It took her a week, but yeah. Somehow, she was able to break the spell. Not sure if it's because of this place or it's because I exist here, but she did it.
[ Nier still does not know how it works or why that happened, so hopefully Claude will never ask him about the specifics. ]
I don't think so. [ He shrugs, though he has no idea if he's doing justice by dismissing what had obviously plagued Nier. ] Personally, I would never measure the worth of someone by something as abstract as a "soul".
And I don't know. [ He looks thoughtful, leaning in to look into Nier's eyes. ] It seems to me like there's something still quite important in there.
[ Maybe since Nier came here, having learned that people are from different worlds, he has compared Kainé and himself to others. Them, supposedly soulless puppets, to these true humans who are complete and whole.
He and Kainé have given each other value and that's enough, but it still shakes him to hear something like that. The laugh that comes from him is more genuine. ]
I don't need your validation, you know.
[ Nier pinches Claude's nose in hopes to have him back off. He doesn't want him to notice his eyes watering. ]
[ And it's a good thing, Claude took a step back, when the setting around them suddenly changes.
You wake up, and it's to a hand around your neck and the ominous glint of a blade in the moonlight.
It's the first time you've woken up like this. You're maybe five, or six years old, and you're filled with fear first, and panic second.
But you still know better than to scream.
You slap the arm that's keeping you pinned to your bed, and it doesn't do much, except wherever that knife misses wherever it was meant to cut, slashing deep and bloody over your chest instead, pain slicing through your veins as your legs kick out, earning a grunt of pain when they connect with—something soft and human.
The situation starts to take shape in your head, and something else seeps in around the fear: fury. Indignation. Rage that anyone would do this to you- you're a prince.
You kick again before your attacker manages to shield himself, into that same spot, another more pronounced cry of pain. But the reason your shadow stuck close was because this time, he lodges his blade into your shoulder, and it burns so much that you lose track of everything else. How hard your fists are beating into the arm around your neck. How furiously your legs are kicking at the shape above you until eventually it staggers back.
And against all odds, you get up too. The knife wasn't driven deep enough to stay in place when you move, and suddenly it's very accessible.
Suddenly the knife is in your hand and you're screaming, launching forward and you know that you hurt him, some where, some amount of times because there's blood spraying over your floors different from the droplets dripping from your own clothes. But you're only a child, and when the fog clears from your head you realize that the would-be assassin is gone.
It's just you, covered in blood and left without a scratch.
And he's left blinking, sighing as he makes a face. ]
[ Nier quickly looks around, thinking that maybe they can escape it, but then it's too late. The memory comes and he's immersed whether he wants to be or not. This isn't unfamiliar to him—his dying world is full of cruelty done to all ages and social statuses—but his heart still bleeds. It bleeds so much.
And his own rage combines with what he feels from the memory. It roars so loudly in his ears. ]
... Did you want me to pretend I didn't see that?
[ Nier knows at the very least Claude is a guarded person, somewhat distant. It's... Not the usual respite he offers, but it's an attempt for him. ]
[ A future of being able to sleep peacefully is what he remembers from their earlier conversations. It's sad for him because it's a small solace everyone deserves, but he puts it aside so he can smile like usual. ]
... I bet you don't want to hear what I'm going to say.
[ Nier certainly has a talent for leaving him speechless. Claude just stares at him for a moment, before giving into the embarrassment crawling up his neck and shielding his eyes with a groan. ]
You really can say all sorts of things with a straight face, huh?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ ... ]
Does Kainé know that you were erased? Or that you're not... human?
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[ Uhm. The erased part. He closes his eyes. ]
Yeah, she came here without remembering me, so she knows.
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She remembers you now, it seems? And... forgive me for asking, but a vessel for what?
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[ Nier still does not know how it works or why that happened, so hopefully Claude will never ask him about the specifics. ]
For true humans. Their souls.
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What is it exactly that makes you different from a "true" human?
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[ Apparently, that is important. ]
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[ Philosophy... ]
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[ drakenier characters really don't know their own canon ]
But... Does that matter?
[ Does he need to have a soul? ]
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And I don't know. [ He looks thoughtful, leaning in to look into Nier's eyes. ] It seems to me like there's something still quite important in there.
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He and Kainé have given each other value and that's enough, but it still shakes him to hear something like that. The laugh that comes from him is more genuine. ]
I don't need your validation, you know.
[ Nier pinches Claude's nose in hopes to have him back off. He doesn't want him to notice his eyes watering. ]
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No, but I do love hearing the sound of my own voice.
[ His voice is softer than usual though, when he answers. ]
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I guess it is a nice voice.
[ spoon where is my femblem memory ]
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[ And it's a good thing, Claude took a step back, when the setting around them suddenly changes.
It's the first time you've woken up like this. You're maybe five, or six years old, and you're filled with fear first, and panic second.
But you still know better than to scream.
You slap the arm that's keeping you pinned to your bed, and it doesn't do much, except wherever that knife misses wherever it was meant to cut, slashing deep and bloody over your chest instead, pain slicing through your veins as your legs kick out, earning a grunt of pain when they connect with—something soft and human.
The situation starts to take shape in your head, and something else seeps in around the fear: fury. Indignation. Rage that anyone would do this to you- you're a prince.
You kick again before your attacker manages to shield himself, into that same spot, another more pronounced cry of pain. But the reason your shadow stuck close was because this time, he lodges his blade into your shoulder, and it burns so much that you lose track of everything else. How hard your fists are beating into the arm around your neck. How furiously your legs are kicking at the shape above you until eventually it staggers back.
And against all odds, you get up too. The knife wasn't driven deep enough to stay in place when you move, and suddenly it's very accessible.
Suddenly the knife is in your hand and you're screaming, launching forward and you know that you hurt him, some where, some amount of times because there's blood spraying over your floors different from the droplets dripping from your own clothes. But you're only a child, and when the fog clears from your head you realize that the would-be assassin is gone.
It's just you, covered in blood and left without a scratch.
And he's left blinking, sighing as he makes a face. ]
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And his own rage combines with what he feels from the memory. It roars so loudly in his ears. ]
... Did you want me to pretend I didn't see that?
[ Nier knows at the very least Claude is a guarded person, somewhat distant. It's... Not the usual respite he offers, but it's an attempt for him. ]
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For your sake? Sure. For mine? I'm not bothered by something that happened years ago.
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[ Sometimes things that happened years ago stick to you. Nier knows that, but if Claude says it's fine then he won't argue it. ]
Cruelty comes in all shapes, doesn't it.
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It does. And it probably always will. There's not much we can do but try to combat it in whatever small ways we have available to us.
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... I bet you don't want to hear what I'm going to say.
[ Ominous. ]
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Maybe, but now you've got me curious.
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I want to protect you, Claude.
[ It's something simple, genuine, and this is one of Nier's ways of combating cruelty. ]
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You really can say all sorts of things with a straight face, huh?
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[ But then he sees Claude's reaction. His eyebrows arch into his bangs while his smile widens. ]
... I guess I was wrong.
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[ He rubs his hand over his face before dropping it, meeting Nier's eyes again. ]
In any case, I guess I should thank you.
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... For what? I should be thanking you.
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