I don't know. I was just told you'd know. And about... talking to Satan. Uh. About coming up with something to give him for all of us. Like... a request.
I wouldn't say it's only me. If anything, Blue and Malibu seem to be the drivers of this plan. But essentially...we've been discussing whether there is a proposal Satan will accept that concerns the dead and the personal demons.
The criteria, more than anything, is that while Lord Satan himself has no desire to see us suffer, he is also responsible for hell, which enjoys such things and does not wish to see leniency.
So he will not let us all go simply because we demand it, but if perhaps there is a way to propose terms that might satisfy the tastes of demons, then that might succeed. And, as I understand, they are mostly drunk and do not pay close attention, so we can try and trick them.
I suppose the thoughts some of us have had are - maybe the dead can return for revenge, and perhaps we can demand a chance to compete against the personal demons, too, as we want revenge on them? And least - that might fit the tone Satan wants. [since he expected this to basically be a reality show.]
As for what we propose...Akira, do you plan to stay here? Or are you returning?
[His eyes lower to his own hands, laced together tight and white-knuckled.]
The gist of it is I can't go back because Ryo is there. And I don't see a single way for me to be able to change what happens to our world. One way or another, it gets destroyed.
[she watches him while he does that, but there is a reason she's asking.]
I want to decide how we frame this. If our strategy is to try to act like we want the chance to stay for power in hell, and if we fail we're banished. Or if our strategy is to choose a few people to compete, and ask that they have power over what happens to the rest of us.
I'd trust you to compete for our sakes, but I want to know what you plan to do with it and why - if you're giving up, or if you've thought this through.
I mean... I didn't even know that was a possibility until just now. Of course I'd play for everyone. That's... what I wanted. I wanted everyone, even the demons, to be able to have a second chance no matter how I had to do it. It's what I talked to Satan about weeks ago.
[Yeah... He does not want to hurt Gideon's feelings. It is... just a little more complicated for him.]
I know. I... I'm not saying I don't deserve one. Only... there isn't any point in it. Not me going back to my world anyway. Only Ryo can decide my fate back home because... Ryo is Satan. I tried to stop him once, but he's too strong.
No matter what I can think to change, our world will end up destroyed. Because it isn't me who has the power to change that.
[He's thoughtful for a moment.]
If it was possible... I might go with Kaoru and Hikaru. I want them to be able to go home. They have a world like mine. Without demons, I think. Without Satan, or God, or Devilmen. And they have family and friends. They deserves that.
[god. love yourself, akira. but okay. she's honestly a bit relieved by this because fuck ryo.]
Whether or not you matter to him is irrelevant. Don't stay in hell because a boy hurt your feelings.
[this is so rude but anyway, she nods.]
Gideon told me you were planning to stay, and I didn't know if I ought to try to use that, but I think not. One thought I had was to ask to change the terms of the competition - to stay and become lords of hell, even overthrow Satan. And we fail, and he "banishes" us.
He's my friend. If I stay, it's because there are no other options.
[He is fucking baffled by how many people here are Ryo antis. Not that he doesn't understand, it's just so strange to hear. Someone PLEASE love Ryo. Please show him LOVE.
His head lifts, face surprised. Unsure why he would be surprised knowing how Harrowhark has always been to him.]
What about the others? Chandra, and Tuuri, and them? What about... the demons?
[well. for her she was mostly fine with him until he pointed a gun at Gideon and then ignored her warning to stay away from Gideon.
She even understands why it happened and that it was a good deal gideons fault but he didn’t listen to her when she warned him and she has a bias, so it’s on sight now.
But also everything Akira has said about home just makes it sound like none of this is exactly good for him.]
I think maybe… we might be able to get away with pretending we don’t want them to have a chance. That it could be a punishment for us for failing somehow, that the dead and personal demons are allowed to compete.
I'm not really great with much of that stuff... It was always Ryo who had the ideas. [The bad ideas haha.] But it has to be entertainment, right? And... account for the others besides us.
...I guess all his questioning when I was talking to him makes sense now.
I already talked to Ryo, because he's much smarter than you are. But he was also candid about being less interested in trying to save the dead.
[which is fair. or so she thought before she was super mad at him.]
On the other hand, creativity and intellect are not one and the same. I also talked to Itto, because he is the only one about as stupid as the demons we have to fool, and he had some interesting thoughts. It must be entertainment. Some way to convince the denizens of hell, who want blood, to enjoy an ending where he lets all of us go, including the personal demons.
[Hilariously, he doesn’t seem surprised to hear this about Ryo, and the only change to his face is an understanding sadness.]
But… if we’re banished, we’ll all never see each other again. If we go wherever that’s fine. But that’ll be the last time… And if you didn’t go back, how would you return to save the Ninth?
[He had an argument about this with someone, but he wants to hear Harrow’s side of it first.]
…No. I need to win, and go where I choose. Or return, obtaining power to deal with my enemies. I can’t abandon the Ninth, but I recognize I can’t return there as things stand without a plan, and I need time to develop that. But that doesn’t mean I intend to abandon the others to their fates.
Gideon won’t understand that, but - it’s fine.
[It's okay Gideon doesn't understand, too, he thinks. He also gets Gideon's intentions.]
If that's something you really want, I want you to be able to do that whatever way you can, too. I don't... [He hesitates, thoughtful. He doesn't want to make this about her problems when they're trying to figure out a plan, but.] I agree that... you shouldn't feel obligated to a fate other people handed to you.
But I get wanting to do what you can to make things right. To... change things, to make them better. Other people here might be the same way. So... should we figure out a way to make that part of the deal?
[this topic makes her visibly uncomfortable, but he approaches it gently enough that she'll let it happen.]
I suppose. I don't want to ask for more than I can justify being given. [...] I've always known I have to solve the Ninth House's problems myself. If I approach someone else, asking for assistance, that assistance will come with strings attached.
I don't want to owe that to Satan any more than I wanted to owe it to the Lord and Lady of the Fifth House.
No, I get that. I don't mean... asking for help necessarily. Just... asking for a way to go back and forth. So you can do what you need to do, then go back when you're ready.
[He's quiet for a long moment. Then, honestly:]
I don't think I fit in Lu Bixing's world any more than I'd fit in yours. But... I'd like to see you and Gideon again if I can. I'd hate... for it to be the last time even if I know there might not be a way in the end.
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[okay. she nods at that.]
I wouldn't say it's only me. If anything, Blue and Malibu seem to be the drivers of this plan. But essentially...we've been discussing whether there is a proposal Satan will accept that concerns the dead and the personal demons.
The criteria, more than anything, is that while Lord Satan himself has no desire to see us suffer, he is also responsible for hell, which enjoys such things and does not wish to see leniency.
So he will not let us all go simply because we demand it, but if perhaps there is a way to propose terms that might satisfy the tastes of demons, then that might succeed. And, as I understand, they are mostly drunk and do not pay close attention, so we can try and trick them.
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[He glances away, then back.]
Do you know what you want to do yet? How to trick them?
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[she chews on her lip.]
I suppose the thoughts some of us have had are - maybe the dead can return for revenge, and perhaps we can demand a chance to compete against the personal demons, too, as we want revenge on them? And least - that might fit the tone Satan wants. [since he expected this to basically be a reality show.]
As for what we propose...Akira, do you plan to stay here? Or are you returning?
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[This also makes sense. Unfortunately, he has never been the brains of any operation. It feels right in his heart at least?
The question makes his expression pinch, and he looks away.]
I don't know. I was planning to stay probably.
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[she drums her fingernails against the table.]
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[His eyes lower to his own hands, laced together tight and white-knuckled.]
The gist of it is I can't go back because Ryo is there. And I don't see a single way for me to be able to change what happens to our world. One way or another, it gets destroyed.
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[she watches him while he does that, but there is a reason she's asking.]
I want to decide how we frame this. If our strategy is to try to act like we want the chance to stay for power in hell, and if we fail we're banished. Or if our strategy is to choose a few people to compete, and ask that they have power over what happens to the rest of us.
I'd trust you to compete for our sakes, but I want to know what you plan to do with it and why - if you're giving up, or if you've thought this through.
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[He glances up, lips thin.]
I mean... I didn't even know that was a possibility until just now. Of course I'd play for everyone. That's... what I wanted. I wanted everyone, even the demons, to be able to have a second chance no matter how I had to do it. It's what I talked to Satan about weeks ago.
It just didn't seem like it was an option.
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I wouldn't blame you for wanting to stay. If I didn't have things I have to do, perhaps I'd feel the same.
[gideon told her she was upset but she couldn't blame him for it.]
But ultimately, what I'd like is for everyone who deserves it to have a second chance, and - I think you deserve one, too.
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I know. I... I'm not saying I don't deserve one. Only... there isn't any point in it. Not me going back to my world anyway. Only Ryo can decide my fate back home because... Ryo is Satan. I tried to stop him once, but he's too strong.
No matter what I can think to change, our world will end up destroyed. Because it isn't me who has the power to change that.
[He's thoughtful for a moment.]
If it was possible... I might go with Kaoru and Hikaru. I want them to be able to go home. They have a world like mine. Without demons, I think. Without Satan, or God, or Devilmen. And they have family and friends. They deserves that.
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...And Ryo?
[is he peacing out on his boy.]
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He said he was doing back. [He sighs and hangs his head.] I asked him to stay with me weeks ago, but he wouldn’t. He wanted to go back to kill God.
And if there’s a me he’s going back to save, to be with, why do I matter?
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Whether or not you matter to him is irrelevant. Don't stay in hell because a boy hurt your feelings.
[this is so rude but anyway, she nods.]
Gideon told me you were planning to stay, and I didn't know if I ought to try to use that, but I think not. One thought I had was to ask to change the terms of the competition - to stay and become lords of hell, even overthrow Satan. And we fail, and he "banishes" us.
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[He is fucking baffled by how many people here are Ryo antis. Not that he doesn't understand, it's just so strange to hear. Someone PLEASE love Ryo. Please show him LOVE.
His head lifts, face surprised. Unsure why he would be surprised knowing how Harrowhark has always been to him.]
What about the others? Chandra, and Tuuri, and them? What about... the demons?
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She even understands why it happened and that it was a good deal gideons fault but he didn’t listen to her when she warned him and she has a bias, so it’s on sight now.
But also everything Akira has said about home just makes it sound like none of this is exactly good for him.]
I think maybe… we might be able to get away with pretending we don’t want them to have a chance. That it could be a punishment for us for failing somehow, that the dead and personal demons are allowed to compete.
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It's not a bad idea. If... it's something we can do, I'll do it. I'll help however I can.
[If there is one thing he has aside from too many emotions it's stubborn resolution.]
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I'm not really great with much of that stuff... It was always Ryo who had the ideas. [The bad ideas haha.] But it has to be entertainment, right? And... account for the others besides us.
...I guess all his questioning when I was talking to him makes sense now.
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[which is fair. or so she thought before she was super mad at him.]
On the other hand, creativity and intellect are not one and the same. I also talked to Itto, because he is the only one about as stupid as the demons we have to fool, and he had some interesting thoughts. It must be entertainment. Some way to convince the denizens of hell, who want blood, to enjoy an ending where he lets all of us go, including the personal demons.
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But… if we’re banished, we’ll all never see each other again. If we go wherever that’s fine. But that’ll be the last time… And if you didn’t go back, how would you return to save the Ninth?
[He had an argument about this with someone, but he wants to hear Harrow’s side of it first.]
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…No. I need to win, and go where I choose. Or return, obtaining power to deal with my enemies. I can’t abandon the Ninth, but I recognize I can’t return there as things stand without a plan, and I need time to develop that. But that doesn’t mean I intend to abandon the others to their fates.
Gideon won’t understand that, but - it’s fine.
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[It's okay Gideon doesn't understand, too, he thinks. He also gets Gideon's intentions.]
If that's something you really want, I want you to be able to do that whatever way you can, too. I don't... [He hesitates, thoughtful. He doesn't want to make this about her problems when they're trying to figure out a plan, but.] I agree that... you shouldn't feel obligated to a fate other people handed to you.
But I get wanting to do what you can to make things right. To... change things, to make them better. Other people here might be the same way. So... should we figure out a way to make that part of the deal?
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I suppose. I don't want to ask for more than I can justify being given. [...] I've always known I have to solve the Ninth House's problems myself. If I approach someone else, asking for assistance, that assistance will come with strings attached.
I don't want to owe that to Satan any more than I wanted to owe it to the Lord and Lady of the Fifth House.
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[He's quiet for a long moment. Then, honestly:]
I don't think I fit in Lu Bixing's world any more than I'd fit in yours. But... I'd like to see you and Gideon again if I can. I'd hate... for it to be the last time even if I know there might not be a way in the end.
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