IC Contact;

[hellrisen02]

"Yo! I seem to have my hands full at the moment, so shoot me a message and I'll get back to ya. Later~."
[functions; voice, text, video, file upload.]

Comments

[d33tached]

I don't know if I would have ever thought myself kind.

[hellrisen02]

Would you like to?

[d33tached]

[There's a significant pause.]

I suppose I can see the value in doing so in regard to those that one cares about.

[Trying to be kind to the world at large is still too big of a concept to grasp, but at least he's considering being kind to someone? The thing is, though, half of the people that showed kindness to D33 while he was de-aged weren't particularly close friends of his. Sabrina had showed him kindness, and she was almost a perfect stranger.

[He feels grateful for that kindness now, but is it enough to make him want to show the same kindness to those in need?]

[hellrisen02]

Well Jesus, I should hope so by now.

[He's teasing. A little.]

Now, being foolishly cruel? There's something that's totally useless. Don't you think?

[d33tached]

["Foolishly cruel". D33 had known cruelty, certainly, but had it been foolish cruelty? Whatever Royce's goals were, they were most certainly met through his cruelty. To be foolishly cruel, he supposes, would be foolish in that way - there would be nothing to gain from it.

[Somehow, though, he doesn't think that that's what Shinigami is trying to get at.]

I suppose you're right, yes.

[hellrisen02]

Of course I am!

[Can't you hear that in his flippant little chirp?]

Now if I can just convince you that any living thing deserves that level of empathy... Ah well. Babysteps.

How's Trowa?

[d33tached]

[He can, of course and it maybe gives him butterflies - who knows?.]

Fumio is doing just fine. He and Tommy both remained rather loyal throughout the event, actually.

[Which is surprising to him now, though at the time it had certainly been a comfort. Dogs are amazing?]

casually foreshadowing

[hellrisen02]

That's dogs for you. Not like your scent could have changed too much; of course they'd remember who you were!

People change... Maybe for the better, maybe for the worse. The core of people is always something consistent, though. That's what you gotta look for.

[d33tached]

The "core" of people, you say. How do you mean?

[He can actually almost grasp the concept - he'd definitely seen the rotten, evil core of a person before. He's not so sure that everyone has a core, though. He hasn't the first idea of what his would be made up of.]

[hellrisen02]

[Duo has an idea. It was the reason he didn't really think Dee should be involved in any of all this, no missions, no charges to save this world. He recognized it, but it wasn't built up by the same things that redeemed it in others. Not until he understood.]

Maybe you've heard the saying: 'a leopard can't change its spots'. That's true, to an extent. For some people, they are shaped, and that part of them will never change, will always remain, despite whatever new will or desires they gain.

But just because your core remains the same, that doesn't mean your path has to. The same rusty old habits can gain new use.

[A tool for killing can become a tool to protect. Sadness can become a drive for hope. Mal-intent can be directed at other malignant forces. Not everything was set in stone.]

[d33tached]

[Maybe if Duo would just put it so plainly, D33 would better understand, but as it is, he's struggling.

[He can see it, though. Somewhere, however dimly, he can see it. After all - and it's a little staggering for him to realize this now - it's been over a year since he used his skills to actually hurt or kill someone. Come to think of it, it's really been over a year since he's had to use his skills for anything other than training with Shinigami himself. Something had to have changed in him between his arrival and now that had paved the way for friendships, hobbies, etc..

[Even though it's hard to believe, he sees it. He wonders if Shinigami sees it too.]

And here I thought we were talking about dogs.