[ Koromaru's the first to notice Vincent's presence. The dog leaps to all fours at the new scent, ears pricked and alert, though quickly relaxes when he realizes the man is far from a threat to Minato.
The teen rises to his own feet at the sound of his name. It's only polite to do so. He manages a thin smile, staving off the anxious energy gnawing at him.
Minato offers Vincent a small nod of acknowledgement. ]
...It's nice here. Quiet.
[ He'd initially sought the tranquil sounds of the shore. After all, the beach is his go-to thinking spot.
Now, the shore had become a little too crowded for his liking. ]
[There's much he has missed, being locked out of Aldrip with all of the gnosia matters. People who suffered and died, and Vincent once again could only stand by. He imagines it's not that different here.
It isn't much but:] ...I can listen to you, if you want to talk.
[ He takes a moment to consider Vincent's offer before nodding again. ]
We can do both.
[ Vincent's offer is effectively permission to settle down again. Minato takes a seat on the grass again as Koromaru curls up to his right. There's an empty spot on the other side for Vincent. ]
I --
[ He's not really sure where to begin. ]
...I got in a fight. I think it was my fault though.
[Upon the silent invitation, Vincent goes and sits at Minato's side. He tips his head, thoughtful. He'd expected a bit more, but clearly there's some depth to this.]
And why would it have been your fault? What was the fight about?
Minato scoots over a bit to make some more space for Vincent. This might take awhile. ]
That week when everything got weird... A friend messaged me to ask where I was, but I never responded.
[ He doesn't seem like he's willing to delve into that right now, averting his gaze from Vincent to stare at the floor. There's guilt and shame, however, clearly written on Minato's face. ]
I know he was just worried, but... I don't want anyone else to get hurt. Because of me.
[ Manjiro had warned him against isolation. Maybe the other teen was right, that isolation wasn't the answer. Minato draws his knees to his chest and hides the lower half of his face behind them. Even now, Minato can still remember the hurt in the other's gaze when he insisted on resisting trusting the other. ]
So instead, you took the choice away from someone else.
[The tone is not accusatory, simply stating a fact, as if he was commenting dryly about how the sky is blue. Vincent draws a leg up to himself as he sits back and considers.]
Your desire is well-meaning. So, by not answering and withdrawing, you feel that it is your fault that the two of you are having a fight. Is that correct?
[ There's no accusation behind Vincent's words, merely the plain presentation of a fact. Still, there are times when an irrefutable fact is more difficult to bear compared to an indictment.
Minato nods though, owning up to precisely what Vincent's said. He'd taken away someone's choice to reach out to him by pulling away entirely. Part of him wishes it had ended there. ]
...mm, he asked me to trust him too, to trust that isolating isn't the answer.
[ He sighs a bit. Maybe he shouldn't have been that honest with Manjiro? ]
I... told him that I can't, though. Not right now.
[ Ah, now that he's saying it all aloud -- it truly does sound like cowardice and insensitivity towards someone else's feelings. Who exactly just tells someone to their face that they can't take a friend at their word? ]
[There's a tilt of Vincent's head as he gazes down at Minato, not a lick of judgment shining in his red eyes. Instead, simply observing and stating how he perceives the matter.]
[ In theory, his next course of action is a simple one. ]
...I should probably say sorry.
[ Maybe it's best to go from there. Still, given the shadow of uncertainty that still hasn't left Minato's face, there's something that's still nagging at him. He remembers the hurt on the other teen's face, but he also remembers the manner in which Manjiro freely expressed how much he cared for him.
It's frightening. Minato remembers now. Being loved is a terrifying thing. ]
That fight -- I... think it happened because we're friends.
[ A smile settles on Minato's face, though instead of joy it's overshadowed by something more somber. Conflict that arises between friends, a sacrifice that's made against the wishes of the martyr's companions: a common thread connects it all. Love will both warm the heart and also tear it apart.
Minato's gaze lowers to the ground. ]
I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me. ...does that mean it was the same for them too?
[ It's a rhetorical question. Nevertheless, Minato can't help but wonder aloud whether his own companions felt that same anguish after he'd traded himself for the safety of the world. ]
Fights are inevitable. Whether it's you trying to do the right thing, or conflicting ideals... that is human nature.
[It may be a rhetorical question, but Vincent aims to respond anyway. First, he puts his hand to Minato's head, lightly ruffling his hair for a second before letting him go.]
Of course it does.
When you see someone you love end up hurt, your own heart is wounded in turn.
[ "Human nature" is the name Vincent assigns to those sentiments. It's awfully paradoxical, the manner in which that term is frequently used to describe weakness of the human soul. Yet, those same two words may be used to describe the courage that allows man to rise to the required occasion time and time again.
Minato blinks as something tousles his hair and -- oh, that's just Vincent's hand. His gaze flickers up to glance at the man's arm, only returning to meet Vincent's crimson eyes once the hand is gone.
His company speaks of that invisible thread that ties people who care for one another together. Through that thread, a fraction of each person's pain is transferred to the other party. Both are doomed to suffer so long as one side must weather slings and arrows. But if grief must be the price of love, then perhaps that's only right. Nothing in life is free.
The smile still hasn't left Minato's face. Resignation surfaces in his irises. ]
It's not fair.
[ For a moment, Minato wonders if that makes him sound petulant. He exhales and shakes his head. ]
But trying to avoid all that... It would get lonely.
[Once again, just a simple statement of fact. The world will not stop turning for anyone's sorrow or struggles. Yet, for awhile, Vincent was content to merely be unchanging, locked away in the belly of an old lab under an old mansion. There's a part of him, sometimes, that still yearns to return to his self-imposed prison.
But that cannot be undone now, and it's not as if Vincent regrets meeting people here. Toph, Minato, Peter -- worlds apart, and still they are bonds he would not regret.]
People... will get hurt, sometimes. But you may end up regretting it more by withdrawing.
[ "Few things are ever fair," says Vincent. All simple statements of fact must first originate from someplace. Perhaps Vincent does not hesitate to note that fact of life because it is a lesson he has learned firsthand. One might assume Minato would agree: orphaned at a young age, passed around by relatives, forced to struggle through a giant tower teeming with monsters before his life was cut short.
Except, Minato Arisato would never call his life unfair. It was simply the hand that he was dealt, the path that was laid out before him. And ultimately, his final decision to forfeit life and soul had been made by his own volition.
He thinks his life had been perfectly fair.
Minato looks to Vincent, spending a moment studying the man's face. Again, Vincent utters an additional simple statement of fact. Minato knows that it is true, that withdrawing may only lead to even more pain. If that's the case...
He exhales, a sense of certainty settling upon his shoulders. ]
I'll have to be stronger then, to make sure others don't get hurt.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
The teen rises to his own feet at the sound of his name. It's only polite to do so. He manages a thin smile, staving off the anxious energy gnawing at him.
Minato offers Vincent a small nod of acknowledgement. ]
...It's nice here. Quiet.
[ He'd initially sought the tranquil sounds of the shore. After all, the beach is his go-to thinking spot.
Now, the shore had become a little too crowded for his liking. ]
no subject
[There's much he has missed, being locked out of Aldrip with all of the gnosia matters. People who suffered and died, and Vincent once again could only stand by. He imagines it's not that different here.
It isn't much but:] ...I can listen to you, if you want to talk.
Or we can just sit.
no subject
We can do both.
[ Vincent's offer is effectively permission to settle down again. Minato takes a seat on the grass again as Koromaru curls up to his right. There's an empty spot on the other side for Vincent. ]
I --
[ He's not really sure where to begin. ]
...I got in a fight. I think it was my fault though.
no subject
And why would it have been your fault? What was the fight about?
[rises from the dead]
Minato scoots over a bit to make some more space for Vincent. This might take awhile. ]
That week when everything got weird... A friend messaged me to ask where I was, but I never responded.
[ He doesn't seem like he's willing to delve into that right now, averting his gaze from Vincent to stare at the floor. There's guilt and shame, however, clearly written on Minato's face. ]
I know he was just worried, but... I don't want anyone else to get hurt. Because of me.
[ Manjiro had warned him against isolation. Maybe the other teen was right, that isolation wasn't the answer. Minato draws his knees to his chest and hides the lower half of his face behind them. Even now, Minato can still remember the hurt in the other's gaze when he insisted on resisting trusting the other. ]
RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE.
[The tone is not accusatory, simply stating a fact, as if he was commenting dryly about how the sky is blue. Vincent draws a leg up to himself as he sits back and considers.]
Your desire is well-meaning. So, by not answering and withdrawing, you feel that it is your fault that the two of you are having a fight. Is that correct?
\o/ RISES...........
Minato nods though, owning up to precisely what Vincent's said. He'd taken away someone's choice to reach out to him by pulling away entirely. Part of him wishes it had ended there. ]
...mm, he asked me to trust him too, to trust that isolating isn't the answer.
[ He sighs a bit. Maybe he shouldn't have been that honest with Manjiro? ]
I... told him that I can't, though. Not right now.
[ Ah, now that he's saying it all aloud -- it truly does sound like cowardice and insensitivity towards someone else's feelings. Who exactly just tells someone to their face that they can't take a friend at their word? ]
That's why -- that's why it's my fault.
no subject
[There's a tilt of Vincent's head as he gazes down at Minato, not a lick of judgment shining in his red eyes. Instead, simply observing and stating how he perceives the matter.]
What do you plan to do next?
no subject
...I should probably say sorry.
[ Maybe it's best to go from there. Still, given the shadow of uncertainty that still hasn't left Minato's face, there's something that's still nagging at him. He remembers the hurt on the other teen's face, but he also remembers the manner in which Manjiro freely expressed how much he cared for him.
It's frightening. Minato remembers now. Being loved is a terrifying thing. ]
That fight -- I... think it happened because we're friends.
[ A smile settles on Minato's face, though instead of joy it's overshadowed by something more somber. Conflict that arises between friends, a sacrifice that's made against the wishes of the martyr's companions: a common thread connects it all. Love will both warm the heart and also tear it apart.
Minato's gaze lowers to the ground. ]
I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me. ...does that mean it was the same for them too?
[ It's a rhetorical question. Nevertheless, Minato can't help but wonder aloud whether his own companions felt that same anguish after he'd traded himself for the safety of the world. ]
no subject
[It may be a rhetorical question, but Vincent aims to respond anyway. First, he puts his hand to Minato's head, lightly ruffling his hair for a second before letting him go.]
Of course it does.
When you see someone you love end up hurt, your own heart is wounded in turn.
no subject
Minato blinks as something tousles his hair and -- oh, that's just Vincent's hand. His gaze flickers up to glance at the man's arm, only returning to meet Vincent's crimson eyes once the hand is gone.
His company speaks of that invisible thread that ties people who care for one another together. Through that thread, a fraction of each person's pain is transferred to the other party. Both are doomed to suffer so long as one side must weather slings and arrows. But if grief must be the price of love, then perhaps that's only right. Nothing in life is free.
The smile still hasn't left Minato's face. Resignation surfaces in his irises. ]
It's not fair.
[ For a moment, Minato wonders if that makes him sound petulant. He exhales and shakes his head. ]
But trying to avoid all that... It would get lonely.
no subject
[Once again, just a simple statement of fact. The world will not stop turning for anyone's sorrow or struggles. Yet, for awhile, Vincent was content to merely be unchanging, locked away in the belly of an old lab under an old mansion. There's a part of him, sometimes, that still yearns to return to his self-imposed prison.
But that cannot be undone now, and it's not as if Vincent regrets meeting people here. Toph, Minato, Peter -- worlds apart, and still they are bonds he would not regret.]
People... will get hurt, sometimes. But you may end up regretting it more by withdrawing.
no subject
Except, Minato Arisato would never call his life unfair. It was simply the hand that he was dealt, the path that was laid out before him. And ultimately, his final decision to forfeit life and soul had been made by his own volition.
He thinks his life had been perfectly fair.
Minato looks to Vincent, spending a moment studying the man's face. Again, Vincent utters an additional simple statement of fact. Minato knows that it is true, that withdrawing may only lead to even more pain. If that's the case...
He exhales, a sense of certainty settling upon his shoulders. ]
I'll have to be stronger then, to make sure others don't get hurt.