minato.

[nonbelligerent]

Comments

week 5, tuesday

[nonbelligerent]

[wherever minato is:]

Had fun?

[compendiem]

[ Minato will be in his house later having some regrets about eating three bowls of ramen all at once, but not a lot of regrets. He's lying flat on his back in bed and the door is always unlocked. ]

Yeah, it was fun. You would've liked it, probably.

[nonbelligerent]

[what. what does that mean.]

How so?

[compendiem]

It was... like the circus? But we got to be part of it. So it was fun.

[ Minato might have been the only person having fun ]

I've never gotten to do something like that before.

[nonbelligerent]

[he's... getting that impression...]

What did you do?

[compendiem]

I sang, and played games, ate chocolate, took a nap...

[ He counts these things off his fingers as he recalls his day. It was a fun four hours. ]

We made a new friend too, and got rid of the corruption in him. So I think we'll be fine this week too.

[nonbelligerent]

I see. Did you get any rewards?

[compendiem]

Yeah. The others have them. Some medication stuff, rope, bracelets... I don't need that stuff, so I let them have it. I got ramen in return.

[ Sorry... he just gives stuff away... but at least these are more trustworthy people than Hisoka? ]

[nonbelligerent]

[no that's a relief to hear? minato probably cannot be trusted with items]

Is the ramen good?

[compendiem]

[ All the items are in good hands!! ]

Yeah. It was Hagakure ramen... That's a restaurant at the mall back home. It tastes exactly like it. Like home.

[nonbelligerent]

That explains all the bowls. I'm glad you got a taste of home here.

[compendiem]

Yeah. Come to think of it, Sol has that sort of power. Making food too. Have you ever asked for something from home?

[nonbelligerent]

[he shakes his head.]

[compendiem]

Because... there's nothing you want from home? Not even something small to remind you of it?

[nonbelligerent]

Not particularly.

[compendiem]

[ ...Minato falls silent for a moment, and then changes the topic. ]

Are you having fun here, Shess?

[nonbelligerent]

There are a number of entertaining things.

[compendiem]

Yeah, there are. But are you having fun?

[nonbelligerent]

At times?

[compendiem]

...I'm glad for that, then.

[ Then, more slowly, like he's repeating something from memory and wants to get the words right: ]

Sometimes it's still hard to have fun here when everything's happening the way it is... isn't it?

[nonbelligerent]

It can make it difficult to focus on anything besides our duty at hand.

[compendiem]

That's true. The circumstances make it hard, but...

[ It was a good day for him, despite, you know, everything in general. Murders and darkness and seeing his friends get torn apart and then stitched back together, he also got chocolate and head pats and... it was one of his better days, that he's had his entire life. ]

Do you think it's wrong to be having fun, when things are like this?

[nonbelligerent]

I think it's important to do what keeps you going. Very few people can sustain themselves on duty alone.

All the more so for humans, where weeks can be quite a long time.

[compendiem]

[ Sometimes, a minute is a very very long time, and there comes to a point where the only thing that can keep him going is by... not going. By sleeping and hoping he doesn't wake up but he always does anyways, and Minato gives Shess a small shrug. ]

What keeps you going? You've lived for so long... How do you not get tired of it?

[nonbelligerent]

[... mm.]

Well, my life used to be more tumultuous, and I had to work hard to survive, so things are actually easier for me nowadays, to be honest. I suppose that helps... After all, if I was going to give up, I might as well have done so long ago.

And, perhaps, it's because life is difficult that I wait for the moments that make it fulfilling. Unlike humans, who can yearn for an end they know is coming one way or another, I have all the time in the world.