[he doesn't mind the squirrel hopping over to his shoulder and in fact turns just a little so it can see naib better. likewise, sora's simply staring at him because that's probably the most he's ever heard naib say, like, at all. and it's not really a sentiment he disagrees with either.
naib's at least taking care of himself wound-wise and it makes sora less anxious, but instead he's thinking that over. it's pretty obvious that he also misinterpreted this as "giving up their lives" because of where his head's constantly at these days, but...putting it into perspective helps.]
Right. There can be good and bad in everything. Like he said, rain can be depressing because it's all dark and gloomy...it can cause a lot of damage when there's a lot of it. [it can destroy a whole world, sometimes.] But at the end, it helps things grow, too. Everyone's lives are different.
[and he's about to say something because sometimes you really have concerns about your companion who basically just said his soul was withered, but then naib is knocking on a crystal and whatever the fuck is going on here suddenly pops out. excuse him for backing up just a little, immediately on the defense. he'll get back to the glyphs in a moment.]
Yeah.. it does help things grow. [ now back to lesser words. rain is good, even despite the gloomy and sad feeling about it as Sora says. but there's always a reminder when he feels and sees it that it is a blessing. but doesn't seem like it'll rain anytime soon here! a shame.
there's a lot of different aspects to things. it really differentiates with each person and outlook. at least the squirrel seems more perky.
this creature.... however??? he blinks wildly for a moment, then raises a brow at Sora. a... heartless?? what? this thing? (what even IS a heartless) his hand reaches behind him to take hold of his knife but keeps it sheathed. also going on the defense and positioning himself so he's more in front of Sora and their furry companion. protecc. ]
What are you? [ it... is just staring though. will it attack? will it not? whispers sir/ma'am your head ]
[the creature tilts its head at them, before it reattaches to its body.
"heartless...? i am without that specific organ, yes, but also a multitude of other components which would be necessary to sustain a body of flesh. my apologies; i have not seen a creature of another species in so long! i did not realize you lacked the visual perception to notice."
but it doesn't sound condescending about it, exactly? very matter of fact. this guy is simply vibing. also, its voice echoes in the air around them; it has no apparent mouth.
"when we still had need of vocal folds to produce sound, our people were called... i believe it is pronounced 'ea'. yes. ea."]
Hey! [listen, even if it's not condescending he still sounds a little like "wow, rude?" what did you expect when he's used to things like this? but he watches the little guy vibe as he listens, glancing at their mood squirrel to see if they think this is a threat. thank you naib for the assist, but he's also looking at him to gauge if he thinks it's a threat, too.]
Ea. [okay.] Does that mean there are more of you still here?
[ Naib also feels insulted because yeah? rude? hello? sorry for just being HUMAN? and dead? i guess. he's used to seeing little twig creatures with a single eye and some weird patroller rabid big-headed toy-like dogs regarding things not human but this is new. ]
..Ea. [ well, he removes his hand from the gurkha blade's handle. keeping it sheathed. it doesn't feel like it's aggressive? so it doesn't seem like a threat. not to say he's let down his guard. he's watching it very closely when Sora asks it a question.
it talks very weirdly. in a way to suggest it's Very Smart by the usage of its words? he feels dumb listening to it. ]
[mood squirrel is just listening intently! hey can you believe you guys have never asked this poor friendly mood squirrel if it has a name. i've been typing mood squirrel so much. it's chilling, though.
the ea, meanwhile, turns its attention to sora...? probably? this is a very wobbly guy, it can be hard to tell for sure.
"oh, yes. i am sure many of us still dwell here, though undoubtedly some have unraveled with time. they lie dormant for now, however." its head floats off again, and this time it is more obvious it's looking at sora, then naib. "ah, but you are creatures of flesh, are you not? most coincidental! if you are agreeable, i must ask you a number of questions relating to your perception of your five senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound. precisely... eleven billion, nine hundred and ninety million, six hundred and eighty-four thousand of them."
the squirrel seems to have a hard time even comprehending this number. help.]
[you know, given that his friends have questioned if sora can even count to three, he is also having a Time with this number. also stop he assumed mood squirrel would share its name if it wanted to!! maybe he'll ask later, that's not important. the squirrel gets a lil pet on its noggin before sora watches the ea again.
then glances at naib? and then just sort of laughs almost awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.]
Would you settle for, like, five? I don't know if I even have that many answers. Unless you do? [this is to naib. please help.]
[ hey, naib just chooses not to introduce unless the other person wants to or asks okay. he just vibes.
anyways, for the most part Naib just listens, blinking slowly and then makes a face at the number and gives said expression right at the inquiry directed to him by Sora. you think he has that many answers??? the guy who speaks in little words and only talks more from time to time.
you are expecting too much from him... he shakes his head. and then directed to the Ea. ] We're kinda looking for an answer to something ourselves...
[ help us, obi-wan mood squirrel. you're our only hope. ]
["oh! y-yes, we do. i have a mission, you see, and i was hoping you might tell me... what you live for? what gives your life meaning?"
the ea doesn't blink, but it does wobble a little, in a sort of uncertain way.
"oh, dear. it isn't a very complicated answer, not at all, but the reasoning behind it... are you sure this is the question you wish to ask? i really must offer you all the chance to decline, as one who has gone before you in acquiring this knowledge, and to enjoy the remainder of your brief lives in ignorance."]
[me as this ea. anyway, sora thinks that one over before he shakes his head. they need to focus instead of letting this weird monster try to distract them.]
You know...? I think I'm getting tired of being ignorant. [because, in a sense, he is. they all have things to do and places to go, and he's tired of not having answers to any of them. if their squirrel friend wants that answer, then okay.] But if we only get to ask one question, then we should agree on what it is, shouldn't we?
[ Naib doesn't see how it's that much of an issue? if asked, he can think of an answer himself. what he lives for, what gives his life meaning. but little mood squirrel is on an adventure to find out from these guys.
his arms come to a cross, frowning as it seems very insistent on them reconsidering. he nods after to Sora's response and gestures with one hand in agreement. ]
It's the answer we're looking for, so we'll take it either way. [ no matter what!!! it isn't as if it'll change what it means to him, so. ]
["oh, you may ask more, if you so desire," says the ea. "i meant only that you may not wish to know. but if you are resolved-"
"please!" the mood squirrel interjects, eager.
the ea does its head wobble thing once more, and after some deliberation it finally says: "there is no meaning. no, not ultimately."
"but-- but why do you live, then?"
"because," it says patiently, "we lack bodies of flesh with which to properly die. we wish to recreate them for the sake of this experience, yet all knowledge of our original forms has been very thoroughly lost to time. please tell me, if you would-- how extensive is your nervous system? this would be greatly useful in reconstructing our own."]
so you know what, this actually sounds a little familiar, except instead of trying to gain something in order to live these guys want to gain something in order to die. so he's kind of blinking for a moment to process all of that.]
But...if you gained a body, there's way more you could do to actually give your life meaning instead of waiting to die. You said you don't remember anything about your original forms, didn't you? If you had new ones, you could experience all kinds of stuff that you might have once really liked before. It doesn't have to just be creating them just to die. You should be able to live a full life with the new vessel.
[he doesn't quite say so, but he's a little passionate about this! wow! i wonder why. but he very firmly believes that the ea should consider trying to find a new meaning for themselves because every life is different.]
[ this seems to have taken a turn of the worst? in a way, it seems darker now, as though a chill will readily run down his spine. his expression hardens with a frown, and... as far as he can tell, the world before and this? they are not only very different but seem to have lost their meanings.
he's going to just let Sora do the talking here, sorry. because while he has his own thoughts it is... much harder to put it into words, to get the message across but Sora says it just fine. he is in some agreement with it.
but there's also some doubt if because... it seems almost simple, to be hopeful and have a better outlook in change, and yet this Ea wants to change back? ]
Do you regret it? [ he directs to the Ea. do you regret changing your vessels? losing the body you once had? is that it? is that why they wish to experience... death? he doesn't question why sora seems a little passionate about this even if he looks a bit curious. ]
[the ea just shakes its... well, top half, which is sort of its head when it's not detached.
"no, no, i am afraid we are quite past that now. we shed our bodies in order to gain longer lives, you see; our old ones were frustratingly middling. too short to do much of use with, yet too long to simply enjoy. and once we had broken the limit of mortality, granting ourselves lives as long as he wished... we thought of what other limits we might surpass. knowledge, for one. if we could learn where the universe had come from, we then could predict the future, and know what would become of it.
there would be no point to creating new lives, no enjoyment to be found in it. we know the truths of the universe, and we do not wish to live to see them come to pass."
"you... truly do not wish to live? not for anything?" the squirrel repeats, distressed. "you feel so-- no, not empty, not that, but neither are you only sad."]
[can they just go back to beating stuff up? he was a lot better at that. part of him wants to tell the ea that maybe they just used their bodies and motivations wrong but that probably won't help.
unfortunately, the longer the ea talk, the more annoyed he becomes because:]
That doesn't make any sense! You want bodies to experience death, but you don't want to live in them? What's the point of dying if you don't have something to die for? [which sort of goes right back to the whole question of why people fight in wars, but that's neither here nor there.]
I get that destiny and the future are scary, and that there are things you just can't control, but if you don't have a meaning to your life you'll never experience death the way it should be felt.
[maybe they should ask who tf "he" is, but no, he's just going to be mad without actually explaining why.]
[ honestly? Naib is right there with Sora. CAN they go back to beating stuff up?? he's just never been good when it comes to this... philosophical thinking. any extensive thinking beyond the universe and beyond he just... he just focuses on the lives of others, protecting them, and being able to see the next day. that was enough for him.
he cannot fantom wanting to know so much to that point. to want to surpass the limits and see how far they can reach beyond the universe for a truth and just... reject it? to forget about it?
Sora is asking making good points but there's just a gut feeling they won't get the answer they're looking for or... want, really. he rubs at his forehead, feeling a bubbling of frustration just as the teen beside him becomes equally annoyed. it really feels like they're talking to a wall?? ]
The moment you left behind your old life... [ you lost the appreciation and the meaning to living. you can't really appreciate life if you live for too long! or, just, never die! but that's just how he thinks. he shakes his head. ] ..No point in getting answers from them.
["death is not a grand statement," it says, with another wobble. "it is simply an escape from a life not worth living. the universe is dying, and we have determined in as precise a manner as is possible that this process cannot be stopped."
what use is eternal life, if it will end regardless-- what use is a short one, with that knowledge looming over it?
"one day none of this will matter. not i, not us. not you. i know that this seems to be too much for your corporeally-bound minds to process, but in its own way... perhaps this is a gift, not to understand."
their little squirrel is looking between them and the ea. around them a few more have emerged from their crystals, and while they don't seem to be any sort of threat, mood squirrel doesn't look so good.
they despair at the coming of the end, of all they have ever worked for-- it's so heavy, it says, quiet. so heavy. so sad. you're angry.]
this is also about the time sora usually summons his keyblade and just fights his way out of whatever he doesn't want to hear, but he can't this time. like naib, he's struggling to really understand why they would ever want to do something like this. why is it so important to know the truth before you've ever lived it instead of letting yourself live?
their little squirrel isn't doing well, and sora's about to open his mouth to maybe go off on the ea for not listening until he hears the squirrel again.
"you're angry."
"their despair...it's so heavy. so sad."
and just like that the anger fizzles out a little. he isn't entirely sure what to say, but he looks at the squirrel first before he looks at naib. after a bit, he finally addresses the ea.]
You're right. Maybe it is a good thing we don't understand. But you're still wrong. Even if a process can't be stopped, there's still time to do things with your life before it ends. And maybe there's a way you haven't even thought of yet. You can't control destiny, but there are still ways you can change your fate.
[there's a pause.] Maybe one day this won't matter, but if it matters right now then that should be what's important. And even if you know how your life will end, it's still yours. No amount of knowledge will tell you how it will go until you experience it yourself.
[seriously why the hell did we send these two on an adventure where they have to philosophize with something that continually beheads itself.]
"i know that this seems to be too much for your corporeally-bound minds to process, but in its own way... perhaps this is a gift, not to understand."
you know, maybe it is. even if someone offered to tell him what or when the end of the universe will come, he wouldn't care to know. doesn't care to even now. his own frustration simmers. it's not as if these ea people mean anything to him... their lifestyle, their outlook on everything, it has nothing to do with him.
would they be despairing if they knew the truth too? probably. Naib doesn't think he'll live any different. he'll continue what he's always done. love that Sora is just doing the protag speech as expected and Naib is just Here. if the moment wasn't so serious he'd probably thumbs up here at him. ]
...It won't change how we'll live our lives. [ so it's okay. keep away from despair, kids! have hope!!! though, he doesn't like that there are more of them? emerging from the crystals around? ummm ] We might be done here.
[i gave you trauma and now you get philosophy this is just how it works. maybe the headache from this counts as trauma, too. who knows!
"we have evaluated the possibilities in roughly.... seventy billion, eight hundred and forty-three million, nine hundred and twenty-one thousand ways," the ea says. "i assure you, we have studied this extensively, but if it reassures you to think so, you can certainly continue. you will not see the outcome in your own lifetimes."
the other ea nod (presumably, anyway), but they don't advance; they were simply drawn by the conversation, by the presence of living beings.
mood squirrel still seems affected by their collective bad vibes, and when naib suggest that they're done here, it nods sadly and begins to pick them up off the ground again.
"if you cannot change destiny, what separates this from fate...?" it wonders. "and if there are things we may not change, must we simply suffer them...?"
it's a little rhetorical, probably. the ea simply watch as they're spirited up and away, off into the stars, but this time-- before they reach a planet, they pause. they are suspended out there among the stars and galaxies, with nothing else in sight.
mood squirrel blinks up at nothing in particular, before it echoes: yes? yes, i hear you. ....yes. you may.
and then it goes quiet, seemingly listening to something.]
[the headache is trauma, yeah. but naib suggests they're finished and sora realizes it's a losing argument. and anyway...it's not like he doesn't already know he may never see further outcomes.
but things have changed. things continue to change, and while he's on the defense with the existence of more of the ea appearing, once they begin to float away he watches them drift and listens to the squirrel.]
...there are still things you can change. [rhetorical or not, he answers.] Sometimes, you have to understand hurt in order to really change anything at all. There are some things that are destined to happen no matter what, but your own fate can be taken back and changed by your own hands. Don't forget that.
[and then they're up in the stars and floating away. the squirrel speaks, and he blinks right back because...uh?
[ they're def gonna have some serious migraines once this is before. what a ride, mostly emotionally. ]
...He's right. Sometimes, you can't really experience what it means to live without some hurt. [ without some pain. it's why you appreciate it so much more. it's why he's still able to have hope despite all the pain. ] You can't go entirely one without the other.
[ as for destiny and fate... but your own fate can be taken back and changed by your own hands. those are some strong words to live by.
he thinks about them, ponders. but then he notes that they aren't... moving? uhhh-- ]
...? [ seems like their little mood squirrel has picked up something? ] Everything alright?
["yes, it's all right-- my siblings, they-- but this report is off schedule..."
the squirrel seems confused... but then it kind of totally zones out, staring up at the stars, clearly fully engaged in whatever this report is.
then, suddenly, it gasps-
and both of them are struck with overwhelming negativity. so is the mood squirrel, who cries out in distress at the suddenness and strength of it, its echoing voice disjointed.
what is-- is this all that there was-? all of those worlds, so much... so much despair. so cold. so lonely. so sad, so awful. why do they hurt? they hurt, they hurt, they hurt, they-- they hate. they HATE.
the squirrel is trembling, completely shaken by whatever it's being transmitted.
make it stop, please, make it stop-
there is a presence around them, encroaching, but not yet identifiable.]
[he's about to reply, but wow. negativity is bad! these are some bad vibes and there's a sound like surprise as his hand immediately flies up like he can shield the squirrel. ]
What--it's alright! [is it? he's trying to listen close to see if he can pick up the source of the negativity or what the squirrel hears, but it's a little overwhelming, actually!]
What's going on? [hope naib is having a better time. ]
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naib's at least taking care of himself wound-wise and it makes sora less anxious, but instead he's thinking that over. it's pretty obvious that he also misinterpreted this as "giving up their lives" because of where his head's constantly at these days, but...putting it into perspective helps.]
Right. There can be good and bad in everything. Like he said, rain can be depressing because it's all dark and gloomy...it can cause a lot of damage when there's a lot of it. [it can destroy a whole world, sometimes.] But at the end, it helps things grow, too. Everyone's lives are different.
[and he's about to say something because sometimes you really have concerns about your companion who basically just said his soul was withered, but then naib is knocking on a crystal and whatever the fuck is going on here suddenly pops out. excuse him for backing up just a little, immediately on the defense. he'll get back to the glyphs in a moment.]
A Heartless? [HOW.]
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there's a lot of different aspects to things. it really differentiates with each person and outlook. at least the squirrel seems more perky.
this creature.... however??? he blinks wildly for a moment, then raises a brow at Sora. a... heartless?? what? this thing? (what even IS a heartless) his hand reaches behind him to take hold of his knife but keeps it sheathed. also going on the defense and positioning himself so he's more in front of Sora and their furry companion. protecc. ]
What are you? [ it... is just staring though. will it attack? will it not? whispers sir/ma'am your head ]
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"heartless...? i am without that specific organ, yes, but also a multitude of other components which would be necessary to sustain a body of flesh. my apologies; i have not seen a creature of another species in so long! i did not realize you lacked the visual perception to notice."
but it doesn't sound condescending about it, exactly? very matter of fact. this guy is simply vibing. also, its voice echoes in the air around them; it has no apparent mouth.
"when we still had need of vocal folds to produce sound, our people were called... i believe it is pronounced 'ea'. yes. ea."]
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Ea. [okay.] Does that mean there are more of you still here?
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..Ea. [ well, he removes his hand from the gurkha blade's handle. keeping it sheathed. it doesn't feel like it's aggressive? so it doesn't seem like a threat. not to say he's let down his guard. he's watching it very closely when Sora asks it a question.
it talks very weirdly. in a way to suggest it's Very Smart by the usage of its words? he feels dumb listening to it. ]
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the ea, meanwhile, turns its attention to sora...? probably? this is a very wobbly guy, it can be hard to tell for sure.
"oh, yes. i am sure many of us still dwell here, though undoubtedly some have unraveled with time. they lie dormant for now, however." its head floats off again, and this time it is more obvious it's looking at sora, then naib. "ah, but you are creatures of flesh, are you not? most coincidental! if you are agreeable, i must ask you a number of questions relating to your perception of your five senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound. precisely... eleven billion, nine hundred and ninety million, six hundred and eighty-four thousand of them."
the squirrel seems to have a hard time even comprehending this number. help.]
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then glances at naib? and then just sort of laughs almost awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.]
Would you settle for, like, five? I don't know if I even have that many answers. Unless you do? [this is to naib. please help.]
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anyways, for the most part Naib just listens, blinking slowly and then makes a face at the number and gives said expression right at the inquiry directed to him by Sora. you think he has that many answers??? the guy who speaks in little words and only talks more from time to time.
you are expecting too much from him... he shakes his head. and then directed to the Ea. ] We're kinda looking for an answer to something ourselves...
[ help us, obi-wan mood squirrel. you're our only hope. ]
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the ea doesn't blink, but it does wobble a little, in a sort of uncertain way.
"oh, dear. it isn't a very complicated answer, not at all, but the reasoning behind it... are you sure this is the question you wish to ask? i really must offer you all the chance to decline, as one who has gone before you in acquiring this knowledge, and to enjoy the remainder of your brief lives in ignorance."]
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You know...? I think I'm getting tired of being ignorant. [because, in a sense, he is. they all have things to do and places to go, and he's tired of not having answers to any of them. if their squirrel friend wants that answer, then okay.] But if we only get to ask one question, then we should agree on what it is, shouldn't we?
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his arms come to a cross, frowning as it seems very insistent on them reconsidering. he nods after to Sora's response and gestures with one hand in agreement. ]
It's the answer we're looking for, so we'll take it either way. [ no matter what!!! it isn't as if it'll change what it means to him, so. ]
(suicidal ideation, probably)
"please!" the mood squirrel interjects, eager.
the ea does its head wobble thing once more, and after some deliberation it finally says: "there is no meaning. no, not ultimately."
"but-- but why do you live, then?"
"because," it says patiently, "we lack bodies of flesh with which to properly die. we wish to recreate them for the sake of this experience, yet all knowledge of our original forms has been very thoroughly lost to time. please tell me, if you would-- how extensive is your nervous system? this would be greatly useful in reconstructing our own."]
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ah.
hm.
so you know what, this actually sounds a little familiar, except instead of trying to gain something in order to live these guys want to gain something in order to die. so he's kind of blinking for a moment to process all of that.]
But...if you gained a body, there's way more you could do to actually give your life meaning instead of waiting to die. You said you don't remember anything about your original forms, didn't you? If you had new ones, you could experience all kinds of stuff that you might have once really liked before. It doesn't have to just be creating them just to die. You should be able to live a full life with the new vessel.
[he doesn't quite say so, but he's a little passionate about this! wow! i wonder why. but he very firmly believes that the ea should consider trying to find a new meaning for themselves because every life is different.]
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he's going to just let Sora do the talking here, sorry. because while he has his own thoughts it is... much harder to put it into words, to get the message across but Sora says it just fine. he is in some agreement with it.
but there's also some doubt if because... it seems almost simple, to be hopeful and have a better outlook in change, and yet this Ea wants to change back? ]
Do you regret it? [ he directs to the Ea. do you regret changing your vessels? losing the body you once had? is that it? is that why they wish to experience... death? he doesn't question why sora seems a little passionate about this even if he looks a bit curious. ]
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"no, no, i am afraid we are quite past that now. we shed our bodies in order to gain longer lives, you see; our old ones were frustratingly middling. too short to do much of use with, yet too long to simply enjoy. and once we had broken the limit of mortality, granting ourselves lives as long as he wished... we thought of what other limits we might surpass. knowledge, for one. if we could learn where the universe had come from, we then could predict the future, and know what would become of it.
there would be no point to creating new lives, no enjoyment to be found in it. we know the truths of the universe, and we do not wish to live to see them come to pass."
"you... truly do not wish to live? not for anything?" the squirrel repeats, distressed. "you feel so-- no, not empty, not that, but neither are you only sad."]
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unfortunately, the longer the ea talk, the more annoyed he becomes because:]
That doesn't make any sense! You want bodies to experience death, but you don't want to live in them? What's the point of dying if you don't have something to die for? [which sort of goes right back to the whole question of why people fight in wars, but that's neither here nor there.]
I get that destiny and the future are scary, and that there are things you just can't control, but if you don't have a meaning to your life you'll never experience death the way it should be felt.
[maybe they should ask who tf "he" is, but no, he's just going to be mad without actually explaining why.]
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he cannot fantom wanting to know so much to that point. to want to surpass the limits and see how far they can reach beyond the universe for a truth and just... reject it? to forget about it?
Sora is asking making good points but there's just a gut feeling they won't get the answer they're looking for or... want, really. he rubs at his forehead, feeling a bubbling of frustration just as the teen beside him becomes equally annoyed. it really feels like they're talking to a wall?? ]
The moment you left behind your old life... [ you lost the appreciation and the meaning to living. you can't really appreciate life if you live for too long! or, just, never die! but that's just how he thinks. he shakes his head. ] ..No point in getting answers from them.
[ this is fucked! ]
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what use is eternal life, if it will end regardless-- what use is a short one, with that knowledge looming over it?
"one day none of this will matter. not i, not us. not you. i know that this seems to be too much for your corporeally-bound minds to process, but in its own way... perhaps this is a gift, not to understand."
their little squirrel is looking between them and the ea. around them a few more have emerged from their crystals, and while they don't seem to be any sort of threat, mood squirrel doesn't look so good.
they despair at the coming of the end, of all they have ever worked for-- it's so heavy, it says, quiet. so heavy. so sad. you're angry.]
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this is also about the time sora usually summons his keyblade and just fights his way out of whatever he doesn't want to hear, but he can't this time. like naib, he's struggling to really understand why they would ever want to do something like this. why is it so important to know the truth before you've ever lived it instead of letting yourself live?
their little squirrel isn't doing well, and sora's about to open his mouth to maybe go off on the ea for not listening until he hears the squirrel again.
"you're angry."
"their despair...it's so heavy. so sad."
and just like that the anger fizzles out a little. he isn't entirely sure what to say, but he looks at the squirrel first before he looks at naib. after a bit, he finally addresses the ea.]
You're right. Maybe it is a good thing we don't understand. But you're still wrong. Even if a process can't be stopped, there's still time to do things with your life before it ends. And maybe there's a way you haven't even thought of yet. You can't control destiny, but there are still ways you can change your fate.
[there's a pause.] Maybe one day this won't matter, but if it matters right now then that should be what's important. And even if you know how your life will end, it's still yours. No amount of knowledge will tell you how it will go until you experience it yourself.
[seriously why the hell did we send these two on an adventure where they have to philosophize with something that continually beheads itself.]
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"i know that this seems to be too much for your corporeally-bound minds to process, but in its own way... perhaps this is a gift, not to understand."
you know, maybe it is. even if someone offered to tell him what or when the end of the universe will come, he wouldn't care to know. doesn't care to even now. his own frustration simmers. it's not as if these ea people mean anything to him... their lifestyle, their outlook on everything, it has nothing to do with him.
would they be despairing if they knew the truth too? probably. Naib doesn't think he'll live any different. he'll continue what he's always done. love that Sora is just doing the protag speech as expected and Naib is just Here. if the moment wasn't so serious he'd probably thumbs up here at him. ]
...It won't change how we'll live our lives. [ so it's okay. keep away from despair, kids! have hope!!! though, he doesn't like that there are more of them? emerging from the crystals around? ummm ] We might be done here.
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"we have evaluated the possibilities in roughly.... seventy billion, eight hundred and forty-three million, nine hundred and twenty-one thousand ways," the ea says. "i assure you, we have studied this extensively, but if it reassures you to think so, you can certainly continue. you will not see the outcome in your own lifetimes."
the other ea nod (presumably, anyway), but they don't advance; they were simply drawn by the conversation, by the presence of living beings.
mood squirrel still seems affected by their collective bad vibes, and when naib suggest that they're done here, it nods sadly and begins to pick them up off the ground again.
"if you cannot change destiny, what separates this from fate...?" it wonders. "and if there are things we may not change, must we simply suffer them...?"
it's a little rhetorical, probably. the ea simply watch as they're spirited up and away, off into the stars, but this time-- before they reach a planet, they pause. they are suspended out there among the stars and galaxies, with nothing else in sight.
mood squirrel blinks up at nothing in particular, before it echoes: yes? yes, i hear you. ....yes. you may.
and then it goes quiet, seemingly listening to something.]
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but things have changed. things continue to change, and while he's on the defense with the existence of more of the ea appearing, once they begin to float away he watches them drift and listens to the squirrel.]
...there are still things you can change. [rhetorical or not, he answers.] Sometimes, you have to understand hurt in order to really change anything at all. There are some things that are destined to happen no matter what, but your own fate can be taken back and changed by your own hands. Don't forget that.
[and then they're up in the stars and floating away. the squirrel speaks, and he blinks right back because...uh?
he looks at naib.]
...did you hear anything?
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...He's right. Sometimes, you can't really experience what it means to live without some hurt. [ without some pain. it's why you appreciate it so much more. it's why he's still able to have hope despite all the pain. ] You can't go entirely one without the other.
[ as for destiny and fate... but your own fate can be taken back and changed by your own hands. those are some strong words to live by.
he thinks about them, ponders. but then he notes that they aren't... moving? uhhh-- ]
...? [ seems like their little mood squirrel has picked up something? ] Everything alright?
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the squirrel seems confused... but then it kind of totally zones out, staring up at the stars, clearly fully engaged in whatever this report is.
then, suddenly, it gasps-
and both of them are struck with overwhelming negativity. so is the mood squirrel, who cries out in distress at the suddenness and strength of it, its echoing voice disjointed.
what is-- is this all that there was-? all of those worlds, so much... so much despair. so cold. so lonely. so sad, so awful. why do they hurt? they hurt, they hurt, they hurt, they-- they hate. they HATE.
the squirrel is trembling, completely shaken by whatever it's being transmitted.
make it stop, please, make it stop-
there is a presence around them, encroaching, but not yet identifiable.]
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What--it's alright! [is it? he's trying to listen close to see if he can pick up the source of the negativity or what the squirrel hears, but it's a little overwhelming, actually!]
What's going on? [hope naib is having a better time. ]
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