ic inbox ( ruby city )

[mylegacy]

"Leave a message, per favore; I'll be back before you know it."

[text|voice|video]

Comments

[mylegacy]

So I can drown you?

[starmark]

If I do it right, you won't be able to. I'll be above the water, not beneath it.

[mylegacy]

It was a joke.

I'll teach you.

[starmark]

I know. I was, too.

Are you willing to tell me how Kakyoin's doing? In his training. It's okay if you're not.

[mylegacy]

Depends. Why do you want to know?

[starmark]

The other day, he.

...

His self-esteem took a bad hit. Hamon makes him feel like he's good at something.

[mylegacy]

I know.

He's doing well. There's one road block he's facing, but he's chipping away at it. I don't anticipate it still being a problem in a month or two, although I'm sure he does.

[starmark]

That's good. That he's on his way, that'll be good. He'll get it.

What's the road block? If it's not...if that's something you can say.

[mylegacy]

I don't know if I should tell you. Not because it's bad. I just don't think he'd want me discussing his weaknesses with anyone, even you.

[starmark]

That's fine. I figured as much, anyway.

...You probably could've said "especially you", and it still would've been true.

[mylegacy]

What do you

[Wait. No. Actually . . . he thinks he gets it.]

Because he doesn't think he's good enough.

[starmark]

Right. He can't make mistakes in front of me. He can't have flaws in front of me. He screws up and it's never just "I screwed up", it's "I failed you, I know you probably hate me now, you think this, you think that."

I can't get through to him. I never will, not about that. Because deep down it's not really about what I say. It's about what he thinks I'm going to, and I can't change that.

[mylegacy]

No. You can't. Maybe he can, but you can't.

It's good that you know, at least.

[starmark]

I hate it. I'm stuck hurting him in a way I have no control over, because he's doing it all on his own in my name.

Anyway. It means a lot to me that you've been helping him out. It's fine if I stay out of it. I'm just glad he's got you to train with.

[mylegacy]

I like having someone to train. He's a good student.

It's all part of the same thing. Everything he considers a weakness is part of the same knotted mess. So if I can help to untangle at least a piece of it like this, that's what I'll do.

[starmark]

Can I pay you back for it?

I mean that I appreciate it. I can owe you one.

[mylegacy]

I don't think Kakyoin would like that, either.

[starmark]

Probably not.

...I won't forget that you went to bat for him, then. I'll leave it at that.

[mylegacy]

I'm all right with that.

He's worth going to bat for.