[ Heavy sleeper becomes inevitable once a person hasn't slept for so long... but he's not here to debate the finer points of sleep deprivation, so he'll just move on. ]
The guards are varied. Some cruel, some kind. [ Julius closes his eyes again. ] As much as they are our enemies... they are still people, especially that one which let me sleep.
[ A pause. ]
When we leave, I hope they won't be here. [ So he doesn't have to consciously restrain his power any more than he already has to. ]
[ he's well-aware of every enemy being a person. he hasn't forgotten how it felt to have half the guns in the government building on him, but he's not itching to spill more blood here, either. —or, he won't be, as soon as he's capable of fighting back in a meaningful capacity. ]
If they're kind enough, maybe they'll turn a blind eye.
[ he doesn't think you get to this level of clearance while being liable to assist the clearly disruptive element, but you never know. ]
But you should prepare yourself for the possibility of facing them. We're clearly being treated as dangerous unknowns. Every guard out there will shoot to kill, whether it's under orders or out of fear.
[ that goes, like, quadruple for julius, though jusis isn't quite aware of that. ]
[ Julius had his trump card - the reason they had not been able to get any data out of him was the principle that his body was impermeable unless he willed it so. Knives were repelled, scans turned out opaque sheets, all things confounding. If they wished to shoot him, the bullets might just lodge themselves in his body to be disintegrated later.
But no one knows that here, so it's to his advantage. ]
I don't want to kill any more than necessary, is all.
[ Said quietly; there's no disagreement with Jusis' words. He already has enough blood on his hands, is his thought - if he had been more rested, he might have realized that he said too much. ]
[ what an uneasy statement. jusis agrees on principle, but the reality of combat, especially against those who are less noble-minded, is casualties. he would like to say i don't want anyone to be killed at all, but that's a lofty ideal, and he knows that now, more than ever, the others in the coven may not be so merciful. then there's the fact he would like their captors to face justice, which is ... almost meaningless, considering the coven's current position in opposition to an established government.
he certainly looks pensive in considering his reply. he wouldn't usually allow one of his hands to ball into a fist, but he does. ]
I agree. [ but he kind of hates that he does, and he still has a week left to stew in that. ] If it's possible, I would see them disabled rather than killed.
[ he says, but julius is the one who's volunteered for the front lines. it's a thinly-veiled request. ]
Even the ones who indulge in their job. Justice doesn't come at the end of a blade.
[ he has had and will have plenty of time to consider where justice is supposed to come from in this scenario, but he knows it's not through murder. ]
[ He's oft considered what would be the best approach to use his powers, considering their nature: should he remove the conditional restraints on his body, anything they touch would be badly corroded. Not a fate he would wish upon anyone. ]
That's what I need to figure out, for when the time comes.
[ Julius looks at his own hands, and for a brief second he sees them covered in blood - but he blinks, and the hallucination is gone. ]
I've... never fought against a target that wasn't marked for death, before.
[ His voice is quiet, surprisingly unguarded. Perhaps he's just thinking aloud. ]
[ that would be a lot more alarming if he wasn't already familiar with the majority of julius' combat experience being with beasts. no one bats an eye at monster extermination. ]
You try to debilitate them. Avoid vital points, and use the flat of your blade if you must target them.
[ it's not necessarily advice for the jailbreak, since they might not even have blades. jusis is kind of thinking aloud at this point, too. ]
Guns are too easy to use for it to be feasible to simply exhaust them. They'll need to disarmed, and most men won't fight without a weapon. It'll be easier to deal with those that do.
[ worst case, most people don't stay conscious through severe enough pain, but jusis doesn't think he has to voice that. ]
[ He's considered it before, how he could probably just use blunt impact to stun them - but Jusis is right, that the best approach is to disarm them and make the fight extremely disadvantageous. ]
I'll keep that in mind.
[ Julius is keenly aware of how fragile humans can be... and it's his hope that he won't push that fragility too hard. ]
[ there's a lot he considers tacking on, but he ultimately decides that he is ... a little too mentally and emotionally exhausted to get into the particulars of what to do if you kill people who were trying to kill you first.
instead, he is going to make an uncharacteristically friendly offer. ]
[ every place seems to have its own merits, doesn't it? but that's not a very satisfying answer. he leans back against the wall and closes his eyes. ]
Our academy is a two-story building in a small town, twenty minutes from the Imperial capital by train. There's a park in front of the train station, surrounded by shops. The lino flowers bloom there every year. Many residents consider them one of Trista's most charming features.
[ his tone does not imply he disagrees. ]
Past the park and the stores, a bridge goes over the Trista River. On the right, the head of the Imperial Fishing Club would be casting a line. The chapel is on the left. The children in Trista tend to congregate outside its gates. The path ends in three directions: the nobles' dorm on the left, the commoners' on the right, and the academy gates straight ahead.
[ he realizes he risks getting carried away and opens his eyes. trista is a place of memories, but the campus especially so. ]
That may not be the answer you were seeking, but it's the first which came to mind.
[ Jusis' words come more as a constant stream of impression than words, as if his mind had fragmented the sentence and pre-processed them for his comprehension. His thoughts linger more on the nature that is being described to him - flowers, fishing, parks. All luxuries that had become unattainable after the era of the Aragami.
He speaks a few moments after Jusis finishes, looking not at him but up at the ceiling. ]
It sounds like a place with a lot of fond memories. It sounds beautiful.
[ said quietly, but, yes, fondly. trista boasts the most prestigious academy in the empire, but the town itself is often overlooked. jusis has found both exceed his expectations. ]
... Truthfully, much of its beauty should be attributed to its people, rather than its scenery. Still, I would call it a place I enjoy.
[ bareahard is objectively beautiful, but many of the nobles who inhabit it make it difficult to recall as such. ]
[ The people. It's always the people that make hardship worth enduring. ]
I worked in many different places, so I spent only a short while in each one. What stands out the most to me was a garden built on the top floor of a building. It was perhaps the only luxury that I could have afforded.
[ Time. The true price was time. ]
My teammates would come to find me there. There were trees and flowers that bloomed according to the seasons. They're hard to come by outside.
[ right. julius did mention he liked gardening, way back on jusis' first day. it gets a small smile out of him. ]
I can certainly imagine that would be a luxury. [ a pause. he's kind of already been set on a sentimental track. ] One of my classmates enjoyed gardening. She toiled to grow flowers over the course of our first year together and eventually gifted them to the rest of our class.
[ well—that's neither here nor there, either. ]
Did you like them? Your teammates, I mean.
[ is that too out of the blue. he was just thinking about his own teammates, none of whom he particularly cared for at first. ]
[ He closes his eyes, remembering their faces and voices. It's been so long since he last saw them. ]
I do. They each have their quirks, which got on my nerves a little at the beginning. However, they were people with good hearts. That was enough for me.
[ In a world where humanity is strapped for numbers, one learns to not be picky. ]
[ Being raised in isolation had led him to treat most interactions like tasks to be completed. Yet, his team had taught him that life was much more than that. ]
Thank you too.
[ He had lost his blood family, but his friends were more than enough to make up for that. ]
Once, a friend said to me: Believe in me who believes in you. We'll get through this together.
[ giving up is the first step to defeat and all that. he's resilient, if nothing else. it would be a more difficult claim if they weren't fortunate enough to still be in contact with the rest of the coven, even if the signets are sometimes strained. ]
I would extend the same sentiment to you. It hardly needs to be said at this point, but I'll assist you in any way I'm able.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
YESSSS
The guards are varied. Some cruel, some kind. [ Julius closes his eyes again. ] As much as they are our enemies... they are still people, especially that one which let me sleep.
[ A pause. ]
When we leave, I hope they won't be here. [ So he doesn't have to consciously restrain his power any more than he already has to. ]
no subject
If they're kind enough, maybe they'll turn a blind eye.
[ he doesn't think you get to this level of clearance while being liable to assist the clearly disruptive element, but you never know. ]
But you should prepare yourself for the possibility of facing them. We're clearly being treated as dangerous unknowns. Every guard out there will shoot to kill, whether it's under orders or out of fear.
[ that goes, like, quadruple for julius, though jusis isn't quite aware of that. ]
no subject
But no one knows that here, so it's to his advantage. ]
I don't want to kill any more than necessary, is all.
[ Said quietly; there's no disagreement with Jusis' words. He already has enough blood on his hands, is his thought - if he had been more rested, he might have realized that he said too much. ]
no subject
he certainly looks pensive in considering his reply. he wouldn't usually allow one of his hands to ball into a fist, but he does. ]
I agree. [ but he kind of hates that he does, and he still has a week left to stew in that. ] If it's possible, I would see them disabled rather than killed.
[ he says, but julius is the one who's volunteered for the front lines. it's a thinly-veiled request. ]
Even the ones who indulge in their job. Justice doesn't come at the end of a blade.
[ he has had and will have plenty of time to consider where justice is supposed to come from in this scenario, but he knows it's not through murder. ]
no subject
That's what I need to figure out, for when the time comes.
[ Julius looks at his own hands, and for a brief second he sees them covered in blood - but he blinks, and the hallucination is gone. ]
I've... never fought against a target that wasn't marked for death, before.
[ His voice is quiet, surprisingly unguarded. Perhaps he's just thinking aloud. ]
no subject
You try to debilitate them. Avoid vital points, and use the flat of your blade if you must target them.
[ it's not necessarily advice for the jailbreak, since they might not even have blades. jusis is kind of thinking aloud at this point, too. ]
Guns are too easy to use for it to be feasible to simply exhaust them. They'll need to disarmed, and most men won't fight without a weapon. It'll be easier to deal with those that do.
[ worst case, most people don't stay conscious through severe enough pain, but jusis doesn't think he has to voice that. ]
no subject
I'll keep that in mind.
[ Julius is keenly aware of how fragile humans can be... and it's his hope that he won't push that fragility too hard. ]
Thank you.
no subject
instead, he is going to make an uncharacteristically friendly offer. ]
Would you like to talk about something else?
no subject
Still, it would be nice to talk about something that is far less depressing. So, after a pause: ]
What do you like?
no subject
In what way? I think I've already mentioned most of my hobbies.
[ those are things he, strictly speaking, enjoys. he would figuratively kill a man to be riding a horse right now. ]
no subject
Julius sighs, pressing a hand against his temples. ]
Sorry. I should've clarified... What kind of places? Scenery and all.
no subject
[ every place seems to have its own merits, doesn't it? but that's not a very satisfying answer. he leans back against the wall and closes his eyes. ]
Our academy is a two-story building in a small town, twenty minutes from the Imperial capital by train. There's a park in front of the train station, surrounded by shops. The lino flowers bloom there every year. Many residents consider them one of Trista's most charming features.
[ his tone does not imply he disagrees. ]
Past the park and the stores, a bridge goes over the Trista River. On the right, the head of the Imperial Fishing Club would be casting a line. The chapel is on the left. The children in Trista tend to congregate outside its gates. The path ends in three directions: the nobles' dorm on the left, the commoners' on the right, and the academy gates straight ahead.
[ he realizes he risks getting carried away and opens his eyes. trista is a place of memories, but the campus especially so. ]
That may not be the answer you were seeking, but it's the first which came to mind.
[ and some small solace to think of, besides. ]
no subject
He speaks a few moments after Jusis finishes, looking not at him but up at the ceiling. ]
It sounds like a place with a lot of fond memories. It sounds beautiful.
[ And that's enough for him. ]
no subject
[ said quietly, but, yes, fondly. trista boasts the most prestigious academy in the empire, but the town itself is often overlooked. jusis has found both exceed his expectations. ]
... Truthfully, much of its beauty should be attributed to its people, rather than its scenery. Still, I would call it a place I enjoy.
[ bareahard is objectively beautiful, but many of the nobles who inhabit it make it difficult to recall as such. ]
What about you?
no subject
I worked in many different places, so I spent only a short while in each one. What stands out the most to me was a garden built on the top floor of a building. It was perhaps the only luxury that I could have afforded.
[ Time. The true price was time. ]
My teammates would come to find me there. There were trees and flowers that bloomed according to the seasons. They're hard to come by outside.
no subject
I can certainly imagine that would be a luxury. [ a pause. he's kind of already been set on a sentimental track. ] One of my classmates enjoyed gardening. She toiled to grow flowers over the course of our first year together and eventually gifted them to the rest of our class.
[ well—that's neither here nor there, either. ]
Did you like them? Your teammates, I mean.
[ is that too out of the blue. he was just thinking about his own teammates, none of whom he particularly cared for at first. ]
no subject
I do. They each have their quirks, which got on my nerves a little at the beginning. However, they were people with good hearts. That was enough for me.
[ In a world where humanity is strapped for numbers, one learns to not be picky. ]
no subject
I could say the exact same about my own. It would seem we've both been blessed with good company.
[ here, too. it would be much harder on him to have a cellmate less approachable. he doesn't rush to say as much, but ... after a moment or two: ]
Thank you, Julius.
no subject
Thank you too.
[ He had lost his blood family, but his friends were more than enough to make up for that. ]
Once, a friend said to me: Believe in me who believes in you. We'll get through this together.
no subject
[ giving up is the first step to defeat and all that. he's resilient, if nothing else. it would be a more difficult claim if they weren't fortunate enough to still be in contact with the rest of the coven, even if the signets are sometimes strained. ]
I would extend the same sentiment to you. It hardly needs to be said at this point, but I'll assist you in any way I'm able.