[Her laugh startles him because he hasn't really heard her do much of it, and his head swivels around almost like he forgot she had been there? He was Too Focused.
This makes him... somewhat embarrassed, but more exasperatedly again than anything else.] What's so funny? [Don't laugh at his good boy deed...] Maybe I enjoy soda. [Damian doesn't look like the type of person to enjoy anything much less enjoy and drink soda.]
[ That's honestly fair, because this is actually the first time Kisa's laughed since she came here. And she at least has the courtesy to look apologetic, while... smiling. OOPS. ]
I'm sorry... I was just surprised. But that was kind of you.
[ ... Maybe that's it. Maybe she needs to think about making a wish for someone else's sake and save the second wish for when she can think more about it. ]
[Damian and kindness don't belong in the same sentence, shh.
Stepping back, he offers her the rope without moving it enough to ring the bell.] Dextera was trying to make soda for Ichinose. [This isn't for Guren!!! IT'S FOR DEXTERA, FOR REAL.] Your turn.
Have you decided? You can wish for something from home that you don't have here, if you want.
[ He literally just wished for something for someone else, that's the epitome of being kind?? Damian????
Kisa studies the bell for a long moment, turning that idea over in her head. Something from home... there isn't really anything. Except maybe her mom's or Tohru's cooking, but that seems kind of like a silly wish to make. Besides, if Damian's making a wish for his friend...
That decides her, and she gives the rope a firm tug, looking up at the bell as it rings. ]
I wish... for Damian to get something important from home. So he isn't as lonely.
[What THE.] N-- [One hand lifts, barely. It's too late. The bell rings first, and as soon as she says the words, there isn't anything he can do. The contract is sealed.]
Nn. [He doesn't seem mad... maybe frustrated.] Why did you do that? You were supposed to wish for something for yourself.
[Shit. He's gonna have to find someone else to drag to make a wish so he can give Kisa something. Or, like, think of something he can do himself.]
[ Kisa (calmly, quietly, sincerely) does what she wants. That's why. As she lets go of the rope, she turns to look at him with a slightly curious cant of her head. ]
[His sigh is the hissing, pained sigh of one who has just had their friend playfully rebuke them.] Not the point. Do as I say, not as I do, girl. [It's... touching, and he doesn't want to admit it.] At least there's two wishes. You have another one you can try.
For yourself. [laugh_track.mp3] You could have wished for something for someone else. [More deserving, he thinks? Does Kisa know anyone else besides Sierra, he wonders.]
[ She does, but in terms of close friends, well. That's a little tougher.
For now, though, Kisa simply frowns. She can get why he'd want her to wish for herself, because Damian's like that. But telling her she ought to have wished for something for anyone else except him... ]
[Straight for the heart. The pause might be all the answer she needs if she's perceptive enough. His frown may be one of the hardest he's had in front of her yet. Not angry. A tad defensive in the attempt to probably begin to slide into denial.] I like myself fine. [There it is.]
Your wish shouldn't be wasted on me, however. I don't need anything. [His brows don't soften so much as loosen in resignation.] I'm not the kind of person wishes should be given to by someone else.
[ In response, Kisa's gaze softens, shifts into something sad. Because that pause really had been all she'd needed, more than what he actually says. There may be things that fly over her head more often than not, but she's perceptive when it counts-- when someone hides what they're feeling behind short pauses or briefly widening eyes and quickly cover for it.
And to her, it's extremely sad that someone like Damian Wayne doesn't actually like himself enough, isn't confident in the one area that she thinks is probably the most important. ]
You're my friend. [ quietly, her eyebrows knitting together. ]
And I don't think I wasted it... no matter what you think. You're still an important person to me.
[Man, how many times has he heard this sort of things from others? Jon, Dextera. Having friends is painful. She's only doing the same thing he's doing, the same thing he does regularly.
But it just feels different to him.] I doubt you would think that if you knew half of the things I've done. There's better people to give a wish to than me.
I thought you were going to wish for your family to never come here.
[ Even though you told her it probably wouldn't work, punk. But Kisa continues to stare at him quietly, before she steps back and tilts her head back the way they came. Come on, Damian, let's meander back. ]
... But you won't know what I think if you don't tell me. And right now... I still think you deserve it.
[Without hesitation, he turns with her to head back toward town. He can't stop her from wasting one wish on him, but he might be able to keep himself from having to admit how terribly bloody his hands are. Jokes on him. It's like he forgets who he's talking to honestly.]
If you think I deserve it, you can use your second wish to see all of the things I've done. [He thinks she probably has something better to wish for; therefore, he has nothing to worry in regards to his his threat.] Then you'll change your mind.
Otherwise, they aren't something a girl should be hearing. All you need to know is they're bad.
[ Her eyebrows snap together, and while she's silent for a long minute, for once... there's absolutely no indication on how she feels just by looking at her. Her expression is entirely unreadable.
And then, finally: ]
If I... if you don't tell me yourself, then I don't want to know. I'm not going to use a wish just so... you can try to prove me wrong.
Asking me to wish for that instead of hearing it from you... just means you're not ready to believe in me yet. And that's fine.
... But don't say things like that-- that me being a girl means I need to be protected from hearing bad things.
[Good. Not good he made her upset. Good she won’t waste the wish on such awful things. Ugly of him to threaten her with it in the first place, but he thought maybe it would show her: he’s a rude, socially stunted brat. Hanging around him as a friend is the last thing she needs.
Jon had told him everyone at school was scared of him. His response? “Good.”] Make no mistake, it isn’t because you’re a girl. I’ve known plenty of girls who have experienced bad things for themselves. It’s because... [He shakes his head dismissively. He appreciates her feistiness about it. That she’ll tell him like it is, wants to hear it from him.]
[ Kisa is going to stick close to him out of stubbornness at this rate-- well, no. There's still fondness there. Just... something like frustration too.
He paints such a kind picture of her, but she's still that young tiger struggling to keep from running away from every single thing. She'd fled because she couldn't even believe in herself anymore. She couldn't believe in her classmates. Her mother. She'd been too afraid of disappointing everyone. ]
... Do you... really believe I'd hate you? If I knew?
I’m starting to believe you wouldn’t, and maybe that’s the most annoying part.
[He cuts a look over at her; it’s not angry and it’s not jeering. Confused maybe. He isn’t sure how to tackle this kind of stubbornness even after putting up with Jon for so incredibly long.]
It would take too long to tell. That’s how much I’ve done. I’m not of the mindset it couldn’t be fixed. Barely. Some things are unforgivable. But I don’t deserve unnecessary kindness. Especially not someone else’s wish they could have used for themselves.
Anyway, what’s done is done. If I even receive anything... I’ll show you. If I can.
[ It's a concession, she thinks. Or maybe a compromise. At the very least, he's not completely fighting her on this, and if he thinks that there's at least a slight chance that she won't flee from... whatever he's done, Kisa will count that as something promising.
So she merely sighs and offers him a nod. ]
Okay. I--
[ Aaaaand that is about the time she freezes up, because that sure was a low growl coming from the left, and that is most definitely a large, bear-shaped thing heading for them slowly and purposefully. ]
[For being thirteen, it's amazing how zero to sixty Damian can get about combat. One arm shoots out to the side to get her to stop and stay back, but he stands resilient and unafraid as the strange forest bear approaches.]
Put your back to a tree. Don't get in the way.
[It seemed as if he had came with nothing except his fists, but he's a Bat. The bear is faced head on, and he pulls the stone arrowhead dagger he made on the island of sirens out of the inside of his jacket from his waist.] And here I was beginning to get bored and stale. [He's probably smirking; the sneer is in his voice.
He doesn't mind tearing apart mutated forest animals, not really. Not when they're hostile.
Taking off is a showcase in speed and agility. He closes the distance between him and the bear, hopefully leaving Kisa far enough out of the way. The goal is to not get hit. He's smart enough to know taking a swipe is going to hurt--he's banking on being faster, smaller.
Slippery, he skids beneath one of the giant paws and out of range on the side of the snapping teeth. There's no hesitation to plunge the dagger between the ribs, in and out, quickly, and he keeps going because the bear will likely rage. He grabs a fistful of fur, hauls himself onto the back using the dagger as a climbing pick.
Maybe it is true, what he said. About having done a lot of terrible things.]
[ ... Well. This is a fun experience, except not really. Eyes wide and countenance startled, Kisa nonetheless obeys, backing up to press her back against the nearest tree.
Watching Damian fight, actually savage this time instead of attempting not to kill whatever wants him dead, is a little staggering. Through it all, she doesn't move, nor does she look away, as much as she actually wants to shrink back and close her eyes. It's hard to watch.
Not that the bear is making it easy, either. It's still trying to buck Damian off, letting out a roar so loud that snow shivers off the tree branches. But Damian seems to know what he's doing, and as long as the bear doesn't actually charge in her direction, Kisa won't budge.
Maybe it's true, what he said. About having done a lot of terrible things.
But that doesn't change the fact that he's still her friend, and she doesn't want to see him hurt, even though she'd definitely heard that confident sneer in his voice. ]
[The bear is pincushioned. Every chance he's able when not being bucked around, he plunges the dagger into the bear's backside. It rears and roars, and the fur breaks away under his gripping hand. He slips, bumps down, but grabs on again like he's unworried.
He's satisfied with the instigating. It's time to end it mercifully, no matter if it's a mutated creature or a normal one. But as he's scaling the bear's back, it decides, nevermind Kisa, it wants to charge for the tree. Damian thinks it's going to try to squash him.]
Watch out!
[He trips with the sudden burst forth, slamming down on his stomach and hanging on. He has to use the dagger as a climbing pick again, but the bear is unbothered by the pain. Tunnel vision. The struggle to the shoulders while holding on is something else. He shoves the dagger into the side of the bear's neck once he's far enough up, then flings himself over the shoulders and around front.
He drags the dagger with him, clinging to it, pulling it as far across the bear's neck as he can. As long as he's able, he keeps his legs tucked up, until the bear's front crashes down against the ground, and then he drops his heels to try to brake the slide all the way up to Kisa, two or so feet away.
When the rolling dirt settles and the bear ceases growling, all that's left is Damian's labored breathing in the alcove of the bear's head and chest. He yanks the dagger out, covered more than halfway with blood.]
[ Kisa's moved, darted to the side if just because she's not entirely ready to be plowed into by a bear; thankfully, Damian's stopped the attack at the last minute, but it still takes a few additional seconds for her to remember how to breathe.
But slowly, she takes a breath, and then moves forward the remaining two feet to check on Damian. She doesn't think she saw it bite him or get any kind of claw marks scored into his skin, but still. ]
[A moment or two of pause, and then he leans up out of the bulk of the bear as Kisa runs over.] I'm fine. [He's very bloody. There's no telling if it belongs to him or the bear, but bets are definitely on the bear because he's still standing.]
We should go. It made too much noise. Other things could be attracted.
[Despite being... gross, he takes her by the hand and turns them around, his other hand brandishing the dagger low. As if he didn't just bust a huge, mutated bear without breaking too much of a sweat.
He's not running, but unlike before, his pace is brisk and his strides are long. She'll have to work to keep up, at least until they're out of the forest.]
[ That's... probably to be expected, and she can't really blame him, nor does she flinch when he grasps her hand and tugs her along. And to her credit, Kisa does try to keep up, understanding Damian's urgency and staying silent in order to focus on the important things, like. Breathing. Not tripping in her haste to keep up.
Once they're out of the forest and Damian finally stops, though, she's (quietly) breathing hard, one hand pressed over her chest. ]
[Kisa doesn't have to worry about being alone. Damian's stamina is excellent; he's not out of breath, but he pauses alongside her when they're out of the forest so he can try to level his lungs out.
When he lets go of her hand, it's somewhat apologetic. He turns his over and peers at it. He's... covered in blood and messy. RIP. Sorry, Kisa for the dirty hand.]
Are you okay? [She's dying, Damian.] Let's make a deal right here not to go back into the forest for a long while. I'm getting tired of its games.
[WHO WILL BE THE FIRST TO BREAK THIS PROMISE BETWEEN THEM. Damian surely.]
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This makes him... somewhat embarrassed, but more exasperatedly again than anything else.] What's so funny? [Don't laugh at his good boy deed...] Maybe I enjoy soda. [Damian doesn't look like the type of person to enjoy anything much less enjoy and drink soda.]
It isn't for me.
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I'm sorry... I was just surprised. But that was kind of you.
[ ... Maybe that's it. Maybe she needs to think about making a wish for someone else's sake and save the second wish for when she can think more about it. ]
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Stepping back, he offers her the rope without moving it enough to ring the bell.] Dextera was trying to make soda for Ichinose. [This isn't for Guren!!! IT'S FOR DEXTERA, FOR REAL.] Your turn.
Have you decided? You can wish for something from home that you don't have here, if you want.
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Kisa studies the bell for a long moment, turning that idea over in her head. Something from home... there isn't really anything. Except maybe her mom's or Tohru's cooking, but that seems kind of like a silly wish to make. Besides, if Damian's making a wish for his friend...
That decides her, and she gives the rope a firm tug, looking up at the bell as it rings. ]
I wish... for Damian to get something important from home. So he isn't as lonely.
[ Ah, well. Yolo. ]
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Nn. [He doesn't seem mad... maybe frustrated.] Why did you do that? You were supposed to wish for something for yourself.
[Shit. He's gonna have to find someone else to drag to make a wish so he can give Kisa something. Or, like, think of something he can do himself.]
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You didn't wish for yourself.
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For yourself. [laugh_track.mp3] You could have wished for something for someone else. [More deserving, he thinks? Does Kisa know anyone else besides Sierra, he wonders.]
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For now, though, Kisa simply frowns. She can get why he'd want her to wish for herself, because Damian's like that. But telling her she ought to have wished for something for anyone else except him... ]
... Damian.
[ ... ]
You don't... really like yourself, do you?
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Your wish shouldn't be wasted on me, however. I don't need anything. [His brows don't soften so much as loosen in resignation.] I'm not the kind of person wishes should be given to by someone else.
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And to her, it's extremely sad that someone like Damian Wayne doesn't actually like himself enough, isn't confident in the one area that she thinks is probably the most important. ]
You're my friend. [ quietly, her eyebrows knitting together. ]
And I don't think I wasted it... no matter what you think. You're still an important person to me.
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But it just feels different to him.] I doubt you would think that if you knew half of the things I've done. There's better people to give a wish to than me.
I thought you were going to wish for your family to never come here.
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[ Even though you told her it probably wouldn't work, punk. But Kisa continues to stare at him quietly, before she steps back and tilts her head back the way they came. Come on, Damian, let's meander back. ]
... But you won't know what I think if you don't tell me. And right now... I still think you deserve it.
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If you think I deserve it, you can use your second wish to see all of the things I've done. [He thinks she probably has something better to wish for; therefore, he has nothing to worry in regards to his his threat.] Then you'll change your mind.
Otherwise, they aren't something a girl should be hearing. All you need to know is they're bad.
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[ Her eyebrows snap together, and while she's silent for a long minute, for once... there's absolutely no indication on how she feels just by looking at her. Her expression is entirely unreadable.
And then, finally: ]
If I... if you don't tell me yourself, then I don't want to know. I'm not going to use a wish just so... you can try to prove me wrong.
Asking me to wish for that instead of hearing it from you... just means you're not ready to believe in me yet. And that's fine.
... But don't say things like that-- that me being a girl means I need to be protected from hearing bad things.
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Jon had told him everyone at school was scared of him. His response? “Good.”] Make no mistake, it isn’t because you’re a girl. I’ve known plenty of girls who have experienced bad things for themselves. It’s because... [He shakes his head dismissively. He appreciates her feistiness about it. That she’ll tell him like it is, wants to hear it from him.]
It’s because you still believe in people.
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He paints such a kind picture of her, but she's still that young tiger struggling to keep from running away from every single thing. She'd fled because she couldn't even believe in herself anymore. She couldn't believe in her classmates. Her mother. She'd been too afraid of disappointing everyone. ]
... Do you... really believe I'd hate you? If I knew?
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[He cuts a look over at her; it’s not angry and it’s not jeering. Confused maybe. He isn’t sure how to tackle this kind of stubbornness even after putting up with Jon for so incredibly long.]
It would take too long to tell. That’s how much I’ve done. I’m not of the mindset it couldn’t be fixed. Barely. Some things are unforgivable. But I don’t deserve unnecessary kindness. Especially not someone else’s wish they could have used for themselves.
Anyway, what’s done is done. If I even receive anything... I’ll show you. If I can.
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So she merely sighs and offers him a nod. ]
Okay. I--
[ Aaaaand that is about the time she freezes up, because that sure was a low growl coming from the left, and that is most definitely a large, bear-shaped thing heading for them slowly and purposefully. ]
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Put your back to a tree. Don't get in the way.
[It seemed as if he had came with nothing except his fists, but he's a Bat. The bear is faced head on, and he pulls the stone arrowhead dagger he made on the island of sirens out of the inside of his jacket from his waist.] And here I was beginning to get bored and stale. [He's probably smirking; the sneer is in his voice.
He doesn't mind tearing apart mutated forest animals, not really. Not when they're hostile.
Taking off is a showcase in speed and agility. He closes the distance between him and the bear, hopefully leaving Kisa far enough out of the way. The goal is to not get hit. He's smart enough to know taking a swipe is going to hurt--he's banking on being faster, smaller.
Slippery, he skids beneath one of the giant paws and out of range on the side of the snapping teeth. There's no hesitation to plunge the dagger between the ribs, in and out, quickly, and he keeps going because the bear will likely rage. He grabs a fistful of fur, hauls himself onto the back using the dagger as a climbing pick.
Maybe it is true, what he said. About having done a lot of terrible things.]
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Watching Damian fight, actually savage this time instead of attempting not to kill whatever wants him dead, is a little staggering. Through it all, she doesn't move, nor does she look away, as much as she actually wants to shrink back and close her eyes. It's hard to watch.
Not that the bear is making it easy, either. It's still trying to buck Damian off, letting out a roar so loud that snow shivers off the tree branches. But Damian seems to know what he's doing, and as long as the bear doesn't actually charge in her direction, Kisa won't budge.
Maybe it's true, what he said. About having done a lot of terrible things.
But that doesn't change the fact that he's still her friend, and she doesn't want to see him hurt, even though she'd definitely heard that confident sneer in his voice. ]
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He's satisfied with the instigating. It's time to end it mercifully, no matter if it's a mutated creature or a normal one. But as he's scaling the bear's back, it decides, nevermind Kisa, it wants to charge for the tree. Damian thinks it's going to try to squash him.]
Watch out!
[He trips with the sudden burst forth, slamming down on his stomach and hanging on. He has to use the dagger as a climbing pick again, but the bear is unbothered by the pain. Tunnel vision. The struggle to the shoulders while holding on is something else. He shoves the dagger into the side of the bear's neck once he's far enough up, then flings himself over the shoulders and around front.
He drags the dagger with him, clinging to it, pulling it as far across the bear's neck as he can. As long as he's able, he keeps his legs tucked up, until the bear's front crashes down against the ground, and then he drops his heels to try to brake the slide all the way up to Kisa, two or so feet away.
When the rolling dirt settles and the bear ceases growling, all that's left is Damian's labored breathing in the alcove of the bear's head and chest. He yanks the dagger out, covered more than halfway with blood.]
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But slowly, she takes a breath, and then moves forward the remaining two feet to check on Damian. She doesn't think she saw it bite him or get any kind of claw marks scored into his skin, but still. ]
Are you okay...?
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We should go. It made too much noise. Other things could be attracted.
[Despite being... gross, he takes her by the hand and turns them around, his other hand brandishing the dagger low. As if he didn't just bust a huge, mutated bear without breaking too much of a sweat.
He's not running, but unlike before, his pace is brisk and his strides are long. She'll have to work to keep up, at least until they're out of the forest.]
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Once they're out of the forest and Damian finally stops, though, she's (quietly) breathing hard, one hand pressed over her chest. ]
my inbox was at 666 until this tag im dying
When he lets go of her hand, it's somewhat apologetic. He turns his over and peers at it. He's... covered in blood and messy. RIP. Sorry, Kisa for the dirty hand.]
Are you okay? [She's dying, Damian.] Let's make a deal right here not to go back into the forest for a long while. I'm getting tired of its games.
[WHO WILL BE THE FIRST TO BREAK THIS PROMISE BETWEEN THEM. Damian surely.]
I'm glad Kisa defeated the Devil
same
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