That is very good to hear. Assuming that everyone who is here at CERES's behest is here for the same reason, teamwork and a sense of cohesion are absolutely vital to see these trials through. I would be concerned if people had splintered off into factions rather than help others.
There's no real reason to split off into factions, I think... Not when we all kinda agree that we just wanna get home. Now, if there was something else...
[...
Naoki knows how, given the option, people can turn on each other. But he shakes his head, happy to leave that thought aside for now. Even if it's never one that leaves.]
[that smt protag life She doesn't agree with his statement. Even when people have the goal in mind, if the methods used to reach that goal differ enough, then they will turn against one another. Perhaps not to the point where they would no longer work with one another, but complete harmony is difficult to attain, even though it is attainable.
But there's no reason to voice her thoughts—not here, at least. She's not so foolish as to start a philosophical debate in a place where danger could appear at any moment.]
Four months is a long time, yet not so long at all as well. Is this the average length of time most of the others have been here?
[She's startled enough by his last statement that she actually pauses for a beat in walking. It's barely noticeable, even if Naoki were watching her, but it's a pretty decent tell for her.]
Vanish...? With no reason, or have they decided to return to being unstructured data?
I think that CERES says that they've just been returned to the code, but...
[He makes a noise that says all too clearly I don't know about that. When he thinks about it, he remembers, faces and people he was rapidly growing fonder and fonder of.
Naoki closes his eyes for a moment, locks that away, and opens them to look forward.]
[She didn't mean to make him distressed, but she had to hear his answer. It's not what she was hoping for, but she's not blaming him for it. It's plain to see that Naoki's torn up about that response as much as she is.]
I did not intend to cause you pain. Let us leave this subject behind for now and continue on finding a way out.
[Yeaaah, nothing wrong. Sure. Miyako absolutely does not believe that, but she's got enough social awareness to know that making a fuss over the point won't get her anywhere. Thankfully, she does have a lot of questions, some far from the realm of people disappearing.]
I do have other questions. Do you frequent ViViD levels often? [The "Are they all weird like this?" is unvoiced, but obviously there.]
[Because pffft. Working. Or, well, Naoki just can't quite slide into the normalcy of a day-to-day job.] Usually you can just log out of them if you get sick of what's going on.
And they're not usually like this. I guess this is special, straight from CERES.
How fortunate I must be to have been found in such a rare occurrence. I am concerned about others who may have found themselves in here as well. If it is irregular for us to not be able to log out easily, I take it that means there could be ViViD users who are unprepared for such an odd experience. Is there any way of helping others once we leave, or must we find them here in order to help them?
I'm not sure. Usually, I've found that everyone gets out whether they're helped out of here or not... [Probably when CERES decides to quit with the shenanigans.]
But for the unprepared, they'd be better off if some of us came to try and help them anyway.
I agree. If we manage to find a way out of this hallway, I would like to assist any others who need it. But that is my decision, so please do not take my statement as a request for help. I will not turn it down if you are inclined to offer it, however
The difficulty lies in finding the way out, now. [And ditching their chanting, bloody mini-clones.]
[Naoki's eyebrow twitches with amusement. Don't take it as a request for help, huh? But she'll take it if he offers it? For a moment, it makes him think of home, which isn't necessarily a good thing, but in this case the thoughts aren't bad.]
I figure we're bound to find a way back up-- there's only one hallway. And then from there it gets tricky.
True enough, but will the way up be obvious to see? I apologize for my cynicism, but could it be possible for the exit to be hidden in the walls?
[What a pessimist. Not helping is her younger doppelgänger, who is now not so much whispering as proclaiming in a normal speaking voice, "You killed them all and the world still ended." Cheery.]
[Still, those words are enough to draw Naoki's attention down and he looks at her doppelganger for a long moment.]
...It's possible. We can check as we go. [He raps his knuckles against one of the walls adjacent to them. But then, unable to not ask:] Your world ended?
[Miyako can't really be anymore tense than she has been since she arrived in this infernal hallway, but Naoki's question manages to do it.]
So I have been told. I imagined that everyone who is had their world destroyed. Was I wrong?
[Yeah, totally not avoiding the question or anything. And she's definitely not trying to distance herself when she moves to the opposite wall and knocks against it.
[Oh yes, definitely not all of these things. Naoki's sharper than people give him credit for, but he also knows when to not push something. Politeness, and all.]
...Nah, you're not wrong. Some people just don't believe it.
Especially if their world already was destroyed. [On the other hand, Naoki can admit that without difficulty, bringing his hand up to gesture at himself with a jab of his thumb.]
[Frankly. This is the easiest thing for Naoki to talk about concerning his world, strangely enough.] They brought about an event called the "Conception", that'd destroy my world in preparation for it to be recreated.
[That was a terrifying concept. Miyako was no stranger to things that threatened the existence of her world, but the Triangulum and Administrators came on their own will. No one had called them to Earth.]
They orchestrated the event themselves? There were no outside powers that made the decision on their own?
[Although she can understand why people would want to remake the world. That was what her friends did in the previous iterations, and it was a better choice than to let the world die. But to call upon its destruction just for the sake of recreating it... That was truly terrifying.]
Yeah. I mean, an outside power is the one that destroyed the world, but Hikawa was the one who figured out the way to do it, and had help with it. The world might've ended on its own anyway in time, as its energy ran out, but...
[He shakes his head. Still, Hikawa had chosen to destroy it as opposed to wait for that time. And he'd wanted to impose his own vision of a world onto what would be.]
That...is horrifying. Even if one's dissatisfaction with the world is so strong that they desire to remake it, to destroy it willingly rather than acting with their own power is...cowardice! How vile and unforgivable he sounds.
[She falls silent for a moment, reigning in her reaction and emotions. He was willing enough to share his story, and that deserves something in return. When she speaks again, her voice is slow and methodical.]
My world was on the verge of destruction, but we were planning on defying that fate. That would have required remaking the world in some form, but that was a necessity in order to survive.
Even then, I would hope no one would have ever attempted such a level of destruction by forcing it themselves.
[The vehemence of her reaction has Naoki's eyes widening slightly, and there might be a tinge of gratitude in the quirk of his lips. It's not a bad feeling to hear that from others. He's thought by himself something similar.]
So your world... was going to be remade too? Were there different people who wanted to do it in a certain way?
[There were so many conflicting philosophies, but she hadn't been created yet when most of it happened.]
It was going to be remade for the third time, actually, and there were differences in opinion. At that point, however, our disagreements stemmed not from what sort of world we wanted, but from the methods of bringing that regression about. I...had my own plans, but they were wrong. I was fortunate enough to have friends and allies who cared about me enough to help me realize that.
[Miyako falls silent after that. She's still unused to the taste of failure, even though she bears her friends no anger or resentment. All of her bitterness stems from her being aware of own weakness, and admitting even a sliver of that to a stranger was both oddly liberating and incredibly painful.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Naoki
[She smiles, business-like but sincere.]
That is very good to hear. Assuming that everyone who is here at CERES's behest is here for the same reason, teamwork and a sense of cohesion are absolutely vital to see these trials through. I would be concerned if people had splintered off into factions rather than help others.
How long have you been here, if I may ask?
no subject
[...
Naoki knows how, given the option, people can turn on each other. But he shakes his head, happy to leave that thought aside for now. Even if it's never one that leaves.]
Anyway, it's been almost four months for me.
no subject
that smt protag lifeShe doesn't agree with his statement. Even when people have the goal in mind, if the methods used to reach that goal differ enough, then they will turn against one another. Perhaps not to the point where they would no longer work with one another, but complete harmony is difficult to attain, even though it is attainable.But there's no reason to voice her thoughts—not here, at least. She's not so foolish as to start a philosophical debate in a place where danger could appear at any moment.]
Four months is a long time, yet not so long at all as well. Is this the average length of time most of the others have been here?
no subject
[Naoki shakes his head as he continues walking.] People might be here for a couple of weeks and then just vanish. Or a month and just vanish.
[So it's hard for him to say.]
no subject
Vanish...? With no reason, or have they decided to return to being unstructured data?
no subject
[He makes a noise that says all too clearly I don't know about that. When he thinks about it, he remembers, faces and people he was rapidly growing fonder and fonder of.
Naoki closes his eyes for a moment, locks that away, and opens them to look forward.]
no subject
I did not intend to cause you pain. Let us leave this subject behind for now and continue on finding a way out.
no subject
Right. But I'm okay, if you've got other questions.
[He's definitely fine, yep, nothing wrong here.]
no subject
I do have other questions. Do you frequent ViViD levels often? [The "Are they all weird like this?" is unvoiced, but obviously there.]
no subject
[Because pffft. Working. Or, well, Naoki just can't quite slide into the normalcy of a day-to-day job.] Usually you can just log out of them if you get sick of what's going on.
And they're not usually like this. I guess this is special, straight from CERES.
no subject
How fortunate I must be to have been found in such a rare occurrence. I am concerned about others who may have found themselves in here as well. If it is irregular for us to not be able to log out easily, I take it that means there could be ViViD users who are unprepared for such an odd experience. Is there any way of helping others once we leave, or must we find them here in order to help them?
no subject
But for the unprepared, they'd be better off if some of us came to try and help them anyway.
no subject
The difficulty lies in finding the way out, now. [And ditching their chanting, bloody mini-clones.]
no subject
I figure we're bound to find a way back up-- there's only one hallway. And then from there it gets tricky.
no subject
[What a pessimist. Not helping is her younger doppelgänger, who is now not so much whispering as proclaiming in a normal speaking voice, "You killed them all and the world still ended." Cheery.]
no subject
...It's possible. We can check as we go. [He raps his knuckles against one of the walls adjacent to them. But then, unable to not ask:] Your world ended?
no subject
So I have been told. I imagined that everyone who is had their world destroyed. Was I wrong?
[Yeah, totally not avoiding the question or anything. And she's definitely not trying to distance herself when she moves to the opposite wall and knocks against it.
no subject
...Nah, you're not wrong. Some people just don't believe it.
Especially if their world already was destroyed. [On the other hand, Naoki can admit that without difficulty, bringing his hand up to gesture at himself with a jab of his thumb.]
no subject
You are of the latter. [A pause as she thinks.] Was it already destroyed by the Flamines, or another threat? You do not need to go into details.
no subject
[Frankly. This is the easiest thing for Naoki to talk about concerning his world, strangely enough.] They brought about an event called the "Conception", that'd destroy my world in preparation for it to be recreated.
no subject
They orchestrated the event themselves? There were no outside powers that made the decision on their own?
[Although she can understand why people would want to remake the world. That was what her friends did in the previous iterations, and it was a better choice than to let the world die. But to call upon its destruction just for the sake of recreating it... That was truly terrifying.]
no subject
Yeah. I mean, an outside power is the one that destroyed the world, but Hikawa was the one who figured out the way to do it, and had help with it. The world might've ended on its own anyway in time, as its energy ran out, but...
[He shakes his head. Still, Hikawa had chosen to destroy it as opposed to wait for that time. And he'd wanted to impose his own vision of a world onto what would be.]
no subject
[She falls silent for a moment, reigning in her reaction and emotions. He was willing enough to share his story, and that deserves something in return. When she speaks again, her voice is slow and methodical.]
My world was on the verge of destruction, but we were planning on defying that fate. That would have required remaking the world in some form, but that was a necessity in order to survive.
Even then, I would hope no one would have ever attempted such a level of destruction by forcing it themselves.
no subject
So your world... was going to be remade too? Were there different people who wanted to do it in a certain way?
[Conflicting philosophies?]
no subject
It was going to be remade for the third time, actually, and there were differences in opinion. At that point, however, our disagreements stemmed not from what sort of world we wanted, but from the methods of bringing that regression about. I...had my own plans, but they were wrong. I was fortunate enough to have friends and allies who cared about me enough to help me realize that.
[Miyako falls silent after that. She's still unused to the taste of failure, even though she bears her friends no anger or resentment. All of her bitterness stems from her being aware of own weakness, and admitting even a sliver of that to a stranger was both oddly liberating and incredibly painful.]
(no subject)