SECOND DAZZLE!!! | video | January 14th, evening

[gingaprettyboy]

[He's seen other people say this to the network, but he's never really expected to say it himself. The feed is on for a long time while he stares out the window, wondering how to say it.]

... Riku and Kairi.

[He sighs, and then finally looks at the communicator, hiding it all behind a wry smile.] It looks like they've gone home.

Comments

[permavideo]

[rebelwithaclock]

Friends, huh? I'm...sorry to hear that.

[also permavideo]

[gingaprettyboy]

[He sighs and nods, shrugging a little.]

Yep. [He opens his mouth to speak again, and then just closes it.]

[rebelwithaclock]

[He saw that, Takuto.]

...What? Were you going to say something?

[gingaprettyboy]

[He shakes his head, and then shrugs, then hesitates, and then sighs, feeling a little defeated.]

I'm going to miss them.

[rebelwithaclock]

...Ah.

[It's a little awkward--he's practically a stranger, after all--but Chrono understands. Maybe a little too well. He gives Takuto a sympathetic look.]

That's....normal. Very normal.

[gingaprettyboy]

[He takes a deep breath.]

Yeah, it is.

I guess... it's something everyone here has to get used to, or expect, even.

[rebelwithaclock]

...Unless you just don't make any friends here. [The way he says it implies that he thinks that's an actual option.] Otherwise...yeah.

1/3

[gingaprettyboy]

2/3

[gingaprettyboy]

3/3

[gingaprettyboy]

[...And then his principles and his determination catch up with him.]

But that'd be even worse! No one should be expected to go without friends! And besides, sometimes, s-sometimes it's okay if your friends leave you early, because then you cherish the time you were with them that much more!

[And yes, he does feel very strongly about this.]

And because any of us could go back home at any moment, that's why we have to do as much as we can while we're here!

[rebelwithaclock]

[Well. That seemed to perk him up a bit. Chrono stares at the screen for a moment with a surprised expression before sighing and looking to the side.]

That sounds nice, but I don't know if things really work that way. Bad memories are pretty effective at wiping out good ones, in my experience.

[gingaprettyboy]

[He shakes his head vigorously, pulling the communicator screen closer because he has something important to say.]

Bad memories only cover up the good ones if you let them! And I know it works this way.

The only people who can be happy are those who believe they can be happy. That's why, even though I miss Riku, and Kairi, and a lot of other people, I know I'll be happy again tomorrow. [He lets the communicator get a little more distance, and shrugs, speaking as if his words are the most natural things in the world.] If I believe there's a sky more beautiful than the one today, then I'll keep searching for it until I find it. [The things that might seem possible for most people are actually inevitable for Takuto.]

[rebelwithaclock]

[For a moment his eyebrows lower and his cheeks blush. He seems saddened but almost touched by Takuto's words...

Then, somehow, a switch flips in his brain and a metaphorical wall goes up. His eyebrows arch into an angle and his frown deepens. He speaks bitterly.]

I'm sure it's easy to believe you can be happy when you have a reason to. But not everyone does. I know you mean well, but you're being naive. Sometimes there isn't a "beautiful sky" to look for. And sometimes even if there is, there's something on the horizon that's coming to take away what makes it beautiful in the first place.

icon is a little too dramatic for this, but.... hnnngh. I make do with 15.

[gingaprettyboy]

[He's not going to give up on this. But his mood definitely changes to match Chrono's a little. He doesn't speak bitterly at all, but the determination definitely has a harder edge.]

Then you take away the thing that took away its beauty.

Oh man, I know that feel. Even 30 feels a little awkward sometimes.

[rebelwithaclock]

[His expression becomes strained and he closes his eyes for a moment. Is that what he was thinking as he killed those 100 Pursuers? Unbidden, the memory of his claws ripping into flesh appears in his mind. He remembers rage burning him up inside, but no conscious thought beyond a need to see them dead at his feet. He can almost smell the blood again--and the scent of it makes his stomach turn.

He quickly opens his eyes again and forces himself to stop thinking about the battle, but his demeanor has noticeably changed. He feels even more distant than he previously did, and his eyes are staring blankly over the top of the mirror at the wall ahead of him. When he responds, it's a mumble that's likely more to himself than Takuto.]

It doesn't bring them back.

[gingaprettyboy]

No, it doesn't. [He is actually listening quite closely, Chrono. And agreeing.]

But it can keep that sort of thing from happening again.

[He sighs, then, trying to expel all the bits of frustration that crept into him during this conversation. He had already dealt with the person who had taken away the beautiful sky, and he had seen the dawn that came after. That second punch had been more solid, too. It didn't make any of the things go back to how they should have been, but that was okay.]

And you'll always remember them. Especially if... [He hesitates, and then plunges on doggedly.] I-if they made a big impression, or changed you. If you're different, because of them, then a piece of them still exists.