I hardly need you to inform me what you consider acceptable behavior, nor do I feel any particular urge to appear approachable.
[they prefer to be left alone, also, do not look at them like that.]
It is not a necessity, but I came because you are aligned with me, and there may yet have been some use to the conversation. I would suggest you do not convince me otherwise.
[true to their words, they certainly don't sound concerned about it, either-- they almost sound bored.]
As we have said countless times since all of you arrived, you are not organized into anything like a team. You only share a primary sin in common-- therefore, it is of no consequence to you if others with the same mark should die.
Sure, but you know... humans are inherently social animals. Constantly seeking for a place to be in and belong, labels to call for themselves. Teams or not, it's a label we share, so it's inevitable that I can't help but be a little more concerned for them than others. I texted you first, too, after all. [ "Concerned" is a strong word. And, well, he made an educated guess about the text and it was right, since they don't list the Avatars by name. Only emojis. ]
You can consider it as foolish as you want, but it's an application of meaning. Because without that, we'd be lost.
And precisely how much meaning does that label hold, then, in a place such as this-- in such a short amount of time as this? Would you go so far as to protect one another? To risk your life, and your own desire, to help save theirs?
[they're watching him a bit more intently, now.]
Your kind are ever searching for places they belong, yes. Ever fumbling, seeking to grasp something greater than themselves, never content with what they have... and ever turning on each other. If you consider the others with my mark to be a group you belong to, then what of the others? Do you then think of yourself as being in more direct competition with them, as a result of setting that group apart?
Who knows? We didn't pick the labels, we were given them -- it's up to us to make sense out of it. If this is meaningless, then are the indulgences also meaningless? The deaths? The executions? Even a "short amount of time" has already been two weeks.
[ He closes his eyes, and then tilts his head a little in Despair's direction. ]
I'm supposed to be some kind of good guy. My entire job was all about risking my life to protect others. Hell, even the damn reason why I'm here... is in the end, to help someone else that I probably don't even know. I've had to make tough decisions, pick whose lives are worth more than others. If it came down to it...
...I'm not here to delude myself into thinking I have friends and allies. Everyone wants their own damn thing. Just that maybe, people in the same indulgence would understand better.
Two weeks is a truly insignificant amount of time, by my estimation- though I suppose you would see it differently.
[not quite derisive, but they do sound somewhat detached.]
You may well find the understanding you wish for, in the others here... or you may find yourself at odds with the realities of the situation, should you find yourself taken with the idea of protecting anyone else. Particularly in a place like this, you may find they will not offer you the same.
Two weeks can blow by like its nothing, that's true. But I do try to make what I can of the time as its passing, in the moment, and that does make it feel longer.
[ As for being at odds, he actually just nods. ] It would be nice to find something like understanding in a place like this. But I don't expect it. I can't have too much fun, thinking I've been making friends and all that; the only one reliable is myself.
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[they prefer to be left alone, also, do not look at them like that.]
It is not a necessity, but I came because you are aligned with me, and there may yet have been some use to the conversation. I would suggest you do not convince me otherwise.
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[ Well, might as well, then. ]
Two of our number are dead. One Despair a week. It's not looking very good, is it?
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[true to their words, they certainly don't sound concerned about it, either-- they almost sound bored.]
As we have said countless times since all of you arrived, you are not organized into anything like a team. You only share a primary sin in common-- therefore, it is of no consequence to you if others with the same mark should die.
no subject
You can consider it as foolish as you want, but it's an application of meaning. Because without that, we'd be lost.
no subject
[they're watching him a bit more intently, now.]
Your kind are ever searching for places they belong, yes. Ever fumbling, seeking to grasp something greater than themselves, never content with what they have... and ever turning on each other. If you consider the others with my mark to be a group you belong to, then what of the others? Do you then think of yourself as being in more direct competition with them, as a result of setting that group apart?
no subject
[ He closes his eyes, and then tilts his head a little in Despair's direction. ]
I'm supposed to be some kind of good guy. My entire job was all about risking my life to protect others. Hell, even the damn reason why I'm here... is in the end, to help someone else that I probably don't even know. I've had to make tough decisions, pick whose lives are worth more than others. If it came down to it...
...I'm not here to delude myself into thinking I have friends and allies. Everyone wants their own damn thing. Just that maybe, people in the same indulgence would understand better.
no subject
[not quite derisive, but they do sound somewhat detached.]
You may well find the understanding you wish for, in the others here... or you may find yourself at odds with the realities of the situation, should you find yourself taken with the idea of protecting anyone else. Particularly in a place like this, you may find they will not offer you the same.
no subject
[ As for being at odds, he actually just nods. ] It would be nice to find something like understanding in a place like this. But I don't expect it. I can't have too much fun, thinking I've been making friends and all that; the only one reliable is myself.