[ she doesn't mind answering questions - but she also doesn't move away, either. he squeezes her shoulder, and she rubs at her face. takes a deep breath. ]
Thanks. [ quietly. just - to get it out of the way. she's still not very used to this whole memory thing. ]
[MEMSHARE IS TRULY SO MUCH!!! He is not a fan either, although at this point he's pretty much over it... he's been pretty open about his opinions on this whole situation, so it's not like seeing some of his more wild behavior should come as too much of a shock. As for the personal stuff... well. It is what it is.
He's not worried about that right now, though. He just retracts his hand, letting her pull herself together.]
[Shhhhh covers permanent memshare... puts a cloth over her head like she's a bird]
Mm. [Well. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that there are probably some extraordinarily complicated feelings there. He could condemn her for abandoning someone so young, but why would he? The Fatui is full of people not unlike Jinx--not unlike Childe, even. He could reassure her that she was just a child herself, but she knows that already. And they both know that age has no real bearing on when innocence is lost, despite their best effort to the contrary.
So he chooses another direction entirely.]
What... was that all about, anyway? Was someone after you?
[ honestly, the undercity is full of people like jinx! they're full of people like jinx and vi and claggor and mylo, so - he's right. they both know that there wasn't any fairness here. it's just the way things were.
she shakes her head. ]
Sort of. We accidentally blew up a building Topside, and they wanted heads for it. I tried to take responsibility for it, but Vander wouldn't let me, and it just... went south, really fast.
Silco had been after Vander for ages anyway. It was a good opportunity.
[That makes sense, he thinks. It's not an easy choice to make. And there's no Lu Bixing here, no one to provide spaceships and inter-universe travel. Childe has no idea how to get in touch with him, either, so there's no point in even bringing it up.
He sighs softly.]
Something like this... it's just about picking the regrets you can live with, I think. But if you ask me... it's not worth being miserable just because you feel like you have to shoulder a burden.
[Whatever she leaves behind--he can't promise that won't eat away at her for the rest of her life. That would be a ridiculous thing to say, especially when he only has the barest grasp of her situation. But he remembers going home to a name that no longer suited him, trying and failing to find happiness in a place he no longer belonged. He's watched Alex, and now Jonas, struggle under the weight of responsibilities they clearly can't handle, all because they don't see a way out and they're too stubborn to listen to his advice.
Childe chose to pursue his own happiness, so--it's what he'll advise for her, too.]
later, she'll come to this decision too. later, she'll have more people rattling her around and telling her that she can live for herself for once, instead of being a side character in someone else's story. but this is the foundation for it. what can you live with? can you be happy with this?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Thanks. [ quietly. just - to get it out of the way. she's still not very used to this whole memory thing. ]
no subject
He's not worried about that right now, though. He just retracts his hand, letting her pull herself together.]
...Did you reunite with her?
no subject
she rolls her shoulders out after he lets go. ]
Eventually, yeah. Years later. Seven, I think. Around there.
no subject
Mm. [Well. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that there are probably some extraordinarily complicated feelings there. He could condemn her for abandoning someone so young, but why would he? The Fatui is full of people not unlike Jinx--not unlike Childe, even. He could reassure her that she was just a child herself, but she knows that already. And they both know that age has no real bearing on when innocence is lost, despite their best effort to the contrary.
So he chooses another direction entirely.]
What... was that all about, anyway? Was someone after you?
no subject
she shakes her head. ]
Sort of. We accidentally blew up a building Topside, and they wanted heads for it. I tried to take responsibility for it, but Vander wouldn't let me, and it just... went south, really fast.
Silco had been after Vander for ages anyway. It was a good opportunity.
no subject
[Personal in a way, but... not, at the same time. In a way, that's almost worse, he thinks, but he doesn't say that.]
Is he still after you now?
no subject
[ rubs at her face absently. ]
Different set of problems at this point.
no subject
It's always like that, huh. [...] You were planning on not going back, right?
no subject
[ she rubs at her wrist. ]
I don't know. I don't want to. [ but. she's struggling with the responsibility of it. ]
no subject
He sighs softly.]
Something like this... it's just about picking the regrets you can live with, I think. But if you ask me... it's not worth being miserable just because you feel like you have to shoulder a burden.
[Whatever she leaves behind--he can't promise that won't eat away at her for the rest of her life. That would be a ridiculous thing to say, especially when he only has the barest grasp of her situation. But he remembers going home to a name that no longer suited him, trying and failing to find happiness in a place he no longer belonged. He's watched Alex, and now Jonas, struggle under the weight of responsibilities they clearly can't handle, all because they don't see a way out and they're too stubborn to listen to his advice.
Childe chose to pursue his own happiness, so--it's what he'll advise for her, too.]
no subject
later, she'll come to this decision too. later, she'll have more people rattling her around and telling her that she can live for herself for once, instead of being a side character in someone else's story. but this is the foundation for it. what can you live with? can you be happy with this?
she rubs at her face. ]
... Yeah. Thanks. [ genuinely. ] That... helps.
[ to get different perspectives. ]