[ Lacus is out of tears. Her breathing has steadied and her gaze has calmed, even as her eyes are still swollen. Lobelia had asked her not to cry for him and she hadn't been able to fulfill that request, but she'll keep every other promise they've made.
For now, though, she needs to get away from everyone. There's a feeling in her heart that none in the group can share and she'd rather not have it interrogated by others. Only one person comes to mind who might comprehend what it is she's thinking and--
Of course he's here. At the beach, where you can hear the waves so well. A beautiful spot, truly.
Lacus is clutching a conch in her hands as she approaches, Mr. Pink and an identical orange Haro hopping behind her silently. ]
... Temenos. Do you wish to be alone, or can I keep you company?
[Temenos is indeed here, sitting on a lounger as he and Lobelia had done in the past and sipping at a glass of red wine as he contemplates the events of the day. He has similarly managed to collect himself to the best of his ability, but as he watches the waves roll in, he can't help but give in to the constant barrage of Lobelia and Beelzebub's deaths replaying in his mind. What could he have done differently to prevent this? Could he have done anything at all? Did he let this happen?
Mercifully, Lacus's presence breaks him away from such thoughts. He looks toward her with a smile. It's gentle and serene as always, but it doesn't quite meet his eyes.]
I would greatly appreciate your company, Lacus. Please, come have a seat.
[He's fully aware of all the criticism that he rightfully deserves for today's events, and he'll bear the weight of it all. But he and Lacus saw something in Lobelia that the others did not. It's hard to not want to reach out now that the man is gone.]
[ Lacus gives only the barest hint of a smile as she accepts his invitation and sits down herself. And for a little while, she is silent. Even her two Haro companions settle by her legs without a sound. Lacus' fingers run over the shell in her hand.
Are there words to describe what they have just experienced? Is there a way to meaningfully share the way she feels right now? Maybe there isn't. Maybe it's the same paradox as the idea of a world in which Lobelia can be happy.
But even if it's an impossibility, Lacus will keep striving towards it. It's what she does. ]
... he was very fond of you, even if it wasn't love. Does that make it better or worse, I wonder?
[There really is no good way to start talking about Lobelia, but this is a good of a start as any. Temenos can't help himself- he laughs. Ruefully, as it always was with Lobelia.]
I wouldn't call what I felt for him love, either. In many respects, I absolutely loathed him. Were we of the same world, we would be natural enemies.
[He stops himself before he can continue, and exhales.]
...but he had an irritating talent for seeing right through me. He dragged my worst qualities into the light and forced me to look at them. I am sure he would find a great deal of pride in hearing me say this, but we really were so alike. Two sides of the same coin.
I felt something of an affinity for him, at the end.
Lacus can't help the way her eyes widen with every further word out of his mouth. For a few long seconds, all she can do is silently study him as though she was seeing him for the very first time. ]
... it appears that you and I also have more affinity between us than I ever suspected.
[ Most of these words could have come from her own mouth. "Were we of the same world, we would be natural enemies." Of course. It's the exact conversation she's had with Lobelia at the end of their first week. In the same world, they would have destroyed one another. ]
To say that Lobelia is alike to myself would likely cause some confusion, but there was something within him that is within me as well. The same guiding principle, the same determination, split in different directions and becoming polar opposite forces.
Nobody has ever come to understand me this fast. I fear that nobody else ever will.
[It comes as a shock to Temenos, too. But the more Lacus explains, the more this makes what he saw at the beach this morning so much clearer. His smile spreads as he takes another sip of wine.]
Well, well. Who would have guessed that he'd find so many kindred spirits on this island? Though I suppose that can now be said for the both of us as well, hm?
I presume by this guiding principle, you speak of a shared search for happiness?
[ Indeed, there is an unexpected amount of mirrors for Lobelia to be found on this island. Lacus has appreciated Temenos for his leader qualities since their first days on the island, but there had been little reason to think further about any comparison between the two of them.
That they get to reconsider this now might be another strange gift Lobelia left for them. She nods. ]
"Everyone has the right to be happy— everyone and anyone." The words Lobelia's parents left for him.
"The world belongs to you and also you belong to the world, as long as you are born and exist in this world." The words that are the clearest memory I have of my own late mother.
And “all lives are meant to fight for a desired future.” The conclusion I myself have come to, the world I have chosen despite its potential to hurt its inhabitants over the course of their pursuit.
[ She looks off towards the horizon as she speaks, as if seeking guidance from somebody who is not here at all. ]
The happiness of one, compared to the happiness of all... Were it my own world, I would have become his enemy. But here, I could think about him, about his happiness and his place in my own desired future.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Week 3; Post-Trial
For now, though, she needs to get away from everyone. There's a feeling in her heart that none in the group can share and she'd rather not have it interrogated by others. Only one person comes to mind who might comprehend what it is she's thinking and--
Of course he's here. At the beach, where you can hear the waves so well. A beautiful spot, truly.
Lacus is clutching a conch in her hands as she approaches, Mr. Pink and an identical orange Haro hopping behind her silently. ]
... Temenos. Do you wish to be alone, or can I keep you company?
no subject
Mercifully, Lacus's presence breaks him away from such thoughts. He looks toward her with a smile. It's gentle and serene as always, but it doesn't quite meet his eyes.]
I would greatly appreciate your company, Lacus. Please, come have a seat.
[He's fully aware of all the criticism that he rightfully deserves for today's events, and he'll bear the weight of it all. But he and Lacus saw something in Lobelia that the others did not. It's hard to not want to reach out now that the man is gone.]
no subject
Are there words to describe what they have just experienced? Is there a way to meaningfully share the way she feels right now? Maybe there isn't. Maybe it's the same paradox as the idea of a world in which Lobelia can be happy.
But even if it's an impossibility, Lacus will keep striving towards it. It's what she does. ]
... he was very fond of you, even if it wasn't love. Does that make it better or worse, I wonder?
no subject
I wouldn't call what I felt for him love, either. In many respects, I absolutely loathed him. Were we of the same world, we would be natural enemies.
[He stops himself before he can continue, and exhales.]
...but he had an irritating talent for seeing right through me. He dragged my worst qualities into the light and forced me to look at them. I am sure he would find a great deal of pride in hearing me say this, but we really were so alike. Two sides of the same coin.
I felt something of an affinity for him, at the end.
no subject
Lacus can't help the way her eyes widen with every further word out of his mouth. For a few long seconds, all she can do is silently study him as though she was seeing him for the very first time. ]
... it appears that you and I also have more affinity between us than I ever suspected.
[ Most of these words could have come from her own mouth. "Were we of the same world, we would be natural enemies." Of course. It's the exact conversation she's had with Lobelia at the end of their first week. In the same world, they would have destroyed one another. ]
To say that Lobelia is alike to myself would likely cause some confusion, but there was something within him that is within me as well. The same guiding principle, the same determination, split in different directions and becoming polar opposite forces.
Nobody has ever come to understand me this fast. I fear that nobody else ever will.
no subject
Well, well. Who would have guessed that he'd find so many kindred spirits on this island? Though I suppose that can now be said for the both of us as well, hm?
I presume by this guiding principle, you speak of a shared search for happiness?
no subject
That they get to reconsider this now might be another strange gift Lobelia left for them. She nods. ]
"Everyone has the right to be happy— everyone and anyone." The words Lobelia's parents left for him.
"The world belongs to you and also you belong to the world, as long as you are born and exist in this world." The words that are the clearest memory I have of my own late mother.
And “all lives are meant to fight for a desired future.” The conclusion I myself have come to, the world I have chosen despite its potential to hurt its inhabitants over the course of their pursuit.
[ She looks off towards the horizon as she speaks, as if seeking guidance from somebody who is not here at all. ]
The happiness of one, compared to the happiness of all... Were it my own world, I would have become his enemy. But here, I could think about him, about his happiness and his place in my own desired future.