[ Mizuki shimmies over to make room on the towel he's sitting on, giving a little pat next to him so Wolfwood can join him. ]
It seems the faction with the crushed kelp and algae are getting the most traffic, so I imagine that's a luxurious food item between them, 'cause the other two don't seem much interaction with one another.
[Wolfwood takes a seat, pulling his knees up to his chest in a sort of telltale sign of trying to make himself small, resting his chin on his good one. He stares listlessly down into the little tidepool, unable to even see the little creatures Mizuki is talking about.]
Luxurious, huh.
So what happens to the other two. Do they just starve and die?
Hm? Oh, no, of course not. Their food is sustainable. I've only been doing this for about three hours, anyway. I theorize that even if their factions were well established and I took the food from the other two, it's likely the only real change would be a decrease in reproduction rate and they'd join with the others.
They don't have the same sense of "outsiders" as most animals do, after all.
[ Though the little guys have most of Mizuki’s attention, he still does take note of Wolfwood’s posture, and ends up leaning against him. There’s certainly Something up, and at least Mizuki can gauge that much. ]
[Wolfwood makes a noncommittal noise in response. It's nice to have something sortof mindless to watch and listen to, as Mizuki goes on about the little society he's governing.
At least until the topic slides closer to him, and he finds himself hiding a little behind his shades.]
[ Hey, come on, Wolfwood. Mizuki's definitely told you that communication is important at some point! He just wants to know if Wolfwood needs to focus on something else before tackling the thing that's obviously pretty fresh on his mind. Mizuki criss-crosses his legs and reaches down to start making a couple more obstacles from the non-algae creatures to the algae ones and making the path between the other two more accessible. ]
Let's see if this encourages "trade" between these two more. And if it doesn't, then we'll find out how they problem solve when it comes to obstacles.
[Sorry Mizuki, he's running from his feelings a little bit. But the distraction does help, as he draws his legs a little closer to himself and rests his chin on his good knee.]
They're just lil shrimps or somethin', right? What kinda brains would they have?
They are, but they're not necessarily brainless. I think that they're plenty smart enough to solve little problems like this, anyway.
If we were to put in a bigger problem, like predators, then they'd struggle for sure. But I wouldn't wanna do that to these guys. I've grown a little attached~
M'kinda surprised you were able t'orchestrate this all by yourself. A whole little society and everythin'.
[He's sort of still watching, and if Mizuki notices, Wolfwood seems a bit distant. Listless, like he's here but a little detached from what he's looking at. Going through the motions, as it were.]
It's not particularly hard. Most thriving societies begin with the four basic fundamentals of life. According to my church, anyway.
...
You know, you said "both". I'm here to listen now, Mister Wolfwood. You can hold my hand if you feel like you need something to help ground you? [ He's offering out his hand immediately after offering, but he doesn't make a move to grab for Wolfwood's. Great discipline on Mizuki's part, really, for those who know him. ]
[Though he's not verbalizing it, it's clear that Wolfwood is pretty fucking miserable right now. It's a miracle he's even here in the first place and not hiding in the cave somewhere away from everyone else.
But when Mizuki offers his hand...after a long, long pause, Wolfwood reaches out to wordlessly take it, looking into the tidepool and not at Mizuki when he does. His fingers are a bit stiff, his skin chapped and raw from overexposure to saltwater, but he takes it nevertheless.]
...Mmh, Wolfwood, I can't believe you when you say that without any good reason, you know. I just hear you beating yourself up, and that's it...
[ Mizuki reaches over to scoop up the piles of food from the other two "factions" of sea monkeys and puts them together with the algae. One big food pile now! What will happen... ]
[What will happen indeed...Wolfwood isn't sure how much attention he's paying to the sea monkey's anymore, because he's right back into that mire of feeling miserable and numb.]
...I kept somethin' from Vash for his own good. Now he's upset with me.
Hmm... This question doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, but just for my knowledge: When you say "for his own good," was it something that would hurt him in the moment, but become better in knowing in the end, or something that would be detrimental if he kept that knowledge?
... [ Mizuki puts his other hand around Wolfwood's and with it sandwiched between his hands, he gives a light squeeze. ] You're hurt that... he didn't trust you? You're hurt that when you told him you couldn't tell him, he couldn't just take your word for it. Is that right?
[ Mizuki watches the little sea monkeys in the tide pools. Despite the obstacles, they still found they're way over to their colony. They're all eating together and evenly distributing the food among them, even when the algae is favored. A perfect unity of creatures that will always work together and never truly divide.
If only people were that simple.
Mizuki leans against Wolfwood, his stingers floating behind them to create a bit of a barrier. He'd been in a more isolated part of the beach, anyway, but now he's making absolute sure that there's no prying eyes on him while he's vulnerable. ]
...In a relationship, communication is important, Wolfwood. But so are boundaries. If you conveyed to him that you didn't want to talk to him about it because of how he may react, then you didn't do anything wrong. You didn't "fuck up". Actually, the fact that you were open about how you felt about it instead of lying is fantastic, Wolfwood.
Wolfwood isn't paying all that much attention to the little creatures anymore. He's instead focused on staring at his hand now carefully being held by Mizuki's, his head bowed forward as he tries to keep the tears he can feel welling up in his eyes from falling. He's not sure if they're from anger, or sadness, or something else he can't place. Maybe gratitude that Mizuki is willing to hear him out, even if he still thinks that this is his own fault somehow. His vision blurs, their surroundings getting all wobbly and hazy, yet Mizuki's voice manages to cut through the haze regardless.]
If...if you knew somethin' that would alter someone's future...would you tell them? Is it wrong to keep that secret, when we ain't...even supposed t'know the future?
[He felt so sure. Like, if Vash never knew, it still wouldn't change things. How could it?]
[ ...is probably what he'd say if he didn't have a million secrets he'd been told the keep. Alas, he gets it. Sort of. He doesn't like keeping things from people or lying at all, and perhaps Wolfwood had picked up on that from him by now. Regardless, Mizuki shakes his head. ]
I do know things that would alter the future if I told people. [ Far, far too many things that would have devasting consequences if anyone found out. ] And you saw one of them spill before. How Irene acted -- that's what I'm to expect if the things I know go out to other people.
And for you, it's the same thing. There are some secrets that aren't fair to keep, of course. Hiding things from your partner maliciously or selfishly is where it starts to become an issue, but that's not what this sounds like it was? If it's something like that... then it's Vash who needs to get this sorted out, not you.
[He remembers. Mizuki's status as a Seaborn was revealed, and Irene stabbed him, no questions asked. He knows the kind of gravity of revealing things like this. Things you shouldn't know, things you were never meant to know. And Wolfwood...perhaps he was just thinking about protecting Vash in that moment. Perhaps he wasn't thinking about JuLai at large.
But he had no reason to think a future like that could be changed. What else could happen, exactly? Back home, Wolfwood is still tasked with bringing Vash to JuLai. It's in his contract, he can't just not do that even though Vash knows, because otherwise the orphanage will be in danger. And on top of that, he knows damn well Vash isn't just going to not go to Nai, no matter what he might say to the contrary.
And JuLai is Nai's next target. Nai cannot be swayed, by the future or anyone else. There are no alternatives.]
It ain't malicious. ...but it was prolly selfish.
[He does admit to that much, his eyes hidden by his shades.]
I just. I knew this would happen. I knew it would. Vash...is no better off knowin' than he would have been not knowin'.
It's not selfish to not want to hurt your partner like that.
But I think this is also something that's important to talk about with him, too, you know? Maybe not now, while this is all still fresh, but when both of you have a clearer headspace? Maybe I could help you figure out what you want to say...
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mooninthewater) wrote2023-08-16 12:10 pm
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It seems the faction with the crushed kelp and algae are getting the most traffic, so I imagine that's a luxurious food item between them, 'cause the other two don't seem much interaction with one another.
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Luxurious, huh.
So what happens to the other two. Do they just starve and die?
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They don't have the same sense of "outsiders" as most animals do, after all.
[ Though the little guys have most of Mizuki’s attention, he still does take note of Wolfwood’s posture, and ends up leaning against him. There’s certainly Something up, and at least Mizuki can gauge that much. ]
Need a listener or a distraction?
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At least until the topic slides closer to him, and he finds himself hiding a little behind his shades.]
...can y'do both?
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Let's see if this encourages "trade" between these two more. And if it doesn't, then we'll find out how they problem solve when it comes to obstacles.
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They're just lil shrimps or somethin', right? What kinda brains would they have?
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If we were to put in a bigger problem, like predators, then they'd struggle for sure. But I wouldn't wanna do that to these guys. I've grown a little attached~
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[He's sort of still watching, and if Mizuki notices, Wolfwood seems a bit distant. Listless, like he's here but a little detached from what he's looking at. Going through the motions, as it were.]
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...
You know, you said "both". I'm here to listen now, Mister Wolfwood. You can hold my hand if you feel like you need something to help ground you? [ He's offering out his hand immediately after offering, but he doesn't make a move to grab for Wolfwood's. Great discipline on Mizuki's part, really, for those who know him. ]
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But when Mizuki offers his hand...after a long, long pause, Wolfwood reaches out to wordlessly take it, looking into the tidepool and not at Mizuki when he does. His fingers are a bit stiff, his skin chapped and raw from overexposure to saltwater, but he takes it nevertheless.]
There's nothin' to say. I fucked up.
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[ Mizuki reaches over to scoop up the piles of food from the other two "factions" of sea monkeys and puts them together with the algae. One big food pile now! What will happen... ]
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...I kept somethin' from Vash for his own good. Now he's upset with me.
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It's...shit from the future. That neither of us knew. ...Zazie told me, and.
[......]
I don't know. I really don't.
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Wolfwood nods, wordlessly.]
H....he gave me no choice but to tell 'im. And it crushed 'im, like I knew it would.
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If only people were that simple.
Mizuki leans against Wolfwood, his stingers floating behind them to create a bit of a barrier. He'd been in a more isolated part of the beach, anyway, but now he's making absolute sure that there's no prying eyes on him while he's vulnerable. ]
...In a relationship, communication is important, Wolfwood. But so are boundaries. If you conveyed to him that you didn't want to talk to him about it because of how he may react, then you didn't do anything wrong. You didn't "fuck up". Actually, the fact that you were open about how you felt about it instead of lying is fantastic, Wolfwood.
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Wolfwood isn't paying all that much attention to the little creatures anymore. He's instead focused on staring at his hand now carefully being held by Mizuki's, his head bowed forward as he tries to keep the tears he can feel welling up in his eyes from falling. He's not sure if they're from anger, or sadness, or something else he can't place. Maybe gratitude that Mizuki is willing to hear him out, even if he still thinks that this is his own fault somehow. His vision blurs, their surroundings getting all wobbly and hazy, yet Mizuki's voice manages to cut through the haze regardless.]
If...if you knew somethin' that would alter someone's future...would you tell them? Is it wrong to keep that secret, when we ain't...even supposed t'know the future?
[He felt so sure. Like, if Vash never knew, it still wouldn't change things. How could it?]
1/2
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I do know things that would alter the future if I told people. [ Far, far too many things that would have devasting consequences if anyone found out. ] And you saw one of them spill before. How Irene acted -- that's what I'm to expect if the things I know go out to other people.
And for you, it's the same thing. There are some secrets that aren't fair to keep, of course. Hiding things from your partner maliciously or selfishly is where it starts to become an issue, but that's not what this sounds like it was? If it's something like that... then it's Vash who needs to get this sorted out, not you.
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But he had no reason to think a future like that could be changed. What else could happen, exactly? Back home, Wolfwood is still tasked with bringing Vash to JuLai. It's in his contract, he can't just not do that even though Vash knows, because otherwise the orphanage will be in danger. And on top of that, he knows damn well Vash isn't just going to not go to Nai, no matter what he might say to the contrary.
And JuLai is Nai's next target. Nai cannot be swayed, by the future or anyone else. There are no alternatives.]
It ain't malicious. ...but it was prolly selfish.
[He does admit to that much, his eyes hidden by his shades.]
I just. I knew this would happen. I knew it would. Vash...is no better off knowin' than he would have been not knowin'.
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But I think this is also something that's important to talk about with him, too, you know? Maybe not now, while this is all still fresh, but when both of you have a clearer headspace? Maybe I could help you figure out what you want to say...
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M'just. Sick and tired of him doin' this to me. Every time shit gets hard, he runs away. He didn't even give me a chance to talk.
[And Wolfwood has talked to Vash about this, he knows. So he's not sure what the solution is from there, if there is one.]
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I dunno. Maybe...he's scared? Or overwhelmed, or somethin'...just doesn't want to have to deal with it, so he bolts.
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