first sparkle ✧ (thirty-fourth breath) ✧ video/action

[musubi]

GOOD MORNING, PEOPLE OF LUCETI!

[Standing in the middle of town today, right on the edge of the fountain, is a young man dressed as a teenaged girl. His tone is feminine as well, lips painted black around a wide grin. He raises his hands in the air.

His journal is laid on the ground in front of him, purposefully recording everything for anyone in the village to see.]

I am Ai Tokunaga! And the amount of gloom in this place right now is simply unbearable!

[He wraps his arms around himself in a self-hug, face distraught only for a moment before becoming cheery again.]

Never fear though, lovelies. Ai has come to give his advice to all of you! Share with me your woes, my precious feathered dearests, and I will do my best to bring light back into your lives!



[[OOC: For an idea of WTF is going on here, see this post. Responses will come from okamareason. Please don't have your character immediately recognize him as Isamu unless you've spoken with me first.]]

Comments

[ledbythewind]

[Richard hesitates for a moment before reaching for those hands, just wanting the simple comfort of having someone else there. Why he's spilling such personal things to this stranger is still a mystery to him, yet somehow it feels like the weight on his back is getting just the smallest bit lighter as he does so.]

And would you want to spend your time on someone like that, someone who may never be truly whole again no matter how hard they try?

[It's bitter, self-deprecating. Yes, Isamu, this is how Richard really thinks of himself, the part that he doesn't want you to see.]

[okamareason]

If I found the right one? Certainly.

[He gives Richard's hands a squeeze.]

The right person will like you despite all that. And I still think you're being too hard on yourself regardless. You're young and heartbroken. It will get better. The right person will help it get better.

[ledbythewind]

I'm afraid it isn't that simple.

[For a multitude of reasons (several of which tie in to his current identity crisis), though he squeezes those hands back anyway, glad for the support.]

But it's all right. My responsibilities come first, regardless of my feelings on the matter.

[okamareason]

It's never that simple.

[Isamu pulls him a bit closer.]

That doesn't mean you should give up what's important to you. There are always ways to make compromises, and you shouldn't be the only one having to do it.

[ledbythewind]

[Richard doesn't resist the way he normally would, even though a part of his mind is wondering what on earth he's thinking by allowing this.]

And if I said that being the one to make sacrifices was a requirement of my job?

[The people and the country come first, always. That's one thing that has been drilled into his head since he was old enough to understand.]

[okamareason]

I would say you're a very noble individual, in that case.

But I would also wonder if you really needed to sacrifice as much as you thought you did.

[ledbythewind]

Sometimes I wonder if I don't need to sacrifice more.

[Was it really right that he be able to live freely without any real punishment for what he did?]

[okamareason]

You wonder that because you're a good person. If you weren't, you wouldn't care.

If you ask me? I think you've likely sacrificed enough, but you're the sort of man who'll continue to do it anyway. You just have to make sure you don't give too much - because that's possible, and the people who care about you won't want that.

[ledbythewind]

I have a debt to repay, in more senses than one. I'll give whatever is necessary to repay it-- that is the least I can do to make up for what I've done. I owe the people of my world at least that much.

[okamareason]

And is it not possible to repay that debt while being yourself?

[ledbythewind]

[He tries for another smile.]

As I said, it isn't that simple.

[okamareason]

I refuse to believe there isn't a way for you to be happy.

I will not allow that to be a possibility.

[ledbythewind]

[Now Richard just looks confused.]

You don't even know my name... why do you care so much about what might or might not happen to me?

[okamareason]

Because my self-ordained task is to bring joy to others. Didn't I make this clear?

[Well, to Richard in particular.]

[ledbythewind]

Not everyone gets a happy ending.

[The real world isn't like in fairy tales, after all.]

[okamareason]

That doesn't mean they shouldn't try for one.

[ledbythewind]

[Richard doesn't say anything in response. He used to think like that once, back when he was young and still believed that the things he'd read about in books were possible, that what made a hero was being able to slay dragons and rescue princesses and that everyone could get a happy ending if they were a good person and just worked for it hard enough.

But that isn't true. He knows that now. It still doesn't stop him from wishing it were, though.]

[okamareason]

...You will find that you'll have a hard time bringing happiness to those you care for if you are not happy yourself.

Don't so easily resign yourself to misery.

[ledbythewind]

... I don't know what else to do.

[And it's a bit frightening to be admitting that. He just plain doesn't know HOW to cope with things in a healthy manner, because no one ever taught him how and he didn't exactly have the best of examples growing up, either.]

[okamareason]

Take small steps and see where they lead you.

[Isamu doesn't know what to do either, and he's about exhausted any means he has of making his advice sound grander than it really is. He's no expert at this.]

[ledbythewind]

I suppose that's as good a start as any.

[Not that he's confident it will be of any use at all, but... it would be something. And baby steps aren't that much effort, right?]

[okamareason]

[That's something, at least.

"Ai" smiles, at once more cheerful.]

There, see?

And you just let little Ai know if he can do anything to help, hm?

[He'd follow that up with a wink for anyone else, but with Richard... well he doesn't want to lead him on.]

[ledbythewind]

Anything?

[There's a bit of a mischievous tone to his voice. At least he's feeling cheered up enough to troll, which is a good sign.]

[okamareason]

...Within reason.

[He likes you, Richard, but he has his limits.]

[ledbythewind]

I'll be sure to keep that in mind the next time I'm in need of any cheering up.

[Which will probably be about a half hour from now, not that he'd go looking for Ai for that.]