anise

[polliwog]

🧸🦈

Comments

[sexyasmieu]

With Arietta? No.

[ she answers quickly, but she'll go join him. ]

[polliwog]

[ they can chill for a second at this horrible beach. judging by her emotions, ]

Yet you aren't happy with how that went.

[sexyasmieu]

I don't think it could have gone any other way.

Arietta hated me, and I hated her, and I killed someone important to her, so it's only natural that she wanted revenge.

[ ... thanks to emotionshare, there's a vague sense that something she just said wasn't entirely true. ]

[polliwog]

[ emotionshare and hanahaki really out there guaranteeing that no one can have secrets again. a pause. ]

...Is that really how you feel?

[ he's always a proponent of being honest with yourself. ]

[sexyasmieu]

[ She nods. But she looks down, and doesn't look up.

In that moment, another void appears. This one doesn't seem to develop all the way; there are only some faint silhouettes and the sounds of voices.

Anise's voice. "Arietta... I'm sorry. I really hated you, but... but... I'm sorry..."

And the gruff voice of an older man. "Anise, don't cry or apologize over the corpse of your enemy. You'll only insult her."

The man appears to bend down and pick something up -- the body of a small girl -- and walks away. The memory fades. ]

[polliwog]

[ it's just a little piece of a memory, but once it fizzles out again, he puts a hand on her shoulder and leans her into a hug. ]

...I don't think it's so bad to mourn your enemies.

[ he is also the honorable warrior type, but not really a stickler for these things. there's nothing wrong with grieving over what was clearly a tragedy. ]

[sexyasmieu]

[ she's pulled into a hug, and for a few moments she just sits there, barely responding... but then she leans into the hug. ]

[polliwog]

[ what a painful situation to be put into. she's really tough, undeniably more put together than half the others here. doesn't mean there can't be a day to hug it out.

he pats her back, a smile in his voice and warmth in his emotions, if one tempered by sadness. ]

It's not a bad thing, to feel this way.

[ even if she disliked arietta, she doesn't have to be okay or happy that things ended how they did. ]

[sexyasmieu]

[ she takes a little time to stay like that, just collecting her emotions so they don't end up spilling out. ]

... I know I can't do anything to fix what happened, but... I want to do something. To make sure that nobody else ends up like that.

[polliwog]

[ she can take however long to collect herself as she wants or needs. ]

...She seems a tragic girl. [ young and lost and grieving. ] It's a very noble hope of yours, Anise. Especially for someone you did not see eye to eye with.

[ not everyone wishes their enemies could have avoided becoming a victim to the circumstances that befell them. ]

[sexyasmieu]

"Noble" is a bit much...

[ but she manages a faint smile. ]