[closed] good job buddy

[notyetsore]

Who: Ginko and Kaworu, later Ginko and Frisk
When: Backdated to shortly after the attack; let’s say July 4 or so?
Where: Observation deck
What: Ginko is about 500% done with everything, including Kaworu’s attitude
Warnings: Talk of child death probably?? Others tba as necessary



Ever since the attack, Ginko has been struggling to accept what he did during it. Or, more accurately, what he didn’t do.

He had just hid. Frisk had died, Mettaton had died, who knew how many others, and he hadn’t done anything about it. But then… could he have if he had tried?

He didn’t have any powers, no special abilities. He’d probably be less useful in a fight than the average human, for that matter.

So… he was either a coward, or useless.

Maybe both.

Great.

Since this was something that had been on his mind pretty much consistently ever since the attack, it was no surprise that he was thinking about it when he came across Kaworu. He didn’t even notice him at first, glassy (literally) eye staring out at the expanse of stars in front of them. It was by sheer chance that he happened to look up - at which point he jumped a little, the shadowy shape of the mushi inside his now-transparent skull fluctuating in response to his surprise.

“--Um.”

He hadn’t known Kaworu could fly, but okay.

Comments

[braceforimpact]

Kaworu knew Ginko was there. Or rather, he knew someone was there, the same way he knew the position of every single person within his AT Field's grasp.

Whether he knew it was specifically is questionable. He can't divine the identities of people without seeing them. And he isn't immediately interested in who it is to begin with. He's seen enough of the violence out in the halls and the terror and pain and loss in the hearts of those in the ship beyond. Human problems, caused by human feelings and human nature. As all things around here, really.

But after just a moment's pause, he does look down--and sees Ginko's unkept mop of white hair as the boy stares up at him, a dark shape coiled in the recesses of his glass face.

Kaworu regards Ginko there and offers a smile. It's almost fond--in the same way one might regard a distant fawn on a hill, or someone else's child.

".... hello."

[notyetsore]

Somehow, despite sort of being aware that Kaworu would know he was here now, Ginko wasn't quite prepared for actually being addressed. He froze again, pulling his limbs in close to himself.

"...Hello." He didn't move from where he was standing.

[braceforimpact]

Kaworu didn't really expect him to. Move, that is. Although Ginko, as a rule, is reticent to speak, too. Especially around Kaworu. Frisk has implied this is Kaworu's fault. It probably is. After several long minutes of silence, he turns away, back to the glass, and speaks--without looking at Ginko at all. He tucks his hands into his pockets, the bright red of his Core glowing softly in the starlight.

"It's over, for now. But there will always be violence between humans. Because as long as the human heart is enclosed by walls, their lives will always be defined by conflict and pain."

[notyetsore]

...What?

Ginko takes a few seconds to process that before responding. "I... I know." He guesses. He moves as if to wrap his arms around himself, but only gets as far as sort of crossing his arms and gripping his shirt with both hands.

"But..." He swallows, staring down at the ground. "It... this shouldn't've happened. Or maybe it was unavoidable, but--"

His voice catches, and he can feel the threat of tears burning at his eyes.

[braceforimpact]

Kaworu continues to look out through the vast expanse of space--where, somewhere in the maze of stars, Shinji Ikari was waiting.

"Why shouldn't it have happened? Because it was painful to you?"

That's a very human response. He glances down, casting his pale features in the red glow of his Core. His hands don't leave his pockets. Ginko isn't looking at him, but it makes no difference.

"Do you really think that this could have been avoided? The future of mankind will always be one of tragedy."

This he knows to be fact. But hope was what kept humans going. The hope of love. Of understanding each other. Of the (im?)possible.

"Still, it was interesting to watch. For a while."

[notyetsore]

Ginko winces, drawing in on himself a little more. This is sort of reminding him of the conversation in the woods, and he doesn't like it. He stays silent, trying and failing to think of something - anything, really - to say.

Then the last part sinks in, and his frown deepens as he looks up at Kaworu for the first time in several seconds. "You-- watched?"

[braceforimpact]

Kaworu blinks back--benign. Either he doesn't notice Ginko's frown, or he doesn't understand. Or he doesn't care.

"It would have been hard to avoid, wouldn't it?" But he smiles, bright.

"What about you? You hid, didn't you?"

It's a sentence which might have been less ominous in another situation. But his tone is knowing, not judgmental. After all, Hiding would have been the only reasonable option for someone like Ginko.

[notyetsore]

Even if they're not meant maliciously, Kaworu's words cut deep for Ginko. He cringes, only forcing himself to speak up with some effort.

"I-- I couldn't have done anything, I wouldn't..." He wouldn't have been any good. It's more a confession than an explanation or excuse. It's only after another push, his voice breaking slightly despite his best efforts, that he practically whispers, "You could have."

[braceforimpact]

It's a small tragedy, that Ginko's courageous effort could be wasted on someone like Kaworu.

'Could have.'

What Ginko is trying to say, Kaworu can tell, is 'you should have.'

His response is brief, and a bit too calm.

"It's not my place to interfere in things like that." Not his place and not his role. He'd believed, mistakenly, that he was meant to try and understand the world as they did, and that he needed to become part of their world to understand it.

But that was impossible.

It was also dangerous.

Trying to achieve the impossible was Lilim's nature, not his.

The woes of mankind were the trials of mankind and mankind alone.

[gainedlove]

Frisk had only gotten out of cryo a few hours ago, and changed to glass soon after that. The ache still lingers in their limbs, a strange sensation past the muted feeling that's left to their body. Sitting with their back to a wall in one of the hallways, they stare up at the warped ceiling as if through a fog.

What are they supposed to do now? This is...how are they supposed to fix this?

[notyetsore]

Depending on how aware they are of their surroundings, Frisk may be able to hear Ginko before they see him. He hates crying, and on the rare occasion it happens he generally tries to be as quiet as possible about it; the last thing he needs is to get in trouble for acting like a baby. But he's tired and angry and guilty and miserable and, really, he's got no energy left to try to stifle his own sobbing as he makes his way down the hall, arms wrapped tightly around himself.

Between his own distraction and Frisk's transparency, it takes him a moment to notice them, and another to recognize them. When he does, he stops where he is, his own glass eye going wide with horror and relief and a few other emotions he can't even identify. He chokes back another hiccuping sob and lifts one hand long enough to try and wipe at his face.

"F-Frisk? You're-- you're back--!"

[gainedlove]

When they hear his sobs it takes a few moments before they can move, blinking and looking around with a furrowed brow before they see Ginko. Their eyes go wide, seeing the black mass hiding behind the fringe of hair over his eye--is that why he's so sensitive about it? Is it a mushi, or something else...?

Frisk pushes themself up to their feet, and takes a few hesitant steps toward their friend.

"I...'m sorry..."

[notyetsore]

Ginko lets out another shaky sob and shakes his head emphatically. "It's-- it wasn't your fault."

Regardless of what they're apologizing for. None of it is their fault, not their death or the glass or any of it.

He starts to lift a hand uncertainly to take theirs, but pauses, watching their reaction as if he's still expecting them to pull away.

[gainedlove]

Frisk blinks, and their face crumples a little. They want to cry, just like Ginko was, but...they can't. The tears won't come.

They close the last little bit of distance between them, and wrap both arms around his shoulders.

[notyetsore]

Okay that is... not what he was expecting. At all. And if he was surprised to have them take hold of his hand when that first happened, he's absolutely shocked at this.

However, it only takes a moment for that shock to start wearing off - at which point he wraps his arms around Frisk in turn, pressing his lips together in a rapidly-failing effort to stop himself from starting to sob all over them.

[gainedlove]

Frisk clings on tighter when Ginko returns the embrace, a little hitching sob catching in their throat. They press their face to his shoulder, shivering as their emotions threaten to overcome them as well.

"Don't...don't cry, I'm...it's okay..."

[notyetsore]

He shakes his head. "It's-- it's not. You shouldn't've died at all, none of it should've--"

Another shaky sob and he cuts off, burying his face in their shoulder as well as he can.

[gainedlove]

Frisk had only a few hours ago stumbled their way out of cryo, their mind blurred and confused in a way they rarely were after a LOAD. The confusion that the attack had still happened, that it hadn't been undone, it hadn't quite faded when their body very painfully transformed into perfectly clear glass. Their SOUL now glows in full display, even though their uniform--so bright, so powerful, and yet...

Sitting in the middle of a hallway, Frisk stares up at the warped glass ceiling in a half-daze. It should have...gone back, right? They're supposed to go back and fix it. Sans is missing. Chara is...why can't they hear them? They're supposed to be right here, Frisk remembers playing with them only a few days ago, but the other side of their thoughts are empty.

What do they do? How do they fix this? This...they're supposed to know, aren't they?

[notyetsore]

Depending on how aware they are of their surroundings, Frisk may be able to hear Ginko before they see him. He hates crying, and on the rare occasion it happens he generally tries to be as quiet as possible about it; the last thing he needs is to get in trouble for acting like a baby. But he's tired and angry and guilty and miserable and, really, he's got no energy left to try to stifle his own sobbing as he makes his way down the hall, arms wrapped tightly around himself.

Between his own distraction and Frisk's transparency, it takes him a moment to notice them, and another to recognize them. When he does, he stops where he is, his own glass eye going wide with horror and relief and a few other emotions he can't even identify. He chokes back another hiccuping sob and lifts one hand long enough to try and wipe at his face.

"F-Frisk? You're-- you're back--!"

[gainedlove]

When they hear his sobs it takes a few moments before they can move, blinking and looking around with a furrowed brow before they see Ginko. Their eyes go wide, seeing the black mass hiding behind the fringe of hair over his eye--is that why he's so sensitive about it? Is it a mushi, or something else...?

Frisk pushes themself up to their feet, and takes a few hesitant steps toward their friend.

"I...'m sorry..."

[notyetsore]

Ginko lets out another shaky sob and shakes his head emphatically. "It's-- it wasn't your fault."

Regardless of what they're apologizing for. None of it is their fault, not their death or the glass or any of it.

He starts to lift a hand uncertainly to take theirs, but pauses, watching their reaction as if he's still expecting them to pull away.

[gainedlove]

Frisk blinks, and their face crumples a little. Ginko...really doesn't know how wrong he is. He doesn't know their Determination, how they're the one meant to bring the happy ending into being, how they're... Frisk's eyes burn with the need to cry, just like Ginko was, but...they can't. The tears won't come.

They close the last little bit of distance between them, and wrap both arms around his shoulders.

[notyetsore]

Okay that is... not what he was expecting. At all.

However, it only takes a moment for that shock to start wearing off - at which point he wraps his arms around Frisk in turn, pressing his lips together in a rapidly-failing effort to stop himself from starting to sob all over them.

[gainedlove]

Frisk clings on tighter when Ginko returns the embrace, a little hitching sob catching in their throat. They press their face to his shoulder, shivering as their emotions threaten to overcome them as well.

"Don't...don't cry, I'm...it's okay..."

[notyetsore]

He shakes his head. "It's-- it's not. You shouldn't've died at all, none of it should've--"

Another shaky sob and he cuts off, burying his face in their shoulder as well as he can. He barely manages to mumble into their shoulder, "But it's not your fault."