(no subject)

[all_onis_are_true]

[PRIVATE]

He yelps at the sound of footsteps and wheels around, naked terror on his face, just barely able to hold onto the blue picture piece. Had one of those horrible things decided to come back into the cage after all? He'd be cornered if...

But for once, it's something good. Miraculous, almost. He'd been certain Takuro had been doomed when he'd tripped in that cavern to the well. But he hadn't actually seen a body, had he? And now here he was. A little dazed, perhaps, but alive. Oh so much alive.

Hiroshi has stopped caring about his "image" at this point; all he cares about is that someone -- ANYONE -- is still alive. He'd been convinced he'd abandoned him to die, but of course Takuro is too street smart for that. Takuro was always more clever than him on those things. "Takuro! You're okay!" he exclaims, the relief obvious in his voice.

Takuro rubs the back of his head in a very Takuro sort of way. "Yeah, that was a close call back there." He straightens, and looks serious. "But it's dangerous to be alone. Can you take me with you?"

Hiroshi nods enthusiastically. "Of course! That's a great idea! Come on, I think I've got the last thing we need to get out too!" he exclaims and, nodding to him to follow, he leads the way back to the frame he'd seen.

He's ecstatic. Hopeful, for once. Okay, everybody else had died, but nobody else had to! They were going to make it back together, and they were going to tell everybody, and they'd condemn this horrible place and make sure nobody else came in here!

He looks back every so often, confirming Takuro's still there as he makes his way through the strange basement. They arrive at the picture at last. Hiroshi walks up to it, pulling out the piece. "Okay, this is it. With any luck, this will open up a way out. You ready, Takuro?"

A silence. "...Takuro?"

"Ḩ̩̥̲͔̬́ͦͯ̀i̸̸̗͍̤͖̤͊̈ͩ̋͂͜R̹̼̰̺̲̜͍̆͆ͭ̾̔͐̂͝͝Ǫ̺̤͎̮̣̣ͯ̕s̡̼͈ͭ͒̆ͤH̱̫̅̇̍ͤ̃̐̆̓͋͝ï͚̽̈́͌.̤̘̞͖̤̮̬͌̀̐̾̐̉̽ͅͅ.̫̱͓͚̭̻̓͊̃̔͗ͧ̈́͠ͅ.̧͔̘̝̣̣̩ͭ̓̉̑̎ͣ"*

[ACTION; HIROSHI AND PALOM'S APARTMENT]

TAKURO NO! GAAH! Ha... ha...

*The apartment again. He'd fallen asleep at the table, piles of books around him. Montfort watches him with concern from his tank across the room.

He puts his head in his hands. No... no, he's good. Really. He's fine. It's just... everybody has tragedies in their lives, right? He shouldn't let it get him so emotional. Calm rationality. That's the key. The key to everything, right? The key to... success...

He can't do it. This one, this last memory. It's too much. They're dead. They're all dead. He did nothing to stop it. In the end, the only person he'd saved was himself. Like a coward.

He puts his head in his hands -- and, for the first time since arriving here, looking very much like the scared teenage boy he is, he weeps.*

[VIDEO; A WHILE LATER]

*He's mostly recovered at this point, but there might still be a little hint of redness to his eyes. Otherwise, he looks as cool as always.*

Hey. I have a question. Everybody remembering things... how do you continue to pursue your memories if they're filled with tragedy? Logically, it'd be better to take advantage of forgetting the past and move on with the future, right?

((OOC: 1% of the bonus New Years memories used on vaguely remembering the circumstances of his arrival, and the last 2% remembering the fate of Takuro in 6.0))

Comments

Action

[alittleblackmagic]

Yaaaaaaaaa.....

[Palom bursts through the door screaming. Naturally. Candy robbers were everywhere nowadays. He lowers his fireball-laden hands when he sees that it's just Hiroshi irrationally screaming about something or another ag -- Oh. ...Awkward.]

Um.

Is everything OK...?

Re: Action

[all_onis_are_true]

*Hiroshi looks up. He tries to recompose himself again, but apparently can't quite do it enough to work up the ability to speak.*

[alittleblackmagic]

Um.
Um.

..........Well, goodnight!

[Despite invisibility magic being his sister's forte, Palom disappears with remarkable speed. ...Hiroshi may be annoyed to note that there is a small, worried face staring at him from through the door crack five seconds later.]

[all_onis_are_true]

*Well. Okay.

This is probably for the best. It's not like it's really anybody's business. It's so silly getting worked up about his only friends in his world all dying horribly.

...when he phrases it like that in his head, he feels sort of heartless.

He eyes the door a little bit longer, then turns back to the books he was looking at. He's having a hard time concentrating, though, and frustrated after a bit gets up to get some water. His hands are shaking, though.*

[alittleblackmagic]

[The door opens again. Palom emerges with a book that he holds to his chest, almost like a defensive shield.]

...

Hiroshi? ...Was it about the blue monsters again?

[arachnidsGrip began trolling Hiroshi]

[82the8th]

I guess you coooooooould do that........ 8ut what would you g8in from it?
Nothing, that's what!
Fears were m8de to be f8ced.

Re: [arachnidsGrip began trolling Hiroshi]

[all_onis_are_true]

*Yeah, okay, sure, this is EXACTLY who he needed to meet right now.*

I guess that's the mentality that explains why you'd think locking a bunch of people in a room with terrible blue monsters is somehow good for them.

[82the8th]

Are you still going on about that?
It might 8e hard for you to 8elieve me a8out this........
8ut everything that I did out there was for your own good!

[all_onis_are_true]

You know, the worst part is I'm beginning to think you honestly believe that?

[Video]

[shineslightintodarkness]

I do not believe that one should hide from the knowledge - it is painful, but you cannot learn, and you're not escaping it by running.

[He pauses]

Perhaps I may decide differently once I recover some of my own memories.

Re: [Video]

[all_onis_are_true]

I... suppose. It's just, well, I want to be more impassive about it. Objective. But it's very difficult.

Re: [Video]

[shineslightintodarkness]

We're all human... for the most part. It's natural to be scared, sad, grieving. You can't be impassive about things that happened.

[Rudolph wanted to ask what it was]

Re: [Video]

[all_onis_are_true]

...I suppose. I guess... I just want to understand. Understand why I have to have these memories in the first place.

video;

[kaboobya]

Well, you remember them because they're yours to remember! That's why!

Re: video;

[all_onis_are_true]

But what if I don't want them anymore?

video;

[kaboobya]

Then that's kinda sad. Why wouldn't you want them?

Re: video;

[all_onis_are_true]

Maybe I find them inconvenient.

[promised_victory]

Then what about the good things?

[all_onis_are_true]

Maybe there aren't enough good things to balance out the bad.

[promised_victory]

It's possible, but if one gives up then it would be impossible to find out if that is a true statement or not.

[all_onis_are_true]

I... suppose. But wouldn't it just be safer to make new good things instead of trying to sort through all the old bad stuff for them?

[Video]

[mokomanjuu]

Maybe! If you already know some sad things, then you'll worry about other sad things you can't remember. Worrying might be worse or not as sad as remembering, but it's hard to tell if it will or not without remembering first.

Re: [Video]

[all_onis_are_true]

...I suppose. But it would be nice if there were a way to forget the things you don't want once you remember what those things are.

[mokomanjuu]

It would, it really would!

Usually, Mokona deals with sad things by trying not to think about them.

[all_onis_are_true]

I guess that's one way to do it. Maybe if I just focus more on research.