn’t matter. As long as everyone else remains happy and safe, I can make peace with my death. I won’t lie down and accept it without a fight, but after what happened with Shinji… [His hand curls into a tight fist.] …It just made the possibility more realistic. We’ve all been risking our lives up to this point. It has to end, someday. Come solstice, that might be the time. [He frowns, shooting a glare over the vast lake surface. If Shinji is going to die again, that would piss him off, big time.]

Hmm...[Minako paused to listen, then leans forward to rest her chin on her knees.] I guess if it's the gods doing it, it's for good, huh? Though I dunno, you'd think they'd have the power to bring you back if they wanted, but...

[Did resurrection take place in Grecian theology? Minako wasn't sure.] Well! [She perks up.] It's not the first time we've gone up against a god, and things turned out alright! [For the most part.] We'll cross that bridge when we get to it!

[She lewdly grins and roughly pokes at Akihiko's shoulder.] Besides, you're supposed to tell me what you want to do before solstice, silly! Otherwise they can't happen!

Edited 2013-06-20 17:25 (UTC)

Hmph. [He’s in disagreement on that front. If the gods really were their parents, how could they even entertain the possibility of letting them be sacrificed like that? Weren’t parents supposed to protect their children? Then again, considering his own background, it isn’t like Akihiko really has a lot of experience with good parenting.]

This is why I don’t pray to gods. [Idly, he picks up a pebble and tosses it toward the lake, skipping it across the surface.] I’d rather be in control of my own destiny.

[Right… Nyx. The Fall. Deaths and seals and… No. He doesn’t want to think about all that anymore, like he already has, for many hours on end.]

This situation isn’t quite the same, Minako. [Akihiko remarks in a somewhat wistful tone.] But I know what you mean.

[He doesn’t catch sight of her grin, but he does jolt to awareness when she jabs his shoulder.] Huh? [He turns his head to glance her way.] Um… I can’t do that. It’s selfish, and… [He’s very unused to asking things for himself.] …You should worry about the others instead. Try to grant their wishes, if you can. They deserve it.

Maybe...[Minako watched the stone skip before it delved beneath the surface.]...or maybe we're just kidding ourselves in thinking we have a choice?

[It wasn't like her to be so pessimistic, nor to really contradict Akihiko so openly. But since they were being honest with each other...]

You're right. A lot of things are different. [Shinjiro's different. Ken's different. Ryoji and Aigis...] We're different. [At least, in their memories and feelings, they were on different pages of the same book, it seemed.] But that doesn't have to be bad!

[That's right. They were still able to turn it around! There's still time!] When's there going to be a better time for you to be selfish without judgment! NONE, I tell you! So c'mon!

Of course we have a choice. [Akihiko answers in a calm tone, sounding matter-of-fact about the subject.] Obey, or resist.

[Three guesses as to which one he feels more inclined toward.]

You mean the memories, right? [He nods in agreement.] Well, there’s nothing we can do about that now, except try to work together moving forward. [Shinji and Ken feel different to him too, oddly enough… He doesn’t remember Ryoji, and Aigis doesn’t seem to have changed. He has to appreciate the little things.]

I, uh… I’ll have to think about it first. [Akihiko relents with notable reluctance.] I mean, it’s not like I can do everything here, so… I need to figure out which goals are realistic.

[He takes a few minutes to watch Minako in silence, huddled under the warmth of his jacket. Without realizing it, a soft smile is curving his lips, matching the fondness that lingers within his eyes. When a sudden gust of wind catches his attention, he looks up to acknowledge the darkness of the night sky.] …Should we head back now? You probably wanna rest up your leg and all…

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