No, he doesn't. Or, he didn't know. Not much point in knowing it now that it's planted everywhere.
[and if it was helpful at all against everything the city was put through, then he's certain his brother wouldn't be all that pressed about sparking a weed epidemic.]
[He has deep regrets choosing a botany specialty now. Gone for one month, and his friend caused a divine ecological disaster. What a headache this is going to be.]
He wouldn't have gone to all that trouble if it didn't help.
[kni hasn't been allowed outside past the cottage and garden since shit hit the fan at the beginning of the month, but from what he's scrolled through on the network, it doesn't paint a very nice picture.]
You've seen what happened, right? It's all anyone is talking about.
[Whether or not it's rude to ask, Jun doesn't care. The mission is over, not like he's contracted to secrecy anymore. Plus...staying on a set topic sure makes it easier on Jun's side to keep things normal. ]
[the world outside kaisou is so vast, a giant unknown to him beyond what he can find in books and on maps. the city overwhelms him, he can't imagine what it must be like outside those limits.
it's scary, but his curiosity is triggered regardless.]
How did you get there? Was it by boat? Or did you fly by airplane?
[flying would seem like the optimal choice, but going by boat might be interesting too. the open sea doesn't scare him as much as it does vash.]
[he's almost forgotten his original task of taking these vegetable scraps to the animal pens. oops.]
Was it the boat that was in the harbor? The one that belonged to that pirate?
[jun has the benefit of being someone vash has spoken of fondly in the past, kni allowing himself to indulge in his inquisitive nature. what kind of person was jun, he wonders above all.]
[So...many questions. Jun is just gonna lean against a fence post to make himself comfortable. At least he didn't have anywhere pressing he needed to be at the moment, even if this was a little surreal. Kni really did seem like your typical curious kid. ]
It was, the Jackdaw.
And not really. This was my first time overseas in a long time.
Cawl-- [He sounds confused but then he remembers] Oh yeah, the Welsh soup. A few times, sure. It wasn't bad.
[Jun isn't a picky eater so long as there's no pork, so he didn't mind.
But ah... is that how Vash put it]
Did he? Mm... "gave" isn't quite how I'd put it, since it was never my property in the first place. [he should probably explain] This garden belongs to my friend's family, but they're no longer in the city. I looked after the garden for awhile after they left, but... it was pretty difficult to manage on my own.
Then I met Vash. He needed a place to stay, and was willing to tend to the garden. It seemed like like a good way to solve two problems at once, so I showed him this place.
[it isn't so much how vash put it, but how kni chooses to remember how vash explained it. details, shmetails.]
You trusted him to take care of this place that was special to you.
[it's almost a question, watching jun with an inquisitive stare. there are a thousand and one questions he still has rolling around in his head that he knows he could probably get away with asking by virtue of being a child asking them, but he'll tuck those away for later.]
Why don't you visit more? I'm sure Vash would like to see you.
[Jun freezes at the question, looking momentarily like a deer in the headlights. Oh that's so a question he did not want to be asked, especially by Kni of all people.
His avoidant ass is even weighing how bad idea it would be to just teleport away right now. Because BOY that sure is tempting. ]
[....Probably pretty bad. Ugh. He needs to say something, no matter how badly he wants to avoid it. Basic small talk was easy to keep the emotions at bay. But something like this.... it's the exact reason he wanted to stay away.
Should he try to lie and make excuses? No, the kid would probably see through that. Nor would it resolve anything.
... Well, it's been several months now. It was time to test that faith he had placed in Vash]
If I'm honest, it's because I didn't trust myself.
[...]
Have Vash and Wolfwood told you of Million Knives?
[it had been odd, sure, that someone vash seemed to hold in relatively high regard had been absent from visiting this place. his curiosity only piqued whenever jun's name came up in conversation, recognizing that there were pieces missing, but with other matters taking priority in his mind, kni was mostly content letting jun stay a mystery.
that name uttered washes over him like ice water. his posture tenses, eyes narrowing slightly.]
What do you know about Millions Knives?
[he shouldn't answer a question with a question, but it doesn't stop him from doing so anyway.]
[That certainly was his question being asked with a question. The reaction is enough to tell him that he's been clued in. He's not surprised, he couldn't see Wolfwood withholding the information for long
Will that mean Jun will indulge in every detail he knows? No.]
Just the basics, mostly. I'm not here to punish you over the sins of timeline you haven't lived.
[He's not going to elaborate on that part further, instead moving on with his own side of the story]
My past has it's share of similarities to Wolfwood, except it was Krusnik that harmed me before someone rescued me. Last summer, I received word that Krusnik had come to Kaisou to recapture me. And then right around that time... Vash contacted me and told me you had arrived, but as a child.
[So you know, that was some timing there]
Your brother insisted you deserved a chance. That your fate wasn't set in stone, and the path your future takes doesn't have to lead to Million Knives. [...] And really, even now... I want to believe more than anything that Vash is right about that. so I agreed to let him have that chance to prove it.
[He then gives an apologetic shrug]
But... for all the faith I have in my heart, it's still a human heart. I couldn't just easily ignore or erase the feelings my own past causes, especially not when Krusnik was an active threat. Nor would've it been fair of me to take those feelings out on you, when you haven't done anything.
So, I decided to keep my distance, at least until I had sorted my own situation and feelings out enough to handle things better. [Then, more gently] ...Sorry, that it's not a more pleasant answer.
[it isn't pleasant nor is it comforting to learn, although unsurprisingly, that there were more people here who knew kni and about his future. it was yet another thing out of his control, leaving him exposed and vulnerable to the judgment of strangers who have heard every side of the story apart from his own.
he can tell jun is choosing his words carefully, no doubt there is more the other knows that he won't say. not in this conversation, at least.]
And if you didn't give him a chance? What would you have done?
[kni had already kick-started the events of his soon-to-be future before even coming here, millions dead and lost to the sands of no man's land. did jun know that, or was it something vash kept to himself?
his fingers tighten around the bowl. he was alone here, no one to step between them if jun were to suddenly decide to change his judgment. no vash to stand up and declare kni could be good, if given enough of a chance.]
[Jun considers for a long moment. Months ago, he probably would've said something about eliminating him. But after killing that one Krusnik agent, the idea of doing that... it really doesn't sit well with him as much as he thought it would.
So after a moment, he finally says:]
Honestly? I'm not sure. My pact is "do what must be done".... which is, vague. And it's not like there's guidebooks on what to do in this situation.
[he shrugs]
If anything, I probably would've sought Sorey for advice first.
Hm... I suppose you could call him a big brother of mine, in a sense. [No need to exposition about shepherds right now] He's a trained therapist, so he usually gives me good advice or helps me see things in a different way.
[Sorey wasn't in town anymore, but he still talked to him when he could over voice chat]
I figured as much. If I was suspicious, I would've left by now.
Do you really need someone to tell you it's a bad idea to hurt a child?
[it isn't surprising to him; humans hurt their own kind for any number of inane reasons. sacrificing their own children to imaginary gods, placing the blame and guilt at the feet of higher powers conjured up as ways to control the masses. the holy scriptures he had read leading up to the great fall had painted a fine picture of humanity's history to him. religion was just a tool, an excuse to commit acts of terror and suffering, all for some greater purpose.
while he isn't interested in starting any fanatical religious organizations now (nor possibly ever), he could see why he might come around to the idea later on back on that planet.]
[Well that was a leap. Jun frowns, seeing the tactic for what it is. He knows he didn't vocalize anything about hurting kids. Was Kni is forcing a narrative for his own agenda? He won't get a clear rise out of Jun. His tone remains calm]
Considering in reality I choose to trust your brother, and I kept a distance to avoid causing you harm while I sorted my own issues... no, I don't need someone else to tell me that. And even in your "what-if" scenario, the one I'm consulting for ideas is a pacifist.
So no, I don't wish to do you harm, Kni.
[And that? Was the simple truth of the matter.]
...Yes? I mean, you kinda lack the... cult leader vibes.
Edited (reworded a couple things) 2023-12-19 01:40 (UTC)
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ornamentals) wrote2030-07-01 11:44 am
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[he shifts the bowl, head tilted as he sighs.]
No, he doesn't. Or, he didn't know. Not much point in knowing it now that it's planted everywhere.
[and if it was helpful at all against everything the city was put through, then he's certain his brother wouldn't be all that pressed about sparking a weed epidemic.]
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...Yeah, guess not.
[He has deep regrets choosing a botany specialty now. Gone for one month, and his friend caused a divine ecological disaster. What a headache this is going to be.]
Do you know if it actually helped?
[Please. Give him something.]
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[kni hasn't been allowed outside past the cottage and garden since shit hit the fan at the beginning of the month, but from what he's scrolled through on the network, it doesn't paint a very nice picture.]
You've seen what happened, right? It's all anyone is talking about.
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I was out of town for the past month, so no I didn't see anything that happened.
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Where did you go?
[it's probably rude to ask, but kni's tact is a work in progress still.]
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Europe. Denmark, specifically.
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it's scary, but his curiosity is triggered regardless.]
How did you get there? Was it by boat? Or did you fly by airplane?
[flying would seem like the optimal choice, but going by boat might be interesting too. the open sea doesn't scare him as much as it does vash.]
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We got there by boat. That's why it took so long, since it takes a few weeks to cross the ocean that way.
[The ocean is...big.]
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Was it the boat that was in the harbor? The one that belonged to that pirate?
[jun has the benefit of being someone vash has spoken of fondly in the past, kni allowing himself to indulge in his inquisitive nature. what kind of person was jun, he wonders above all.]
Do you travel overseas a lot?
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It was, the Jackdaw.
And not really. This was my first time overseas in a long time.
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[like there's more than one. maybe there will be, he's just taking this stuff in stride.]
Did you go alone? Or was that pirate with you? [a small pause,] Did you meet his rat?
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Mm, he was with us, along with a small crew.
And if you mean his cooking rat, I did meet him. He'd help with the meals on some nights.
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[but, he offers a momentary reprieve from another one hundred questions by changing the topic after he answers,]
Vash said you were the one who gave him this place.
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[Jun isn't a picky eater so long as there's no pork, so he didn't mind.
But ah... is that how Vash put it]
Did he? Mm... "gave" isn't quite how I'd put it, since it was never my property in the first place. [he should probably explain] This garden belongs to my friend's family, but they're no longer in the city. I looked after the garden for awhile after they left, but... it was pretty difficult to manage on my own.
Then I met Vash. He needed a place to stay, and was willing to tend to the garden. It seemed like like a good way to solve two problems at once, so I showed him this place.
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You trusted him to take care of this place that was special to you.
[it's almost a question, watching jun with an inquisitive stare. there are a thousand and one questions he still has rolling around in his head that he knows he could probably get away with asking by virtue of being a child asking them, but he'll tuck those away for later.]
Why don't you visit more? I'm sure Vash would like to see you.
1/2
His avoidant ass is even weighing how bad idea it would be to just teleport away right now. Because BOY that sure is tempting. ]
2/2
Should he try to lie and make excuses? No, the kid would probably see through that. Nor would it resolve anything.
... Well, it's been several months now. It was time to test that faith he had placed in Vash]
If I'm honest, it's because I didn't trust myself.
[...]
Have Vash and Wolfwood told you of Million Knives?
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that name uttered washes over him like ice water. his posture tenses, eyes narrowing slightly.]
What do you know about Millions Knives?
[he shouldn't answer a question with a question, but it doesn't stop him from doing so anyway.]
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Will that mean Jun will indulge in every detail he knows? No.]
Just the basics, mostly. I'm not here to punish you over the sins of timeline you haven't lived.
[He's not going to elaborate on that part further, instead moving on with his own side of the story]
My past has it's share of similarities to Wolfwood, except it was Krusnik that harmed me before someone rescued me. Last summer, I received word that Krusnik had come to Kaisou to recapture me. And then right around that time... Vash contacted me and told me you had arrived, but as a child.
[So you know, that was some timing there]
Your brother insisted you deserved a chance. That your fate wasn't set in stone, and the path your future takes doesn't have to lead to Million Knives. [...] And really, even now... I want to believe more than anything that Vash is right about that. so I agreed to let him have that chance to prove it.
[He then gives an apologetic shrug]
But... for all the faith I have in my heart, it's still a human heart. I couldn't just easily ignore or erase the feelings my own past causes, especially not when Krusnik was an active threat. Nor would've it been fair of me to take those feelings out on you, when you haven't done anything.
So, I decided to keep my distance, at least until I had sorted my own situation and feelings out enough to handle things better. [Then, more gently] ...Sorry, that it's not a more pleasant answer.
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he can tell jun is choosing his words carefully, no doubt there is more the other knows that he won't say. not in this conversation, at least.]
And if you didn't give him a chance? What would you have done?
[kni had already kick-started the events of his soon-to-be future before even coming here, millions dead and lost to the sands of no man's land. did jun know that, or was it something vash kept to himself?
his fingers tighten around the bowl. he was alone here, no one to step between them if jun were to suddenly decide to change his judgment. no vash to stand up and declare kni could be good, if given enough of a chance.]
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So after a moment, he finally says:]
Honestly? I'm not sure. My pact is "do what must be done".... which is, vague. And it's not like there's guidebooks on what to do in this situation.
[he shrugs]
If anything, I probably would've sought Sorey for advice first.
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Who is 'Sorey'?
[another person to be on alert for? did they know about kni, too?]
I don't have any intentions to start a cult here, if that isn't already obvious.
[it hadn't been something he really considered at all until wolfwood gave him that talk.]
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[Sorey wasn't in town anymore, but he still talked to him when he could over voice chat]
I figured as much. If I was suspicious, I would've left by now.
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[it isn't surprising to him; humans hurt their own kind for any number of inane reasons. sacrificing their own children to imaginary gods, placing the blame and guilt at the feet of higher powers conjured up as ways to control the masses. the holy scriptures he had read leading up to the great fall had painted a fine picture of humanity's history to him. religion was just a tool, an excuse to commit acts of terror and suffering, all for some greater purpose.
while he isn't interested in starting any fanatical religious organizations now (nor possibly ever), he could see why he might come around to the idea later on back on that planet.]
That's it?
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Considering in reality I choose to trust your brother, and I kept a distance to avoid causing you harm while I sorted my own issues... no, I don't need someone else to tell me that. And even in your "what-if" scenario, the one I'm consulting for ideas is a pacifist.
So no, I don't wish to do you harm, Kni.
[And that? Was the simple truth of the matter.]
...Yes? I mean, you kinda lack the... cult leader vibes.
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