[He is completely oblivious to the life of magi, after all. Yuuto is at least a decent problem solver and he’s able to piece together some things from her vague hints.]
So your power has a negative side, which you seem to be implying builds up… Something that normally gets cleared away. Do you know the specifics?
[Yuuto pauses, then chooses to elaborate.]
I wonder if we have a substitution for ‘nightmares’ here. For example, if someone had a power that required they use magic fire, we could substitute a lighter or matches. Some things, like ‘fire,’ are constants between worlds, even if their origins and value are different. I wonder if your ‘nightmares’ can be boiled down to a common element as well?
S-So, it's kind of bad, yeah. 'Nightmares' come from people's worries and fears, or from when a magi's soul gem gets too cloudy from overuse. Clearing a Nightmarescape purifies the gem. Uh... a witch is a more extreme version of that. A magi can come back from spawning a Nightmare, but not from spawning a Witch.
[ Auuugh, she has to pull out her gem for this. She's not really paying too much attention to it right now, more just letting Yuuto see it! It's. A little cloudy, but it's not alarming at least? ]
Our magic is tied to this gem. The more we use it, the cloudier the gem gets, so we have to make sure to clean it regularly? I never really questioned it completely, but... I'd think with all of the person's worries fading away, that includes the stress we put on our gems?
...
I really. Really wish I had notes for you, Yuuto-kun. [ The person who usually explains this stuff isn't here...! ]
[Yuuto can hear the similarities to a Rumor, but he doesn’t comment. This is about Ryoko and, when seeing her cloudy soul gem, a real and looming threat.]
I see. Stress… I’ll look into it? Maybe it’s a matter of purifying… Maybe Hanyuu-san knows something? Her power is about forgiving sin, which is similar…
[He smiles weakly.]
Will your gem be okay if you forget about your home? And for Fauna-chan… Won’t she end up being the one who has to worry about you?
I see... I can check with her. [ A pause. ] I guess that's similar to the ritual at her festival, right? That's meant to remove the evil possessing us... I think.
[ She didn't know if it worked before, but. Maybe? ]
...well... I don't use magic as much as I used to. We used it to help power our homes too. It should be fine. [ And... Fauna. ]
...
Wouldn't she be happier knowing that there's even less of a chance of me turning?
[ Ryoko takes another sip of tea... which, goes longer than she expected. Then, she places the teacup back down onto the table. ]
I want this for her, more than anything.
[ She stares down at the cup, unable to really meet Yuuto's gaze anymore. ]
Taiga Aisaka doesn't deserve anything that she's gone through. She didn't do anything wrong, but she's been hurt, she's been terrified, she's... she saved my life.
[ Which, gets her to bring a hand up to her face. ]
If I can give her a little bit of peace, and take her worries away... I want to do that. That's the least I can do for her.
But is it what she wants? Have you spoken to her about it yet? It’s up to her what she wants to do with that kind of suffering. Just like it’s up to you what you want to do with yours.
[Which is why Yuuto won’t necessarily stop Ryoko if she really needs a break.]
She’ll been to be able to verbalize it for Shugo-san. He isn’t going to take your word for it.
[Yuuto wouldn’t either. He’s seen how people reacted to Shugo trying to take care of the populace. He doesn’t want Ryoko on the receiving end of that kind of hatred.]
Was becoming a magi really a choice or was it some kind of trick?
...Kyuubey... the being that turned us into magi, offered us a wish for anything we wanted in exchange for a contract.
I didn't think being a magi would be a bad thing. I'd just be like a magical girl, and I'd have to save a town from bad guys. But that wasn't what happened... it was terrible.
[ ...... ]
Maybe... maybe I should wait. At least until after the moon viewing?
[ Maybe then, she can have time to speak to everyone. ]
I see... In that sense, you probably understand the Rumors better than most, huh? Rumors, and maybe us kami.
[Spirits who make a seemingly innocent wish to exist and live, only to have it twisted into something unfair and painful... Yuuto almost wonders if this Kyuubey could be the source of their current problem, but he would remember that name.]
Are you going to be okay until then? You must be in a lot of pain to turn to these sorts of measures. After all, you... you were really angry before.
Yeah. I mean... all I could really do is sympathize. At least until we can figure out how to keep you safe
[ How to keep Yuuto from, in essence, becoming that powerful Witch that she was afraid of. ]
It's... complicated. Like I said... I've done a lot of awful things, Yuuto-kun. I appreciate your compliments, but in the end... I'm a coward. All I do is hurt others, even when I'm not trying to.
Hurting people when you don't mean to is called an accident, Asakura-san. We forgive those.
[Again, he doesn't want for this to be about him and tries to sidestep the issue. Though he certainly understands Ryoko's fear for a similar reason. Becoming someone who hurts others is obviously not what she wants. Seeing that on her horizon must be terrifying.]
Ah, well... I'm used to being hurt, so it doesn't bother me. I'm more worried? And that comes from loving you, so... It's a pain that I'd rather cherish anyway?
Anyway! Please just talk to Aisaka-san! And you should talk to Fauna-chan too! Inaba and Akutagawa were hurt that I didn’t consult them, so please don’t make the same mistake that I did.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[He is completely oblivious to the life of magi, after all. Yuuto is at least a decent problem solver and he’s able to piece together some things from her vague hints.]
So your power has a negative side, which you seem to be implying builds up… Something that normally gets cleared away. Do you know the specifics?
[Yuuto pauses, then chooses to elaborate.]
I wonder if we have a substitution for ‘nightmares’ here. For example, if someone had a power that required they use magic fire, we could substitute a lighter or matches. Some things, like ‘fire,’ are constants between worlds, even if their origins and value are different. I wonder if your ‘nightmares’ can be boiled down to a common element as well?
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[ She. She told Inaba, mostly to provide her own perspective on the rumor thing...
...Oh. ]
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[ Auuugh, she has to pull out her gem for this. She's not really paying too much attention to it right now, more just letting Yuuto see it! It's. A little cloudy, but it's not alarming at least? ]
Our magic is tied to this gem. The more we use it, the cloudier the gem gets, so we have to make sure to clean it regularly? I never really questioned it completely, but... I'd think with all of the person's worries fading away, that includes the stress we put on our gems?
...
I really. Really wish I had notes for you, Yuuto-kun. [ The person who usually explains this stuff isn't here...! ]
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I see. Stress… I’ll look into it? Maybe it’s a matter of purifying… Maybe Hanyuu-san knows something? Her power is about forgiving sin, which is similar…
[He smiles weakly.]
Will your gem be okay if you forget about your home? And for Fauna-chan… Won’t she end up being the one who has to worry about you?
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[ She didn't know if it worked before, but. Maybe? ]
...well... I don't use magic as much as I used to. We used it to help power our homes too. It should be fine. [ And... Fauna. ]
...
Wouldn't she be happier knowing that there's even less of a chance of me turning?
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Fauna-chan really hates Shugo-san. I don’t know if she’ll take kindly to this kind of decision… You probably want to talk to her first?
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[ Wah. ]
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But if you really want that, then Shugo-san can help you. I can look into your soul gem while you’re … recovering? [Not thinking about it.]
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[ She exhales. She wishes this was easier. ]
I know it's selfish of me to do this, but, I just want her to have a little peace of mind, without me bringing up anything painful.
[ You know, because she's great at that. ]
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[That’s two people… Yeah, he can’t send them to Shugo without making sure that it won’t come back to haunt him.]
I don’t think that it’s selfish to want to take care of yourself. That’s in your friends’ interest too. [hypocrite.] You could stand to do that more.
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[ Ryoko takes another sip of tea... which, goes longer than she expected. Then, she places the teacup back down onto the table. ]
I want this for her, more than anything.
[ She stares down at the cup, unable to really meet Yuuto's gaze anymore. ]
Taiga Aisaka doesn't deserve anything that she's gone through. She didn't do anything wrong, but she's been hurt, she's been terrified, she's... she saved my life.
[ Which, gets her to bring a hand up to her face. ]
If I can give her a little bit of peace, and take her worries away... I want to do that. That's the least I can do for her.
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[Which is why Yuuto won’t necessarily stop Ryoko if she really needs a break.]
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[Yuuto wouldn’t either. He’s seen how people reacted to Shugo trying to take care of the populace. He doesn’t want Ryoko on the receiving end of that kind of hatred.]
Was becoming a magi really a choice or was it some kind of trick?
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I didn't think being a magi would be a bad thing. I'd just be like a magical girl, and I'd have to save a town from bad guys. But that wasn't what happened... it was terrible.
[ ...... ]
Maybe... maybe I should wait. At least until after the moon viewing?
[ Maybe then, she can have time to speak to everyone. ]
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[Spirits who make a seemingly innocent wish to exist and live, only to have it twisted into something unfair and painful... Yuuto almost wonders if this Kyuubey could be the source of their current problem, but he would remember that name.]
Are you going to be okay until then? You must be in a lot of pain to turn to these sorts of measures. After all, you... you were really angry before.
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[ How to keep Yuuto from, in essence, becoming that powerful Witch that she was afraid of. ]
It's... complicated. Like I said... I've done a lot of awful things, Yuuto-kun. I appreciate your compliments, but in the end... I'm a coward. All I do is hurt others, even when I'm not trying to.
...I'm hurting you right now. Aren't I?
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[Again, he doesn't want for this to be about him and tries to sidestep the issue. Though he certainly understands Ryoko's fear for a similar reason. Becoming someone who hurts others is obviously not what she wants. Seeing that on her horizon must be terrifying.]
Ah, well... I'm used to being hurt, so it doesn't bother me. I'm more worried? And that comes from loving you, so... It's a pain that I'd rather cherish anyway?
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Oh. So, you're a masochist then?
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[ Akutagawa seems way too serious to make that comment.
...but either way, it's making her feel a bit better. ]
--Don't worry. I'm the same. If you hurt me, I know you wouldn't mean it, so I'd forgive you too.
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Yuuto knows when to switch the topic:]
Anyway! Please just talk to Aisaka-san! And you should talk to Fauna-chan too! Inaba and Akutagawa were hurt that I didn’t consult them, so please don’t make the same mistake that I did.
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[ Those two. Huh. ]
Okay. I'll speak to them.
...regardless, I should... still probably apologize to Shugo-san. Even if I don't go through with it.
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[Yuuto severely misunderstands how his father operates.]
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Ryoko sways a bit, before finishing up her tea. ]
Is there anything he likes? Something he'd appreciate getting as a "make good" gift?
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