[Vincent tried writing an apology. He really did. He's not very good at writing, but it would be easier to deliver than anything verbal. But no matter what he did, he couldn't make it sound right
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[CommentLog]notwhatiwasOctober 26 2010, 05:27:54 UTC
[...He can't do this. He can't, he can't, there's no WAY he can possibly tell Sephiroth what he is. He'd rather announce what a monster he is to the entire ship, and more besides, than be the man to answer that one question.
But there's no one else here. And...is there really anyone more appropriate to tell him than the man who could have stopped it, and didn't?
Still, the moment of silence is ridiculously long, the tension almost heavy enough to crush them both. Vincent forces himself to meet Sephiroth's eyes.]
You.
[And before Sephiroth even has time to react, he goes on, doing his best to keep things clear, to stave off the psychotic break that nearly destroyed their entire planet.]
Gast, Hojo and your mother set out to create something better than the best of what humankind could offer. Your mother was desperate for a chance to do something worth remembering, something that would make the world a better place in her eyes. You, undeveloped as you were, served as a blank slate. What you are now, what you're capable of, is a result of what they did in the days before you were born.
I oversaw the project. I should have stopped them--tried to stop them sooner. When I finally tried...
[He shakes his head.]
I am what you saw, and that failed attempt is the reason why.
[CommentLog]wutaiwarheroOctober 26 2010, 06:25:28 UTC
[Ever since I was a child, I knew mine was a special existence. His own words echoed through his mind, mingling with Vincent's words, solidifying his infantile musings and recent suspicions into a throbbing pressure behind his eyes. You. It kept rattling around, ramming into one thought, rebounding, shattering another. It was difficult to think, so many thoughts clambering for his attention at once.
He turned away, raising his hands to his temples unconsciously in a vain attempt to slow the speed of thought.
Gast. And Hojo. And his mother. No. One thought at a time. Gast. Gast had set out to create something better than the best of what humankind could offer. Gast, the only person resembling a father he'd ever known. Gone. Abandoned. Hojo. A walking jumble of complexes. Had HE truly had a hand in his...creation? His mother. Jenova. He stopped.
Valentine knew his mother. All he had was a name. Jenova. She'd died...shortly after his birth. H...had his birth...
He didn't turn to face him, but glanced over his shoulder in Vincent's direction.]
You knew Jenova.
[And then he did turn, facing him, his eyes full of a boy's need...to know his mother.]
Tell me about her, please, Mr. Valentine. What was my mother like? She...died shortly after I was born.
[CommentLog]notwhatiwasOctober 26 2010, 06:45:27 UTC
I knew Jenova. But that--creature, that monster was not your mother. Your mother was...
[He pauses. He can't afford to hesitate for long, Sephiroth's brain works far too quickly to allow him time to gather his thoughts and he knows it, but he needs a few seconds at the least.]
Very eager to please. Intelligent, well-spoken, polite in most cases. Easily misled, a bit unstable, even dangerous, but...that didn't matter to me. She was beautiful, brilliant, and very difficult to understand. Truly a star member of her department, not without blame for what occurred; what she allowed to be done, to herself and to you, was wrong. What she did to the people around her, yourself and me, was wrong. Inherently, unequivocally, absolutely wrong.
But in spite of that she wanted to raise you. Dreamed about you, thought about you, remembered you even when she let herself forget so much else. She never even got to hold you, and the thought of you became her entire world. I don't think she'd have been a good parent, but Hojo kept her from even having the chance to try.
[CommentLog]wutaiwarheroOctober 27 2010, 02:14:19 UTC
[His mother. Jenova was his mother. For twenty-five years, he'd believed that lie with all his heart, and to hear this woman he'd tried desperately as a boy to picture called a monster...he looked away again, eyes squeezed shut, trying to block out the growing static in his mind, the anguish of getting lied to, the rage at having his only known relative called a creature, the confusion, the lust for the truth, and listened.
In Vincent's voice he heard love, adoration, repulsion, and caring.]
[CommentLog]notwhatiwasOctober 27 2010, 16:31:33 UTC
[Vincent's voice is very quiet, his eyes averted.]
I still do.
But it was...a very long time ago, for me. Longer than you've been alive by your timeframe. Longer than she had been alive when we met. After that much time, things have to change.
It's rare for them to fit back together afterward.
But there's no one else here. And...is there really anyone more appropriate to tell him than the man who could have stopped it, and didn't?
Still, the moment of silence is ridiculously long, the tension almost heavy enough to crush them both. Vincent forces himself to meet Sephiroth's eyes.]
You.
[And before Sephiroth even has time to react, he goes on, doing his best to keep things clear, to stave off the psychotic break that nearly destroyed their entire planet.]
Gast, Hojo and your mother set out to create something better than the best of what humankind could offer. Your mother was desperate for a chance to do something worth remembering, something that would make the world a better place in her eyes. You, undeveloped as you were, served as a blank slate. What you are now, what you're capable of, is a result of what they did in the days before you were born.
I oversaw the project. I should have stopped them--tried to stop them sooner. When I finally tried...
[He shakes his head.]
I am what you saw, and that failed attempt is the reason why.
Reply
He turned away, raising his hands to his temples unconsciously in a vain attempt to slow the speed of thought.
Gast. And Hojo. And his mother. No. One thought at a time. Gast. Gast had set out to create something better than the best of what humankind could offer. Gast, the only person resembling a father he'd ever known. Gone. Abandoned. Hojo. A walking jumble of complexes. Had HE truly had a hand in his...creation? His mother. Jenova. He stopped.
Valentine knew his mother. All he had was a name. Jenova. She'd died...shortly after his birth. H...had his birth...
He didn't turn to face him, but glanced over his shoulder in Vincent's direction.]
You knew Jenova.
[And then he did turn, facing him, his eyes full of a boy's need...to know his mother.]
Tell me about her, please, Mr. Valentine. What was my mother like? She...died shortly after I was born.
Reply
[He pauses. He can't afford to hesitate for long, Sephiroth's brain works far too quickly to allow him time to gather his thoughts and he knows it, but he needs a few seconds at the least.]
Very eager to please. Intelligent, well-spoken, polite in most cases. Easily misled, a bit unstable, even dangerous, but...that didn't matter to me. She was beautiful, brilliant, and very difficult to understand. Truly a star member of her department, not without blame for what occurred; what she allowed to be done, to herself and to you, was wrong. What she did to the people around her, yourself and me, was wrong. Inherently, unequivocally, absolutely wrong.
But in spite of that she wanted to raise you. Dreamed about you, thought about you, remembered you even when she let herself forget so much else. She never even got to hold you, and the thought of you became her entire world. I don't think she'd have been a good parent, but Hojo kept her from even having the chance to try.
[Kept them both from having the chance to try.]
Reply
In Vincent's voice he heard love, adoration, repulsion, and caring.]
You...loved her.
Reply
I still do.
But it was...a very long time ago, for me. Longer than you've been alive by your timeframe. Longer than she had been alive when we met. After that much time, things have to change.
It's rare for them to fit back together afterward.
Reply
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