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week 7 | tuesday
[At least, Sanji doesn't pretend to look anything but concerned when he calls out to Dragon, requesting another audience with her so soon. All the weeks of secrecy means he's too tired for mind games.
If that ends up coming back to bite him, well. At least he went into this making the decision honestly.]
Dragon-sama. I hate to bother you again like this, but I had some questions.
If that ends up coming back to bite him, well. At least he went into this making the decision honestly.]
Dragon-sama. I hate to bother you again like this, but I had some questions.
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I see - that's what you're worried about. [She says so with a note of understanding, nodding.] You are kind, so it would naturally worry you if she were to say it like that...
You're worried that the war will start anew with the story of Dragon and Tiger, yes?
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She mentioned maybe there wouldn't be a war, but it was possible. [he frowns, disliking the ambiguity of that phrase, but understanding the truth to it, that predicting the future is near impossible.
Even still.]
... She also said she came from a long line of Tigers. It was a role that had been passed down.
[The... question can probably be implied. Sanji is wondering if it's the same for Dragon]
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That is correct. My father was the Dragon before me. He is the one who answered her call for war.
[ . . . She sighs.]
But of course - what she neglects to mention is that war was her choice. The battle for ink was her decision. For everything to happen again as it has here, it would require a number of other things to line up exactly.
A Tiger or Dragon must grow dissatisfied, and discover the secret of the ink, and then pursue it. The opposing must then match the call to war. And even then - we are only locked in this endless match because she and I...
For one reason or another, we are fated unlike all other Dragons and Tigers before us.
Something about us sparked some magic that made it so that we cannot exist without one another.
[She shakes her head.]
... I would not seek my happy ending if I thought more would suffer immediately after I pass. I would not be able to rest.
no subject
all of this
is so much
and he is tired.
But he opens them soon after and nods to indicate he understands]
She did make that choice, yeah. Don't really think she'd deny it. [...]
Though I suspect she did it for her son, too. Maybe wanting to free him of his responsibility as the next Tiger. [That doesn't answer why Tiger ordered war in the first place, if she didn't have to, unless for some reason she thought her son would come under fire... but regardless.]
So you're saying your ending will also put an end to the cycle?
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[She's worried about you, Sanji. She's going to ask that first before mulling over his response.]
... Maybe that is why she did it. But I do not believe that is enough to justify all that she's done, and losing so many innocent lives in the process. Others have families, loved ones, people they want to protect... why did they have to be sacrificed?
[But she tilts her head.]
There is no one left from our story aside from the two of us. None we know will inherit our titles, and there will be no way for the war to continue.
Perhaps there will be another Tiger and Dragon... but that does not mean they need to fight. Just because you cannot exist without another...
[She rests a hand over her heart and her smile turns rueful, her gaze contemplative.]
In another life, I think that might be a beautiful thing.
no subject
[Worst case scenario is he will be drugged or dead and then he can rest, but that would be the easy way out, and Sanji thinks he's got a pulse on this mess.]
Oh no, I'm not... defending what she did, exactly. More that this at least gives me an idea of what would have motivated her.
[He is very sympathetic, and under the right pressure, knows he would have made her choices. But you gotta deal with the cards you're given in the end, including the ugly ones]
... I think I get it now, though, why you two don't see eye to eye.
no subject
... she doesn't know what kind of drink he wants... She touches her fingers to her lips in thought for a moment before waving her hand. On the table between them, there appears two cups. One is a teacup filled with warm tea. The other is an alcoholic drink.
...
She tried.]
... one of those...?
[Anyway.]
... we're not meant to really agree. She and I especially have a bad case of it by now, I imagine.
... Regardless, while I understand your concerns... I still cannot recommend listening to her. I do not think it is fair to all those we have lost if she and I were to use the ink for our own desires.
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He needs both. Trust him on this.]
Are you meaning that you guys literally can't? Because of your titles? [A sigh] This shit still confuses me, sorry for all the questions.
[... Ha. Though that last part. He takes another sip of tea and puts down the cup]
Maybe I'm alone in this, but I don't mind if you were to use the ink -- either of you. No matter who is right and wrong, you both are tired and deserve some shitty peace in your life.
... It's the amount of ink left over that concerns me. Tiger-sama said she'd give us the rest of the ink after she had done what she thought was necessary -- just that it wouldn't necessarily be the amount we wanted to get everyone back and get the happy endings we're after.
-- Though just to be clear. I expect you to win at this point. Everyone's gunning for it. I'm not asking this shit to buck it over in Tiger-sama's favor, either.
[A soft frown] I just wanna get where you two are coming from, and why there's no middle ground we can attempt.
no subject
... that is exactly it. To break our story would require a large amount of ink. Even with all you've done... there will be no way to revive everyone from the Other Side, should she be given a chance to use the ink first. I understand her desire for freedom... even if I do not like her, I do not wish punishment on her. But while I understand that she wants to live... I do not trust her not to try again to accomplish something for herself, regardless of who might be hurt.
[Her brow furrows and she sighs.]
So if there is a price to be paid, it should be ours for pulling all of you into this mess in the first place, rather than those who suffered from the war without a choice.
[A frown pulls at her lips as she faces Sanji, meeting his eyes.]
... you've all suffered so much. Those who were killed, those who had to kill them, and those who had to live on without the people dear to them... and all I could do was watch and offer broken pieces of advice.
You all deserve to have your lives back - and more, if there is more you desire. I want to give you all at least that much, if I'm able.
If you're choosing to put your faith in me... thank you. I don't want to let you down.
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... She won't take losing very well, y'know.
[...]
Will it really end with us? You two make it sound like you've been doing this shit for a while. What makes our iteration different?
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We have elapsed our magic - circumstances in the previous round led to a considerable amount of power being drained... and we cannot host another round, nor do I ever want to.
I speak with confidence when I say this is the final bout of our war.
I only want it to count for something good.
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[Or he assumes. Tiger dying and Dragon having to start a redo sounds like it would take a lot of magic and effort. Though that reminds him:]
Not that I assume you'd be cruel enough to leave her dead, but... why is it that she was brought back? Tiger-sama dying would have meant you were the winner, yeah?
There wouldn't have been a reason to continue the war.
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No, you misunderstand... I was the technical winner of the last war - so I could use what ink we gathered to protect the people I could. However it did not count to end the war in its entirety since the round was interrupted, and she needed to return.
Just because I win a round does not mean that I get to decide that the war is over. Else I would have chosen to end this long ago.
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[Just. Yikes to all of this.]
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Before she slowly shakes her head.]
... You all endure much more than I do.
It does not feel right to claim that.
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We're all dealing with different shit... some more than others, but it doesn't undermine everything you've had to endure.
... In the end, my role is short. I can't imagine what it must be like, doing this for years.