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emotive, theshiningone, and everyone else! animated counts, it's his B-Day too!
When: 6/21 | 4/13, late afternoon to late evening
Where: The Sanctuary
What: June birthday celebration with close friends!
Rating/Warning: Noneexcept possible sadness and robots being real creeps
Thank you for coming! Please, enjoy yourself by all means! Remember to say, "Happy Birthday," to Hiro too please.
[ This is the greeting given by the birthday girl. Ai's face is aglow with cheerfulness that couldn't be beat as she welcomes guests inside the Sanctuary where some nice music is playing. It's the most convenient place to set up a small party after all and there's even a few things to do for fun if one isn't sticking around just for congratulatory birthday greetings:
]
[ OOC: Robots are free to be at the party and tagging each other is encouraged! ]
emotive, theshiningone, and everyone else! animated counts, it's his B-Day too!When: 6/21 | 4/13, late afternoon to late evening
Where: The Sanctuary
What: June birthday celebration with close friends!
Rating/Warning: None
Thank you for coming! Please, enjoy yourself by all means! Remember to say, "Happy Birthday," to Hiro too please.
[ This is the greeting given by the birthday girl. Ai's face is aglow with cheerfulness that couldn't be beat as she welcomes guests inside the Sanctuary where some nice music is playing. It's the most convenient place to set up a small party after all and there's even a few things to do for fun if one isn't sticking around just for congratulatory birthday greetings:
A) FOOD
Where there is Ai Thao, there is food. Lots of it. Starring a peach birthday cake made by the Man, the Legend, Chef Archer. Aside from those, there are some Vietnamese spring rolls, roasted meat, some healthy salads, and colorful cookies and drinks! (Hey, did someone bring hard cider to this party...???)
Ai might even collect your plates and clean up after you isn't she nice? Oh, that's not Ai, it's a robot who's taken on the same skin tone as her owner... Creepy. Ah well, at least it's being helpful although it might say every once and a while, "Thank you for coming to my birthday party!"
B) Piñatas
How cute, there's a few of these cute piñatas hanging around in the ceiling. When you try to bat one down for the sweet candy innards though, they are just out of your reach. Ai Thao (real one, not the similar looking skin robot) giggles because she's passing by you. Ah, she's the culprit. Those guys can't move on their own after all.
"Sorry, sorry! I couldn't help it."
Oh, so that's all... Actually hey wait, some of those piñatas ARE trying to run away?! Try to catch one, but these little bastards are pretty fast for cardboard full of candy.
C) KARAOKE
There is a TV screen, mics, a karaoke box and an endless selection of pop music in all languages. All of them. Try to belt out those tunes, serenade your loved one, get the highest score, no one's going home a winner anyways.
(Ai's robot is sitting at the machine and taking the mic, humming in a voice that sounds too similar for comfort...)
D) Late Evening
Let's settle down. Maybe chat and catch up with other people. It's a good a time as any right? The lights are low, the cake's been served, there's hot tea (and booze still???) and there's a lovely lamp projecting stars onto the walls. What a nice mood!
(It might make your robots, should they come to the party look rather eerie though, especially since they developed that layer of skin.)
]
[ OOC: Robots are free to be at the party and tagging each other is encouraged! ]
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Question! What makes you so different compared to your sisters and brothers?
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[Her smile, is only slightly pained in contrast to what she thought she'd feel like when the topic came up. And this is the first time...]
Remember when I said I don't have parents? That's because I'm a copy of someone else. In my world, the woman I originate from is someone I'm identical to.
[She sinks her head back after looking at Hiro, focusing her gaze on the ceiling instead.]
Well. It was an attempt anyways.
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Those reflections that looked similar to her and the reason why she didn't have any parents... Now things were finally starting to click.]
Wait a second... You're saying that you're a clone, Ai? Then what I saw that day in the mirrors, they were...
[There's no judgement in his tone, but there's definitely some disbelief. Like she was just making up a plot from a sci-fi movie. But the more that he thinks back on it, the more legit that everything was starting to feel.]
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You're right. It's exactly what you're thinking.
[Another few seconds of silence passes as her eyes, still fixed on the ceiling, open up again.]
... There's a story where I'm from; or rather it's probably considered a fairy tale at this point in time.
[It was a story she heard many times when she was young, a story that was too old to be confirmed as valid, but the only explanation that seemed to ring true to the reason for her existence.
Her voice is quiet as she reveals the tale:]
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[Ai sits up straight, with a contemplative expression.]
There was a human who was fortunate enough to gain the favor of one of these fairies. He even lived among them at the time. Happy, loved, and surrounded by unimaginable beauty. And yet...
[A brief memory flickers in her mind, one where she remembers her "grandmother's" darkened expression when she spoke of this story as if there was a shade of truth to it.]
He missed Earth. And because his wife, a fairy, loved him, she let him return to his home. But he didn't go back to her. He couldn't. He would never be able to find that paradise again. And that's where it's supposed to end.
[Instead...]
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[Melancholy and something that could be called nostalgia is reflected in her blue eyes.]
No one knew what they would do without her in their lives. She wasn't supposed to die. And so they resorted to desperate measures, using whatever they had left to make sure she would remain in some form in the world.
[Ai Thao Kha, finally looks at Hiro, pleasantly smiling.]
What a bad story. Don't you think so? Ah, but I'm not a storyteller. It's the best I could do.
[And yet, it was more than she had ever explained to anyone else ever. But she wanted to tell him. She wanted him to know the very foundation of what she was.]
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And that honor was given to Hiro. Who definitely listened to every word and wrapped his head around it as best as he could. While he was a great talker in social situations, he firmly believed that he was even better at listening. After all, everyone needed a shoulder to lean on and he found himself to be that pillar of support for everything when apocalypse was reeling its ugly head.
There were plenty of things that Hiro could say about it, but there was the most important thing that he wanted to say. So far, his voice is neutral and his expression is indescribable...]
... I wouldn't call it a bad story. It's a bit sad, but not a bad story. There was a silver lining to come out from it.
[With that said, Hiro slowly gets up from his seat and walks up to Ai.]
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Compared to the other jewelry that he was looking at, Hiro felt that this would've looked the best on her. Now he's not getting down on knee to propose, but he's definitely giving her a warm smile as he speaks.]
Because you were born. Happy birthday, Ai.
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Slowly, but surely, that gentle feeling of elation fills her to her very core. Her fingers tremble slightly as Ai puts the box on her lap trying to find her words again after saying so much.
Her mouth opens to speak, but it takes a second and her eyes seems to mist up. She's so happy. Happy to be born, happy to be her, and happy to be the one and only Ai Thao that could feel this way towards this special person.]
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There's no way I have enough thank yous for this. [She chuckles because this moment she'll preserve forever even if later...]
This wouldn't be possible if I didn't have everyone here to share with. Especially you.
[A million thank yous would never do.]
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Physically, anyway. He'd be living on to see his friends celebrate many birthdays and see them past on... And there were no world regressions in the universe that could change that. It didn't matter what world you were in or from... Death applied to all things. Hiro is smiling, but there's something sad about it.]
... I've got some gut spilling to do too. [It was only fair after she told him everything.] Will you hear me out?
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[Ai nods as she looks up at him. It's clear that she's taking this very seriously.]
By all means. I want to know you too.
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Well, I used to come from a normal world. I mean... Things were normal to start with. But back in the day, I had a small family that was just my mother and father. Though I wasn't particularly close with my parents and they weren't horribly close to me either... [Which might explain Hiro's offbeat behavior and why he was such a free spirited devil-may-care fellow. It might have been how he was able to cope with neglect over the years.] And I got bullied a lot in school for being weird. Even today, I still don't get why... But it didn't matter since I had Daichi. He was my best friend who had my back when it came to everything. He looks like a useless guy, but trust me... He's extremely reliable when the time is right.
[His expression shifts to something more saddened as he recalled the pained look on Daichi's face before he came an Administrator. But it's only brief, he wasn't going to approach that part of the story just yet.]
Everyday was just boring and repetitive back then. But I was still pretty happy since it was considered 'normal'... I didn't have to think much or make life changing decisions back then. The only thing I had to worry about was acing my school exams and stuff. [Then his voice takes a shift to something more grave.] But everything changed when the demons attacked. There was a huge earthquake and suddenly demons appeared throughout the world. My friends and I got caught in a subway crash, I kind of died... [It was hard to say if he seriously died or not, but Hiro definitely remembered the sensation of dying.]
But I was given a choice if I wanted to survive or not. And though this new app that I installed on my cellphone, I made a contract with demons. My friends and I were granted the powers to protect ourselves and survive in that new harsh world with the power of demons. [It sounded completely out there and scary (and it was), but Hiro was willing to use whatever it took to survive.] Y'know... Deep in my heart, I always wondered if I wanted something fun and exciting to happen like that. It only happened in video games and movies, but before I knew it... It was all happening for real.
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[But here he was clarifying those memories himself. She listens patiently and attentively.
It was just as she thought though. Hiro had been through more hardship than most people and it had taken its toll one way or another.]
And it was difficult wasn't it? Having all that power in your hands and having to decide what to do with it?
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[Hiro's expression darkens as he recalls the violent rioters, the destroyed cities in Japan and how terrifying his encounters with demons were.]
When humans get a hold of power... It becomes a really scary thing. They fall back to their most primal instincts and become animals. 'Right' and 'wrong' and 'good' and 'evil' became blurred. While I wanted to survive, I also wanted to protect my friends and help others in danger. It felt 'right' for me and I truly felt like a hero.
[He doesn't look directly at Ai as he reflects...]
Y'know... I've seen some demons who lived up to the typical expectations of humans... Violent, awful and murderous creatures. [But then, his expression grows a little brighter.] But then, there were some demons who weren't so bad. We even had to appeal to some of them to get them to help us. While I know not all demons are assholes, you've still got the rotten eggs that can't be trusted... [Though he pauses in thought.] They're no different from humans, I think. They've just got their own way of doing things like we do.
[Now Hiro wasn't exactly an expert on demons, but seeing how they had their own currency like Macca shown that they had a system in their own world like humans. He wouldn't had minded taking a peek into Demon World if he was given a chance to see how things were like... He wasn't human anymore, so he knew that his chances for survival were a lot higher than your average one.]
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... And after all of that? After all you've been through...
[And her next question is probably the most hard hitting, the one she wanted to know the most.]
Hiro? What are you now?
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Just please don't ask this.]
I... [It wasn't so much what he was, but what it meant for him now.]
I'm not human anymore. [That was the easy thing to say.] I threw my humanity away to become God.
[His words were meek, but there it was. He was not walking the path of mortals anymore. It was easy to say for anyone else, but for her? Well, he wanted to pretend as long as possible that everything was fine.]
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That couldn't be true. Not when he made her feel so human, laughed at and with her, held her hand through all those difficult times, and not when he assuaged her fears and insecurities. But Ai knew better than to try and doubt his words, not when they had lives that thrived on the existence of the outrageous and otherworldly. And then there's the both of them, worlds away from each other to begin with.
Ai's fatal flaw had always been having too big of a heart. It was a heart that hurt and yet it kept hoping. Hoping and yearning, wanting, wanting to take, wanting to give, all this want and now...]
... Hiro?
[Two hands cup each cheek now.]
Please look at me.
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If that was multiplied among the rest of the friends, he was sure the pressure would've killed him inside. He really wanted to just diffuse this cold reality with a happy joke, make her smile and everything would be fine. Making people laugh and smile in the harshest of times was his magic and something he always held onto. He didn't mind becoming a clown for his or other people's expense to keep himself (and them) going.]
W... what is it?
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[She says it so simply. And her smile is warm (although sadness threatens to overtake the look in her eyes.]
... I'm sorry. Am I hurting you?
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[He simply shuts his eyes as he doesn't want to see that expression destroyed. It would've been easier to lie and say no... But that wouldn't had been right to Ai who has been honest to her up to this point. He knew that he was going to betray that smile one day.
Just like he turned his back on everyone else. It felt like ripping off a bandage... Yet he didn't feel relieved.]
I know you mean well and I'm thankful for everything you've done... But you're human. And I'm not. I'll live on for eternity. And you won't.
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[A soft, but firm voice. There's something that could be called resolve in it, but even Ai is struggling to keep her composure.]
I need to say it. At least let me do that much. I know it's selfish, but I just want to let you know even if it hurts the both of us.
[She puts her hands down into her lap and the heartache is beginning to creep within her, threatening to strangle her insides.]
... People here will be gone. We'll be separated, probably forever. I won't see them ever again and maybe I won't even remember them. I won't remember my friends who supported me, who I cried with, who I fought with. There's nothing here that I've experienced here that will ever be mine. I'll have nothing again.
Nothing was ever mine.
[Her fingers are trembling as she says this. Ai is more acutely aware of certain things than people have given her credit for because inadvertently, the lessons she learned in her commune, the ones where they tell her to vanquish certain emotions and concerns in order to move on had embedded itself and had a degree of effectiveness.]
And I know this. And I know we can't even be in the same world in the future.
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...
[This wasn't matching up to the Ai that had always envisioned and maybe even idolized to a certain degree in his head!
It was like how he thought Yamato was doing everything for the greater good and he revealed that he was going to brainwash the world for his desires, then Ronaldo who acted like a great hero, yet he was fueled by the selfish fires of revenge... Then Miyako who acted kind and helpful only to reveal that she was going to sacrifice everyone for her great plan...
Hell, he knew that even Saiduq wasn't as pure as he lead people to believe. Then Keita, Jungo, Joe, Makoto, Otome, Airi, Hinako... Even Io and Daichi... He's seen the worst of humanity in complete strangers and even his friends. Hiro knew that humans were self-serving creatures at heart, yet...
Why isn't she saying what he wants to hear? "A happy ending exists for the both of us." He knew it wasn't true, yet of all people to say those fairy tale words... He expected it to be her. Just one gentle lie.
Why? Why? Whywhywhywhy--]
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[His expression quickly snaps to rage. He was angry, tired and frustrated of people disappointing him, world after world. He thought that she was different. But he was wrong... For a long time, there was something that bugged him about Ai.]
What the hell is wrong with you?! If you knew all of this, then why are you trying to get so close to me?! Why are you pretending to be cute and pure for everyone? Do you think just smiling nicely and going "Everyone will like me if I pretend to be super cute and helpful lol" will get you the goddamn world in your lap!? THINGS DON'T WORK THAT WAY! That's fake, manipulative and gross, you know! You're messed up in the head!
[He wasn't sure how long he was yelling nor did he care if anyone heard. But Hiro kept venting those dark emotions that he's been penting up for a long time.]
If there's one thing I hate more than cowards... It's hypocrites! People like you who try and manipulate people to get whatever they want! I'VE FUCKING HAD IT!
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[Why was this happening?
Ai Thao's eyes widen at the volume of his voice, at the sudden rage, the sheer anger behind his accusation. And not only the accusation, it was the way he spat it out as if he actually believed...
... No. He believed it. He really believed that she was pretending. He believed that she was only pure, only kind, only ever being helpful to be liked, only expecting kindness in return, only thinking that she would be coddled in return.
(They never coddled her when she was young, she remembers being thrown around, having to fight back, being tested to her very limits, hearing voices, the voices that they had to shut out or else she would die, and a dim memory of someone putting her to sleep and waking up to the faint burning sensation on her chest. And then growing up, people always expecting something of her, always failing to live up to expectations, always failing others when they needed her most, wasn't she supposed to grow past this, wasn't she supposed to endure, wasn't she supposed to...?)
She's a simpleton.
She was so happy when Athena and Ryuko became her friends, no questions asked. She was so happy when she also fought with Archer and even when he made her cry Ai had felt more strengthened with him as her fighting partner. She was so happy when Adolf Reinhardt kept on being reassuring, steadfast, like a rock, even when she wondered how broken he was in comparison to her. She was so happy when most people looked at her here in Cerealia and accepted her for who she was; her foolish kindness, her monstrous power, no expectation about her existence as the perfect esper because of course it wouldn't matter here.
She was so happy when she met Hiro Kageyama. ]
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