[ kids are so smart these days. (never mind that dipper is basically the same age as them, more or less.)
"die" seems to be a good word to use here, as they jerk at it and stop reaching for their next shard victim. ]
I'm not planning on dying. [ but he has a point; they're losing blood, and they'll probably lose more if they keep on. they give a nasty look to the rest of the mirrors they haven't shattered--their reflections send it right back, which make them turn away too quickly--and grit their teeth. they stand up very slowly, shoving their hands in their pockets. ] ...fine. We can leave.
[ ...they're still going to have to step on glass, but the worst of it's probably going to be avoided now. thanks dipper you're a good uh. er. anyway.
note they didn't confirm or deny their stunning public service work, but it's probably obvious they're not really doing it for anyone but themself anyway. ]
[ He breathes a little sigh of relief, glad he didn't have to try to bodily drag them from the room or anything like that. It probably wouldn't have gone in his favor, and while they still might end up woozy from the blood loss, at least they're not going to go over the top with it.
As if it wasn't kind of over the top already. ]
Okay. [ He turns and starts for the doorway. He wants to ask what made them so upset, but he doesn't dare yet. He's not sure he'll ever dare to, after seeing how they went after those mirrors.
Instead, he focuses on the more pressing matter. ]
We need to find something to staunch the bleeding. I don't have a first aid kit, but I'm sure we can find something in all the junk out there. Or we can track down someone with healing magic.
[ grumpily muttered as they give a half-hearted attempt at stepping over and around glass instead of right through it: ] I know how to take care of myself. S'not the worst I've ever had.
[ and then, louder: ] Magic's preferred.
[ then they don't have to spend as much time with people--also how different can it be from monster food? it can't be much different, right? chara picks at the glass in their palms, glancing up every so often to make sure they're not too far behind dipper, and huffs. ]
I won't be picky if we find something before that though.
[ Magic, then. He recalls the Persona users have some magic healing, though he isn't sure how much energy they'd have to spend on it after being here for a few days. If Korra were here, he wouldn't hesitate to take them to her, but Korra...
Well, her personal effects were scattered around the altar below ground. ]
I'll see if I can think of someone. Some of my friends back at camp might be able to help out. If nothing else...we'll figure something out.
[ That's what Dipper does. He figures things out. ]
Do I even want to know what the worst you've ever had is?
[ Yeah, he heard that, and yeah, he's asking about it. ]
[ the first part is good news, the second part, with his question... not so much. ]
It'd give you nightmares. [ said in the tone of someone who does not want to speak about anything, thank you, good night. whether or not it'd actually give him nightmares is up for debate, but... it doesn't seem like chara's in the mood to spill the beans. ] How far is your dumb camp?
[ a nonchalant hum. they're curious as to why he's already scarred for life, but they get the feeling if they ask, they might have to spill secrets for secrets.
that's too much honesty, honestly. so they're gonna keep quiet and just follow, delicately picking at their hands and trying not to wince too much about stepping with their sore, bloodied feet. ...it might be nicer that they're not talking.
[ Dipper often prefers it himself, but in this desolated city, even the tiniest of sounds makes his skin crawl. Conversation at least keeps him from concentrating on the sound of shifting rocks that could be a mechanical beast about to attack.
He may be just an teensy bit paranoid. That, and their silence after what he'd just witnessed is a little unsettling. ]
How're your hands? And don't give me the obvious answer. Are you going to be able to use them if all we can do is bandage them?
[ He's trying to be practical here. They're going to have a rough time in this city if they can't even use their hands properly. ]
[ a jerk in their step that they will absolutely refuse to call a flinch, and a pause they'll refuse to acknowledge as hesitance ]
It sounds like a stupid reason.
[ and they don't really want to tell him, and it almost looks like they might not, but their desire to get him off their back is greater than their discomfort. for the moment. ]
Saw a memory I didn't like. In the mirror. So I smashed them. Satisfied?
[ and they didn't want anyone else to see it but, well, it's mostly because they didn't want to see it. ]
[ Wow, color him surprised. His eyebrows fly up, not because of the answer that is given - that actually sounds pretty reasonable - but because one was given at all. ]
Actually, yeah.
[ He doesn't really need to ask what they saw that they didn't like. It's not hard to imagine. There are plenty of things Dipper wouldn't want to see played out like that, though he might not have gotten quite so extreme. ]
The past is in the past for a reason. I don't know why this place is so bent on messing with our heads like that.
[ ...so that's not a stupid answer? chara stares at him, then looks elsewhere again. the ground, maybe. or around. those monsters could still be out and about, after all. ]
Maybe it's to make sure we don't get too comfortable here. Reminding us of what we lost or whatever. [ protip: traumatic memories aren't the way to go about that. ] I don't know, all I know is that it sucked.
[ He's earnest in his grumbling. Though Dipper hadn't seen his own memories played out in the mirrors, he knew what that feeling was like. He's been through plenty of weird and annoying affects around here, but some of the more psychological ones were just cruel. ]
It seems like it would serve CERES better to lull is into a false sense of security. Unless spikes in emotion contribute to their whole energy-siphoning scheme they've got going on here.
[ Could they at least be pleasant emotional spikes? That's apparently asking too much. ]
Yeah. Apparently CERES is using us as some kind of energy-generating scheme. I don't know exactly how or what they're using it for, but I bet it has something to do with VIVID.
[ And he has a hunch it might explain some of these fun effects they get to experience. ]
I wouldn't be so sure about that. There's something a little too weird about the fact that CERES pays us to play it. I think they're using it to study us, or something like that.
[ Or, at least, that's his prevailing theory. Maybe it is just a dumb game, but he doubts it. After all, that's how they first manifest into this world. Why? ]
[ He lets a little disgruntled noise out through his nose. ]
Well, you should care. This stuff only has to do with the fate of your life and your entire world. Buuuuuut you said that doesn't matter too much to you, didn't you?
That's right. Fate of my life, sure. My world? Not so much. [ ...mostly, and to their credit they do hesitate on that last statement.
they're really missing their adoptive goat mom, actually. they also don't sound half as convincing with their question--actually, they sound pretty damn curious. ] Is that really such an issue, Dipper?
[ He notes the hesitation, but he doesn't ask about it. It's not all that surprising to think that maybe they really don't care so little about their world as they initially led him to believe. That's pretty extreme, and...well.
If they cared enough to smash those mirrors, then something from their home world must be important to them. ]
Only if you antagonize the rest of us who are trying to get our worlds restored. And even then...do you really want to stay here? I mean, if we get our worlds back, you could probably go live in one that wasn't yours, if you hated it so much.
I never said I hated it, did I? I just said I didn't care about it. [ And that they like being alive more. Chara huffs, playing with the edges of their sleeves. ] I hate humanity there, and there's no way there's any world out there that's not filled with them.
[ It'd be so much better if there were ones filled with monsters instead... not monsters like the ones in this dark place, that immediately attack you, but ones that smile at you and give you butterscotch-cinnamon pie and tuck you in at night and... ]
I'd love staying here. Maybe. It's not like I'd ever come back to life in my world even if I went back to it, so there's no point to it.
Oh, I don't know. You might be surprised. The multiverse is a big place.
[ But Dipper can't confirm nor deny that there is a world out there completely bereft of humans. But there's probably something, right?
Not that he sees much use in arguing that point. But he's mentally noting to ask what their big beef with humanity is later. ]
I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you, either. If CERES can rebuild an entire world, who's to say they can't just write you back as a living person into it?
Then I'd ask them to write my brother back to life, too. I'm sure they have code for him. And then we'll do our plan again, except we'll do it right this time, no ifs, and, or "but Chara, I don't want to kill anyone"s about it. I'll still die, [ they want to live, they want to live so badly but ] but the Underground'll be free, and the king and queen'll be happy, and...
[ ...and wow, they sure are passionately going on about this. Chara bites their tongue (ow) and hums, considering something. ]
...I mean, the better solution would just be asking them to rebuild it without most of humanity on it, right. But would they really do that?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
DIPPER
"die" seems to be a good word to use here, as they jerk at it and stop reaching for their next shard victim. ]
I'm not planning on dying. [ but he has a point; they're losing blood, and they'll probably lose more if they keep on. they give a nasty look to the rest of the mirrors they haven't shattered--their reflections send it right back, which make them turn away too quickly--and grit their teeth. they stand up very slowly, shoving their hands in their pockets. ] ...fine. We can leave.
[ ...they're still going to have to step on glass, but the worst of it's probably going to be avoided now. thanks dipper you're a good uh. er. anyway.
note they didn't confirm or deny their stunning public service work, but it's probably obvious they're not really doing it for anyone but themself anyway. ]
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As if it wasn't kind of over the top already. ]
Okay. [ He turns and starts for the doorway. He wants to ask what made them so upset, but he doesn't dare yet. He's not sure he'll ever dare to, after seeing how they went after those mirrors.
Instead, he focuses on the more pressing matter. ]
We need to find something to staunch the bleeding. I don't have a first aid kit, but I'm sure we can find something in all the junk out there. Or we can track down someone with healing magic.
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[ and then, louder: ] Magic's preferred.
[ then they don't have to spend as much time with people--also how different can it be from monster food? it can't be much different, right? chara picks at the glass in their palms, glancing up every so often to make sure they're not too far behind dipper, and huffs. ]
I won't be picky if we find something before that though.
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Well, her personal effects were scattered around the altar below ground. ]
I'll see if I can think of someone. Some of my friends back at camp might be able to help out. If nothing else...we'll figure something out.
[ That's what Dipper does. He figures things out. ]
Do I even want to know what the worst you've ever had is?
[ Yeah, he heard that, and yeah, he's asking about it. ]
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It'd give you nightmares. [ said in the tone of someone who does not want to speak about anything, thank you, good night. whether or not it'd actually give him nightmares is up for debate, but... it doesn't seem like chara's in the mood to spill the beans. ] How far is your dumb camp?
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Oh, I'm already scarred for life. [ Casual honesty. Between what he'd seen in Gravity Falls and Cerealia, it'd take a lot to ruffle his feathers.
Still, he doesn't press the matter. Not now, anyway. ]
Not far. Just past the hospital. Or...what used to be a hospital, anyway.
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that's too much honesty, honestly. so they're gonna keep quiet and just follow, delicately picking at their hands and trying not to wince too much about stepping with their sore, bloodied feet. ...it might be nicer that they're not talking.
chara's never minded silence after all. ]
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He may be just an teensy bit paranoid. That, and their silence after what he'd just witnessed is a little unsettling. ]
How're your hands? And don't give me the obvious answer. Are you going to be able to use them if all we can do is bandage them?
[ He's trying to be practical here. They're going to have a rough time in this city if they can't even use their hands properly. ]
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I can still move them, if that's what you're asking. [ it might hurt, but they can manage. ] I'll live.
[ ...just that. did you think you'd have a proper conversation after they've decided that silence is golden? Good Luck. ]
muffled dogsong playing in the distance
Well, that's...something, I guess. Living is about all you can ask for.
[ Since no one's really thriving in this wasteland. Everyone's miserable and hungry and pricklier than usual. Dipper included.
...Which is another reason why he rouses sleeping dogs. ]
So why were you smashing those mirrors?
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It sounds like a stupid reason.
[ and they don't really want to tell him, and it almost looks like they might not, but their desire to get him off their back is greater than their discomfort. for the moment. ]
Saw a memory I didn't like. In the mirror. So I smashed them. Satisfied?
[ and they didn't want anyone else to see it but, well, it's mostly because they didn't want to see it. ]
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Actually, yeah.
[ He doesn't really need to ask what they saw that they didn't like. It's not hard to imagine. There are plenty of things Dipper wouldn't want to see played out like that, though he might not have gotten quite so extreme. ]
The past is in the past for a reason. I don't know why this place is so bent on messing with our heads like that.
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Maybe it's to make sure we don't get too comfortable here. Reminding us of what we lost or whatever. [ protip: traumatic memories aren't the way to go about that. ] I don't know, all I know is that it sucked.
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[ He's earnest in his grumbling. Though Dipper hadn't seen his own memories played out in the mirrors, he knew what that feeling was like. He's been through plenty of weird and annoying affects around here, but some of the more psychological ones were just cruel. ]
It seems like it would serve CERES better to lull is into a false sense of security. Unless spikes in emotion contribute to their whole energy-siphoning scheme they've got going on here.
[ Could they at least be pleasant emotional spikes? That's apparently asking too much. ]
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...energy-siphoning scheme?
[ ...they don't pay much attention to anything. it doesn't mean anything to them or apply to them
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[ And he has a hunch it might explain some of these fun effects they get to experience. ]
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Why would it have something to do with that? It's just some dumb video game thing.
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[ Or, at least, that's his prevailing theory. Maybe it is just a dumb game, but he doubts it. After all, that's how they first manifest into this world. Why? ]
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[ ...but! ]
But you could be right, I guess. I don't really care. [ a reoccurring theme in their life: plot makes things complicated, just get to the point.
sorry they'll care marginally more after they die ]
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Well, you should care. This stuff only has to do with the fate of your life and your entire world. Buuuuuut you said that doesn't matter too much to you, didn't you?
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they're really missing their adoptive goat mom, actually. they also don't sound half as convincing with their question--actually, they sound pretty damn curious. ] Is that really such an issue, Dipper?
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If they cared enough to smash those mirrors, then something from their home world must be important to them. ]
Only if you antagonize the rest of us who are trying to get our worlds restored. And even then...do you really want to stay here? I mean, if we get our worlds back, you could probably go live in one that wasn't yours, if you hated it so much.
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[ It'd be so much better if there were ones filled with monsters instead... not monsters like the ones in this dark place, that immediately attack you, but ones that smile at you and give you butterscotch-cinnamon pie and tuck you in at night and... ]
I'd love staying here. Maybe. It's not like I'd ever come back to life in my world even if I went back to it, so there's no point to it.
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[ But Dipper can't confirm nor deny that there is a world out there completely bereft of humans. But there's probably something, right?
Not that he sees much use in arguing that point. But he's mentally noting to ask what their big beef with humanity is later. ]
I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you, either. If CERES can rebuild an entire world, who's to say they can't just write you back as a living person into it?
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Then I'd ask them to write my brother back to life, too. I'm sure they have code for him. And then we'll do our plan again, except we'll do it right this time, no ifs, and, or "but Chara, I don't want to kill anyone"s about it. I'll still die, [ they want to live, they want to live so badly but ] but the Underground'll be free, and the king and queen'll be happy, and...
[ ...and wow, they sure are passionately going on about this. Chara bites their tongue (ow) and hums, considering something. ]
...I mean, the better solution would just be asking them to rebuild it without most of humanity on it, right. But would they really do that?
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