[Log] In Essence Be
Characters: OU!Jing, AU!Kir (Aligoté)
Where: Ci-Deka
When: After this talk and this post. In reference to this original thread.
Summary: Jing decides to ask Aligoté more about the possibility of human!Bonded, with a healthy amount of skepticism.
Warnings: In which Ankhi logs with herself.
It had been a while since Jing had been to Ci-Deka. It was Mint's old room, and perhaps subconsciously he'd been avoiding it. Since Aligoté seemed more inclined to drop by Ast-Tessera when meeting with them (which made sense as he, Kir, and Cassis more or less lived there now) he hadn't had much reason to visit this room. But still, even months after her disappearance, it made him miss the pink-haired girl. He hoped she was back in her world, finding relics, and ruling her country.
For this discussion, however, he wanted Aligoté to be the one at ease. He was imposing on the winged one simply by bringing up this subject. Much like the death of the other Jing, this could not be an easy topic to broach. And if Aligoté seemed too discomforted by it, the thief was ready to stop at once. In truth, he didn't even want to start.
"Aligoté?" Jing called, knocking on the door, then pushed it open when he heard the familiar voice answer him. The sudden smell of chocolate flooded his senses, and he stood blinking in the doorway.
"Here," Aligoté said, gesturing for him to sit. There was a steaming mug on the table. "I hope you don't mind... it's been a while since I've made cocoa for you so I'm probably out of practice. Err... that is, if you like it the same way..."
Jing gave him a soft smile and sat, picking up the hot mug and curling his fingers around it. Familiar drafts of chocolate and cinnamon warmed him. "I do," he answered. "Thanks..." He sipped it and then added, "It's really good."
"I'm glad," Aligoté replied. "So what did you want to talk about?"
Jing was quiet for a moment, slowly drinking the cocoa. Finally he replied, "What you and Sherry told Kir and I about... that I was... a Bonded..."
The winged boy gave a thoughtful nod. He had sort of been anticipating this conversation coming up, although he wasn't sure when. Jing had seemed so forcefully against the very idea. He wondered what had changed, if anything. "I'll tell you what I can," he answered. "But I think know as much as I do that I ain't the one with the most answers. An' eventually you're gonna have to talk to her, too."
"I know," Jing replied. He knew Aligoté meant Sherry. "But... not yet."
Aligoté nodded again. "Well..." he said. "Where do you wanna start?"
---
Their talk lasted a few hours, during which Aligoté paused only periodically to refresh their mugs with cocoa. They discussed both what this could explain, and what it couldn't. When Aligoté didn't know something, he wrote it down on a piece of paper and made a note to talk to Sherry when she stopped being mad at him. When Jing could no longer think of any more questions, they sat in silence, just drinking their cocoa.
"This upset you a lot more than I thought it would," Aligoté said finally, breaking the stillness between them. "Or I guess... a lot more than I thought it would have, for my Jing. I know you don't have any problem with Bonded... so why the problem with bein' one?"
Jing sighed, because he'd been trying to answer that for himself. "It's not a question of what I am," he said. "It's... what I'm not."
Aligoté regarded the thief for a moment. "Bein' a Bonded doesn't mean you're not human," he said. "It's not one or the other. It's both."
"I understand what you're saying," Jing responded. "But, and I don't say this to be cruel... how much were you like other albatross? How much is Kir? You're nothing like them... you were both more human in everything except form."
"Is that how you think of Kir?" Aligoté asked neutrally. "As a Bonded and just something that looks like an albatross?"
"What?! No! Of course not!"
"Then why is it different for you?"
Jing opened his mouth but nothing came out; he was stumped by the question. After a moment he lowered his gaze and shrugged. "I... I don't know."
"Then it's somethin' you'll have to think about," Aligoté shrugged.
"I will," Jing replied. "Thanks... for talking about this with me. I was worried that..."
Aligoté gave a lopsided smile. "That I wouldn't to. Because it would remind me of my Jing."
"Yeah."
The winged one shrugged a bit, gathering up the empty mugs. "I figured that. But it doesn't do you any good if I stay quiet. And it really doesn't hurt any more or less for me. Besides... I'm tied to you and Kir now, too. So I should do what I can for you. Like you've both been doing for me all this time."
"You seem in a good mood today," Jing observed. "Did something good happen?"
He found it very interesting that Aligoté flushed a little. "I-I had lunch with someone, that's all."
"A girl?" Aligoté changed colours and he laughed. "Wow... never thought I'd see you blush over something like that!"
"I ain't blushin'!"
Jing smiled a bit, ceasing his teasing banter. "Well, I'm glad. I'll talk to you later, okay? And thank you again... you did help."
"You're welcome, Jing."
Where: Ci-Deka
When: After this talk and this post. In reference to this original thread.
Summary: Jing decides to ask Aligoté more about the possibility of human!Bonded, with a healthy amount of skepticism.
Warnings: In which Ankhi logs with herself.
It had been a while since Jing had been to Ci-Deka. It was Mint's old room, and perhaps subconsciously he'd been avoiding it. Since Aligoté seemed more inclined to drop by Ast-Tessera when meeting with them (which made sense as he, Kir, and Cassis more or less lived there now) he hadn't had much reason to visit this room. But still, even months after her disappearance, it made him miss the pink-haired girl. He hoped she was back in her world, finding relics, and ruling her country.
For this discussion, however, he wanted Aligoté to be the one at ease. He was imposing on the winged one simply by bringing up this subject. Much like the death of the other Jing, this could not be an easy topic to broach. And if Aligoté seemed too discomforted by it, the thief was ready to stop at once. In truth, he didn't even want to start.
"Aligoté?" Jing called, knocking on the door, then pushed it open when he heard the familiar voice answer him. The sudden smell of chocolate flooded his senses, and he stood blinking in the doorway.
"Here," Aligoté said, gesturing for him to sit. There was a steaming mug on the table. "I hope you don't mind... it's been a while since I've made cocoa for you so I'm probably out of practice. Err... that is, if you like it the same way..."
Jing gave him a soft smile and sat, picking up the hot mug and curling his fingers around it. Familiar drafts of chocolate and cinnamon warmed him. "I do," he answered. "Thanks..." He sipped it and then added, "It's really good."
"I'm glad," Aligoté replied. "So what did you want to talk about?"
Jing was quiet for a moment, slowly drinking the cocoa. Finally he replied, "What you and Sherry told Kir and I about... that I was... a Bonded..."
The winged boy gave a thoughtful nod. He had sort of been anticipating this conversation coming up, although he wasn't sure when. Jing had seemed so forcefully against the very idea. He wondered what had changed, if anything. "I'll tell you what I can," he answered. "But I think know as much as I do that I ain't the one with the most answers. An' eventually you're gonna have to talk to her, too."
"I know," Jing replied. He knew Aligoté meant Sherry. "But... not yet."
Aligoté nodded again. "Well..." he said. "Where do you wanna start?"
---
Their talk lasted a few hours, during which Aligoté paused only periodically to refresh their mugs with cocoa. They discussed both what this could explain, and what it couldn't. When Aligoté didn't know something, he wrote it down on a piece of paper and made a note to talk to Sherry when she stopped being mad at him. When Jing could no longer think of any more questions, they sat in silence, just drinking their cocoa.
"This upset you a lot more than I thought it would," Aligoté said finally, breaking the stillness between them. "Or I guess... a lot more than I thought it would have, for my Jing. I know you don't have any problem with Bonded... so why the problem with bein' one?"
Jing sighed, because he'd been trying to answer that for himself. "It's not a question of what I am," he said. "It's... what I'm not."
Aligoté regarded the thief for a moment. "Bein' a Bonded doesn't mean you're not human," he said. "It's not one or the other. It's both."
"I understand what you're saying," Jing responded. "But, and I don't say this to be cruel... how much were you like other albatross? How much is Kir? You're nothing like them... you were both more human in everything except form."
"Is that how you think of Kir?" Aligoté asked neutrally. "As a Bonded and just something that looks like an albatross?"
"What?! No! Of course not!"
"Then why is it different for you?"
Jing opened his mouth but nothing came out; he was stumped by the question. After a moment he lowered his gaze and shrugged. "I... I don't know."
"Then it's somethin' you'll have to think about," Aligoté shrugged.
"I will," Jing replied. "Thanks... for talking about this with me. I was worried that..."
Aligoté gave a lopsided smile. "That I wouldn't to. Because it would remind me of my Jing."
"Yeah."
The winged one shrugged a bit, gathering up the empty mugs. "I figured that. But it doesn't do you any good if I stay quiet. And it really doesn't hurt any more or less for me. Besides... I'm tied to you and Kir now, too. So I should do what I can for you. Like you've both been doing for me all this time."
"You seem in a good mood today," Jing observed. "Did something good happen?"
He found it very interesting that Aligoté flushed a little. "I-I had lunch with someone, that's all."
"A girl?" Aligoté changed colours and he laughed. "Wow... never thought I'd see you blush over something like that!"
"I ain't blushin'!"
Jing smiled a bit, ceasing his teasing banter. "Well, I'm glad. I'll talk to you later, okay? And thank you again... you did help."
"You're welcome, Jing."