the rain will be gone in the morning...

[miseris_socios]

Characters: Ken Amada and open.
Setting: Floor Fourteen
Format: Action.
Summary: After running into Shinjiro Ken is… conflicted. He needs some space. But that doesn't mean that other people can't bother him.
Warnings: Mentions of death, swearing. Strega which is its own warning.


[Shit. He couldn't do anything. He had run into him, and he hadn't been able to kill him - and how was he able to change Personas like that, anyway? The only person he know of who could was Minato - well, and the leader of SEES, too. Ken wandered for a while, before he ended up on the fourteenth floor.]

[Ken sits down in front of the consoles that has some kind of fighting game. He starts messing around with the controller - he's not particularly good, but it's at least something to get frustrated at besides this fucked-up situation with Shinjiro.]

[And it's something to take his mind off of it for a little bit, too… which hopefully is enough to make him not cry.]

Comments

[morituramfides]

[Oh hey Ken.

Hope you didn't mind another certain Strega wandering around boredly, because here he was, watching your gaming from behind the couch.]

Hey.


[This was a tad awkward seeing Aragaki was now kind of his roommate welp]

[miseris_socios]

[At least it's the one that's not going to fuss endlessly over him. He presses pause and tilts his head back to look at Jin for a moment.]

Hey. Do you wanna play too?

[Shh don't tell him that...]

[morituramfides]

[Hell nah, Ken and Jin will be brothers in not-giving-a-damn-itude.]

[Well, his laptop was gone so there wasn't much else for him to do.] Sure, why not.

[He walked around the couch to come to the front proper, plopping down on the seat next to Ken.]

Hope it's got Co-Op mode, because if you wanna get through any story mode it looks like you're gonna need all the help you can get. [Condescending even in video games, yep.]

[miseris_socios]

[Hell yes. /o/ Ken exits out to the menu and starts up co-op mode.]

I was doing just fine. Like you could do better.

[Shh he knows Jin could. 8| Just go with it.]

[morituramfides]

[Jin picked up his own controller and smirked like the smug jerk he was.]

I think I can do a little better than you.

[GAME START.]

[miseris_socios]

[Ken opens with a flurry of punches from his character, trying to start off with an early lead. He's seen Jin play enough games to know this is going to be hard. :T]

[morituramfides]

[Oh you can do punches sure, but Jin was busy going on the defense, blocking hits and building up his energy bar for a SUPER ATTACK.]

[capax_infiniti]

[Ever since his encounter with Darkra, Xehanort has been curious about the games on the floor. He'd started with Quiet Hollow and branched outward, noticing what others had been trying and giving them a shot himself. Some games were simply too dull for his tastes, but others appealed to his intuition and tactical mind.

It was still a waste of time, but one that was amusing enough. And it meant he could identify more with the young ones he was trying to keep an eye on.

It wasn't a surprise to see Ken there, then, and he sank into the chair next to where the boy was sitting, watching him play a little bit.]

Try the "fierce punch" when your opponent begins an attempt to grapple.

[miseris_socios]

[He looks over, and nods.]

Got it.

[And after a few moments when his opponent tries again -]

'Counter!'

Huh. No wonder dodging wasn't working.

[capax_infiniti]

Dodging should only be used when there's a wide window. Countering properly can change the tide of any combat. An essential skill...

[He should not be able to apply real-world battle tactics to a fighting game, but somehow he still manages to...]

[miseris_socios]

True. Nemesis isn't as good at blocking and countering, so I'm more used to dodging in fights.

[Oh Xehanort...]

[capax_infiniti]

Then it's essential to play up to his superior skills. Watch your opponent's patterns. This one turns slightly before throwing a kick or a projectile. Use that instance to do a low slide and uppercut.

[miseris_socios]

[... He nods, and does as Xehanort suggests, getting behind the opponent and uppercutting him into the side of the arena.]

Got it!

this is half a day in advance and post all the other threads.

[fractus_animus]

[ Minato did not immediately go seeking Ken out. Ken was someone who, he knew, needed his space. So, instead, he waited until later that night to go looking, only to find him in one of the places he himself spent quite a bit of time--the media room.

He seemed to have been there for some time, judging by the game.

Minato, not wanting to surprise Ken, cleared his throat before coming up to his side, standing near the sofa the boy was sitting on. He didn't want to sit down just in case Ken was uncomfortable, and he wanted him to realize he did still respect that opinion if he needed space. He could leave if he had to, but... ]

... Hey.

[ A tentative pause, as he removes his headphones, letting them hang down around his neck. He wanted to be delicate here, because Ken was his friend, and also a peer, despite his age. As his leader, it was also his job to help him. ]

Do you mind if I sit down for a bit?

Stregadaddy. ;w;

[miseris_socios]

[Ken pauses at hearing someone clear their throat, but relaxes slightly when he notices that it's Minato.]

... Hey. Go ahead.

[He had a feeling he knew what this was about... but he wasn't going to be the one to say it.]

;w; Stregasooon

[fractus_animus]

[ Minato nods, taking a seat next to Ken, but he doesn't look at him, hoping to ease the boy's tension a bit. ]

... You know I won't force you to make decisions. I've always told you that what you do is up to you. But...

[ He's quiet for a moment, before he speaks again. ]

I want you to be able to live a normal life, Ken. I want you not to end up like me--like... us. I won't insult your intelligence. You know what we have to do, to make a living. The money we earn is covered in blood because there's literally no other way we can live.

We'll all die someday, whether we want to or not. We can't be allowed to get attached to life. We've known that for years, the time we'd all die.

You're not like us, though, Ken. Do you really want to just throw away your life because of what's happened...? Do you really think killing him or hating him will change that?

All ze hugs. ;w;

[miseris_socios]

[... He's quiet for a few moments, trying to come up with the words to say. It's... hard. He's never really been able to explain any of this properly. How can he ever get across how deeply this affects him?]

I... I don't have anything else to live for, aside from all of you. And I didn't want anyone to hurt you if they came after me for killing him. But hating him... I can't forgive him. Even if it was an accident, he killed her.

[He pauses to think of how to put this part.]

I... don't know if any of you remember your family... so I don't know if you would know what it's like to lose someone you care about so much. It was just us as far as I can remember... and then I didn't have anything. And he's the one who took it from me. I can't just let him get away with that!

[He's shaking. He's shaking because he's scared and angry and he doesn't know what to do anymore.]

And it's not like I have a future anyway. I'll never end up in university anyway - I could never afford it. And it's not like anyone will hire me now. What am I supposed to do? When you all die, I can't do the same things on the streets that I used to do - the handouts I got sometimes were because I was young. No one's going to give those kinds of things to someone who's fifteen or something. So even if I'm still around, I'll end up starving anyway, unless I steal even more.

sd,mgdfg Keeeeeennn ;_;

[fractus_animus]

[ Minato isn't shocked. He falls to silence for a long time, despite expecting this. He understands more than Ken might think. ]

... No. If I was in your position, I would be the same way as you. ... I WAS in your position, and I blamed myself. For the longest time, I just spent every moment hating everything while I was stuck in that facility...

[ But here, he seriously looks at Ken. ]

I'm not asking you to change how you feel about him, Ken. Neither is he. He dropped out of SEES and went on Persona Suppressors after that incident. I think all along, he figured the only way to atone for what he did was for you to kill him, or for him to die himself. Maybe that's why he took them from us despite knowing the side-effects.

... I'm not telling you what to do, but you need to remember that no matter how much we hate things, no matter who we blame, the people who left us aren't going to come back that easily. This place aside.

From my position, Ken? Do you know what I see? ... I see myself. And... I also see a boy who's tormenting himself and trying to vent his pain through anger and hatred. I've run on both for a long time. The one thing I've learned is that... the more you hate something, the more it becomes all you know to do.

[ He falls silent for a moment, before looking away. After a long pause, he then gets up, and looks back to Ken. ... He wants to hug him, but he knows the boy wants his space, and he doesn't want to invade it. ]

So, you tell me. ... Are you going to spend the rest of your life hating Aragaki? Or are you going to get up and FIND a reason to live? No one can give that to you, Ken. No one. Even if she were still here, your mother couldn't tell you how to live your life, or why to live it. What you're doing right now? It's running away from your problems. Are you going to spend the rest of your life foisting blame and running away?

... That's what killing yourself would be, too, Ken. Running away. And you never did strike me as a quitter. Especially NOT in any kind of battle.

;w; He doesn't know what to dooooo.

[miseris_socios]

[His hands ball into fists that get tighter the longer Minato talks. He knows it's true, he knows she won't be back, and he knows that killing him won't bring her back. And that he can't just run away.]

[… But he doesn't know what else to do. And to be honest he's… scared. Too scared. He doesn't want to admit it, but he is.]

But… I… what else am I supposed to do? I don't know… how to find a reason like that. I don't know… I don't even see a future for me. I… I don't…

[And he can't talk anymore, his throat closing up. He pulls his knees into his chest and puts his head down, starting to cry. After a few moments he starts sobbing, and he can't stop. He doesn't know what to do. It hurts and he's lost and he's terrified and he can't see any way out.]

[terrificmachoemperor]

[Ever since Kanji found out there were consoles, he's been wanting to play a game of Super Cat Bubble Burst (Don't question it, it's pink, has bubbles and flashy and like Tetris) but once he steps in, he immediately notices Ken playing and walks over.]

Hey. What game is that?

[miseris_socios]

[He pauses the game to look up at Kanji.]

Spiritfighter Four. You wanna play?

[terrificmachoemperor]

[He scratches the back of his head before answering.]

Uh sure...but I'm gonna warn ya. I ain't good at shooting games. You okay with that?

[miseris_socios]

Good, because this is a fighting game.

[He hands Kanji the other controller.]

woops almost tagged this with Shiji that would have been ackward

[terrificmachoemperor]

...oh.

[Good job, genius.]

Well I ain't good in those games either. But I'll try!

[He takes the controller...and after a few seconds, turns it the right way. Woops.]

NO KIDDING

[miseris_socios]

[... He holds back a giggle, and then exits to the menu and goes into multiplayer mode.]

Pick whoever you want.