snowblindrpg | [log] social skills 101 [closed]

That I i>couldn't - who gave you the authority to decide what's right and wrong?

[ He actually sounds mad, now. ] I'll change the scenario. I kill someone. You lock me up. I tell you I killed that person out of self defense. Is that different to you?

We're all suppose to look out for one another! So the authority to decide belongs to all of us! And killing people isn't right!

[His determination is only growing now, Royce. You're screwed.] Killing is still killing, even out of self defense. There's always another way! Always!

[ Maribor above, Royce is going to die from overexposure. ] Oh, I was unaware I was talking to someone who doesn't live in reality. My mistake.

You keep saying things like they're fact. It's annoying.

How do I not live in reality? Because I believe that you can avoid killing people unnecessarily? [Rude, Royce!]

Why? It's just the truth!

When did I ever say it was unnecessary? I don't kill people unnecessarily.

Why kill people at all, though? Why not find some other way to solve the problem?

Because there usually isn't another option that ends up without me being dead later as a result.

Then you aren't looking hard enough!

[ Royce just stares up at Sora, expression icy. Ooh, that... struck a nerve, actually. ]

[He's just going to take that opportunity to keep going.]

If that's the only way out of a situation that you can see then you aren't seeing everything! You're stuck on one solution and won't let yourself veer from that path and that's not right! Every situation, every fight, every journey has different ways it can end and death doesn't have to be involved! Ever!

[ Royce is going to get up in Sora's space again, and this time, he's not going to stop. He'll push Sora back if he has to. ]

Obviously you're not well acquainted with it. Death stalks. It waits. It's there, whenever you turn. In desperate men and women. In animals, being hunted. People, being hunted. You have never seen the rats, the dregs. You kill them, or they kill you, and there is no other choice.

You are naive. Life is not a fairy tale, and there is rarely a happy ending.

[Sora's not about to back down. Even when he's pushed he'll move right back into Royce's personal space.]

You don't think I know that! I've seen people get their hearts ripped out of their bodies! I've seen worlds destroyed by creatures--by people that didn't care about how much damage they were doing! And you know what I did? I found a way to fix it! I found a way to stop them because there's always another way!

[And this time Sora's the one shoving at Royce, glaring fiercely at him.]

If you want a happy ending you have to fight for it--but that doesn't mean you have to kill to get it!

[Tifa has been in the other room, but it wasn't difficult to hear when the argument started to get heated. She's been in the hall for a minute or two, just keeping an eye out—she knows how quickly these things can escalate, and it isn't hard to imagine that happening here, when they're all so stressed. She's not going to get involved unless she has to, though.

It's when things get physical that she steps forward, closing the distance in a few quick strides. Royce is the one she goes for, reaching out to grab him by the bicep and pull him back. Tifa is slight but strong, and she grips his arm tightly. He's the one she's worried about, because she figures if Sora gets some space he'll deescalate.]

Duster.

[Her voice is sharp and firm, no-nonsense, and she gives his arm another quick little tug.]

That's enough. Both of you.

[It was difficult not to hear the quickly escalating argument that was currently taking place in the other room. It's only once speaking becomes yelling that he shifts, moving into the hallway behind Tifa, carefully listening to the exchange, waiting to see if it's going to spiral further out of control or if it will simmer down on it's own.

But it isn't, it definitely isn't, and Tifa is moving a moment before he does, splitting off and heading towards Royce. Cloud, in the mean time, pointedly places himself between the two, glanceing backwards quickly to ensure Sora doesn't try to dart out around him.]

Yelling isn't going to get you guys anywhere.

[ There are fundamental differences between Royce and Sora - there's hope, in Sora. Sora lets himself hope, and Royce doesn't. It's why it's hard for Royce to see his point of view, to think that there are ways to do things where people aren't going to want to hurt him and take everything he has. It just isn't the way he grew up. You're not trying hard enough strikes a nerve he didn't even know he had.

It annoys him that some kid is getting to him like this, and his immediate inclination is to get rid of the problem. But Royce doesn't have a weapon handy. Thinks death might teach Sora a lesson, but. Tifa, Cloud and most likely Zach would be furious, and Royce doesn't want to deal with the fallout of it this early.

So Tifa grabs him (and by Mar, she's much stronger than he's expecting) and pulls him back, and he drops all ideas of murdering Sora right there. Instead, one hundred percent of his energy goes to getting out of her hold. The touch immediately puts him on edge and he yanks so hard that he might dislocate his shoulder if he's not careful. He doesn't like being touched without permission, which is why he reacts... poorly, to say the least.

He puts as much distance between him and Sora as possible, pulling his cloak closer and tensing, staring sharply at Sora over Cloud's shoulder. A beat, and then he looks at Tifa, expression vaguely pained for about a split second before he's pulling his hood up. ]

I wasn't yelling. [ Royce corrects, a little hoarsely. ] Though speaking normally doesn't get me anywhere either.

[Cloud and Tifa are there and the fight is being broken up before it can get any worse, something that Sora will probably realize is for the best later on. For now, he's seething behind the blonde, resisting the urge to do just what Cloud thinks he may do as he clenches his fists at his sides and glares right back at Royce.]

You're the stubborn one! [No, you're both stubborn, Sora.] You were talking about killing people!

[He forces himself to look away, gaze shifting to Tifa then to Cloud before, slowly but surely, he starts to deflate.]

...I thought..he made it sound like he was going to hurt you guys.

[Cloud follows right behind her, of course, like she'd expected he would, and it's a relief. Putting an actual barrier between the two of them is a far safer bet than just pulling them apart, Tifa thinks.

Tifa is shocked, though, when Royce tries to pull out of her hold so instinctively and intensely. He manages to yank his arm away, and she tenses, for half a second not sure what he's going to do—but then she realizes that he just wanted her off, and she relaxes again. She glances back over at Sora, just to make sure he's not going to try to duck out from behind Cloud, and then back at Royce, just in time to see that pained look, and. Well. Not at all what she was expecting. She blinks, searching his face for a second, then exhales and turns back to Sora.]

Did he?

[Another glance at Royce—this time much more questioning. DID YOU, ROYCE?]

[Everything tenses, every muscle suddenly becoming stiff and ready as Royce pulls himself away so quickly, so violently. But nothing happens, nothing comes of it other than that split second pained expression and those combative words and he starts to relax, starts to settle.

Until Sora's words come through, strong and stubborn before deflating. Bright eyes travel from Tifa to Royce, as if assessing some unknown and previously unrealized threat, attempting to ascertain the truth behind those threats and the likelihood that they could actually be accomplished.

It was far more likely that Royce had only used them as hypothetical pawns in an attempt to rile up Sora further, a poor attempt to get him to see that side of the argument.

A slow release of breath, carrying along with it something akin to a long suffering sigh. They were really going to have to start screening people before they decided to adopt them.]

Did you?

[Hope you enjoy a set of glow in the dark blue eyes aimed completely in your direction, Royce.]

I used you as an example. [ Royce says, irritation seeping into his tone. ] There wouldn't be any benefit to actually hurting you. I told him that already. I don't kill people for no reason.

[ And yes, he was doing it to rile Sora up, but part of that was with the aim of helping. Royce doesn't much care, but he does know that reacting that strongly makes you a target. Sora doesn't seem to realize that, and Royce is trying to make him see it. But it doesn't matter now, because he has the babysitters here to protect him and reassure him that Royce is just paranoid and evil. Royce folds his arms over his chest.

It's no different here than it is anywhere else. He watches Sora closely, from under his hood, and directly to Sora: ] Evil is only what we call those who oppose us. That was my point, which completely sailed over your head.

No. You're wrong. Evil is something all it's own, it's not just a label! It's a darkness that creeps over everything and destroys worlds.

[People were involved, sure, but Sora had seen what evil could be. What it could manifest as. This was very obviously just an issue of very different worlds these two idiots call home.

Sora holds Royce's gaze for a moment more before he's looking away, shoulders sagging.]

It doesn't matter if you have a reason for it or not. Killing is still killing.

[Tifa shifts, expression unreadable for a moment as she tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. She doesn't know how to respond to that, because really, it's such a clean-cut view of things. She wishes life were that easy. Royce isn't helping, with his definition of evil. She doesn't want to examine her own motivations too closely, especially not now, but Royce is getting her close to it.

So she exhales, tension draining from her as she shakes her head.]

Sora... Sometimes it isn't that simple. Life doesn't always... work out that way. And you—

[She turns to Royce again.]

No more using us as an example. Fair?

[It's strange, being faced with two completely different and utterly opposite points of view. One so clean and simple, so clear cut, so easily held on to. And the other more closely resembling a truth he already knew, knowledge that had long since been gained and carried. Each person who fought had their own set of reason, often believing that they were doing the good or the just thing, something that would make the world, or even their place within it better. Each action was carried out in the name of the greater good, but to others, to the opposing side, it was anything but. To the other side, it was evil.

How many battles had he faced, how many times had he done what he believed was right, only for it to later be labeled otherwise? It's too close, far too close to his own life, to his own experiences, to things he'd rather leave forgotten.]

Sora - [Voice quiet, attention finally fully falling away from the other two, body shifting, twisting until he was facing Sora instead.] Tifa's right. Sometimes things happen and you have no other choice. Sometimes it's the only way to protect the people you cherish.

[ Royce doesn't like being told what to do - when Tifa turns to him, his expression is sharper, almost defiant. Still, he doesn't argue the point, just lets out a grunt of agreement and then looks away.

He's surprised that Tifa and Cloud are more inclined to be on his side of the argument. Maybe he judged them differently than he should've. It's another thing he'll keep track of, listen more closely about. There's really nothing else to do here but listen, anyway.

Royce doesn't say anything more, not deeming it worth his time to change Sora's mind. In fact, he slinks around Tifa, past her through the door and barely even looks back. He's had enough of people for one night, and he just wants to get some sleep before he has to deal with the cold outside again. ]

[Sora can't help but feel...well. He really didn't have a right to feel upset, did he? These weren't the Cloud and Tifa he knew. Things were different for them than they were for the ones he knew back home.

But not even those thoughts, that reminder, could stop him from frowning softly, looking from Cloud to Tifa, barely noting Royce as he leaves the room.]

No, it's not. There's always another way. I've faced some pretty terrible things--I had my heart taken from me and shattered by the people we were trying to stop. I've watched worlds disappear because of the actions of an entire organization. But not even that can justify killing. [He shakes his head, taking a couple steps back and this time his gaze shifts back to Cloud.]

The you I know didn't kill people. Even when Hades was controlling him he fought against it, tried to help me. And he may have disappeared to fight that silver haired guy but I know he didn't kill him either. Because it's like the Tifa I know said. He's got light in him. He knows just like I do that killing never solves anything.

[He just wished these two and even Royce felt that way.]

[Thing's were different in the world that they had come from. Vastly, painfully different. How much thought had they ever truly put into their actions before they performed them? How much thought had they given to attacking ShinRa? How much guilt had they carried before the retaliation came and the plate had been dropped and they'd realized the gravity and price and weight of their own choices?

How much hesitation would he give to killing Sephiroth, again and again and again, as many times as it took until the threat was no longer present, until the planet and each and every single person he cherished was safe.

Fighting wasn't something he enjoyed, wasn't something he ever went into lightly. There was a reason for each and every battle, a reason each and every time he picked up his sword and entered the fray. Someone to protect, something to save. The planet, his friends, his family. Aerith. Tifa. Denzel.

If he thought back over each war, over every battle, over each and every life he'd taken, could he truly justify them all? Each and every one may have had a reason, may have done in the name of the greater good, but could they all actually be justified?]

You're right. [Voice quiet, barely loud enough for the three of them to hear, eyes carefully averted and focused on the wall just beyond Sora's shoulder.] I'm not him. I don't have any light left. But I will do whatever I can do help you. Because that's what you do for your friends. You help them and protect them. No matter what the cost.

[log] social skills 101 [closed]

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