realpolitik | Minato | Tiir

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Minato | Tiir | 020

[The last thing he remembers is infinite space.

He remembers a wall, he remembers chains. He remembers immobility and yet infinite space, calmness and yet pain. He remembers paradoxes.

He remembers death and yet living still, outside of life.

He remembers all of this, and so it is a surprise when suddenly, he is breathing again.

He falls to his knees, wheezing, and feels dirt--a trail, and he blinks in surprise. Feeling, touch: it has been quite some time since he has felt either, and yet he is not sure how long at all. He could not tell time in the void; time was measured by number of times Erebus tried to tear him down, the number of times the strength of Minato's soul repulsed humanity's negativity again and again.

He draws in another deep breath, and another.

And he sighs, eyes fluttering shut a moment, even as he kneels there. He does not know where he is. It certainly does not look like Japan, with wilderness everywhere. It's definitely not anywhere he knows by sight. In fact, there is a foreignness to it that he would find disconcerting, but he is too busy with the overwhelming sensation of feelings.

He's alive.]

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[...ah.

He realizes the answer and he smiles, slowly but heartfelt, as he does. Because now he knows.

Tiir returns the sentiment.

Tiir thinks of him...like family.

And Minato...couldn't want anything more than that. He smiles, and--

Even in Tiir's world, there is the expected.

Thou art I and I am thou...

Thou hast fostered a bond that cannot be broken...

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the hanged man arcana.

The voices are familiar. The hum of his Personas at a maxed bond are familiar. He's got the warm fuzzy feeling of a link maxed.

And he's...happy. So he smiles, and he looks up at Tiir certainly.]

...I won't get hurt. But I still want to help you however I can.

[He has family here. He's alive.

He's so...very happy for that.]

"I won't get hurt."

How Tiir wants to believe that—so badly that it almost hurts. He wants to believe that for all of his friends, even though half of him knows that it's a futile expectation. In this world, getting hurt is almost inevitable. After all, isn't that why they're fighting? So that none of them will be hurt again?

At the same time, the other half of him silently vows—vows to make Minato's words true. No one—not Minato, not his friends—will be harmed, because Tiir will protect them. He'll protect all of them.

He has to do something for Minato, even if Minato's the one offering to help (again).

With that, Tiir smiles—still looking as if he's about to cry, hence why he makes a weak-hearted attempt to hide his expression by covering his mouth and looking away again. Still, the smile is clear on his face, as he takes a few moments to compose himself.

Finally, he removes his hand and looks at Minato again, his smile softer now but still there.]

... You always were rather stubborn.

[He shrugs slightly, his expression turning a bit wry.]

It seems that I still can't win against you...

[And he feels like he should hate himself, for being this happy, when his existence is placing Minato in further danger. He could very well be the reason Minato dies here—in this world that isn't even his home.

Yet he's far too happy for that right now. Happy, even though he's putting his friend at risk.

Because God, he loves him—one of his important people, his family.]

[The sad expression on Tiir's face catches Minato off-guard. Smile or not, he can tell when someone is deeply hurt inside, and he wonders and wonders and wonders--

But he thinks that maybe the answer is right there.

This is Tiir's world, and he certainly learned enough about its horribleness from Tiir himself. This is Tiir's world and he is Tiir's family, and Tiir doesn't want him to get hurt. He gets it, he thinks, when he thinks about it like that, but it just makes him smile a little bit, reaching out to grabs Tiir's hand between his two, just for the touch and the closeness and to give extra weight to his assurance.]

I'm sorry if my stubbornness causes problems for you.

[A quirk of his lips, a bit of a smile, and then his expression is solemn again, determined and honest and sincere.]

But there is nowhere I would rather be right now than here.

[And it's honest, because he really does know that he really does feel this way. If he can spend the remainder of his life fighting to make a difference here, beside Tiir, then he thinks he will have had a successful life twice over.

He wants to thank whoever did this for him, he really does.]

[He blinks.]

... Of all places? Really?

[He shakes his head, still smiling—in an almost embarrassed manner, if Tiir were the sort to be embarrassed. He still can't quite understand the way Minato thinks, but he's still touched by the remark.]

Thank you. I'd wished, however, that you would never have to see this world with your own eyes.

[After all, it's one thing to tell someone of prejudice, and another to witness it for yourself. That said, Tiir has no intention of letting Minato anywhere near such a situation, considering how easily Minato could be hurt merely for associating with him.

Still, he relishes the warmth of Minato's hands—he's here, he's really here—before he looks up, thinking. If Minato really is to stay with him, then there are a few matters that he needs to deal with...]

[...Of all places? He honestly has no choice, but he thinks even if he did, he would not pick another place. Tiir needs him. This world needs him. That is enough reason to stay, he thinks. And that is enough reason to want to stay.

It's a funny comment, too, that Tiir makes. Never have to see the world with his own eyes...? Tiir doesn't know what sorts of things he'd already been through, doesn't realize that he has already seen humanity at its worst and most pitiable. And he has never lost hope through all of that.

He won't lose hope here. Maybe that's all Tiir needs. Someone who will stand beside him and not lose hope.

He won't lose hope. So Minato just tilts his head slightly.]

Well...I'm here. Is there anything I can do?

[He gets the sense that there are things Tiir needs to do, and not only does he not want to hold him back, he wants to assist.]

[Tiir smiles wryly.]

Well, first, I'd have to explain this to the others. You can't expect to be relied on until you win their trust, and I can't say how long that will take...

[He sighs, pressing a hand against his face.

Depending on how things go, that might be a mess. Tiir honestly doesn't know what to expect, as it's not as if they've ever invited a human to their group before—not when they've never known who they can trust beyond one another. ]

Some of them—those who were raised among humans—should ultimately be fine with your presence, though many of them will likely be wary, given their past experiences with humans. It's the Iino Doue and Will Hame bearers that I'm worried about...

[Given that Tiir himself possesses the Iino Doue, Minato can take a guess as to what kind of mindset they have. Tiir is hardly the only one who hates (hated?) humans, after all.]

They shouldn't do anything if I say not to [though Tiir has a severe amount of faith in his kind, so perhaps Minato shouldn't take that at face value] but this does rather complicate things. They certainly won't trust you, so as I said, I don't think they would be willing to rely on you for anything. And unlike in Vatheon, we don't have the luxury of time.

[The time to change—not when they could all easily die by the next day. Certainly, if given the time, Tiir has no doubt that Minato could win them over, but they simply don't have that privilege.

And this isn't even addressing how Tiir'll have to introduce Minato to Ene, explain more of Menoris to him, or the fact that they'll be leaving the area soon. Granted, this is the biggest of the problems, but it makes for a rather troublesome situation.]

[It's a little charming, now, that Tiir would be concerned about how his friends and his people and his wards view Minato. After disregarding Minato, hating Minato, trying his hardest to ignore Minato for so long, they have come to this--Tiir hoping that not everyone will do to Minato what he did.

But Minato himself is no stranger to hardships or hatred or disgust, and he has no issues with accepting that.

Of course he doesn't. If he did, he would never have been able to get through to Tiir after so long.

Unfortunately, Minato is extraordinarily trusting as well, so he takes Tiir's word that he will be safe so long as Tiir tells them not to hurt him (and honestly, even if he knows there is a high chance this is dangerous, it is not like it will change his resolution to help Tiir and his people). So he simply nods, tucking his hands into his pockets, and tilts his head at Tiir, accepting.]

It's fine if they hate me, Tiir-san. I don't mind.

[He'll win them over in the end, perhaps, but that's not why he says it's fine. It's fine because it is fine; hating him or not hating him is their choice to make, and he accepts that, even if he hasn't done a single thing wrong.]

I still want to help however I can.

[And that's simply what it boils down to. Regardless of the consequences, regardless of how he's viewed, regardless of what happens to him in the end--

He just wants to help.]

[... Ha.]

... Well, that's one thing you'll have in common with them, at least, though I would prefer it if you didn't have to think in such a way.

[Because it's tiring, accepting that you're hated and that you will never be anything but hated. Even if they—they, who've hated humans all their lives—were raised to simply not care... it gets tiring, sometimes.

And he doesn't want that for Minato.

There's enough hatred in this world, really, without having to bring it straight to their group as well—but there's not much of a choice, if he's to take in Minato.]

Like I said, though, you may not be able to help for a while. It'll be enough merely to convince them to let you stay with us at all, never mind to trust you with any task. I do have some influence, but I'm not the leader. They're not obliged to listen to me if they don't want to.

[Though he may be the closest thing to a leader when Ene isn't around, there's no doubt in Tiir's mind as to who the true leader always has been and always will be. But speaking of Ene—]

I'll take you to meet her eventually, though—that is, our leader. She'll undoubtedly support you—and possibly even thank you—which should help matters, but right now I don't have that time.

[They have to get out of here, after all. Before Gastark finds them.]

[Minato is calm enough; he assumes that with enough time, and given the time, he'll be able to get through to them. Or at the very least, they will learn to live alongside him, and that will be enough. Just so long as he can help out, can assist Tiir, he will be content with his current life here, in Tiir's world.

So he simply nods, understanding.]

I would be happy to meet her.

[But Tiir does seem to be in a hurry; he'd seemed to be in a hurry earlier, when he'd quite literally slammed into Minato.

So of course there is only one thing he can ask.]

What do we need to do now?

[What is going on?]

[Honestly, he's looking forward to introducing Minato to Ene, as he has a feeling that they'll like each oher, but Minato is certainly correct in that regard—Tiir's in a hurry.

He pauses for a moment, thinking, before he finally speaks.]

... How much do you know about our circumstances?

[...He tucks his hands into his pockets again, peering up at Tiir through his blue hair.]

Only what you told me. I know that the humans here are...are racist towards your people and that it is dangerous...

[...but that's really all they talked about.]

[He narrows his eyes—not at Minato particularly, but at what this is leading to.

... It's strange, to think of how little Minato actually knows. Again, it reminds Tiir that he shouldn't be getting him involved with this—though by now, he's realized that Minato is too stubborn to stand down—and an odd discrepancy, considering how much Minato seems to understand him.]

So I never mentioned Gastark, then.

[...He wracks his memory, but can't think of anything that sounds like that--

So he shakes his head.]

No, never.

[But he is, as always, absolutely listening.]

[He scowls.]

Though it's true that we have to be wary of humans... most don't go out of their way to actively seek and hunt us down. It would be suicide for ordinary humans, after all, to try and take us on as a group like this.

[Though many of them may be defenceless as children, those of them who manage to survive past childhood aren't quite as easy targets.]

However, the exception to this would be one country: Gastark. I've... had a few encounters with them in the past—

[He looks away slightly as he says that, grief and anger flickering across his face.]

—so I can affirm that they have the means—and the will—to slaughter us, if they were to ever find all of us. Fortunately, we've managed to remain relatively well-hidden, but at the rate that Gastark is conquering the continent, it's only a matter of time before they find us here. Because of that, we have to move.

[They have to run and hide. Keep running and hiding, until the day they finally have the right to live—]

[He blinks at this, absorbing it quickly, though most of it is very disquieting. A country that goes out of its way to hunt them...

And Tiir has encountered them multiple times, which means that he has seen his own people, his friends slaughtered multiple times and Minato's expression somehow stays steady, but he swallows, hands in his pockets clenching into fists slowly.

Unsafe because of humans and their prejudice.

There is a lot of work to be done here, Minato thinks, a lot of work that Minato is honestly uncertain he can accomplish all on his own but...what's the point if he doesn't try?

So he lifts his chin with new determined certainty and nods once, firmly.]

Okay. I'm ready to go wherever we need to go.

[It's already a 'we'; Minato will be with Tiir through to the end.]

[... Ha. Even though Tiir's still aware of how horrible a thought it is, he really is glad that Minato's here. He won't admit it quite that way out loud, but he badly needs the support.

In spite of the bad mood that thinking of Gastark puts him in, he smiles.]

Well, at least we won't have to worry about your belongings.

[Or lack thereof.]

... I'm sorry, though. It probably won't be a very pleasant journey.

[Support is something Minato can do, and Minato is pleased to see the smile as well. Even if the situation is more than a little tense, it lets him know that at least Tiir isn't suffering from too much pressure--he can still smile.

But heh.]

I'm used to not having many belongings, it's fine.

[no really]

I'm not going to say I know what it's going to be like, but I've been through a few tough journeys. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine.

[Haha literally. Journeys. And Arcana Journeys too and--

Yeah no he'll be fine. He can almost feel the Arcana switch in his brain--World to Fool all over again. Another journey of discovery.]

[He smiles wryly.]

How can I not worry about you? You have a tendency of getting yourself into trouble.

[....tiir why.

it would almost be a pout, if it wasn't Minato.

because it's Minato, it's still mostly stoic.]

...I don't get into that much trouble...

[Tiir puts his hands on his hips.]

I seem to recall an instance where you were too busy worrying over me to defend yourself and I had to get you out of there.

[...tiir why are you reminding him of a mother right now, he hasn't had a mother for 11 years--]

...Ah, well...

It was dangerous for you as well, Tiir-san, of course I was worried...

[He can't deny that Tiir saved him though--]

[........ minato why.]

I was hardly in danger. Anyhow, seeing as how I'd just fed, it wouldn't have done much even if I had been injured. You, on the other hand...

[it's the hands on the hips.

so motherly.]

...Well, now that I know what you can do, I guess I have to admit you're right.

[He just shrugs, almost sheepishly.]

But it turned out alright in the end, thanks to your help.

[shush he only did that once in canon okay

... while trying to get Ryner to eat dango...]

... You really are carefree, aren't you?

[A blink.

Carefree...?]

I guess so.

[when you've been through as much as him with the temperament he has--]

I promise I won't get in the way, though. I know taking care of your friends is very serious.

Minato | Tiir | 020

jan your tl;dr is so beautiful

alksdjas no cal is beautiful

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