notsogrimreaper | >STATUS (IC Inbox)

[Mushi comes back from his daycare shift to see the note, and he grins. It's always nice to talk to Tsukuru, and so he doesn't mind the short notice. Instead, he just walks over to her room, checking to see if she's there.]

[ she's present! however, she wasn't expecting Mushi to simply show up, so Tsukuru looks more than a bit surprised when she spots him, eyes wide and scissors dropping from her hands. (she'd been in the middle of decorating a notebook, but perhaps that was to be expected from her.) ]

Mushi-kun! You didn't have to come find! Heheh, thanks for meeting with me, though!!

[ Mushi would find himself wrapped into a hug by her, a tight, warm expression of gratitude... after she launches herself right into him, of course! ]

[He beams at her, before letting out a little grunt as she suddenly barrels into him. Wow, someone's excited. Not that he isn't excited himself. He wraps his arms around her in a tight hug, laughing.]

I really wanted to talk to you, so it's no problem! What did you need?

Mushi-kun, sorry, but I think I need to say this first.

[ pulling away, Tsukuru looks up at him with a serious gaze. her shoulders raise and her expression sours, with the weight of what she wants to ask him. she knows he works in the daycare, and... his other form, his wings -- ]

Trip died... Did you notice?

[He pulls back too, looking at her with confusion, until her words finally hit him. Trip... such a happy kid, the monster Mushi had taken under his wing, had promised to take care of, almost like a father...]

He died? Oh... oh no, I was so preoccupied with those doubles that...

[He takes a step back. Guilt is hitting him hard. He should have paid more attention...]

They'll come back.

[ they always find a way, yo. she's confident Trip will come back. she wishes she had this kind of confidence when she was talking to herself, but she can be a strong hero who believes in everyone else right now. she can do that.

reaching up she pats Mushi on the shoulders, a grin spreading across her face. ]

I need your help when they do! You'll help, right? 'Cause I think you're way more powerful than I know. So I think you can do it.

[ she doesn't give him a chance to respond, however, quickly barreling out with a cheerful statement. ]

The kids, they're helping me with something, and I need you to watch them. Can you do it?

I mean, I know they will... People here come back when they die, right?

[It's still so hard to believe, but he knows it must be the truth, no matter how illogical and unsettling it sounds to him. He should be glad it isn't permanent for his friend.

He looks up at her with surprise. He is more powerful than she knows, but not in a good way... how can he protect them?

...He has to try. If it's for them, he should try.]

Of course I will. I... I promised Trip I wouldn't leave them alone. If they're helping you, I'm here to help too.

[ it doesn't matter if you're powerful in a good way or a bad way. what matters is that you make your powers your own. ... if he'd said that to her, that he didn't know if he was capable of protect them, she'd tell him about Rui, and how they'd taken a power that allowed a world destroyer to manipulate them, and turned it into a heroic ability. she'd tell them that people can turn anything around. nothing is determined. fate's a lying mistress that lures you away from who you are.

but all she thinks about is those big, dark wings, like a blackbirds, keeping Trip safe. she knows he'll do it. ]

Grit and Isol, too. They're helping as well. We're... [ ...she wanted to talk to Mushi about this, eventually. it seems like it's an okay time, now. ] We're trying to find out about the island. The witch. Her niece. All of it, we're trying to find out the truth.

[No matter what his powers are, no matter how awful they may be... Mushi knows that he needs to protect Trip and the other children. He will do anything to accomplish that, and so arguing about his powers and their supposed danger isn't going to help either of them right now.

Instead, he just nods firmly, a bright light in his eyes.]

Then I'll protect all of them. They trust me, so it'll be fine. Why are you trying to figure out the truth?

[ she spins on the spot, her back facing him. why... Gray's not here anymore, but Kimo is. it feels like it might be a bit much to divulge Kimo's memories, but she won't shy away from answering Mushi, either. her fingers lace together behind her back, and she hums thoughtfully. ]

What did you sign your contract for, Mushi-kun?

[He doesn't want her answering if it's uncomfortable, but when she asks that question, he at least has a feeling where the conversation is going to go. He looks off to the side, as if lost in thought.]

... Two people very important to me made a sacrifice to save their worlds. I want to grant them the opportunity to live peacefully, and enjoy what their sacrifice granted them.

[ that's a good wish. she expected nothing less from Mr. Blackbird. ]

What if the witch lied to you to get you to make that wish, though?

[ she's not subtle. her wording alone might raise flags here, but it's clear that she's experienced the witch tricking someone into signing their name away, because her head tilts just so. enough for her to make eye contact with him -- her eyes are clear. her words are genuine. what if you were lied to, Mushi? ]

...That's not possible. I... I'm going to be working here for the rest of my life. My wish has to be granted. Please don't scare me like that. It's impossible.

[Mushi isn't a very confrontational person, but if someone did lie to him about the safety of the people important to him, he would have to do something. He'd have to fight.]

[ clasping her hands together, she thinks back to how Tsubasa misinterpreted her gravely, and Tsukuru looks to the side, lost in the memory. it already happened. she can't stop it now. ]

I met someone, and he said his sister was here. The witch told him, but he remembered her name. The witch didn't tell him the truth.

[ her voice droops a bit, tone slowing as she considers. if she's vague... ]

A friend of mine. The witch came to him when he was weak and got him to sign that way.

[ it's vague enough that she thinks Mushi won't know it's Kimo. as for Gray, he isn't here anymore, so it's fine. ]

...What do you think?

...I don't know what to think.

[It's possible, of course. It's definitely possible that people were lied to in order for the witch to get more workers. It's possible that she told people things that were not true, took advantage of their weaknesses... maybe even agreed to a wish that was impossible to grant.

But...]

I-If my wish was a lie, what would be the point of bringing me back to life?

[He sounds choked up, near tears. He doesn't know if he can handle living on when he knows he won't ever make up for his mistakes and give the people who deserve life that freedom.]

Hm, Mushi-kun, I'd bring you back to life if I could. No matter what.

[ it isn't said to comfort him. it's just a bland, blunt statement. she doesn't think Mushi needs a reason to be alive, Tsukuru would just like him to be. with a gentle smile, she raises a hand to place it just over his chest. her hand hovers where his heart would be -- she could touch, but she doesn't. she's only reaching out to him, leaving Mushi to decide if he wants to meet her. ]

I like having Mushi-kun here. It's not a mistake. She told me that... everything is for a reason.

[ no one is here on a mistake. they're all here for a reason. ]

I want to understand that. Why Mushi-kun is here. Why I'm here... There's a reason for it, so I want to know, to find out the truth.

Edited (TSUKURU WOULD JUST LIKE MUSHI TO BED.) 2016-02-07 04:38 (UTC)

I know you would. You're... you're a good friend. But there's no point in the Witch bringing me here just to lie to me and put me to work. She could have found plenty of people who were actually alive.

[He hesitates at her motion, but she seems to be looking for something, and so after a moment, he steps forward. His heartbeat is very faint, if it's there at all-Shadows have no need for the same human organs, but who knows what Minako was capable of?]

...If you say there was a reason, then I'll believe you. And... I'll help you find the truth. Even if I'm not sure I want to know what it is.

[It's important to her, so... it's important to him.]

>STATUS (IC Inbox)

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