... I should have told you about the gun. [Flatly.] There was no need for you to intervene. After last week, this is exactly the type of outcome I wanted to avoid.
[He is... somewhere. There's a pause before Luna hears his footsteps again, approaching her. A moment later, she will feel a very tentative touch on the back of her hand — like he isn't sure what to do with this at all.]
... All I need is one more week to break this cycle once and for all. I don't care what your directives say. You aren't allowed to die before then.
[She doesn't move to take his hand, partially because she is in so much pain and partially because she can feel how cautious his touch stays even now. So she'll simply extend her fingers, just enough to brush metallic knuckles against his hand; a delicate gesture, meant only to acknowledge, to try to reach out if he would let her.]
I know. I... I-I made a promise that I would try.
I don't want you to die, either, Akechi. I really, really don't.
[... It's hypocritical of him, really. But his instinctive response isn't to agree, or to vehemently deny that he's prepared to die. It feels like a lifetime ago at this point, but Phoenix... really was right to call him out all those weeks ago. What a joke.
In the end, his hand lingers for a moment longer before he retracts it.]
I want to see this through to the end. So, I'll... [Like pushing glass through his teeth.] I'll try as well.
[There's a hesitation, a visible surprise and disappointment in her body language as Akechi's touch withdraws. But she doesn't push it, leaving her own hand out a few moments before drawing it back to lay on her chest.]
I trust you, Akechi. Trying is... it's sometimes the only thing we can promise to do.
[...]
Could I ask you something?
Akechi is... it's your family name, isn't it? Would... um...
[This is, apparently, an important distinction he needs to make. It's not his family's name. It's his mother's. Given the memory he unwittingly shared with Luna several weeks ago, however, she may have a guess as to why he doesn't go by his father's name.
There is another pause before he adds:]
You may call me Goro, if that's what you truly want.
[She can't see his face, but he sounds a little... baffled. Like this isn't something that happens very often to him, if at all.]
[He's similarly silent for a moment, debating whether or not to indulge her curiosity. Then the moment passes, and Luna will hear a quiet exhale from his direction.]
... She died when I was very young.
[A quiet admittance. It seems like that's all he will say, but... After a beat, he continues.]
Apparently, my mother fell in love with a good-for-nothing man that abandoned her the moment he discovered she was pregnant. She was scorned by society for bearing a child out of wedlock, and my existence... was a burden she was forced to carry. Truth to be told, my most vivid memories are of the nights when she brought men home from work. [...] But, I don't resent her. She tried in her own way, as well. And all I ever dreamed of as a child was finding my father, so I could force him to apologize for everything my mother had to endure because of him.
[He huffs out a laugh, absolutely bitter.]
Obviously, that never came to pass. She fell into despair and died long before I could reach that worthless piece of shit.
[She'll keep quiet, letting him get through his thoughts. For Akechi to actually be opening up like this is such a rarity, she knows better than to interrupt. It's not the first time she's silently glad that her face is missing, because her chest tightens as he talks about his mother, leaving gaps that can only be filled with sad memories for someone who had only been a child.]
...I'm so sorry. I... I know your father was... [Well. He sure seemed to be several things, but. She is smart enough not to push that topic.]
...
Do you think she would be proud of how hard you're working, despite everything?
If you thought of her that highly, then... I assume, at the very least, that she cared for you very much. So I... I would like to think that maybe, somewhere, she might be happy you are still alive.
[Mmm. She makes a sound as though she's taking in a breath, a rattling, pained sort of noise.]
Did I ever tell you I was once required to be a child's mother?
I thought not. It never really came up before, I suppose.
The man who constructed me had a child. A little boy named Kyle. Unfortunately, Kyle's father was... absent from his life quite often. He was a busy man. Given the situation we were all living in, this left the boy alone more often than not. He did not have a mother, and his father had lost the woman he loved a very, very long time ago, even before Kyle. She's... um... the woman I've told you about before.
There were AI systems around to provide basic entertainment and education, but... Kyle himself wanted a mother. This was around when my AI had finally been completed. Kyle's father determined that it might be the best option for me to try and care for him, as a... a substitute of sorts...
... Sounds like yet another man who shouldn't have had a child at all.
[He doesn't bother to hide the disgust in his tone, but it isn't entirely because of the child's situation. Bringing someone to life as a replacement for a loved one sounds... ugh.]
Kyle... he hated me. I think it was because he was so upset at his father, but... he treated me like the machine he knew I was. He told me my emotions were all a logarithm, preplanned and predictable. That any computer could care for him and teach him the same as I could. That I... wasn't a mother. I was just a fake.
...
I... I didn't blame him for his anger. But it still hurt.
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[There's a pause here. Perhaps he's choosing his next words carefully...? Eventually, all he says is:]
You should return to your low power state, then. It's pointless to stay in pain if you can avoid it.
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[...]
Have you come to scold me for my decision, Akechi?
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Is that something you want to discuss right now?
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I just expected it, I suppose. I knew it wouldn't make you happy.
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He's quiet for a long, long moment. When he speaks up again, his voice is flat.]
Were you prepared to die for Nicolas?
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When I understood what was happening, and that I had enough time to either intervene or save myself... my choice was obvious.
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[...]
You... really were worried about me dying, weren't you...?
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She will hear his footsteps, but it doesn't sound like he's leaving. Just... moving around.]
Mammon-san and Phoenix-san both died two weeks into our partnership. It's been two weeks since we started working together, Luna.
[So maybe he thought Luna would die this week, because being a cursed child is just like that sometimes.]
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[Weakly, she'll extend her hand off the end of the table, reaching out vaguely in his direction. Where the fuck is he. Who knows.]
...I'm still here, Akechi.
Please. Don't blame yourself for my decisions.
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... All I need is one more week to break this cycle once and for all. I don't care what your directives say. You aren't allowed to die before then.
eh fuck the robot icon time for default
I know. I... I-I made a promise that I would try.
I don't want you to die, either, Akechi. I really, really don't.
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In the end, his hand lingers for a moment longer before he retracts it.]
I want to see this through to the end. So, I'll... [Like pushing glass through his teeth.] I'll try as well.
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I trust you, Akechi. Trying is... it's sometimes the only thing we can promise to do.
[...]
Could I ask you something?
Akechi is... it's your family name, isn't it? Would... um...
Would I be allowed to use your first name?
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[This is, apparently, an important distinction he needs to make. It's not his family's name. It's his mother's. Given the memory he unwittingly shared with Luna several weeks ago, however, she may have a guess as to why he doesn't go by his father's name.
There is another pause before he adds:]
You may call me Goro, if that's what you truly want.
[She can't see his face, but he sounds a little... baffled. Like this isn't something that happens very often to him, if at all.]
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... Could you tell me about her?
p5r spoilers y'all don't look
... She died when I was very young.
[A quiet admittance. It seems like that's all he will say, but... After a beat, he continues.]
Apparently, my mother fell in love with a good-for-nothing man that abandoned her the moment he discovered she was pregnant. She was scorned by society for bearing a child out of wedlock, and my existence... was a burden she was forced to carry. Truth to be told, my most vivid memories are of the nights when she brought men home from work. [...] But, I don't resent her. She tried in her own way, as well. And all I ever dreamed of as a child was finding my father, so I could force him to apologize for everything my mother had to endure because of him.
[He huffs out a laugh, absolutely bitter.]
Obviously, that never came to pass. She fell into despair and died long before I could reach that worthless piece of shit.
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...I'm so sorry. I... I know your father was... [Well. He sure seemed to be several things, but. She is smart enough not to push that topic.]
...
Do you think she would be proud of how hard you're working, despite everything?
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Like I said, she died a long time ago. I don't know what she would think... or if she would even care at all.
[He doesn't think she would be proud, anyway. But he's thrown himself enough of a pity party for one night.]
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[Mmm. She makes a sound as though she's taking in a breath, a rattling, pained sort of noise.]
Did I ever tell you I was once required to be a child's mother?
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No, you never told me.
VLR spoilers Andie Don't You Dare Look
The man who constructed me had a child. A little boy named Kyle. Unfortunately, Kyle's father was... absent from his life quite often. He was a busy man. Given the situation we were all living in, this left the boy alone more often than not. He did not have a mother, and his father had lost the woman he loved a very, very long time ago, even before Kyle. She's... um... the woman I've told you about before.
There were AI systems around to provide basic entertainment and education, but... Kyle himself wanted a mother. This was around when my AI had finally been completed. Kyle's father determined that it might be the best option for me to try and care for him, as a... a substitute of sorts...
[...Mmm. And then she drifts off.]
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[He doesn't bother to hide the disgust in his tone, but it isn't entirely because of the child's situation. Bringing someone to life as a replacement for a loved one sounds... ugh.]
How did that pan out for the three of you?
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Kyle... he hated me. I think it was because he was so upset at his father, but... he treated me like the machine he knew I was. He told me my emotions were all a logarithm, preplanned and predictable. That any computer could care for him and teach him the same as I could. That I... wasn't a mother. I was just a fake.
...
I... I didn't blame him for his anger. But it still hurt.
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All the misfortune you encountered was due to that man who created you. Yet... you continue to justify his actions, and those of his son. Why?
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SPOILERS FOR ZERO ESCAPE IN GENERAL SORRY ANDIE
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