Leave your reasoning behind [open]

[myblueskies]

Characters: Romeo and you!
Setting: Dorm halls, bathrooms and rooms
Format: Either
Summary: People with orange collars may go berserk at any moment Diarmuid and Hei are going to be the ones to stop him, but anyone else is very welcome to hurt him/be hurt by him/run away from him before that.
Warnings: Berserk twelve year old with a knife

Romeo came out of one of the bathrooms carrying the bucket of cleaning supplies. He had almost finished his job for the day and he was glad because then he could go and check that his friends were okay! Bad things were happening again, and people were acting strange and writing on the walls. Romeo had thought about writing something nice, but he knew that sometimes the tower made nice things bad.

And he didn't want to risk it. So he had concentrated on making sure his friends had enough food since the food in the cafeteria was bad again and checking that no one was hurt too much. He hummed as he skipped down the corridor, just one bathroom to go!

A moment later he let out a scream of rage and dropped the bucket, chemicals and water spilled everywhere, pooling round his bare feet but he didn't seem to care as he pulled his makeshift knife from his pocket and ran down the corridor towards the nearest room, towards people.

Comments

[myblueskies]

Romeo shrugged, "If he kills me I'll just come back tomorrow." It was no big deal and if that's what it took for him to feel better and not be mad anymore.

"Being selfish is a really bad thing mister Diarmuid."

[oathshackledbird]

"But what about that 24 hours while you are not here?" Diarmuid asks honestly. "What if someone needs you during that time? I know being selfish is bad, but perhaps it is not so bad if you are being selfish not for yourself but for others? If someone needs you and you are not available because someone else has hurt or killed you, what is more selfish? Denying that person who needs your help or denying the person who would hurt or kill you?"

Diarmuid pauses, trying to think of any other way to try and explain his point to Romeo. It is a complex one, he realizes and he's not sure if it is something a boy of Romeo's age can actually understand, but he wants to try anyway, "If you cannot make that choice, maybe it will help to look at it like this. Letting someone hurt or kill you only helps one person. But being alive and unhurt potentially allows you to help everyone. What is the better choice?"

[myblueskies]

At almost thirteen Romeo should have been old enough to understand and accept the point, but he had always be stubborn especially when it came to helping others. But he tried very hard to listen and understand what Diarmuid was telling him.

"Well I guess I'd want to help everyone. But what if someone was trying to hurt my friends and the only way to stop them was to get hurt myself, it would be more bad to let them get hurt instead of me. And what if I really did do something bad, like if I really really hurt the silver haired man even if it was the bad people. You're meant to be punished when you do bad things."

[oathshackledbird]

Diarmuid shuts his eyes for a moment taking a deep breath. The words have a familiar logic that he would honestly rather not hear from child Romeo's age because they are things that Diarmuid himself once believed but now knows to be false. Unfortunately, it had taken a lot of time and pain for him accept the truth and he would rather Romeo be spared that. Yet, he knows from experience there is no way to rush the decision. The most he can do is try to explain and hope the words someday make sense to him.

"But it was not you doing those bad things, Romeo. It was the administrators making you. I realize that might be hard to accept, but unless you would do any of the things they make you do on your own, it is not your fault. And there is another thing," He gives the boy a gentle look. "I know you are working to save your friends in a situation like that, but how do you think your friends feel when they see you hurt or killed for them? Even if you come back the next day, they still have to carry the knowledge of what you suffered for them. That in its own way is an injury and one you chose to inflect on them if you don't stop first to see if there is another way before sacrificing yourself. Perhaps there isn't. Sometimes that may be the only way, but not always..."

[myblueskies]

He bit his lip and looked down, "But when my friends get hurt I got to help them. I know it sometimes makes them sad and that's bad of me but I don't even think, I just help them and my brain stops.

Nikita always said that meant I was an idiot because sometimes I couldn't even really save them and people get hurt and die all the time here and I can't help them because the bad people are so powerful and if I try to help them they just get hurt more but I still can't just stop it because even if making them sad is a bad thing not helping them and letting them get hurt is even more bad!"

[oathshackledbird]

Diarmuid reaches out and gently taps the underside of Romeo's chin, hoping to encourage him to raise his head, "Lets make one thing clear. I don't know who this Nikita is, but he is wrong. You are never an idiot for trying to help others. Yes, often times in this place trying leads to failure, but as you say trying and failing is better than never trying at all. And you are still young. You have a lot to learn and most of that can only be learned through trying. Succeed or fail, all anyone can do is try their best each time something happens. Does that make sense?"

[myblueskies]

He looked up at the tap and listened, it was all very confusing but he knew Diarmuid was a really good person who was trying to help. "Yes sir, I got to try my best all the time. Even when things are really really bad."

[oathshackledbird]

Diarmuid nods. Really, that is all he expects understanding-wise from Romeo. Perhaps later as the boy grows and gains more experiences, the other things he has said will make more sense. He can only hope.

"Do you think you can walk, little one? I will gladly see you back to your room so you can rest. I think that would be the best thing for now, and once you have done that you can go out and make your post to the Network."

[myblueskies]

Romeo tested that, walking a little. It hurt but he could manage and he nodded brightly. "I can sir." He would go and sleep and then he could say sorry to those he had hurt.

[oathshackledbird]

Diarmuid smiles gently at him. He's happy to see him up and walking, even if he is in pain, "Actually, if it will not scare you, I can carry you to your room. You would just need to tell me what that room is. I move very quickly so it will not take long at all. Another child who I have carried in the same way actually seemed to quite enjoy the trip. Perhaps you will too?"

[myblueskies]

Romeo blinked at the offer, but there were a lot of stairs to his room and he was really sore. Slowly he nodded, "If you don't think I'll be too heavy sir."

[oathshackledbird]

"You will not be heavy at all to me, little one. While it may not look it, I can carry even a full adult easily," Diarmuid reaches out, motioning the boy to come closer. "Will you give me the chance to show you what I can do? I promise you won't be disappointed. I just need you to let me know what room you are assigned to."

[myblueskies]

Romeo nodded slowly and stepped closer, a little warily in case this was soem kind of trick. He though Diarmuid was nice and wouldn't hurt him, but he was an adult and not even his time in the tower could convince Romeo that adults wouldn't try to hurt him if they could.

"Room 1-02 sir."

[oathshackledbird]

"Okay, don't be afraid. I am going to be very careful, but if you want me to stop at any time, just say so," Diarmuid gently gathers Romeo into his arms. "Hold onto me as tightly as you can. You won't hurt me," He smiles at the boy and then takes off running toward the stairs. He doesn't use all of his speed by any means, but they are moving quite quickly, probably faster than Romeo has ever moved before.

[myblueskies]

Romeo did as he was told and held on tightly, when Diarmuid started to run he gasped. This was so fast! It was like flying with Zett but even faster! Even faster than the train Angeletta had went on!

He held on tightly but he wasn't scared, it was really fun!

[oathshackledbird]

The gasp worries Diarmuid for a moment, but it doesn't take long for him to realize it was only a gasp of surprise not one of pain or fear. As a result, he keeps going and soon they are on the first floor of the dorms not far from Romeo's room. He drops his speed down to a walk as he looks for the right room, but doesn't put the boy down right away just in case he is a little dizzy from moving so fast.

Once he finds the right room, Diarmuid stops in front of it and looks at the boy in his arms, "Here we are! I hope you enjoyed the trip!"

[myblueskies]

Romeo looked around and realised they were at the dormitories. He smiled brightly at Diarmuid. "I did sir! How did you go so fast! Was it magic?"

[oathshackledbird]

"Good! I'm going to set you down now, but I'm not going to let you go right away in case you are dizzy. Some people get that way after moving so fast," Diarmuid sets Romeo on his feet, but keeps his arm around the boy's shoulders. "It's something like magic. I have always been fast and agile, but when I was called back into the world, those skills were boosted."

[myblueskies]

Romeo nodded and held onto Diarmuid's arm, he did feel a little bit dizzy. "You got called back? What do you mean sir?"

[oathshackledbird]

Diarmuid laughs a little nervously, "Let me apologize in advance if I confuse you. It's not exactly the easiest thing to explain, but when a hero dies on my world, their soul is placed somewhere where it can be called back if the world is ever in great need. I was called back to fight in a war and it was right after the end of my part in that war that I was called here. Does any of that make sense to you?"

[myblueskies]

Romeo listened and his eyes lit up. "So the souls wait and then go back to earth and save everyone!" So they could keep being heroes!

[oathshackledbird]

"Something like that, yes," Diarmuid nods. The truth is much more complex, of course, and very often not everyone is saved, but there is no reason to confuse the boy with detailed explanations when he seems to understand well enough now. "That doesn't seem too strange to you? That people who have died are able to be called back like that?"

[myblueskies]

Romeo nodded and then tilted his head. "Not really sir. I've never heard of anything like it before but everyone's from different worlds and a lot of the worlds are really strange, but there are probably bits of my world that sound strange to people as well."

He had been in the tower almost two years, hero souls were just as normal as magic or bad towers full of monsters.

[oathshackledbird]

"That is very true. You are quite smart for someone your age, Romeo. I appreciate you being so accepting. I am sure others do as well," Diarmuid smiles at him, crouching down so he can be closer to the boy's level. He really hates talking down to people, "May I ask what your world is like?"

[myblueskies]

Romeo beamed, happy that Diarmuid had called him smart. "It was really big and had lots of countries, and I didn't go to many places but my village was called Sonogno and was in Ticino, before I came here I went to work in Milano which is in another country called Italy! There was no magic there or super fast things like race cars but there was things called steam trains and I never went on one but my friend Angeletta did and they go really fast!"