merry merry christmas, and I want you to know

[mansionstaff]

Who: YOU
What: KISSLETOES
When: December 14th - January 1st
Where: Everywhere
Warnings: Sloppy makeouts.

SUDDENLY, AND WITHOUT WARNING...



The entire school has become covered in mistletoe overnight. It grows out of the walls! The ceilings! Everywhere you least expect it? HOW CAN THIS BE??

It's probably best not to think about it. Attempts to uproot the plants or burn them away only makes the plants grow back faster. For the time being, it seems the school must live with it.

[OOC INSTRUCTIONS:
+ Post dudes, get kisses!
+ Some (NOT ALL) plants are cursed. If you manage to step under a cursed plant, you will exchange a memory when or if you exchange a kiss. The memories will be first-person and very vivid, and characters will feel like they are experiencing the memory in real time, though in reality the transfer is instantaneous. Memories can be as short, long, happy, sad, or traumatic as you like.
+ If you'd like to participate, we highly suggest making a list of a few memories (with accompanying links/descriptions) that are up for grabs, and linking or posting the list in your top-level comment. Memory exchange is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL. When in doubt, OOC communication!
+ PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TAG YOUR CHARACTERS
+ That's it, we love you.]

Comments

[awakeningwill]

Of all the memories Zero had seen thus far, that had certainly been the most... ridiculous. Still, there was a feeling of breathless excitement that lingered in his chest, the kind that strikes a person when danger's passed and they're left on the verge of an epiphany. One that could change their life.

So that was the world in Hajime's eyes - one filled with the ebb and flow of fire, lit by a person's heart.

It seemed slightly more understandable how a machine without this telltale sight would cause such skepticism in the cheerleader, if only because the rest of the world was brimming with spirit - though as far as excuses went, it didn't give him much consolation. Zero knew what he felt, and he knew how strongly it could resonate throughout his body. Even if it wasn't visible to the eye, it had never led him astray.

Even if he gained nothing else from all this inconvenience, he was thankful for the memory that had been plucked from the abyss of his amnesia just now. It was... bittersweet, to be sure. But it'd also been the last time he spoke face to face with X, when both of them were alive. Being able to see him again, even in sorrow, was better than nothing at all.

Zero shook his head, a distant look in his eyes. "...I should be thanking you. That was... an important memory I'd lost."

[inspirethefire]

For all the absurdities that made up Hajime's life, that moment had been among the greatest, first example. It said much, that this school still caught him off guard, where fantastic feats had spawned daily. The happier endings likely had much to do with it.

"Lost..." He repeated the word, contemplative, as he looked into a space somewhere above the ground. He'd not known of Zero's amnesia, but of course that was because he'd never bothered to ask. It was of no concern to him, of course, what data someone had or hadn't erased. That did seem, however, a terribly... intimate moment, to have discarded.

"That... was the partner you spoke of. X."

As little as Hajime would even think to admit it to himself, he had idly wondered what sort of being could make a companionship with the stoic droid. Zero and X... it seemed, somehow, a matching set of names.

[awakeningwill]

"Yes." There was something in Zero's normally flat, stern eyes that brightened at the mention of X, like a spark was lit behind them. There was a fondness that he didn't show to most people, and pride mixed with melancholy. X had been someone special. Irreplaceable.

Maybe it was the fact that Hajime had already peeked into such an intimate moment between the two reploids, but Zero began to explain, "He's been my best friend since the beginning. Through two wars and the near destruction of earth... we fought, side by side."

[inspirethefire]

As ever, Hajime had trouble picking up on emotional cues that didn't involve big, fiery displays. From that angle, Zero seemed just as empty as he'd ever seen him. It didn't feel right, though. Things weren't... matching up.

Zero and X. Nothing and none. He had to wonder who picked out these naming conventions.

"He... certainly seemed like an irreplaceable companion. I..." He was trying his best to figure out how to put in words, the feelings he'd been left with. There was a lot to process. "I'm sorry... you had to part, in such a way."

[awakeningwill]

They were the coolest names and you're jealous.

Zero eyed Hajime for a moment, scrutinizing the human's expression. It was hard to tell if the sentiment expressed was genuine, or just lingering confusion from having Zero's emotions thrust onto him. That the cheerleader had bothered to say anything beyond a brief thanks was a little surprising, though.

"...There's something on your mind," he stated, bluntly. If there was some matter of contention, the reploid much preferred just addressing them flat out.

[inspirethefire]

He glanced back to Zero. It would have been much preferred if his consternation hadn't been called out--namely, as he wasn't yet sure what to make of it, let alone how to explain it. Things had somehow gotten complicated, and he needed time to figure it out.

Twice now, he'd experienced another person's death, through this curse. Kiyotaka's had shaken him, left him afraid and angry, mortified and thankful. Someone he knew and loved had died before they'd ever met, and he had been blessed with the chance to meet him all the same. It was an awe-inspiring thing to consider with any individual, not just Kiyotaka. The frailty of mortality, the force and trauma that came of overcoming it...

...that all applied to Zero, too. Ought he to feel impressed now, as well...? He was genuinely uncertain. The emotions wrestled with his preconceptions, leaving him at a loss.

For several seconds, Hajime remained silent, stretching his time to consider as much as possible. Unable to come to a satisfying conclusion, he diverted to another answer.

"I... don't support the needless destruction of things."

[awakeningwill]

'Things.' Zero narrowed his eyes, but didn't comment on the word usage. After all, that memory only proved that he'd never been anything but a thing in the eyes of humans. Someone whose status as a weapon outweighed his rights as an individual, no matter how much he proved himself. He couldn't even say they were wrong to do so.

"It was the will of humanity," he said, looking away from Hajime. "A truly peaceful world has no use for soldiers... not even ones that fought on their behalf."

So long as humans like Hajime believed that robots were simply tools, then he shouldn't have objections to the tools of war being disposed of when their time was done. But if he questioned how much of a waste that was, then it wasn't over a matter of resources. It was the possibility that perhaps, maybe, those robots could've been something more than what they were made for. That they were just as capable of change and growth.

[inspirethefire]

The will of humanity. Humanity willed for a lot of things, different things, conflicting things. There was a lot of humanity with which to will. Hajime knew that well. He liked to believe the general will was for the better, but that wasn't always the will seen most readily.

"That's what you are, and nothing else?" He refocused his attention, carefully observing once more. "A soldier--that's your directive, and there's nothing else you can be?" He was halfway between being rhetorical and genuinely asking. Human soldiers often struggled with reintegrating to peaceful society, for what they'd experienced. They were not better off dead for it, though. No one was.

"You can't think of a single way you can..." ...change? "...be repurposed?"

[awakeningwill]

Zero was almost tempted to laugh - that is, if he were the type to laugh. He wasn't. But he could recognize that ironic laughter might've fit right about now. 

He'd pieced together enough clues about his creator and his true body that Zero could say with reasonable certainty, "Being a soldier wasn't my original directive," to use Hajime's terms. "Being a soldier is what I chose to do."

But to address Hajime's last question, "Whether I can be more... I want to find out here."

[inspirethefire]

He chose... something alternative to his initial purpose. That was something to ponder on... but for this moment, that was not the issue to be questioning, even as it highlighted an important matter.

"Then, all the same. Your disposal was a selfish effort to try and hide something of which humanity was ashamed." Hajime couldn't say if Zero deserved punishment; he didn't know him, or what he'd done. But he couldn't agree with casting death under the light of "for the greater good" or the like.

"I can't speak for anyone else. So I simply stand by what I said before. I'm sorry things went that way for you, and your partner."

[awakeningwill]

It was honestly surreal hearing Hajime say sorry to him - not simply because of his views, but because he'd never heard anyone bother to. Zero didn't know what to make of it. After all, he'd understood and accepted the reasons behind it. Not being the type to dwell on the past, his first instinct was to brush off the apology as unnecessary. After all, it changed nothing about what happened - all he could do was continue forward in his new life.

But if being sealed away was a mistake to be regretted... If X hadn't been alone in the coming years, during the founding of Neo Arcadia and the struggles of post-war conflict, how different would the world have become? It was a possibility he'd never spared time to think about before. X had helped give Zero meaning, but Zero had always helped X stay focused.

Would X's heart have become so numb and sorrowful if Zero was there to support him? Would Neo Arcadia still have replaced him with a callous dictator who oppressed reploids in the name of necessity? The more Zero thought about the state of the future, the more uncomfortable he felt about his sentence.

With a heavier heart, the reploid frowned and told Hajime, "You're the first to say so. ...Thanks."

[inspirethefire]

From what had been said so far, being the first didn't come as a surprise. An awkward silence fell, as he tried to think of a suitable response. Nothing came to him; he was getting overly sentimental, he realized. He'd meant what he said, but that was all there was to say.

"I've things to attend to." He pushed up his glasses and turned away. "Thank you, for your help."

[awakeningwill]

As Hajime turned his back, Zero couldn't help but be filled with a small mote of hope for the cheerleader. That's right... if he didn't have faith in people being able to change, then it would've meant that Zero's trust in X was waning as well. He'd already seen humans go from outright disgust at robotkind to begrudging acceptance - they could go far, if their hearts were in the right place.

It was often easier to forget when there wasn't something world-ending about to crash upon him to test his fortitude. Being frustrated, cynical, even resentful was an understandable reaction, but at the end of the day he had to remember what it was that held him together.

Hajime wasn't a bad person. And he could become better with time.

With a nod, Zero told him, "Be careful out there," before he turned to leave as well.