10-01-2021, 05:49:00 AM
(a short Murderverse-related story that I don't know where else to put, so here you go:)
Reconciliation
A teenager sprints into a cube-shaped room and then throws his back onto the nondescript wall, allowing him to catch up on some breath. The teenager was running from something: not an enemy, but an obligation. He had recently found out that his best friend had found out about the atrocities he committed in his frantic search for her, and he is not ready to face the emotional burden that he unintentionally placed on his friend. Not at this moment, at the very least.
Then, an indiscernible silhouette quickly races by him. Out of pure instinct, the teenager produces a flail out of thin air and moves into a defensive stance. The silhouette appears again, but this time, the teenager seems to recognize who it is. The silhouette seems to recognize the teenager in return, as they stop moving and allow themselves to be clearly seen. It's a Sylveon. A sudden feeling of guilt strikes the teenager's stomach.
“Ummmmm, hey there, Bow! I… didn't see you coming for a second there! How's life going for you?” The teenager replies in a worried tone.
“Hello, Rywa. I watched your little talk last night, so… do you care to explain your actions to me?” The Sylveon, now identified as “Bow”, moves uneasily towards Rywa.
“Ummm… ummm… there's no getting out of this, isn't there?”
Bow simply looks on at Rywa with an unamused frown slowly forming over her face.
“Bow… look, I'm sorry for everything I did to see you again. In hindsight, my actions weren't well-thought out at all and I'm trying to make up for what I did, so can you please just forgive me and get over this?”
Bow tilts her head at Rywa. “Forgive you? You really expect me to forgive you after you destroyed entire universes filled with a countless number of lives that will never be lived to their fullest extents now? You did all of that just so you could see me again? Even if you regret what you did… that's great, but do you really expect to score pity points with me now? Did you even factor in how I would react to your actions when you decided to go onto your little timeline-destroying rescue mission?"
“Well, at the time, I thought that my actions were just, and besides, I thought you would be overjoyed to see me and nothing else…”
“See? This is the exact problem that I've noticed with you. You seem to be very quick to dismiss my own opinions just because you're my Trainer, and that apparently means that I'm nothing more than your cool talking pet! Just because I'm a Pokémon doesn't mean that I should blindly believe in what you say! For years, I thought that you were like a big brother to me, and I still do to this very day, albeit to a drastically lesser extent than a couple of months back, but… I looked up to you, and to see my role model commit such a heinous crime… it feels like I've been betrayed.”
“Hey, I also know what it feels like to be betrayed by someone you trusted, and trust me, I've been there too. But… you're my best friend, and in my heart, you always will be, and I expect the same of you…”
“...no. I am no longer a simple pet. I am now an independent person with my own feelings, and you shouldn't expect me to be your one and only friend. If there's one thing that my experiences without you taught me, it's that I should not be limited to just having one friend. I befriended countless others… and without them, I probably wouldn't be where I am today.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, the power of friendship rocks… I already know that cliche. It's good to have more than one friend, but I'm still your Trainer, and you should care about me above all else, right? I still love you in a platonic sense...”
“Then why did I overhear you saying that you assumed that you hate me now? If you really loved me in a platonic sense, then why did you make that remark towards me?”
Awkward silence fills the room.
“Well, look, I was in a high emotional state at the time and I... may have said some asinine things that I didn't mean to say, but I can assure you that what I said isn't really how I feel about you…”
“Enough making up excuses for yourself. You made me feel really bad about myself when you said that, and did you really mean that? What's the point of you going great lengths to find me if you're just going to blatantly dismiss my concerns like that? Is that what you really want? What about the other timelines that you destroyed? What would the people in those timelines feel if they were still alive today? Was it really worth it to crush the hopes and dreams of them just to satisfy your hopes and dreams?”
A sudden realization hits Rywa in the face quite literally, as he slaps his face very hard upon realizing said realization. Bow's right. He shouldn't try to excuse his behavior just because he did it with well intentions. To paraphrase a certain dragon, he should focus more on the means than the ends.
“You're… right. Just because I had good intentions doesn't mean the means are justified… ugh, goddamnit! I was indeed making up excuses for myself! Why can I be so stupid sometimes…”
“Hey, at least you acknowledged what you were doing wrong. No matter how much you apologize, sometimes, your actions will have an everlasting impact.”
“Right, right… Now that we spent a lot of time quibbling about it, can you forgive my actions now?”
“The short answer is… no. I will absolutely not forgive you for your absolutely selfish behavior.”
“...I understand now.” Rywa solemnly nods.
“But...you will always remain as one my friends, even if our friendship is more tense than it used to be.”
Bow wraps a feeler around one of Rywa's arms as a small gesture of friendship, which Rywa silently accepts.
“Well, I guess that means that our relationship is going to be a different one from here on out, then. By the way, I might have accidentally released you last night, so sorry about that...”
“I don't really care. Besides, I am no longer Bow, a shy Eevee who helps out just a a single person. Instead... I am now Bow, a brave Sylveon who helps out everyone.”
Rywa solemnly nods in response. The two continue to stand close to each other. They'll eventually end up heading their separate ways, but for now, they'll enjoy this moment of friendship, even if their friendship is now a bit more tense.
Then, an indiscernible silhouette quickly races by him. Out of pure instinct, the teenager produces a flail out of thin air and moves into a defensive stance. The silhouette appears again, but this time, the teenager seems to recognize who it is. The silhouette seems to recognize the teenager in return, as they stop moving and allow themselves to be clearly seen. It's a Sylveon. A sudden feeling of guilt strikes the teenager's stomach.
“Ummmmm, hey there, Bow! I… didn't see you coming for a second there! How's life going for you?” The teenager replies in a worried tone.
“Hello, Rywa. I watched your little talk last night, so… do you care to explain your actions to me?” The Sylveon, now identified as “Bow”, moves uneasily towards Rywa.
“Ummm… ummm… there's no getting out of this, isn't there?”
Bow simply looks on at Rywa with an unamused frown slowly forming over her face.
“Bow… look, I'm sorry for everything I did to see you again. In hindsight, my actions weren't well-thought out at all and I'm trying to make up for what I did, so can you please just forgive me and get over this?”
Bow tilts her head at Rywa. “Forgive you? You really expect me to forgive you after you destroyed entire universes filled with a countless number of lives that will never be lived to their fullest extents now? You did all of that just so you could see me again? Even if you regret what you did… that's great, but do you really expect to score pity points with me now? Did you even factor in how I would react to your actions when you decided to go onto your little timeline-destroying rescue mission?"
“Well, at the time, I thought that my actions were just, and besides, I thought you would be overjoyed to see me and nothing else…”
“See? This is the exact problem that I've noticed with you. You seem to be very quick to dismiss my own opinions just because you're my Trainer, and that apparently means that I'm nothing more than your cool talking pet! Just because I'm a Pokémon doesn't mean that I should blindly believe in what you say! For years, I thought that you were like a big brother to me, and I still do to this very day, albeit to a drastically lesser extent than a couple of months back, but… I looked up to you, and to see my role model commit such a heinous crime… it feels like I've been betrayed.”
“Hey, I also know what it feels like to be betrayed by someone you trusted, and trust me, I've been there too. But… you're my best friend, and in my heart, you always will be, and I expect the same of you…”
“...no. I am no longer a simple pet. I am now an independent person with my own feelings, and you shouldn't expect me to be your one and only friend. If there's one thing that my experiences without you taught me, it's that I should not be limited to just having one friend. I befriended countless others… and without them, I probably wouldn't be where I am today.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, the power of friendship rocks… I already know that cliche. It's good to have more than one friend, but I'm still your Trainer, and you should care about me above all else, right? I still love you in a platonic sense...”
“Then why did I overhear you saying that you assumed that you hate me now? If you really loved me in a platonic sense, then why did you make that remark towards me?”
Awkward silence fills the room.
“Well, look, I was in a high emotional state at the time and I... may have said some asinine things that I didn't mean to say, but I can assure you that what I said isn't really how I feel about you…”
“Enough making up excuses for yourself. You made me feel really bad about myself when you said that, and did you really mean that? What's the point of you going great lengths to find me if you're just going to blatantly dismiss my concerns like that? Is that what you really want? What about the other timelines that you destroyed? What would the people in those timelines feel if they were still alive today? Was it really worth it to crush the hopes and dreams of them just to satisfy your hopes and dreams?”
A sudden realization hits Rywa in the face quite literally, as he slaps his face very hard upon realizing said realization. Bow's right. He shouldn't try to excuse his behavior just because he did it with well intentions. To paraphrase a certain dragon, he should focus more on the means than the ends.
“You're… right. Just because I had good intentions doesn't mean the means are justified… ugh, goddamnit! I was indeed making up excuses for myself! Why can I be so stupid sometimes…”
“Hey, at least you acknowledged what you were doing wrong. No matter how much you apologize, sometimes, your actions will have an everlasting impact.”
“Right, right… Now that we spent a lot of time quibbling about it, can you forgive my actions now?”
“The short answer is… no. I will absolutely not forgive you for your absolutely selfish behavior.”
“...I understand now.” Rywa solemnly nods.
“But...you will always remain as one my friends, even if our friendship is more tense than it used to be.”
Bow wraps a feeler around one of Rywa's arms as a small gesture of friendship, which Rywa silently accepts.
“Well, I guess that means that our relationship is going to be a different one from here on out, then. By the way, I might have accidentally released you last night, so sorry about that...”
“I don't really care. Besides, I am no longer Bow, a shy Eevee who helps out just a a single person. Instead... I am now Bow, a brave Sylveon who helps out everyone.”
Rywa solemnly nods in response. The two continue to stand close to each other. They'll eventually end up heading their separate ways, but for now, they'll enjoy this moment of friendship, even if their friendship is now a bit more tense.