clarities | Sixth File.

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Sixth File.

[ Phone ]

I'm not going to bother with this silly "homecoming" event. You may have your fun, but I won't be a part of it. Thank you very much.

Also, if you're a tailor, seamstress, or anything of the like - may I have a moment of your time? I'd like to put in a request for something to be made.

[ Action | Church ]

[ A few days after music class with Austria, Diana has decided to practice a few pieces of varying music either in the auditorium of the high school, right in the music room, or hell - even in the church. She's not religious by any means, but she will make use of what she has to her. And, so, she can be found at the organ in the church, playing this piece. It's honestly a challenge to her, but it's a welcome one. Go ahead and bother her, but try to not interrupt her from her playing. She's very intently focused on this. ]

[ Action | Mayfield High ]

[ While Diana's in her classes, she's busy scribbling down not the notes, but yet transmutation circles. She's making herself learn new ones as well as applying the knowledge she already has. She's humming a little song under her breath, her eyes closed. At least she isn't falling randomly asleep. Yet. ]

[ Action | Around Mayfield ]

[ Maybe school or the church is not for you, so Diana can be found bustling in various shops to buy posterboard and other such materials. While she'd like to design her posters on a computer, she doesn't have that option available to her, unfortunately. Again, she'll make do with what she has for now. She does seem to be a little distracted as she's figuring out how to design the posters to make them visually pleasing and invite as many people as possible, though. Therefore, it should be easy to distract her from doing this. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ She does pick up on the change, but doesn't mention it out loud. More just a mental note, and her own expression is fairly neutral as she speaks. ]

They do say people tend to turn to religion when there are barely any other options left. [ As heavy as of a subject as it is for her, there's actually something slightly lighter than usual in her tone at it. ]

[ Diana thinks about what Minako said before moving over on the bench for her to sit down. ]

While you and I haven't known each other too long, I wouldn't mind listening. [ Since even she knows it's good to let it out sometimes, as much as she bottles stuff up to not worry others. ]

[ At that.. she pauses. Even while still standing, really. She hasn't ever really shared her problems with people - even the other girls had to find out through some other means before she had shared it with them back home. It's because she's used to fighting on her own, to doing things on her own, because it's just the way it's meant to be. It's so that nobody will be sad when--- ... hmm.

Slowly but surely, she takes a step over and sits down. ]

There's not much to say, really. [ A lie. But something she worries about and can at least talk freely about is.. ] I was just hoping everyone could be alright the next time something happens in this place.

[ In this situation, Diana decides to not judge someone based on their words, but their body language. She tries to pick up any signs of when Minako may not be telling the truth to her, but she does allow her to speak freely. ]

It may be foolishly optimistic of me to say, but the idea of people being able to survive whatever this town throws at us is a testament of how strong we actually are. We keep on getting back up, dust ourselves off, and continue the fight. We may not like the odds presented to us, but we make it known that we're not meant to be trifled with - even if the town has a sick sense of humor. [ The way she says this is far beyond what a normal thirteen year old girl should say, like her own voice sounds old and full of wisdom. ]

You're right. [ Minako's voice is practically the same. It's what happens to you after hunderds of years of past lives, and then forced to live a life that isn't really meant for a fourteen/fifteen year old.

For a moment she thoughtfully pauses. What would be the best way to put this.. ]

... Say, do you have anyone you know from back home in this place?

[ Perhaps they had more in common than she initially thought they did. ]

Not to my knowledge, no. Do you?

Hmm, I do. That's exactly the problem.

[ Because if it was just her? She wouldn't mind as much. She doesn't value her own life highly, never has, but these lives in particular.. ]

There's a person stuck here, a person I swore I would always protect. But.. in this place, I can barely do anything for her, no matter how hard I try. I've already failed one of my allies here too when she needed it the most. [ It's not self-pitying as much as it's just the sheer feeling of uselessness. ]

I see...

[ Diana thinks on this before nodding to herself. ]

Are they the type to do tasks for themselves, even if it'll exhaust them in the end? Or, are they willing to do everything for others and not worry about themselves in the end?

... The latter, mostly. They would definitely try to save others before they'd try to save themselves. [ Minako is the same, really, but she's enough of a hypocrite to want the people she's supposed to protect to not be like that. ]

Especially that person I swore to protect. Maybe she most of all, actually.

Have you tried to tell them that you want to see them be happy instead of overexerting themselves? Or even that they're being foolish by doing this and you'd want to see them be happy?

They're the kind of persons who wouldn't listen even if I'd tell them that.

[ There's a small sigh, close to bitterly amused. ]

Ah, one of those kinds of people. What I'd advise you to do there is to be patient and try to make them see that if they continue at the rate they're going, they'll be hurting the ones that care about them in the end. It's a long shot, but as long as you're determined enough, it can be done.

Good thing that determination is at least one thing I have plenty of.

[ For a moment she goes quiet, as if she's thinking about it. ]

Either way, all I can do aside from that is just keeping up protecting them from this place in any way I can, even though it's pretty hard considering the circumstances.

[ Diana brings her legs up so that she can place her chin on her knees to think. It isn't long before she leans slightly back, trying to rattle her mind for an answer. ]

Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling that you're a fighter, Miss Aino. If you keep fighting for her and for the ones you care about in Mayfield, then things will hopefully turn out easier.

Let them know that they have your shoulder to cry on if things get bad, let them know that you are there for them for anything, and most importantly - do not lose that friendship through any means. If you work together with this person, then perhaps Mayfield will turn out for the best. Yes, our circumstances aren't the most favorable, but we can make do with what we have - which is our strength and the ability to not give in to the craziness.

It's like I said before, I can sense that you have a good head on your shoulders and your heart will tell you what's right, even when you think it won't. Just go with what feels right and go from there.

[ She's smiling a little from what she says to Minako, her own mood lightening up a bit. Helping others out doesn't seem so bad after all. Maybe she ought to do this more often. ]

... Yes. You're right. As long as I'm in this place, I won't let it get to me too much. I'll fight to protect them for as long as I have to, and no matter what I'll have to do. So they can be alright.

[ The advice makes her think of back home a little, really, and to hear someone speak of her like that even though she doesn't know them well or hasn't been particularly friendly to them.. It's almost like meeting Usagi all over again. It just makes her think, and what appears on her face might be close to an actual smile. ]

I realised something too back home, right before I came here.

[ 'But I don't regret anything..

... since I was able to live as Aino Minako until the very end.' ]

I won't let go of it anymore. Not even in this place.

That's the spirit. Don't forget to take care of Aino Minako in the process, okay? As important as the people are to you, you need to also worry about yourself, too.

[ She notices the twinges of a smile and can't help but give a slight one herself. She feels... happy, for the first time in a while, to have this time with Minako. ]

Do you mind sharing that something or is it just one of those things? [ Her tone now carries a slight teasing vibe with it. ]

I'll be fine. I'm pretty tough. [ She's able to say it rather casually, even with that smile on her face. She's still pretty stubborn, after all, and she is slowly getting her powers back one by one from the town, so she's still fairly confident. Hey, she survived zombies.

That next part though.. Well, maybe deep down Minako is starting to get along with this girl a little. And when she starts getting fond of people.. She trolls the heck out of them. ]

Ah, it's sort of a long story.. I'll tell you sometime. [ Her lips curl up into a tiny near-smirk. ]

I had a feeling you were. Otherwise, you wouldn't have survived this long. [ Conversely, Diana has only survived the zombie horde, but she knows that Ethelberts never give up and she won't lose herself in the zaniness.

Though, on the other hand, you said trolling? Well, she'll gladly reciprocate that. ]

Hopefully it's before I turn into an old, decrepit woman. [ She smirks and actually lets out a small chuckle. Hey, that's a victory for you. ]

I can't promise anything.

[ With that same tiny smirk, and she stands up from where they were sitting for a moment to look up at the glass windows instead, not facing Diana. She hasn't told anyone here this, really - not even Usagi or Hotaru, they wouldn't understand if they were from another world - but it might be good to actually get it off her chest for once. And if it's someone she doesn't completely distrust, then..

Maybe she can get some relief by saying it out loud at least once. ]

I.. don't have anything to return to back home. As soon as I get out of this place, it's over for me. [ a slight pause. ] So I just want to make the most out of it and do as much as I can for them while I'm here.

[ Diana studies Minako's actions, returning to her usual posture of sitting up nice and straight. She waits for whatever she may say and listens to it fully.

Though, her mind translates that as that Minako has died back home. A sympathetic frown crosses her lips, but she reflects on what Ed said for a moment - all is one, one is all. Since that one line changed her perspectives, maybe it could do the same for Minako herself. ]

An [...] acquaintance of mine gave me this line. It's small, but the impact of it can help. It's "all is one, one is all." What do you think that means, Minako?

[ Notice how she didn't use your last name this time? She's getting around to trusting you and doesn't see a need for using your last name now. ]

[ Oh, she does note the change mentally, even if she doesn't speak up about it. She actually stares at the light flowing in through the windows for a few moments in silence, as if she's thinking about it, before speaking up. ]

All is one, one is all.. That would be something like that line from The Three Musketeers, right? "One for all and all for one".. since that means that everyone should fight for the whole group, and the whole group should fight for one person, something like that would most likely mean that what's good for one, is good for the group, and the other way around. [ She still doesn't turn around though. ] Everyone's part of one big unit, something like that?

[ She waits patiently for Minako's answer before nodding a bit. She gets up from the bench and stuffs her hands in her pockets. ]

That's pretty much the answer. [ She closes her eyes and raises her head up to look at the ceiling. ]

What he said was, "The world, the entire universe is the 'all', and you, just you. You, a single person living alongside everything else is the 'one.'" It sounds fairly simple, doesn't it? But, what helped put my perspectives in place, is that everything is connected. One simple action can impact everything around it. Understanding that phrase is understanding the flow of life, the energy in every single living being, and what keeps the world alive.

[ She takes a moment to pause before letting a genuine smile take place. ]

You may be asking yourself, "how does this relate to me and why should I care?" Well, when it's applied to alchemy - you can't use it to fix everything. But, when it comes to actually applying it to every day life, understand that this does not make your life mean less. Everything, everyone, is just as important as everything else. And that means you, Minako.

All it really will take is just being the best Aino Minako you can be and working to make your dreams - like your need to protect people, a reality. Just work with what you have and I believe that you'll be able to accomplish everything before you go back home.

But, yes - your answer was right. I felt the need to expound on it. [ And then her smile turns into a little smirk, just to help the other girl out. ]

Edited 2011-10-17 13:56 (UTC)

That's quite the story.

[ Maybe she's back a little more in her teasing mode - either way she has a small and almost content smile on her face as she turns to look at the girl again. ]

You're a little too late with all of it though. You should have told it to the earlier me, she could have used it more since she hadn't realised yet what I have. [ "We were all born with a mission from the past life. The moment when I overcame that was when I truly became myself." ] Even though by the time I realised it, it was already too late. [ Not that she regrets it.

Then there's something else she hasn't downright told anyone yet, but.. well, she trusts Diana. More or less. And if it helps in helping people out here.. ]

By the way, if you ever get into a tight spot because of this place and need some help, feel free to call me over the phones. [ She looks down at her arm for a moment - at the bracelet on it. ] I have enough power to fight for others.

What you have... Excuse me if this seems forward, but did your past self have a disease or something that would have caused them an early death? [ It's hard to not piece those parts together, even with her mind.

She does, however, pause and gives a nod to Minako. ]

I'll keep it in mind. Thank you, Minako.

[ She wasn't planning on telling anyone - it would just cause unnecessary grief for Usagi, for example - but if she's outted.. Well, there's no need to deny it in that case. ]

Exactly that. Half a year before I arrived in this place, the doctors gave me six more months. They were right. [ She shrugs a little. Even though she died.. she's content with it, mostly. She just regrets not being able to finish what she had to. ]

I was going to take a surgery that was the last thing that could save my life right before I arrived here, but I was just a little bit too late with it, I suppose.

Sixth File.

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