2nd Social Link ▫ [Video + Action]

[jivitadana]

[Splish--splish---splash.

That was quite the event. Minato was relieved that it was over when it was over. After he got some rest, he had to check on his friends, check on anyone who needed it, and then just find some way to relax. Try to get back to normal.

So he found himself out at the beach, doing something mundane. The ocean was still enough that he could do this: Skipping rocks.

Splish---splish------splash.]

Someone once said that Hell is on your last day alive, you meet the person you could've been.

What's Heaven like then?

[It couldn't have been as simple as not meeting them. There had to be other interpretations.

Splish----splish----------splash.]

Comments

▫ Souji ▫

[jivitadana]

Minato had sent Souji a private message before he made it to the beach. It was a simple, short, video message asking Souji to meet with him. It wasn't a text message since it would be better for Souji to hear his voice and see him instead of just reading some text that could seem so impersonal. For any issue, but especially this issue, Minato couldn't be that casual or impersonal.

He thought the most appropriate place for something like this would be outside. It shouldn't be inside because of those mirrors, for one, and then anyone else could overhear them. The comm devices along the walls and their own could turn on at any time too without their knowledge.

But he did want to talk outside because it meant something then. It was where Minato had shown up the first time, perhaps the other times too, and it felt right to talk where it had all started.]

[eatsyourscience]

[When he got Minato's message, Souji had quietly responded that he'd come.

He was relieved when he'd woken up and everything was over. It had all felt strange, but it had felt natural, too. Even if he'd wanted to keep it in and had known he should, it had all come from him. From somewhere deep inside himself that never saw the light of day, not even through the voices of his Personas. Was that truly the core of who he was?

He didn't want it to be. Even if it wasn't, it was still there. There were people he needed to apologize to, and Minato was one of them. It would be a start.

It wasn't long before he found Minato on the beach, skipping rocks on the water. He gathered up a few himself before coming to stand beside him.]

Will you show me how?

[jivitadana]

[Minato offered Souji a small yet encouraging smile. He was really glad and relieved that Souji had decided to meet with him and was actually here. There were a lot of things they should discuss, things that even for Minato made him turn toward inside himself to learn more about who he was.

He nodded. Of course he'd show Souji how to do it. It was something he picked up while at Yakushima with his friends.]

Like this.

[He showed Souji how he gripped the stone and then how he used his wrist when he sent that rock skimming across the water in three splashes. He was good at three, sometimes he got four. Not really or less than that.]

You try it now.

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji tries, and the rock plops into the water. So he tries again, and the same thing happens. He pauses, reassessing what he's doing, then tries a third time. The stone skips once before splashing down through the surface.

He'll take it.]

Thanks, senpai.

[He feels like he can use that term with Minato. He can show his gratitude that way.]

[jivitadana]

[Minato smiled, nodding after seeing that Souji had gotten it on the third try. It wasn't easy, but Souji caught on.

He touched his hand to Souji's arm, then indicated toward the dock.]

... Let's go sit down over there first.

[They could practice some more afterward. Or during the talk. It might be away to have Souji let out anything he was feeling.]

text

[postictal]

you'd have to convince some people it exists first

[Tim included.]

text

[jivitadana]

[That's right too. Minato forgot that he shouldn't have thought about it in just black and white.]

Point taken. Should it exist?

[That was slightly different than if it existed or not.]

text

[postictal]

i don't know.

[That's the truth. He's got no clue if it should, or if it even does.]

some say you have to go to heaven since this is already hell

text

[jivitadana]

[Also true. No other way to go than up, or something like that.]

Shouldn't there be a way to fix "this" so that it's not like or is hell?

[Is that the optimist in him? The idealist?]

text

[postictal]

it'd take a lot to fix a place like this pal

[video]

[wriggedywrecked]

Kid, what the fuck.

[video]

[jivitadana]

[Have a headtilt. Then a blink.]

Something wrong?

[Curiosity pinged.]

[video]

[wriggedywrecked]

you're like nine, ease up on the e-existential crisis.

[video]

[jivitadana]

But I'm seventeen.

[Or physically anyway. Wait, wait, was that still an okay age to have an existential crisis then? Life could get really hard out here for a teenager. Sort of.]

[video]

[wriggedywrecked]

That's basically nine.

[ Video ]

[luckynumberthree]

[ Here for afterlife existential crises.

Simon doesn't recognize the kid in the video, but after a moment of thought, he flips open the video feed to answer. ]

Maybe it could be the same. The person you could have been could go either way, in that line of thinking.

[ Video ]

[jivitadana]

[Literally afterlife. Minato considered that answer, thinking that oh, right, that was also true.]

Whoever thought of it was probably a bit pessimistic.

[Like there would be no possible way to be the person you wanted to be.]

[ Video ]

[luckynumberthree]

Or maybe they just didn't want to become the person they could have been.

[ Despite the fact that the words are still pessimistic in their own way, from a matter of perspective, Simon's still grinning crookedly as he says it. ]

[ Video ]

[jivitadana]

[Also true. That was... hm. Again, Minato hadn't thought of it that way. It was nice that people had responded to his inquiry and had given him things to think about.]

I think some people are so used to pushing or being pushed to being someone better.

[So not becoming that person hadn't even been part of the equation.]

[ Video ]

[luckynumberthree]

A lot of people are, yeah. But not always. I suppose it depends on the person and what and who they're encouraged to be.

But isn't this a rather morbid line of thought to be having out of the blue? Or is this because of the event?

video;

[watchmaker]

I'm hoping for something food-based. Not that I can die, but in the unlikely event that it happens, I'd like to be surrounded by food.

video;

[jivitadana]

That wouldn't be so bad.

[Actually, that'd be kind of amazing.]

But what kind of food?

video;

[watchmaker]

Hm ... dessert. Pie, cake. Maybe waffles ala mode?

video;

[jivitadana]

Good choice.

[A place with just dessert. Ice cream, please. Ice cream is the best. The a la mode totally counts.]

... But you can't die?

[Then he could never really get to that kind of heaven? That's kind of sad.]

video;

[watchmaker]

Nope. Rapid cellular regeneration. Anytime I get hurt, it heals right up.