Audience: Mahito

[probe]

Comments

[probe]

It was pretty insane! Especially since he was someone I was looking for for a long time, but because he was in a different body and he didn't have his old memories, we didn't know.

[stop having natural enemies GOD.] Can you touch both of those souls? What'll happen to him if one of the souls dies or leaves or whatever?

[touchups]

Huh. How'd you end up finding him anyway, then? If you couldn't recognize him by look or memory, he'd have been a total stranger at the time, yeah?

[no he will not stop having natural enemies, in fact he will collect MORE!!

But he just smiles a little, kind of amused-looking smile at that.]

I can only touch one. [Because the other one is a lil binch. Technically he can touch both but it's bad news bears.] But he'd be fine if the other was removed or died or something. Vice versa, too.

[probe]

Yeah. He's a detective, so when he started looking into a series of murders that's when we met. He...felt familiar to me the first time, but I couldn't be sure where we met. And I didn't learn about everything for a while after that, too, when his partner told us what happened to him.

[hm. bad news for those souls then.] Where would the soul go if it was removed? Do you, like, eat it...?

[touchups]

[ME JUST CRYING WILDLY I HATE IT HERE]

Huh... Strange how you still picked up on the familiarity even with all that. [By strange he means interesting...] How're things with the two of you now, then?

[He looks like he might want to ask More, but he's temporarily distracted by that... Oh no, he's laughing. DOES HE LOOK LIKE SEBASTIAN.]

Ahaha—! Eat them? No, no--! [WAVING A HAND.] I don't remove them, either! I just shape them, that's all! Whatever happens to them after the body dies isn't any of my business; it's not like they stick around or do anything interesting on their own.

[probe]

[lmfao have fun.]

Yeah. [but they consider this.] ...they're better. I was actually looking for him for six years, too. So I'm really glad I found him!

[but also look, sometimes you just have to ask.]

But can't shaping them be what causes the body to die in the first place...? The souls just die after that, too?

[touchups]

Mm, it's good that you did!

[Though he just kind of says that in a way that implies it's what he knows normal people would say in this situation. Unfortunately, as the weeks go on, he will only get better at emulating Real Human Emotion.

Anyway, he just shrugs like this isn't a terrible topic.]

Kind of? Souls are just another part of the body. Sometimes remnants of strong emotion or memory will linger as a curse, and there are cases of reincarnation, but it usually all goes together - the body and the soul.

[probe]

Yeah...guess so.

[but they move on from that topic! time to not linger on it!]

Sounds complicated...but not, all the same. I think I get it. I haven't met anyone who really works with the soul before so it's kind of weird to hear about it from you.

[touchups]

[The flea is filing this answer away for later use.]

Yeah, it's kind of hard to explain, too. Only one other person where I'm from can perceive a soul in any way at all... Hard to talk about something with no reference point, right? You can just think of it like an invisible second stomach or something!

[IS THAT THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE IT.]

[probe]

Hm...I don't think stomachs and souls are even close to the same thing, Mahito. But if you say so.

[touchups]

Yeah, maybe not where you come from.

[Said with a little shrug. HE SEES HIS OWN WORLD'S SOULS THOUGH, and they are just another organ that produces things.]

You guys probably wouldn't like being able to see them.

[probe]

Probably not. I barely like seeing some of the things I see here.

[touchups]

Somehow I get the feeling you're wording that as nicely as possible.

[Said in a little jesting tone, because yeah, "SOMEHOW" HE GETS THE FEELING...]

[probe]

Maybe just a little. [equally jesting but also damn you bitches keep ruining so much.]

But even with everything happening here it's still not all bad. I get cool powers here so that's a plus.

[touchups]

[THEY'RE ALL MIDAS!! With a golden touch of destruction and sometimes murder.]

True, I guess! But you'd still go home right away if you could, right?

[probe]

Well...wouldn't you?

[that is not an answer.]

[touchups]

Probably!

[P...probably. But since he notices that is indeed not an answer:] Is it a probably for you? Or a maybe?

[probe]

Probably. I'd like to, someday, but only when everything's done here.

[touchups]

Which is something you still can't tell the rest of us about, I'm guessing?

[probe]

Hm? No, it's like I've been telling people. Once you earn enough indulgence for the things you guys want, you can leave. It's that easy.

[touchups]

Yeah, and? What about you guys? What is it you're looking for? You've done this like, tons of times, right?

[probe]

It's been a while, yeah. But I guess the thing is that people are always gonna want stuff, and as long as people want stuff and will work for it, we'll be here.

[touchups]

[His head cants to the side a little and he seems to consider something for a second, but after mulling it over, all he says is:]

Sounds like a pretty shit deal.

[Y'ALL ARE GONNA BE HERE FOR ALL ETERNITY.]

[probe]

Yes and no. I don't mind the immortality, even if it's maybe temporary.

[they seem weirdly at ease with that idea, too.]

[touchups]

[It is kinda funky, but Mahito doesn't have a good perspective to look at things from here, being both 2 and also immortal and eternal at the same time.]

Mm... Well, I guess that's something not a lot of people get. And it's fine, picking the good out of the bad or whatever, yeah?

[probe]

Why not? [they shrug, tilting their head briefly.] I feel like I have a lot of conversations with you about what's actually good and what's actually bad.