Before, he may have pressed gently, saying the monsters were her parents, that she needs to come back from nothing. Not now. Never again.
I will not be pitied, and I would rather be a monster than a victim.
"It leaves room for the hope to be crushed," he agrees quietly. "It is -- it is a kind of trust. Like placing your bare arm under a sword even though its wielder might cut your hand off at any moment. And why should you ever trust that they won't?"
He sighs, long and low.
"I keep my hopes smaller now. That lotuses will grow if I plant them. That I will crack my latest talisman, complex as it is. It makes it easier to pull my hand back before the sword falls. Maybe that's the only proper way any of us should hope."
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branchandroot
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Date: 2020-09-19 02:19 pm (UTC)I will not be pitied, and I would rather be a monster than a victim.
"It leaves room for the hope to be crushed," he agrees quietly. "It is -- it is a kind of trust. Like placing your bare arm under a sword even though its wielder might cut your hand off at any moment. And why should you ever trust that they won't?"
He sighs, long and low.
"I keep my hopes smaller now. That lotuses will grow if I plant them. That I will crack my latest talisman, complex as it is. It makes it easier to pull my hand back before the sword falls. Maybe that's the only proper way any of us should hope."