MALIK;

[goalsides]

Comments

[godcards]

[ Malik glances at the soccer ball, notes Taichi's focus on it, and stares into the middle distance himself. He's quiet for a minute. ]

...Have you ever seen someone die before?

[goalsides]

[he should have seen the question coming, except he doesn't entirely. he doesn't fumble with the ball but something in his expression flickers to something a little panicked, and then a little angry, and then a little sad before flicking back to angry and then neutral.]

Yeah. Not like this, but something different. Have you?

[godcards]

[ He's pretty good at compartmentalizing his feelings, but the way this pulls at him makes him uncomfortable. Is it something he wants to talk about? Should he have asked? Well, it's too late now that the question is out there and Taichi's answer is hanging in the air. ]

It's the same for me.

[goalsides]

[hm. bad.]

...sorry to hear that, man. [because it's a neutral answer, something that says he acknowledges it and at the same time doesn't press.] None of this should've happened.

[godcards]

[ Malik is quiet again, ignoring the condolence. He's still thinking. Hm. ]

But it did. And there's nothing anybody can do about it.

[goalsides]

Not yet. I don't want to believe there's nothing we can do at all, now that we know about it.

[godcards]

[ He snaps back from his middle distance staring contest ]

Nothing you do will bring those two back. So what is it then... Revenge for what happened? Is that what you're trying to accomplish? On what knowledge? We don't really know anything.

[goalsides]

[...malik???]

I never said anything about revenge. It's to prevent it from happening again to somebody else.

[godcards]

How?

[ More emphatic this time. ]

[goalsides]

I don't know, Malik. That's what I'm trying to figure out!

[godcards]

There's nothing to figure out! People are going to hate each other and settle it how they see fit. Or worse, there's powers beyond our control-- you can't fight their invisible gods!

[goalsides]

You don't know what's out there or what can be done, so I'm going to try until we're out of options to try!

[godcards]

[ he stares -- glares -- but doesn't say anything more before he just. leaves. ]

[goalsides]

[this is the shortest pc because unfortunately taichi's himself, and it means that when malik leaves he watches for a moment before he turns to leave, too.]