[ maybe their souls are in limbo somewhere. but he hopes that, if nothing else, rin's back home. ]
...Sure. [ he touches the back of his neck, thinking about where to even start. ] He's a crybaby. I told you he was a pain. He showed up at my school and bothered me until I spent time with him. [ there's nothing to his tone that suggests these are actually insults. ] ...But then he went abroad to train. He took his dream of going pro seriously—he wanted to go to Worlds for swimming, at least.
...Have you ever met someone with so much ambition it makes you wish you cared that much about anything? That's Rin.
[ she debates saying this for a long moment, because this is a comparison she's specifically trying not to draw for herself. and partly because it feels kind of rude. but she ends up saying it anyway. ]
It's kind of the opposite of how my brother was? He was naturally good at everything he did. But he didn't have any big dreams; he was actually annoyed that everyone was always looking to him as if he needed to be successful. He just wanted to, like, move out of our small town with his girlfriend.
He wouldn't have. [ not argumentative or mean, just very matter of fact. ] Everyone loved Michael.
But I guess... I don't know. Neither of them? I'm not good at everything I do, and I don't have a dream like that to work for, either. So I'm just kinda... Here.
[ 'loved.' that particular past tense hits a little harder than anything else she's said, sobering even in an already heavy moment.
of course people have lost friends and family before this place. ]
Mm. It's okay to just be you. Free to possibilities.
[ that's what he ascribes to, anyway. funny that the drifters would last the longest. he pauses when a breeze picks up, careful with his words but ultimately not holding them back. ]
Yeah. It'd be nice if everyone could just do what they wanted.
[ which wasn't quite his point, but it's how she's taking it. people shouldn't have their possibilities taken away from them and their potentials snuffed out early. ]
Um. Sorry, it feels kind of... [ rude? and difficult. both of those. ] I don't know.
[ no silence is perfectly comfortable when it's thanks to death, but the quietude here is filled by the soft, ambient noise of the park and water lapping against the lakeside. it's as peaceful as it gets in a place like this, and the company certainly doesn't hurt.
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[ she wants to hold onto the idea that the erased are still somewhere, even if the reapers have made it sound like they aren't. ]
Could you tell me a little about him? I didn't get to know him well enough. And I don't want to remember it wrong.
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...Sure. [ he touches the back of his neck, thinking about where to even start. ] He's a crybaby. I told you he was a pain. He showed up at my school and bothered me until I spent time with him. [ there's nothing to his tone that suggests these are actually insults. ] ...But then he went abroad to train. He took his dream of going pro seriously—he wanted to go to Worlds for swimming, at least.
...Have you ever met someone with so much ambition it makes you wish you cared that much about anything? That's Rin.
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[ she debates saying this for a long moment, because this is a comparison she's specifically trying not to draw for herself. and partly because it feels kind of rude. but she ends up saying it anyway. ]
It's kind of the opposite of how my brother was? He was naturally good at everything he did. But he didn't have any big dreams; he was actually annoyed that everyone was always looking to him as if he needed to be successful. He just wanted to, like, move out of our small town with his girlfriend.
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...Yeah. He'd have fought with a guy like your brother all the time.
[ he pulls up a knee, resting his chin against it, both genuinely tired and genuinely curious. ]
Who do you relate to more?
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But I guess... I don't know. Neither of them? I'm not good at everything I do, and I don't have a dream like that to work for, either. So I'm just kinda... Here.
Which isn't a bad thing.
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of course people have lost friends and family before this place. ]
Mm. It's okay to just be you. Free to possibilities.
[ that's what he ascribes to, anyway. funny that the drifters would last the longest. he pauses when a breeze picks up, careful with his words but ultimately not holding them back. ]
Would you tell me more, too? If it doesn't hurt.
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[ which wasn't quite his point, but it's how she's taking it. people shouldn't have their possibilities taken away from them and their potentials snuffed out early. ]
Um. Sorry, it feels kind of... [ rude? and difficult. both of those. ] I don't know.
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It's okay. You don't have to.
[ or rather, if it feels wrong, she shouldn't. ]
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...yeah. this is fine. ]