A fishing competition? Boy, that takes me back. My old Academy went just wild for fishing.
[ On a day off, Teach would stand by the water and fish from morning to dawn, face in that perpetual scowl of his, though a simple exchange of words would betray he was having the time of his life. Odd duck, his Teach. Claude had been a much rarer sight at the old fishing pond unless he was there to harass him, his spare days consumed with devouring the library and unsuccessfully trying to sneak into Seteth's office.
He plants his hands on his hips, looking over their task. ]
We got easy with this one, didn't we... [ His eyes narrow thoughtfully. He only knows this kid from a set of false memories, but he knows this kid. ] Yu, right? I remember you. [ A small smile. ] Turns out you couldn't run away from the cards after all, huh?
[Some combination of the words and his own recognition has a faint smile tugging at Yu's face. He remembers Claude very well, from that other reality. None of it had been real, but...he had appreciated the way he talked. His straightforwardness, the unflinching commitment to truth.]
Is that right? I hardly ever saw anyone from my school fishing.
[Meanwhile he lived for stuff like that, every little small-town thing he could stick his nose into. As much as people like Yosuke had tried to keep themselves separate from Inaba, tried to maintain their status as outsiders, he had immersed himself immediately, making the whole town part of him down to the molecules.
He exhales a soft chuckle.] You could say that, yeah. I guess it's what people call fate.
[In some ways, the cards had become one of the most significant things in his life. He reaches for one of the fishing poles, nodding quietly.] And it's-- Claude? If this was a school activity, I'm gonna assume you don't need a refresher. But correct me if I'm wrong.
Can you really call it fate if someone else orchestrated it?
[ They didn't stand a chance. But there's no use in dwelling on such grim matters, not when there's fishing to do, and the continuously frightening and aggravating reality of being teleported any which way they want them to functionally ignore. ]
The Academy I went to wasn't your typical school, I'd say. We had a fishing pond right there on the premises, and whatever we caught, we could eat. It's no wonder it was a popular pastime for students neglecting their studies. [ He taps the side of his nose. ] Me, I neglected my studies in other ways. I preferred to just nap outright instead of skipping the middle man.
[ That's all fishing is, anyway; an excuse to nap the day away. He picks up a rod and turns it over in his hands, noting that this too is a more advanced device than back home. ]
I still remember the basics, though, thank you. Was this just a hobby of yours?
Fair point, [he concedes, with a faint nod. The symbolism of the cards hadn't been lost on him, even in that other reality; the fact that they ended up having such a personal meaning...maybe that's why they had so much meaning in that context in the first place.
It's hard to say for sure, so for the moment, he sets himself to the task at hand, threading a bit of squid onto the hook.]
Maybe being a student doesn't change much from world to world, after all. [He exhales a quiet chuckle. It's not hard to imagine a bunch of kids slacking off around a fishing pond, somehow...] They'll find ways to avoid schoolwork no matter what.
[Solving a murder case, for example. A creature of sincerity to the last, he nods to confirm what Claude says; some other kids in Inaba thought it was weird, or only for old folks. But Yu had found lots of uses for it.]
There was a river near where I was staying. [He gestures out at the flood plain.] It was a good way to relax.
[ After loading up his own hook, Claude simply flops down on the dock, cradling the pole between his knees. He's not too worried about winning in this challenge, all things told. He'll play along with this place as long as he needs to to get out, but he doubts that they'll get anything substantial for winning -- and even if they're punished for losing, it means he'll get the brunt of that punishment instead of one of the kids like Yu. It's a fair trade-off. He considers himself to be a pretty tough guy, all things told. ]
That makes sense. Fishing's the closest you can get to doing something while doing nothing. And you get a meal at the end of it, [ he says with a shrug, feet dangling freely off the dock. (Could there be some monster underneath that will grab him? He tucks his feet back up.) ] You must be -- what, sixteen? Seventeen? I'm sure your guardian was just relieved you were spending your spare time fishing instead of getting up to worse things.
[Yu's stake in the tower is pretty high, albeit only for personal reasons. Given the nature of the challenges...well, he assumes it's in his best interest to succeed as many times as possible. Three strikes is forgiving, doable; but it's not infinite chances.
In that other world, Claude had been a voice of wisdom -- even if only in metaphors. Here, his relaxed stance helps put Yu at ease, too. After everything that's happened, he can't say he minds that even a slight bit. He nods at the observation; it really had felt that way to him, too. It may be a test of diligence and patience, but...it's also a minimal amount of physical effort, which had been a welcome time during the evenings.]
To be fair, I did end up involved in things my uncle didn't want me around, [he admits, with a hint of sheepishness in his voice.] He probably wished I'd been doing more fishing, at that point.
[Somewhat idly, he tugs on his line, pulling it in a little.]
That's the lot of youth, isn't it? [ Claude's teeth gleam as he grins at Yu, the light reflecting off the still water making his features sharp, sun upon the flat planes of his face, shadows infiltrating the angles. ] When I was around your age, I ran away from home. My own private little rebellion. Boy, did they not like that. But I smartened up soon enough.
[ Technically speaking, he's still missing, and his parents are still furious with him. It's been years. But Yu doesn't need to know that. All he needs to know is that Claude is a responsible adult now, who does the duty that's been thrust upon him, even if it's not where he's supposed to be. ]
What sort of messes did you get yourself into, then?
What a rebel. [There's humor in his voice as he says it, but not surprise; something about Claude reads as daring, defiant. As if he follows the rules only to the extent that they seem reasonable, to him. Yu isn't so different, in that regard.] I guess that's one way to see the world.
[And it makes him wonder -- if he had refused to leave Inaba, in the end, what would his parents have done?]
... A murder investigation. My uncle is a detective. He...wasn't very fond of our methods.
[Putting it lightly. In the end, he's not sure if his uncle ever really believed him. Maybe someday he'll ask. Ah-- a bite on the line. He pulls the pole back a bit and starts reeling it in.]
It could be worse. You could have been the one doing the murders, [ Claude says pleasantly, as though what he's suggesting isn't completely out of the question.
Which it's not. But he doesn't think Yu is the sort of kid to be going off and doing that sort of thing. He taps his chin, eyes narrowed as he stares at Yu as though he's trying to figure something out -- and then it hits him. He snaps his fingers in recognition. ]
Ah! Our first meeting wasn't in that other world. Or, rather, my first time seeing you wasn't. You've just jogged my memory. You know Yosuke, right? I saw one of his memories, way back when. Not by my own volition, of course, nor his, but it means I know a thing or two about what you're talking about.
[Woah. It takes a certain kind of person, to say that so lightly. It's a little hard for Yu to think like that, after everything that's already happened. Not that Claude is wrong -- that definitely would have been way worse.]
That would have been a way different experience, you're right.
[But it could have easily happened. He hasn't forgotten what it felt like, shoving Namatame up to the TV. In some version of his memories, actually pushing the man in. Listening to his terrified scream as he disappeared. Eventually, he'll figure out how to sort through those memories. For now...
In some ways, Yu is a simple person. It shows here, in how his expression brightens a bit just at the mention of a friend's name. He might not need to nod to confirm it, but he does so anyway.]
My best friend, yeah. [Partner. "Person." Still figuring it out.] "Way back when" ... do you mean last summer? The maze? That's an impressive memory.
My memory's not that good. If it was, I would have recognized you right away, without all this talk of murder investigations sparking my recollection. Back in the maze, yeah. I never sought your friend out after that or mentioned it again -- a memory unwillingly shared isn't one I care to hold against someone.
[ Yosuke had been... deeply unhappy about the whole thing, as he should be. Claude may have pressed further if he had known the kid beyond seeing an unsettling memory in an unsettling place, but he didn't and so he didn't. ]
But being that you were in it, I don't think it's betraying anyone's trust to tell you what it was. It was you and your group of friends, debating pushing some fellow into a television set and ultimately deciding against it.
[ Yosuke had fought in its favour, if he remembers correctly. He doesn't blame him for that. ]
It makes more sense, now that I know you guys were actively pursuing this murderer.
[Said with a straightforward tone; Yosuke had felt a particular burden of responsibility over the choice they almost made. He may not have been the one to raise the idea, nor the one to actually bodily start the work, but he was the most ardent supporter of the idea. Being able to let that go is easier said than done.]
Mm, that's right. At the time, we thought he had been kidnapping and killing people. It seemed like the only way to stop him.
[He says as much with a faint, thoughtful pinch in his brows. The details were much more complicated, and so much more deeply personal; his own rage and grief over what Namatame did to his cousin is not something he remembers easily or lightly.]
... We caught the person, in the end. But if we had gone down that other path, we never would have known who really did it.
[There's a lesson to be learned there, probably. Something about the rash impulsiveness of youth, or the importance of verifying your information. Either way, he's much more careful about confirming his information, these days.]
You'll see no judgment from me, [ Claude says honestly, staring pensively out at the still lake before them. It's come to his attention that his world is a great deal more brutal in its justice system than many others, something he wasn't keen on bringing here even when he was interrogating this place's legislative system, but killing a supposed killer isn't something he can cast judgment on. ] You do your best with the information you've got. Exploring all your options is only reasonable.
[ He'd said more or less the same thing to Yosuke, back when he'd first seen it. That he didn't blame him for arguing so passionately about killing the man, that it was a sensible conversation to have to have. ]
The important thing is that you made the right choice in the end. [ He glances over at Yu, interest piqued despite himself. ] So why was he doing it? The true culprit, I mean.
[The look Yu gives in response is grateful. Murder may be a heavy thing to do, especially for their group...but he could acknowledge the argument in favor of it. A killer who couldn't be stopped, couldn't be contained by legal means...a killer whose motives were in question and whose methods could not be proven. If letting a person like that go meant they could continue doing it, then it wasn't an option.
In the end...he's glad they didn't have to do it. But he was prepared to, if it was necessary.
His emotions had gotten in the way, at the time. Had driven him past necessity and closer to revenge. He had never so viscerally felt such grief and rage in his life...and knowing that he could make such terrible decisions because of it had rattled him a lot.]
We did. [A small smile. That's what matters in the end, after all. Everything else is just learning experience. He has to pause a moment to figure out how to answer Claude's question, though. Adachi's motives...] Boredom. Entitlement. I think it started as something vindictive, and then when he saw what he could do, he just wanted to see what would happen if he let it continue.
[It's not a good motive...but somehow, that seems fitting. A terrible motive for a terrible person.]
Wait, for real? That's all? I suppose I shouldn't expect better of something like a serial killer, but...
[ No. No, even that feels deeply incomprehensible to Claude. Anyone with particularly violent tendencies finds other avenues for it back home, in becoming bandits or mercenaries or soldiers. Anyone who can kill, will kill, will be able to fight for something more. Tales of innocent villagers dying are few and far-between, normally with some sort of banditry at the centre of it. ]
What pointless tragedy. What came of him? Were you able to get him tried legally? I assume based on what you're saying now that you guys didn't outright kill the man.
[It's...weirdly gratifying, that reaction. Yosuke and the others were mired in contempt for Adachi; it's understandable, especially in Yosuke's case. Yu can't fault them for those feelings. But...to say it hasn't been on his mind a lot since everything ended would be a lie. In some ways, the man wasn't so dissimilar to him, and given a different path, maybe he would have been in a better place.
But-- no. Yu can't offer him that. He's never been able to.]
He's in jail now. [Said with a little nod, thoughtful as he works his way back through those memories.] In the end, he confessed...if he hadn't, I don't think they would have been able to hold him. There was some supernatural stuff involved, and that's not exactly common in my world. [A small smile.] It's pretty different, here.
That it is. Frankly, what I've seen many people call supernatural is just natural where I'm from. It's just part of the natural order of things.
[ He'll have to ask Yu later, what exactly he means by supernatural. But he's had Yu tell him enough about his world, including something that must be an awful sore spot, and while he won't stop digging, he'll at least dig with some degree of exactitude. ]
But, I have to ask... were he caught in my own world, he'd be executed swiftly anyhow. To kill innocents without due cause is fiercely punished. Is that not what he'll be facing in your world?
The "natural order," huh, [repeated with some thoughtfulness. Yu is really interested in that sort of thing, actually -- the differences between worlds that people come from. A place where things like magic and world-traveling are real...sounds like something out of a video game, really. That part he keeps to himself, too; he has a feeling the response might be something like "what's a video game?"
He makes a mental note to ask more about Claude's world sometime. It sounds interesting...and maybe intense.]
It's not unheard of -- some criminals are executed where I'm from. But it's not a universal punishment, and in my country, it's rarely used. In this instance...no, he's not going to be executed. Even if it was severe enough, I think they'd have trouble finding enough evidence to make that stand.
You live in a more forgiving world than I, I'll tell you that much. Some of our punishments can get downright gruesome.
[ Not so much in Fodlan. Skewered by a sword, beheaded by an axe; quick deaths, befitting of the Fodlani tendency towards notions of nobility and virtue. In Almyra, though? The punishments can get downright vindictive. Flee, they tell some offenders. If you can outrun our executioner, you may live.
(They never do.) ]
I suppose that as long as he can no longer harm anyone else, that'll have to be good enough. But if the issue is lack of evidence -- what was it that he was successfully tried for?
Murder. He confessed to everything, and since he knew details about the victims that no one else could know... [Hm. How to word this.] The police had no choice but to charge him, even if it didn't totally make sense. But-- that's why capital punishment was out of the question for him.
[Maybe not the only reason. "A more forgiving world"...Yu is quiet for a moment, because he's never really thought of it that way, but -- it's true, isn't it? Maybe that makes him lucky, in a way; his history has been shaped just as much by kindness as it has by loneliness. That has not always been the case, of course; some may say that Earth has become more civilized, but maybe it's just that humanity chose to become a little more gentle after their own gruesome past.]
My world has a bloody history, too. In most places, that was a long time ago. I've always thought it must be tough, coming from a place and time like that.
[Said not with pity, but curiosity. Claude seems pretty candid about this, after all -- not emotionally invested in it. But Yu likes learning about these other places.]
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expiationlogs2024-05-13 12:27 am
wands
[ On a day off, Teach would stand by the water and fish from morning to dawn, face in that perpetual scowl of his, though a simple exchange of words would betray he was having the time of his life. Odd duck, his Teach. Claude had been a much rarer sight at the old fishing pond unless he was there to harass him, his spare days consumed with devouring the library and unsuccessfully trying to sneak into Seteth's office.
He plants his hands on his hips, looking over their task. ]
We got easy with this one, didn't we... [ His eyes narrow thoughtfully. He only knows this kid from a set of false memories, but he knows this kid. ] Yu, right? I remember you. [ A small smile. ] Turns out you couldn't run away from the cards after all, huh?
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Is that right? I hardly ever saw anyone from my school fishing.
[Meanwhile he lived for stuff like that, every little small-town thing he could stick his nose into. As much as people like Yosuke had tried to keep themselves separate from Inaba, tried to maintain their status as outsiders, he had immersed himself immediately, making the whole town part of him down to the molecules.
He exhales a soft chuckle.] You could say that, yeah. I guess it's what people call fate.
[In some ways, the cards had become one of the most significant things in his life. He reaches for one of the fishing poles, nodding quietly.] And it's-- Claude? If this was a school activity, I'm gonna assume you don't need a refresher. But correct me if I'm wrong.
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[ They didn't stand a chance. But there's no use in dwelling on such grim matters, not when there's fishing to do, and the continuously frightening and aggravating reality of being teleported any which way they want them to functionally ignore. ]
The Academy I went to wasn't your typical school, I'd say. We had a fishing pond right there on the premises, and whatever we caught, we could eat. It's no wonder it was a popular pastime for students neglecting their studies. [ He taps the side of his nose. ] Me, I neglected my studies in other ways. I preferred to just nap outright instead of skipping the middle man.
[ That's all fishing is, anyway; an excuse to nap the day away. He picks up a rod and turns it over in his hands, noting that this too is a more advanced device than back home. ]
I still remember the basics, though, thank you. Was this just a hobby of yours?
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It's hard to say for sure, so for the moment, he sets himself to the task at hand, threading a bit of squid onto the hook.]
Maybe being a student doesn't change much from world to world, after all. [He exhales a quiet chuckle. It's not hard to imagine a bunch of kids slacking off around a fishing pond, somehow...] They'll find ways to avoid schoolwork no matter what.
[Solving a murder case, for example. A creature of sincerity to the last, he nods to confirm what Claude says; some other kids in Inaba thought it was weird, or only for old folks. But Yu had found lots of uses for it.]
There was a river near where I was staying. [He gestures out at the flood plain.] It was a good way to relax.
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That makes sense. Fishing's the closest you can get to doing something while doing nothing. And you get a meal at the end of it, [ he says with a shrug, feet dangling freely off the dock. (Could there be some monster underneath that will grab him? He tucks his feet back up.) ] You must be -- what, sixteen? Seventeen? I'm sure your guardian was just relieved you were spending your spare time fishing instead of getting up to worse things.
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In that other world, Claude had been a voice of wisdom -- even if only in metaphors. Here, his relaxed stance helps put Yu at ease, too. After everything that's happened, he can't say he minds that even a slight bit. He nods at the observation; it really had felt that way to him, too. It may be a test of diligence and patience, but...it's also a minimal amount of physical effort, which had been a welcome time during the evenings.]
To be fair, I did end up involved in things my uncle didn't want me around, [he admits, with a hint of sheepishness in his voice.] He probably wished I'd been doing more fishing, at that point.
[Somewhat idly, he tugs on his line, pulling it in a little.]
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[ Technically speaking, he's still missing, and his parents are still furious with him. It's been years. But Yu doesn't need to know that. All he needs to know is that Claude is a responsible adult now, who does the duty that's been thrust upon him, even if it's not where he's supposed to be. ]
What sort of messes did you get yourself into, then?
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[And it makes him wonder -- if he had refused to leave Inaba, in the end, what would his parents have done?]
... A murder investigation. My uncle is a detective. He...wasn't very fond of our methods.
[Putting it lightly. In the end, he's not sure if his uncle ever really believed him. Maybe someday he'll ask. Ah-- a bite on the line. He pulls the pole back a bit and starts reeling it in.]
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Which it's not. But he doesn't think Yu is the sort of kid to be going off and doing that sort of thing. He taps his chin, eyes narrowed as he stares at Yu as though he's trying to figure something out -- and then it hits him. He snaps his fingers in recognition. ]
Ah! Our first meeting wasn't in that other world. Or, rather, my first time seeing you wasn't. You've just jogged my memory. You know Yosuke, right? I saw one of his memories, way back when. Not by my own volition, of course, nor his, but it means I know a thing or two about what you're talking about.
no subject
That would have been a way different experience, you're right.
[But it could have easily happened. He hasn't forgotten what it felt like, shoving Namatame up to the TV. In some version of his memories, actually pushing the man in. Listening to his terrified scream as he disappeared. Eventually, he'll figure out how to sort through those memories. For now...
In some ways, Yu is a simple person. It shows here, in how his expression brightens a bit just at the mention of a friend's name. He might not need to nod to confirm it, but he does so anyway.]
My best friend, yeah. [Partner. "Person." Still figuring it out.] "Way back when" ... do you mean last summer? The maze? That's an impressive memory.
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[ Yosuke had been... deeply unhappy about the whole thing, as he should be. Claude may have pressed further if he had known the kid beyond seeing an unsettling memory in an unsettling place, but he didn't and so he didn't. ]
But being that you were in it, I don't think it's betraying anyone's trust to tell you what it was. It was you and your group of friends, debating pushing some fellow into a television set and ultimately deciding against it.
[ Yosuke had fought in its favour, if he remembers correctly. He doesn't blame him for that. ]
It makes more sense, now that I know you guys were actively pursuing this murderer.
no subject
[Said with a straightforward tone; Yosuke had felt a particular burden of responsibility over the choice they almost made. He may not have been the one to raise the idea, nor the one to actually bodily start the work, but he was the most ardent supporter of the idea. Being able to let that go is easier said than done.]
Mm, that's right. At the time, we thought he had been kidnapping and killing people. It seemed like the only way to stop him.
[He says as much with a faint, thoughtful pinch in his brows. The details were much more complicated, and so much more deeply personal; his own rage and grief over what Namatame did to his cousin is not something he remembers easily or lightly.]
... We caught the person, in the end. But if we had gone down that other path, we never would have known who really did it.
[There's a lesson to be learned there, probably. Something about the rash impulsiveness of youth, or the importance of verifying your information. Either way, he's much more careful about confirming his information, these days.]
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[ He'd said more or less the same thing to Yosuke, back when he'd first seen it. That he didn't blame him for arguing so passionately about killing the man, that it was a sensible conversation to have to have. ]
The important thing is that you made the right choice in the end. [ He glances over at Yu, interest piqued despite himself. ] So why was he doing it? The true culprit, I mean.
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In the end...he's glad they didn't have to do it. But he was prepared to, if it was necessary.
His emotions had gotten in the way, at the time. Had driven him past necessity and closer to revenge. He had never so viscerally felt such grief and rage in his life...and knowing that he could make such terrible decisions because of it had rattled him a lot.]
We did. [A small smile. That's what matters in the end, after all. Everything else is just learning experience. He has to pause a moment to figure out how to answer Claude's question, though. Adachi's motives...] Boredom. Entitlement. I think it started as something vindictive, and then when he saw what he could do, he just wanted to see what would happen if he let it continue.
[It's not a good motive...but somehow, that seems fitting. A terrible motive for a terrible person.]
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[ No. No, even that feels deeply incomprehensible to Claude. Anyone with particularly violent tendencies finds other avenues for it back home, in becoming bandits or mercenaries or soldiers. Anyone who can kill, will kill, will be able to fight for something more. Tales of innocent villagers dying are few and far-between, normally with some sort of banditry at the centre of it. ]
What pointless tragedy. What came of him? Were you able to get him tried legally? I assume based on what you're saying now that you guys didn't outright kill the man.
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But-- no. Yu can't offer him that. He's never been able to.]
He's in jail now. [Said with a little nod, thoughtful as he works his way back through those memories.] In the end, he confessed...if he hadn't, I don't think they would have been able to hold him. There was some supernatural stuff involved, and that's not exactly common in my world. [A small smile.] It's pretty different, here.
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[ He'll have to ask Yu later, what exactly he means by supernatural. But he's had Yu tell him enough about his world, including something that must be an awful sore spot, and while he won't stop digging, he'll at least dig with some degree of exactitude. ]
But, I have to ask... were he caught in my own world, he'd be executed swiftly anyhow. To kill innocents without due cause is fiercely punished. Is that not what he'll be facing in your world?
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He makes a mental note to ask more about Claude's world sometime. It sounds interesting...and maybe intense.]
It's not unheard of -- some criminals are executed where I'm from. But it's not a universal punishment, and in my country, it's rarely used. In this instance...no, he's not going to be executed. Even if it was severe enough, I think they'd have trouble finding enough evidence to make that stand.
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[ Not so much in Fodlan. Skewered by a sword, beheaded by an axe; quick deaths, befitting of the Fodlani tendency towards notions of nobility and virtue. In Almyra, though? The punishments can get downright vindictive. Flee, they tell some offenders. If you can outrun our executioner, you may live.
(They never do.) ]
I suppose that as long as he can no longer harm anyone else, that'll have to be good enough. But if the issue is lack of evidence -- what was it that he was successfully tried for?
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[Maybe not the only reason. "A more forgiving world"...Yu is quiet for a moment, because he's never really thought of it that way, but -- it's true, isn't it? Maybe that makes him lucky, in a way; his history has been shaped just as much by kindness as it has by loneliness. That has not always been the case, of course; some may say that Earth has become more civilized, but maybe it's just that humanity chose to become a little more gentle after their own gruesome past.]
My world has a bloody history, too. In most places, that was a long time ago. I've always thought it must be tough, coming from a place and time like that.
[Said not with pity, but curiosity. Claude seems pretty candid about this, after all -- not emotionally invested in it. But Yu likes learning about these other places.]