No, no, it's always that sort of vapid "We'll always be happy no matter what" bullshit...
[Just how many of those very expectations has he left unfulfilled?]
...Well, maybe the way you're looking at it is more realistic. I'm not happy very often, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but there's no way you could be like that all the time.
[He accidentally said more than he'd wanted to there, so maybe if he says something else she won't realize he talked about himself for a hot second.]
I guess that's what they call being down-to-earth.
Nobody can always be happy. If you are, it wouldn't really count, I don't think; without the downs, you can't recognize the ups, right?
[She bounces on his mattress, for the sake of making him bounce too.]
I learned early on that not looking at less than happy occurrences doesn't really change much at all. I don't have many standards to speak of, but I'm honest, if nothing else.
[But if you spend too much time thinking about the downs, the ups just seem insignificant.
He'd better not say that out loud, though.]
You have no standards at all.
[Everything she does is the action of someone who has poor taste. Robin's convinced of that. He can respect her for a lot of things, but he'll never understand the choices she makes.]
But honesty is a good trait to have. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about there, either...
[After all, he's the most dishonest person he knows.]
[It's a simple response, but it takes Robin several long moments to process it. When...is the last time he ever faced anything head-on? In his personal life, as a Heroic Spirit, in battle? He can't remember. He's not sure if he ever has.]
Nah, there's no such thing as a kind lie. People can tell themselves that all they want, but they're wrong.
[It always comes back to bite you in the ass eventually, even if you only had the best of intentions. Robin, after all, is something of an expert when it comes to paving the road to Hell.]
[Hakuno really is the most resilient person he knows. Maybe the most resilient person in human history - because despite her origins, she's definitely, unquestionably a human.]
...Yeah. You're right about that.
[He's quiet for a while, though he doesn't offer many glimpses into what he's thinking about. Whatever it is, it's serious, because that sparkle of mischief in his eye that usually accompanies his deflection attempts is nowhere to be found.]
Thanks, Hakuno.
[It's a small thing, but it encompasses more than he could possibly say to elaborate.
He must have had a name before becoming Robin Hood, but he can't remember it. That had never really bothered him. After all, it had been his decision to kill that nameless peasant in the first place, to replace him with someone else. But there's no need for a Robin Hood here, so who is he without that?
It's Hakuno who gave him the answer, and with it, his name. It's not an especially creative one, derivative as it is, but it's his, and he never would've come to accept it as anything more than an alias if Hakuno hadn't so diligently gathered up what was left of a broken man and tried her hardest to put everything back together. There are pieces missing, and it'll never be exactly the same, no matter how hard she or anyone else tries. But for all the uneven lines and imperfections, it's an identity for him and him alone, a chance to reach toward that quiet, distant dream of a peaceful life. And he thinks, for a moment, that maybe it's not a lie at all, and everything will be okay.
He doesn't think he'll ever be able to thank her enough for that.]
Edited (0/10 would not recommend phonetagging, it ate an entire sentence) 2017-01-22 06:47 (UTC)
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[She pokes her tongue out at him.]
At least, I hope so.
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[Just how many of those very expectations has he left unfulfilled?]
...Well, maybe the way you're looking at it is more realistic. I'm not happy very often, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but there's no way you could be like that all the time.
[He accidentally said more than he'd wanted to there, so maybe if he says something else she won't realize he talked about himself for a hot second.]
I guess that's what they call being down-to-earth.
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[She bounces on his mattress, for the sake of making him bounce too.]
I learned early on that not looking at less than happy occurrences doesn't really change much at all. I don't have many standards to speak of, but I'm honest, if nothing else.
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He'd better not say that out loud, though.]
You have no standards at all.
[Everything she does is the action of someone who has poor taste. Robin's convinced of that. He can respect her for a lot of things, but he'll never understand the choices she makes.]
But honesty is a good trait to have. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about there, either...
[After all, he's the most dishonest person he knows.]
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[Which is... different. Probably.]
Mm. Well, sometimes a lie here and there... might be kinder. But, I prefer to face things head on, if at all possible.
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Nah, there's no such thing as a kind lie. People can tell themselves that all they want, but they're wrong.
[It always comes back to bite you in the ass eventually, even if you only had the best of intentions. Robin, after all, is something of an expert when it comes to paving the road to Hell.]
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[He's not wrong.]
Maybe so. But sometimes the words 'it will be okay' can be stronger magic than any Code Cast.
['It will be okay.'
'It doesn't hurt that bad.'
'I can keep going just fine.'
'I'll get through this.']
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...Yeah. You're right about that.
[He's quiet for a while, though he doesn't offer many glimpses into what he's thinking about. Whatever it is, it's serious, because that sparkle of mischief in his eye that usually accompanies his deflection attempts is nowhere to be found.]
Thanks, Hakuno.
[It's a small thing, but it encompasses more than he could possibly say to elaborate.
He must have had a name before becoming Robin Hood, but he can't remember it. That had never really bothered him. After all, it had been his decision to kill that nameless peasant in the first place, to replace him with someone else. But there's no need for a Robin Hood here, so who is he without that?
It's Hakuno who gave him the answer, and with it, his name. It's not an especially creative one, derivative as it is, but it's his, and he never would've come to accept it as anything more than an alias if Hakuno hadn't so diligently gathered up what was left of a broken man and tried her hardest to put everything back together. There are pieces missing, and it'll never be exactly the same, no matter how hard she or anyone else tries. But for all the uneven lines and imperfections, it's an identity for him and him alone, a chance to reach toward that quiet, distant dream of a peaceful life. And he thinks, for a moment, that maybe it's not a lie at all, and everything will be okay.
He doesn't think he'll ever be able to thank her enough for that.]