[It's a relief in itself to hear Morgan's already determined enough to stay alive, even if further thought does remind him that it's because he's on a death mission. But it's not exactly something he feels he can question now of all times. What would it matter, if they made it out of here? Wasn't it better for Morgan to have some sort of dedicated motivation than to struggle with something he couldn't commit to, couldn't understand?
He can't really decide which leaves a worse taste in his mouth.
Barrett's eyes darken for a moment, thinking, before he gives Morgan a slow nod.]
...Mn. I can promise to try.
[He isn't doing his family any favors by adding to the body count by his own foolishness, no matter how much guilt weighs at him.
The second statement earns a pause, a look of slight surprise. Oh. The login glitch. There's a trace of an apology in his eyes, but he doesn't break his gaze.]
...Swallow told me when you were in the hospital. So did Fandaniel.
I meant to tell you when you got back into the game. After I visited. But... things got kind of out of control. [He had visited Thursday. The past of Mithrun has arrived on Friday, as well as the dinner, then going to bed and getting up for the game and--
He still should have found a moment. It digs at him. But it's that same digging sensation that has him here next to Morgan in the first place, sizing up his lance again a dummy across the space from them.]
( Nothing can ever really be promised. You can't really be sure what a person will do in the moment. A promise, really, is a sort of self-soothing - placating yourself, when you lack all other stability. They don't mean much - or so he feels, logically.
Still. He finds himself a little less agitated when Barrett's willing to promise he'll try, and he nods in turn - Barrett can have his word he'll try, too. He had known the futility of asking Barrett not to look to someone else, too, when he'd asked it; but still, he had.
He shifts the weight of his blade in his hand, letting the hilt drop a semi-circle down so he can lodge the tip into the dirt. )
... Yes. I can.
( At least he seems sincere when he says this.
He doesn't seem happy that Barrett didn't tell him the news from Shoka, but he doesn't exactly blame him with the way the timing shook out - his displeasure comes from Barrett's continued dedication to secrecy, even if that is tempered by Mithrun's expectation that Barrett has some very good reason for keeping his lips sealed. If there isn't - well.
He'll figure out what he'll do soon enough, if it comes to that. )
Swallow told Sinclair, also. Sinclair told me when he came to visit. He wanted me to know.
( He doesn't necessarily say this to guilt Barrett, though it may have that effect, but - someone told him, at least. Even if he's frustrated with Sinclair for other reasons.
He's a little bit frustrated with most people he knows right now, he realizes. A strange state to be in - especially when today's "meeting" has left him in an even poorer mood. )
There's a nod, shallow, but with a retreat to his expression and posture.]
...I'm sorry. [Other words sit on his lips - how he'd wanted to wait until Mithrun had felt well enough, how he didn't want to stress him any further - but it wasn't as though it took away a supposed implication that Sinclair had cared, where Barrett had not.
It stings. But it's fair for Morgan to be upset. He really was smart.
...]
I wish I could tell you everything. I... know I can't right now.
But I regretted leaving a lot unsaid when you were gone. Even while I was in the hospital and I had you with me so often, i didn't-- [His expression tightens with a firm exhale and a glance to the side, disengaging his own weapon if only to stop how hard he's gripping it.]
... I... guess I couldn't get my mind off of feeling sorry for myself. Even when we were together. And I can't... keep just doing this. Feeling sorry for myself and then just never saying anything.
I... don't like it. Feeling like this.
[It's a painfully strong inward spiral, one that bottled everything in that pit of guilt. One that said to share the burden for such specific things was something foreign and illegal.
...
With a firmed jawline, Barrett repositions his lance and throws an attack. (9) A mediocre hit. Not good enough.
The spear is left in the training dummy. Mediocre pickings. Mediocre answers. Mediocre effort.
...]
I can't tell you who he is, or where, or what. But... I think I can try to tell you other things. About DV.
( Mithrun is quiet as Barrett works through the feelings, the words - sentiment he understands a little better now, after the truths his past self had twisted from his jaw, after he'd been with Barrett all week at the hospital, coming to know the pattern of his beating heart through his chest better than any machine could suggest it.
He gets it. But he's frustrated, too. Like he had been with Sinclair. Maybe it would have been better - if he could have remained forever indifferent. But he feels like - maybe - he's not, anymore. (Ah, Mithrun's finally catching up.)
When Barrett's lips come to its final close, there is a beat.
And then quite quickly he whips his blade around in a brutal swing, near slicing the dummy in two - stopping short by only a milimetre (19). His gaze is fixed on his target. )
... Tell me.
( Without a sound he hefts the blade back out, the dummy's injury closing in its wake.
He can work out what he feels about Barrett's swamp of feeling in a minute - but he thinks that will depend on what Barrett explains to him now, and why he kept it secret for so long, when he could have told him earlier, meant to. )
[There's a brutality, a suddenness and dedication to the strength of it that he doesn't usually see in Morgan, making his heart skip for a moment.
To be trapped in here, when he had things planned... Barrett has to wonder if Morgan isn't some level of furious right now. And for a brief second, he wonders if he should have kept this conversation for later.
But he shuts that idea immediately. He had just said as much only moments ago. What kind of person was he if he would be such a hypocrite, just because he was frightened for Morgan's feelings?
That belonged to Morgan. There was nothing he could do but tell him the truth... or, as much of the truth as he could. He didn't like to lie. And the single lie he'd told to Morgan way back when they were barely strangers still hangs over him.
He lets one hand come to the head of the training dummy to brace while the other grips the polearm, roughly withdrawing the blade with the residual scrape of metal to dirt.]
He doesn't mean to hurt people. And he doesn't want anyone to get hurt. Not by the game, or by CCCorp.
He was trying to avoid us getting to this situation in the first place. Trying to find ways to warn people. He's had worries about CCCorp's motifs since I first talked to him.
He says this game is being built on corpses. That they're trying to digitize brains for their own use.
He glances at Barrett. That is a particularly bold claim - but not one that seems so outlandish when they're all receiving a log-out error, and administration seems fine with things as they are.
It isn't what he expected - he'd made assumptions about DV based on what little he knew. But because he know he knows so little, he is not unwilling to have his assumptions challenged. )
... And so we've hit this point. What is his argument, then? That our only choice is to die and surrender our minds to CC Corp for their later use?
( In which case, his speculation that the realism of Fragment is built out of memories and knowledge from the human brain doesn't feel as strange of a theory anymore.
He doesn't know if he fully believes DV's supposed side of the story - but he doesn't know if he believes CC Corp's, either. He would only believe with any certainty truths he could observe and prove himself - and even then, the truth is sometimes not so true.
But you still need to know these things - he knows what CC Corp's stance is, so he still needs to know what DV's been telling Barrett, or else he has nothing to test the world against. )
Does he say it's CC Corp that was responsible for the armor, the mirrors - the glitches that affected the two of us? Or does he have no explanation?
I don't know. I haven't been able to speak to him since the conference. But I know that's not what he wants. He's completely against the company. I... have a feeling he might not be surprised with what's happened. But he also might blame himself for not acting faster.
[There's legit concern in the statement. Worry. Guilt. but it passes with the topic, Barrett at least trying to stay focused with Morgan's questioning. ]
The two glitches that affected us I think were the company. I... have my own thoughts about that. [Ones that, apparently, render his expression incredibly dark with anger. But he lets himself move on.]
The rest... the weird dungeon you went to, the armor, the mirrors?
He told me he was trying to make a point. He can access the same sorts of things CCCorp can access, and I think he's been trying to use them as ways to just make players think about what's going on. Making us wonder why that kind of information is even in the game.
I got mad at first. With my armor set. But he said it was just created from memories. I think he does want to help us if we choose to stay, but there must be only so much he has access to.
[As far as what happened to them...
He gives the space some silence, gripping his weapon. Two more blows to a dummy. Both as medicore and shallow as the first. (7,6) It just makes him more frustrated, whipping the blade out from the dummy with a harsh exhale, then another.]
I think... what happened to you, and to me... I think it was a threat.
( He doesn't pull the blade back. He only drives it further in, the wood splintering, the fabric straining.
He doesn't know what's under his skin right now. He's not indignant he was used as some pawn for some squabble - he got up just fine. Not like Barrett. Barrett was the one who had it bad. )
[He tries a different dummy, a little less form behind his anger. The lance goes cleanly through the chest and shoulder (15) - if the dunny weren't grounded, Barrett would be hoisting it off the ground.]
CCCorp knew about my arrangements with the university. My scholarship. I couldn't have played otherwise..
If someone figured out I was talking to DV, maybe they wanted to scare me off. Or distract me. But it wasn't a break of my agreement, so they just... made sure I was busy.
[Triple Wield goes off, draining his SP as he makes three pointedly rough thrusts of his weapon. More force than aim. (3,8,9)
( Too deep in - he tests the pull of the hilt, but he finds it fully lodged, unwilling to come out (1). The poor dummy, by now, has the broad claymore run halfway through him.
It's irritating - having even this outlet denied to him, for even a moment.
He will repeat, then: )
And what makes you believe him? That CC Corp did these things, that DV's motives are good?
His blade is removed, and he doesn't go for another strike, trying to let out another breath. Let the anger roll off. He normally didn't let things like this get to him so deeply. Why now?
...]
DV doesn't know what happened with your glitch, or mine. He didn't even know why I was gone until I came back. What I think about the threats... it's just my thoughts. Not DV's.
I don't have any proof about CCCorp. Just like my leg. And I can't say that everything DV says is something I understand, or something that I can prove. Like... how not everything that's deleted here stays deleted.
But I still believe him. He doesn't want Fragment to be turned into something like a weapon. And he doesn't want to see anyone else suffer.
Mithrun kicks at the dummy suddenly, hard enough to break the dummy inward around its wound (11). He keeps his heel dug into its stomach as he twists his blade out, leaving a mauled mess in its wake - though it cleans itself up well enough. )
... What do you mean, "what's deleted doesn't stay deleted"?
( He isn't answering the rest, which may bode good or ill. It doesn't matter to him, though, to comment on Barrett's faith just yet, because he proceeds: )
Have you met him physically? The administrators seem to have oversight in our inboxes.
[He watches Morgan rip the dummy to shreds to free his weapon, shaking his head when the smaller man had his gaze free again.]
I don't know. He mentions it sometimes, that there are things CCCorp tries to remove from Fragment that won't completely go away. Like sweeping things under a rug. I don't always understand it. But... something out there really hurt him. Something that CCCorp knows about, but refuses to handle, just like deleting things.
[At the second question his mouth opens, as though to answer... but he stops, a physical halting with a look of frustration towards the ground.
Another attempt, and nothing happens, like he can't bring himself to answer.
Mm.
With a tense range of motion, he steels back and chucks his lance. It clips a dummy on the shoulder (5) and buries into the ground behind it. There's a curse under his breath.]
...He has to be more careful than that. But he's aware about the inboxes now. He knows the admins don't like him.
( The blade comes off it with a dangerous swing back, enough force that Mithrun's weight lurches back onto his heels and a leg goes back and digs into the dirt to keep his footing, but he regains control.
He does not, however, swing again instantly. He had noticed Barrett's apparent - hesitation? and it rings familiar. )
... If ( if ) you can't use the inbox and you can't meet him in person, then how do you talk to him?
[The hesitation comes back, even as he watches Mithrun tumble with a momentary step forward before his balance corrects itself.
He doesn't answer. The frustration on his expression grows, but the silence stretches, as though he's suddenly either grown too stubborn or too reluctant to talk.
Instead, he goes to retrieve his weapon from the ground.]
...Sorry.
[It's quiet. And he looks unhappy, having to say as much.]
He clicks his tongue. It really would've been better if Barrett had spoken to him in reality, without this - apparently - bullshit filter.
He puts his hands out for his sword. )
... Tell DV to talk to me. I'll swear an oath of loyalty, or whatever he wants.
( He doesn't trust DV or CC Corp, but DV is willing to talk, and the admins aren't. Starting down any path, even a wrong one, is better than no path at all. )
[His eyes trace to Morgan's outstretched hand, that familiar cloud of guilt heavy even though he tries to square himself up, handing over the weapon with a firm grip. Knock yourself out, man.]
...Mn. I want you to be able to talk to him, too.
I don't know if he'll say yes right now. He's... [He looks off to the side, trying to gather his words.] --I think he doesn't trust people easily. Or doesn't know how. But he's smart. So...
Only do it if you mean it, Morgan. I don't want DV to go back into hiding. And...
[An arm is extended so that Beel can rest a hand against Morgan's arm - brief, easy enough to push away from, only to draw attention and try to meet that fierce gaze with one of compassion behind stony features.]
...You staying safe... it means a lot more to me right now.
( The weapon is heavy in his palms - it still feels strange, sometimes, that he can carry it, when the weight it has as it comes down for a strike feels thrice as much as this. This game feels so real, but - it's not real. (Would that make them not real, as well, if the connection from mind and body is severed? He had declared so confidently that the fish and Zelkova were not "real," because they had no link to reality. Would he disqualify themselves from that privilege, too?) Somewhere in his anger, that the door had been locked behind them, he feels unanchored - like he'd walked too deep into the ocean, and he'd lost sense of the ground.
Then he feels Barrett's touch at his arm again, and his attention drifts up to meet the certainty of Barrett's gaze. It feels a little like when Barrett had held his hand at sea.
A beat, and he shifts the weight to one hand, so the hand opposite of the shoulder Barrett has a hand on can lay over Barrett's own. His gaze rests on their hands instead. )
... I don't know if I trust him with you. ( The wording here is particular - like it's DV who has Barrett in his care, and not Barrett who's worrying after him. ) His story sounds too clean.
( And Barrett is someone with a lot of empathy who, clearly, is very taken with such a clear-cut tale. Mithrun doesn't know if the whole story is actually suspicious or not!! He can't read into these things!! But he doesn't like the chance that Barrett is being taken advantage of - never mind their situation. For all Mithrun knows, both sides are using the beta testers for some sort of gain. )
I'm not leaving you to handle this on your own. Give me the chance to be with you.
( Even if the choice is ultimately up to DV whether to trust Mithrun and all his aggro or not. Mithrun clearly intends to be well-behaved to get in on this so Barrett isn't soloing this (sure, maybe DV is talking to other people, but Mithrun doesn't know who and therefore isn't gonna trust Barrett with them either) - he can't promise he will be well-behaved. but god he will try. and that will get him a little cheap gold star for the attempt, maybe, hopefully, )
[A slight smile spreads on his features. His eyes soften at the edges, letting the base of his palm press a little harder into Morgan's weight. Both a reassurance, and an acceptance of the touch, the sentiment.]
I won't be on my own.
[There's conviction behind the words, looking down at Mithrun and remembering their talks while together in the hospital bed, remembering Morgan saying he was enough. Remembering Morgan saying that he trusted him. It tugs a bit, hurts a bit, that Morgan won't leave this for him to handle. But three seconds of thought, even for him, lead to the assumption that Morgan doesn't mean it from a bad point of view.
Morgan trusts him, doesn't he? Morgan thinks he's enough... even if he doesn't think the same. And he wonders if Morgan's words, in this moment, echo the same sort of fear he'd felt at the start of their talk.
Don't go somewhere someone else can't follow. Let me help you stay alive.
He lets his touch slip upwards to cup Morgan's face. To keep their gazes together. To quietly plead to look at him, believe him, see his honesty. Even if he knows his actions so far, at least with DV, might just show a young man that doesn't care enough to share what matters.
He knows what matters. Under his gaze, under his touch, that thing that always makes his chest feel full to bursting.]
I promised you. I can't protect anyone if I can't keep myself safe, either.
But I trust him. And I trust you. So... [His fingers curl lightly against Morgan's jawline.] No matter what he says... can you keep trusting me?
Whether we're together or apart, I still want to be enough for everyone. I know I have a chance, now. I know it. [He can. He has to be. He has all the tools he should need here... Even if it feels like he's struggling to keep his head above the water.
A beat, as his expression softens more, as though he's trying to let a wall not come up quite so fast.]
( He lets his hand fall. It's frustrating. There is a path here but there is a wall and he can't take the path and he can't see past the wall and it's not that he has no faith in Barrett, he just - like he'd had to be held still at the stadium and the waiting room, he doesn't like staying put. He can't be sure Barrett's fine unless he's there with him. He has to open the box.
But he doesn't miss the earnest sentiment in Barrett's gaze, the way it pleads for his trust and patience.
It's frustrating. But this frustration comes from some feeling he can't place, doesn't know the name of. )
... You don't have anything to prove, except to yourself. ( The last and most important person to convince, in the end. ) But this matters to you. So I'll trust you.
( He hates how this is up to DV now. His frustration is apparent, but at least he knows better than to lash out at Barrett.
If anything, he can hold tight to the reassurance that Barrett means to stay safe and alive. That's all anyone can promise right now - a declaration of intent.
He turns his cheek very slightly into Barrett's palm, his voice a little softer, almost a mutter, even though he's not admitting anything he hasn't said before - it expresses the tenderness of feeling, the raw and exposed heart beneath the bony plate, more than anything. )
... I'd rather be there. I'd rather be with you than not.
( Even if the frustration makes him feel like he could body Hien and DV at once ((reasons DV doesn't want to see him)). )
[There's nothing he can do to make sure that want comes to fruition, and promising as much he knows is cruel. So he doesn't.
His free hand finds rest against the hilt of Morgan's sword as he takes a step closer and leans in. Just enough to rest his temple against Morgan's hair, his touch lingering as the hand at his jaw traces down his neck. Not quite a hug, not quite a meeting of lips, but the desire to be close beyond a touch. It's a sensation that's familiar, if not a different taste in how it warms him.
Would you hold my hand until I fall asleep?]
I think... I feel the same.
You're here in front of me... I don't want to take it for granted.
[A slow exhale, rustling strands of hair, the heat just barely coasting Morgan's ear.]
I'm sorry I can't give you more. It makes me sad to see you upset like this.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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He can't really decide which leaves a worse taste in his mouth.
Barrett's eyes darken for a moment, thinking, before he gives Morgan a slow nod.]
...Mn. I can promise to try.
[He isn't doing his family any favors by adding to the body count by his own foolishness, no matter how much guilt weighs at him.
The second statement earns a pause, a look of slight surprise. Oh. The login glitch. There's a trace of an apology in his eyes, but he doesn't break his gaze.]
...Swallow told me when you were in the hospital. So did Fandaniel.
I meant to tell you when you got back into the game. After I visited. But... things got kind of out of control. [He had visited Thursday. The past of Mithrun has arrived on Friday, as well as the dinner, then going to bed and getting up for the game and--
He still should have found a moment. It digs at him. But it's that same digging sensation that has him here next to Morgan in the first place, sizing up his lance again a dummy across the space from them.]
...
Morgan, the other thing I need a promise on...
Can you keep whatever I say right now between us?
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Still. He finds himself a little less agitated when Barrett's willing to promise he'll try, and he nods in turn - Barrett can have his word he'll try, too. He had known the futility of asking Barrett not to look to someone else, too, when he'd asked it; but still, he had.
He shifts the weight of his blade in his hand, letting the hilt drop a semi-circle down so he can lodge the tip into the dirt. )
... Yes. I can.
( At least he seems sincere when he says this.
He doesn't seem happy that Barrett didn't tell him the news from Shoka, but he doesn't exactly blame him with the way the timing shook out - his displeasure comes from Barrett's continued dedication to secrecy, even if that is tempered by Mithrun's expectation that Barrett has some very good reason for keeping his lips sealed. If there isn't - well.
He'll figure out what he'll do soon enough, if it comes to that. )
Swallow told Sinclair, also. Sinclair told me when he came to visit. He wanted me to know.
( He doesn't necessarily say this to guilt Barrett, though it may have that effect, but - someone told him, at least. Even if he's frustrated with Sinclair for other reasons.
He's a little bit frustrated with most people he knows right now, he realizes. A strange state to be in - especially when today's "meeting" has left him in an even poorer mood. )
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There's a nod, shallow, but with a retreat to his expression and posture.]
...I'm sorry. [Other words sit on his lips - how he'd wanted to wait until Mithrun had felt well enough, how he didn't want to stress him any further - but it wasn't as though it took away a supposed implication that Sinclair had cared, where Barrett had not.
It stings. But it's fair for Morgan to be upset. He really was smart.
...]
I wish I could tell you everything. I... know I can't right now.
But I regretted leaving a lot unsaid when you were gone. Even while I was in the hospital and I had you with me so often, i didn't-- [His expression tightens with a firm exhale and a glance to the side, disengaging his own weapon if only to stop how hard he's gripping it.]
... I... guess I couldn't get my mind off of feeling sorry for myself. Even when we were together. And I can't... keep just doing this. Feeling sorry for myself and then just never saying anything.
I... don't like it. Feeling like this.
[It's a painfully strong inward spiral, one that bottled everything in that pit of guilt. One that said to share the burden for such specific things was something foreign and illegal.
...
With a firmed jawline, Barrett repositions his lance and throws an attack. (9) A mediocre hit. Not good enough.
The spear is left in the training dummy. Mediocre pickings. Mediocre answers. Mediocre effort.
...]
I can't tell you who he is, or where, or what. But... I think I can try to tell you other things. About DV.
[A pause, a careful glance back towards Morgan.]
...If you still want it, I mean.
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He gets it. But he's frustrated, too. Like he had been with Sinclair. Maybe it would have been better - if he could have remained forever indifferent. But he feels like - maybe - he's not, anymore. (Ah, Mithrun's finally catching up.)
When Barrett's lips come to its final close, there is a beat.
And then quite quickly he whips his blade around in a brutal swing, near slicing the dummy in two - stopping short by only a milimetre (19). His gaze is fixed on his target. )
... Tell me.
( Without a sound he hefts the blade back out, the dummy's injury closing in its wake.
He can work out what he feels about Barrett's swamp of feeling in a minute - but he thinks that will depend on what Barrett explains to him now, and why he kept it secret for so long, when he could have told him earlier, meant to. )
no subject
To be trapped in here, when he had things planned... Barrett has to wonder if Morgan isn't some level of furious right now. And for a brief second, he wonders if he should have kept this conversation for later.
But he shuts that idea immediately. He had just said as much only moments ago. What kind of person was he if he would be such a hypocrite, just because he was frightened for Morgan's feelings?
That belonged to Morgan. There was nothing he could do but tell him the truth... or, as much of the truth as he could. He didn't like to lie. And the single lie he'd told to Morgan way back when they were barely strangers still hangs over him.
He lets one hand come to the head of the training dummy to brace while the other grips the polearm, roughly withdrawing the blade with the residual scrape of metal to dirt.]
He doesn't mean to hurt people. And he doesn't want anyone to get hurt. Not by the game, or by CCCorp.
He was trying to avoid us getting to this situation in the first place. Trying to find ways to warn people. He's had worries about CCCorp's motifs since I first talked to him.
He says this game is being built on corpses. That they're trying to digitize brains for their own use.
no subject
He glances at Barrett. That is a particularly bold claim - but not one that seems so outlandish when they're all receiving a log-out error, and administration seems fine with things as they are.
It isn't what he expected - he'd made assumptions about DV based on what little he knew. But because he know he knows so little, he is not unwilling to have his assumptions challenged. )
... And so we've hit this point. What is his argument, then? That our only choice is to die and surrender our minds to CC Corp for their later use?
( In which case, his speculation that the realism of Fragment is built out of memories and knowledge from the human brain doesn't feel as strange of a theory anymore.
He doesn't know if he fully believes DV's supposed side of the story - but he doesn't know if he believes CC Corp's, either. He would only believe with any certainty truths he could observe and prove himself - and even then, the truth is sometimes not so true.
But you still need to know these things - he knows what CC Corp's stance is, so he still needs to know what DV's been telling Barrett, or else he has nothing to test the world against. )
Does he say it's CC Corp that was responsible for the armor, the mirrors - the glitches that affected the two of us? Or does he have no explanation?
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[There's legit concern in the statement. Worry. Guilt. but it passes with the topic, Barrett at least trying to stay focused with Morgan's questioning. ]
The two glitches that affected us I think were the company. I... have my own thoughts about that. [Ones that, apparently, render his expression incredibly dark with anger. But he lets himself move on.]
The rest... the weird dungeon you went to, the armor, the mirrors?
That was all DV.
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( He sees that worry, that sympathy. Hm. The fury in Barrett's expression feels less concerning in comparison. )
Does he have an explanation as to why he released the armor and mirrors?
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I got mad at first. With my armor set. But he said it was just created from memories. I think he does want to help us if we choose to stay, but there must be only so much he has access to.
[As far as what happened to them...
He gives the space some silence, gripping his weapon. Two more blows to a dummy. Both as medicore and shallow as the first. (7,6) It just makes him more frustrated, whipping the blade out from the dummy with a harsh exhale, then another.]
I think... what happened to you, and to me... I think it was a threat.
no subject
A clean thrust (17). It runs the dummy through. )
... Toward DV?
( He doesn't pull the blade back. He only drives it further in, the wood splintering, the fabric straining.
He doesn't know what's under his skin right now. He's not indignant he was used as some pawn for some squabble - he got up just fine. Not like Barrett. Barrett was the one who had it bad. )
What makes you believe him?
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[He tries a different dummy, a little less form behind his anger. The lance goes cleanly through the chest and shoulder (15) - if the dunny weren't grounded, Barrett would be hoisting it off the ground.]
CCCorp knew about my arrangements with the university. My scholarship. I couldn't have played otherwise..
If someone figured out I was talking to DV, maybe they wanted to scare me off. Or distract me. But it wasn't a break of my agreement, so they just... made sure I was busy.
[Triple Wield goes off, draining his SP as he makes three pointedly rough thrusts of his weapon. More force than aim. (3,8,9)
His voice clips.]
Maybe they tried to do the same to you.
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It's irritating - having even this outlet denied to him, for even a moment.
He will repeat, then: )
And what makes you believe him? That CC Corp did these things, that DV's motives are good?
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[A simple response, with conviction.
His blade is removed, and he doesn't go for another strike, trying to let out another breath. Let the anger roll off. He normally didn't let things like this get to him so deeply. Why now?
...]
DV doesn't know what happened with your glitch, or mine. He didn't even know why I was gone until I came back. What I think about the threats... it's just my thoughts. Not DV's.
I don't have any proof about CCCorp. Just like my leg. And I can't say that everything DV says is something I understand, or something that I can prove. Like... how not everything that's deleted here stays deleted.
But I still believe him. He doesn't want Fragment to be turned into something like a weapon. And he doesn't want to see anyone else suffer.
I don't want that, either.
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Mithrun kicks at the dummy suddenly, hard enough to break the dummy inward around its wound (11). He keeps his heel dug into its stomach as he twists his blade out, leaving a mauled mess in its wake - though it cleans itself up well enough. )
... What do you mean, "what's deleted doesn't stay deleted"?
( He isn't answering the rest, which may bode good or ill. It doesn't matter to him, though, to comment on Barrett's faith just yet, because he proceeds: )
Have you met him physically? The administrators seem to have oversight in our inboxes.
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I don't know. He mentions it sometimes, that there are things CCCorp tries to remove from Fragment that won't completely go away. Like sweeping things under a rug. I don't always understand it. But... something out there really hurt him. Something that CCCorp knows about, but refuses to handle, just like deleting things.
[At the second question his mouth opens, as though to answer... but he stops, a physical halting with a look of frustration towards the ground.
Another attempt, and nothing happens, like he can't bring himself to answer.
Mm.
With a tense range of motion, he steels back and chucks his lance. It clips a dummy on the shoulder (5) and buries into the ground behind it. There's a curse under his breath.]
...He has to be more careful than that. But he's aware about the inboxes now. He knows the admins don't like him.
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He does not, however, swing again instantly. He had noticed Barrett's apparent - hesitation? and it rings familiar. )
... If ( if ) you can't use the inbox and you can't meet him in person, then how do you talk to him?
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He doesn't answer. The frustration on his expression grows, but the silence stretches, as though he's suddenly either grown too stubborn or too reluctant to talk.
Instead, he goes to retrieve his weapon from the ground.]
...Sorry.
[It's quiet. And he looks unhappy, having to say as much.]
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Are you hiding something from me?
( during your mask off apology video of all times?????? )
Or is it something that you can't say?
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Only a look of frustrated confusion that ripples from his eyes.]
I-- don't want to hide anything from you.
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He clicks his tongue. It really would've been better if Barrett had spoken to him in reality, without this - apparently - bullshit filter.
He puts his hands out for his sword. )
... Tell DV to talk to me. I'll swear an oath of loyalty, or whatever he wants.
( He doesn't trust DV or CC Corp, but DV is willing to talk, and the admins aren't. Starting down any path, even a wrong one, is better than no path at all. )
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...Mn. I want you to be able to talk to him, too.
I don't know if he'll say yes right now. He's... [He looks off to the side, trying to gather his words.] --I think he doesn't trust people easily. Or doesn't know how. But he's smart. So...
Only do it if you mean it, Morgan. I don't want DV to go back into hiding. And...
[An arm is extended so that Beel can rest a hand against Morgan's arm - brief, easy enough to push away from, only to draw attention and try to meet that fierce gaze with one of compassion behind stony features.]
...You staying safe... it means a lot more to me right now.
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Then he feels Barrett's touch at his arm again, and his attention drifts up to meet the certainty of Barrett's gaze. It feels a little like when Barrett had held his hand at sea.
A beat, and he shifts the weight to one hand, so the hand opposite of the shoulder Barrett has a hand on can lay over Barrett's own. His gaze rests on their hands instead. )
... I don't know if I trust him with you. ( The wording here is particular - like it's DV who has Barrett in his care, and not Barrett who's worrying after him. ) His story sounds too clean.
( And Barrett is someone with a lot of empathy who, clearly, is very taken with such a clear-cut tale. Mithrun doesn't know if the whole story is actually suspicious or not!! He can't read into these things!! But he doesn't like the chance that Barrett is being taken advantage of - never mind their situation. For all Mithrun knows, both sides are using the beta testers for some sort of gain. )
I'm not leaving you to handle this on your own. Give me the chance to be with you.
( Even if the choice is ultimately up to DV whether to trust Mithrun and all his aggro or not. Mithrun clearly intends to be well-behaved to get in on this so Barrett isn't soloing this (sure, maybe DV is talking to other people, but Mithrun doesn't know who and therefore isn't gonna trust Barrett with them either) - he can't promise he will be well-behaved. but god he will try. and that will get him a little cheap gold star for the attempt, maybe, hopefully, )
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I won't be on my own.
[There's conviction behind the words, looking down at Mithrun and remembering their talks while together in the hospital bed, remembering Morgan saying he was enough. Remembering Morgan saying that he trusted him. It tugs a bit, hurts a bit, that Morgan won't leave this for him to handle. But three seconds of thought, even for him, lead to the assumption that Morgan doesn't mean it from a bad point of view.
Morgan trusts him, doesn't he? Morgan thinks he's enough... even if he doesn't think the same. And he wonders if Morgan's words, in this moment, echo the same sort of fear he'd felt at the start of their talk.
Don't go somewhere someone else can't follow. Let me help you stay alive.
He lets his touch slip upwards to cup Morgan's face. To keep their gazes together. To quietly plead to look at him, believe him, see his honesty. Even if he knows his actions so far, at least with DV, might just show a young man that doesn't care enough to share what matters.
He knows what matters. Under his gaze, under his touch, that thing that always makes his chest feel full to bursting.]
I promised you. I can't protect anyone if I can't keep myself safe, either.
But I trust him. And I trust you. So... [His fingers curl lightly against Morgan's jawline.] No matter what he says... can you keep trusting me?
Whether we're together or apart, I still want to be enough for everyone. I know I have a chance, now. I know it. [He can. He has to be. He has all the tools he should need here... Even if it feels like he's struggling to keep his head above the water.
A beat, as his expression softens more, as though he's trying to let a wall not come up quite so fast.]
I really hope you can be with me to see me try.
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But he doesn't miss the earnest sentiment in Barrett's gaze, the way it pleads for his trust and patience.
It's frustrating. But this frustration comes from some feeling he can't place, doesn't know the name of. )
... You don't have anything to prove, except to yourself. ( The last and most important person to convince, in the end. ) But this matters to you. So I'll trust you.
( He hates how this is up to DV now. His frustration is apparent, but at least he knows better than to lash out at Barrett.
If anything, he can hold tight to the reassurance that Barrett means to stay safe and alive. That's all anyone can promise right now - a declaration of intent.
He turns his cheek very slightly into Barrett's palm, his voice a little softer, almost a mutter, even though he's not admitting anything he hasn't said before - it expresses the tenderness of feeling, the raw and exposed heart beneath the bony plate, more than anything. )
... I'd rather be there. I'd rather be with you than not.
( Even if the frustration makes him feel like he could body Hien and DV at once ((reasons DV doesn't want to see him)). )
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His free hand finds rest against the hilt of Morgan's sword as he takes a step closer and leans in. Just enough to rest his temple against Morgan's hair, his touch lingering as the hand at his jaw traces down his neck. Not quite a hug, not quite a meeting of lips, but the desire to be close beyond a touch. It's a sensation that's familiar, if not a different taste in how it warms him.
Would you hold my hand until I fall asleep?]
I think... I feel the same.
You're here in front of me... I don't want to take it for granted.
[A slow exhale, rustling strands of hair, the heat just barely coasting Morgan's ear.]
I'm sorry I can't give you more. It makes me sad to see you upset like this.
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