I don't know. There are far fewer people here demanding my attention for inane reasons. I could get used to it. I could imagine far worse afterlives than this.
[He doesn't like how the whole place is Inside very much but hey! That's what the portal is for.]
[ he should know, considering he ruled over one for so long. Hikage looks like he's contemplating going through the portal, but, in the end, he just sits down on top of one of the fake presents, instead. ]
... You died in the world before this one, didn't you?
On the island, yes. I'd say Rachel outsmarted me but it's hardly my fault I didn't account for her being able to command the unkillable bear that was roaming around.
[Hm.]
But we didn't go anywhere different. On the island, the dead would show up at night as ghosts.
That sounds more convenient than being stuck in a store.
[ he'd like to be able to be close to them again, even if only as a spirit. Even if he could only watch over them -- it would be better than through the screen. Ogata will see some flickers of memory, although not a complete fragment: images of an old-fashioned western-style mansion with sweeping staircases illuminated by moonlight, the sound of rain battering the roof, a cold chill on the skin, a strangled shout in the distance that sounds halfway between man and beast.
Not that Hikage seems aware he's transmitting anything. ]
... Well, you probably couldn't interact with anyone, anyway. The castle was somewhat similar that way.
[ it's at this moment that the real memory comes - in another grandiose estate, although a different one from before, and this time, there's someone else there.
Hikage doesn't seem aware that anything's happening, though. ]
I'm surprised they were allowed to see you. [ maybe they'll get that chance here, too... ]
Well. It could still be a variety of different times a situation like that has played out, but the details aren't terribly important. Hikage shifts on his feet, expression becoming oddly neutral. ]
[ it feels weird to have a conversation about himself entirely devoid of context - and especially when he feels slightly like the person in that memory wasn't "him," not entirely. A sigh. ]
No, you're just abnormal. So am I. [ a pause. ] ... That's right. That was my true self. But this is, too. For the time being, I've decided to try something different.
Someone convinced me they could bring me a better life. I took them up on it. [ he sighs. ] ... Looking at where we are now, it seems like it was a bad idea. But it's too late to turn back now.
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[He doesn't like how the whole place is Inside very much but hey! That's what the portal is for.]
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[ he should know, considering he ruled over one for so long. Hikage looks like he's contemplating going through the portal, but, in the end, he just sits down on top of one of the fake presents, instead. ]
... You died in the world before this one, didn't you?
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[Hm.]
But we didn't go anywhere different. On the island, the dead would show up at night as ghosts.
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[ he'd like to be able to be close to them again, even if only as a spirit. Even if he could only watch over them -- it would be better than through the screen. Ogata will see some flickers of memory, although not a complete fragment: images of an old-fashioned western-style mansion with sweeping staircases illuminated by moonlight, the sound of rain battering the roof, a cold chill on the skin, a strangled shout in the distance that sounds halfway between man and beast.
Not that Hikage seems aware he's transmitting anything. ]
... Well, you probably couldn't interact with anyone, anyway. The castle was somewhat similar that way.
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[Ogata hates these newfangled fluorescent lights.]
The living could see the dead, but only at night. And they couldn't hear us speak.
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[ it's at this moment that the real memory comes - in another grandiose estate, although a different one from before, and this time, there's someone else there.
Hikage doesn't seem aware that anything's happening, though. ]
I'm surprised they were allowed to see you. [ maybe they'll get that chance here, too... ]
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[He stops, receiving that memory, and oh, it's just so funny. So... familiar. He never expected this.
Ogata laughs.]
So that's what you're really like, is it?
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What are you talking about?
[ there's a century's worth of memories he could have just dipped into, and plenty of them are unpleasant. ]
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The memory of yours. Talking with some woman about how you like watching people suffer.
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Well. It could still be a variety of different times a situation like that has played out, but the details aren't terribly important. Hikage shifts on his feet, expression becoming oddly neutral. ]
You don't sound upset about it.
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[Ogata? No it's not?]
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No, you're just abnormal. So am I. [ a pause. ] ... That's right. That was my true self. But this is, too. For the time being, I've decided to try something different.
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... Something different?
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Someone convinced me they could bring me a better life. I took them up on it. [ he sighs. ] ... Looking at where we are now, it seems like it was a bad idea. But it's too late to turn back now.
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[Gently shitstirs.]
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[ he's only mad at life, not steph ]
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[ he rests a hand on his hip. ]
I know the risks.
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I don't see why you'd think the risks are worth betting on something so unlikely and immaterial.