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[looselips]

Characters: Shinji Matou & OPEN
Setting: Dormitory Floor 2; Cafeteria; Library
Format: Action preferred, but I'll try to match.
Summary: Shinji tries to puzzle out his situation.
Warnings: Man idk, I'll update this as things come up.

dormitory
[There is a small, (probably) unfamiliar child in the dormitory today. He doesn't seem as frightened or upset as a child perhaps should be after waking up in a strange place and being informed that his world has been destroyed. Instead, he's seated in front of one of the network terminals, his heels resting on the stool's legs.]

[It's hard to say what he's doing. He isn't touching the device at all, only staring at it really, really intently. Then, abruptly, he makes a noise of frustration and kicks it.]

—Ouch!

[Oops. He must have kicked it too hard, or hit his leg on it as he did so, as he immediately reaches down to cradle his knee.]

[This isn't the first terminal he has tried to do...whatever it is he's trying to, and it probably won't be the last. He might even venture to the first and third floor dormitories to see if he has better luck there.]

cafeteria
[So, after completely failing at what he wanted to do, Shinji has gone to the cafeteria. Maybe things will go better if he has a little food in his stomach? Maybe. Being in a less irritable mood should definitely help, at least.]

[Except the only thing he's given to eat is plain oatmeal. Obviously, this offends his eight-year-old culinary sensibilities. He hasn't touched it yet, and is instead just glaring at it like it's the source of all his problems where he sits at one of the tables.]

library
[...Yep, he's right back to his fruitless efforts with the terminals. This kid is tenacious, even if only in the way a small, loud terrier might be.]

Comments

[tohko_amano]

That's not true. Sometimes, people can be really stupid and cruel, and people in their countries can go against them, either outright or secretly.

[looselips]

So they didn't have the power to maintain power. That just means they weren't really strong.

[tohko_amano]

Do you want cruel people to be able to maintain their power over others?

[looselips]

[shrugs] It's not my problem if they're cruel or not.

[tohko_amano]

You don't care if other people suffer because some others are cruel?

[If you didn't, you were getting smacked again.]

[looselips]

Didn't you hear what I just said? It's not my problem if they're too weak to fight back.

[tohko_amano]

It will eventually become your problem though.

[looselips]

And what makes you say that?

[tohko_amano]

If a large group of people are suffering, and you are part of that group and ignoring it, then, eventually, their suffering and despair will fall on you when they tyrants come to get you. It sounds strange, but it's true.

[looselips]

If it becomes my problem, I'll just take care of it then.

[It's not like he hasn't already helped to subvert a regime that doesn't directly affect him, for money, so.]

[tohko_amano]

But shouldn't you take care of it before it becomes your problem so that you can save everyone and yourself some time?

[looselips]

Nah. If something gets to be a problem, I'll just take care of it then.

[He shrugs.]

[tohko_amano]

But if something gets too problematic where it kills everyone and you can't handle it alone, then what will you do?

[looselips]

I don't know — maybe if you gave me a less vague hypothetical, I'd be able to answer.

[tohko_amano]

And maybe if you realized that the world doesn't revolve around you, you would see that other suffering human beings should be helped, if they can be.

[looselips]

[rolls his eyes]

Sorry, but if they want me to care about them, they need to be someone worthwhile first.

[tohko_amano]

You don't have to help people just because you care about them. You could save them just because it's the right thing to do.

[looselips]

Save it for someone who gives a damn. [WAVES HER OFF...]

[tohko_amano]

Hey, doing the right thing can be good for a title, if that's what you want people to remember.

[looselips]

That's nice, but that's not the kind of recognition I'm looking for.

[tohko_amano]

Then what sort of recognition are you looking for?

[looselips]

The kind where people recognize the talent I have. [Meaning: That he's better than them.]

[tohko_amano]

And if you help people with using your talents, won't more people realize how great you are through your deeds and word of mouth?

[looselips]

I do help people, when they pay me to.

[tohko_amano]

And when they don't?