aoi route: all roads lead to doom

[sengokus]

Comments

[gamerbrain]

It's weird. Aoi doesn't like it. Aoi wants to reload an old save file, even if it means playing through the prologue again.

... But Aoi can't.

[sengokus]

[ . . . . he nods.]

Yeah.

There's do-overs. We have to live with the choices that we've made.

Is that... new for you, Aoi-san?

[gamerbrain]

... Yep.

[sengokus]

[still weird

but]

... okay.

Then - let's learn that together, too. How to keep going, even after we get stuck with something shitty.

I'm not very good at that either, so maybe we can keep each other in check.

[gamerbrain]

You need to learn it, too?

[sengokus]

Yup. Not really the same way - I've never had, uh... save slots or anything.

[ . . . ]

I just... slow down when I shouldn't, I guess.

[gamerbrain]

Slow down...? What do you mean? Aoi doesn't understand.

[sengokus]

[he looks thoughtful, like figuring out how to explain]

... You ever been afraid of something?

[gamerbrain]

No.

[sengokus]

[he just

laughs a little - though it's not without a pinch of sadness]

Then... it'll be a little hard for me to explain until you are.

Not that I want to wish it on you, it's just... a specific feeling, I guess.

[gamerbrain]

Aoi doesn't really... Understand feelings...

[sengokus]

Huh...

Never really had 'em before?

[gamerbrain]

... Boop boop...

[ she isn't sure? so she just. doesn't answer. ]

[sengokus]

... but you've got them now, right?

Or at least, you think so.

[gamerbrain]

... Aoi never thought about having them or not having them before.

So... It's hard to compare.

[sengokus]

You went with the... uh, 'script', right?

I guess if you didn't question it at all, you didn't have to worry about what you were feeling that much.

[gamerbrain]

[ she doesn't like having to think about it, now. feelings are bad! at least, bad when they're largely brought on by people dying unfairly. so she deflects a little it. ]

... If we had caught the right person, would Aoi feel better?

[sengokus]

[ . . . he shrugs a little.]

Dunno. Maybe. It depends on whether or not you think it's right for that person to die. It'd probably feel... I dunno - more like closure, at least, than doing that to an innocent person.

But it still might not have been great.

[gamerbrain]

[ mixed messages... ]

Closure... Like finishing a route?

[sengokus]

... like getting an answer to a question you want really badly. Like knowing you - uh, selected the right dialogue option, I guess?

[he's trying

so hard]

[gamerbrain]

[ she nods like she understands. ]

... Then Aoi wishes we had triggered the closure flag.

[sengokus]

... we can still try.

[he'll reach out to pat the top of her head]

It's not over yet, so we can get more chances to get it right.