[TEXT] ☾ second phrase: what is christmas

[the_usual_stuff]

good evening Hinoto-Ri. the oddity of the recent weather aside, i do hope you've been well!

i have a question to ask you; well several questions to be honest. a holiday celebrated by humans is coming up soon, correct? it's called christmas and you're supposed to buy gifts for your friends and loved ones and... put them under a tree. i'm not entirely sure why.

[At least, that's what he thinks it is about. The general gist of it; anyway hey, a chance to show he cares about Minato and Minako people and give them presents for the fun of it. But he needs to make absolutely sure he selects the right gifts! Which he has no experience shopping for. :D]

so, what would someone who enjoys music, spending time with their friends, and eating large amounts of food want for christmas? or someone who is loud, enjoys karaoke and talking about himself like as a present? i would appreciate input from others.

[PRIVATE TO RYOJI]

ryoji what do you think they would like?

[C'mon older self, you've grown up and spent some time as a teenager with them, surely you know about to shop for protags on the holidays. Maybe he should get Ekikichi a bottle of hair gel.

Pharos is also facing the dilemma of not... having any money at all to buy presents with, being a kid who does not have a job! Even if he figures out which things he should get for them. Woe. And if he asks the Arisatos for money, that kinda defeats the purpose of buying them presents to begin with... And no, this post isn't locked from either of them btw. ]

Comments

[nyxterious]

Yes. They chose to live with a future of certain defeat, that they managed to turn around.

... but that's what we are, isn't it? In human terms. Our true form is a monstrous creature, and not human in the slightest. The form of Death. Many people would call Death a monster, wouldn't they?

[the_usual_stuff]

...

[Idly, he glanced down at his hand. Andーfor a second, pale skin vanished to reveal the blackness under it, a glimpse of a powder white glove, its dark girth disproportional to the rest of the thin armーand then its gone, the illusion of flesh fixed back in place. He looked back up at his older self.]

... I suppose so. But humans don't exactly see things as they are. The titles they bestow upon us are only that; titles. Inhuman? Yes, I'd accept that as true, but our form is not solely that of a monster. [Beastly, terrifying, and inhuman and savage. A whole range of descriptions that were correct. But referring to it as monster was pushing it in his opinion; what was bad about carrying out their function?] Death is an end. There is nothing especially monstrous about an end, Ryoji.

[nyxterious]

I know. The end always comes, it's something that happens as long as you live. Something that you should always expect.

"It matters not who you are... Death awaits you." I don't think it's monstrous, I suppose I'm just used to it being described as monstrous.

[the_usual_stuff]

That's right.

[Well said.

Alright good he's knows that much. But of course he knows that, they're the same after all. Pharos glances away from Ryoji for a moment, mulling what he has learned from this over, the young boy's face placid and blank. And the realization of what this information means for himself makes his throat feel oddly gunked up and tight, his chest empty.

If Mother could not follow through on her promise, if Minako and Minato did not want her to... Had they promised the wrong solution? No, surely not.

His shoulder slumped the slightest bit.

But he doesn't know how to express this sensation in words so he settles for a short;]

Well then... Please don't regard us as a monster.

[nyxterious]

I'll try not to next time, Pharos.

[It was just something he used to think was monstrous. Not he's a bit different, after everything that's happened.]