It's... hard to tell. Everything is so mixed up right now, when it comes to... all this. I feel like if I can write it all down, I can get a clearer picture. But I don't know. Maybe even that's not enough.
[He leans back in the chair, staring at the ceiling, still twisting the quill in his left hand.]
Ishikirimaru killed Luna because Luna killed Fortune, and was trying to kill Ruin—and he helped Sasuke kill Catra, since she was the one who killed Ray. He lied to me, because he wanted to protect me. Same thing Guy would've done if he could've gotten away with me not finding out. When I try to think about who's wrong or right, here, I get a headache.
[He pauses, and looks at Ion, expression exuding confused misery.]
I know I'm angry he lied to me. After that... I-I can't tell.
[Ion's quiet as he gives Luke the opportunity to work through his thought process. He bows his head slightly, brow furrowed, and only tightens his grip on Luke's hand as he expresses his frustration.]
It's okay to be angry...and confused. I think it would be stranger if you did have a clear picture of how you felt...because this is the kind of situation where no one is right.
[He sighs.]
Ishikirimaru took on a role that would always put him in a guilty position, should he be successful. It was to protect others weaker than himself, and that's noble, but when a person then takes an initiative in response to a crime that may be committed...that's when we must ask ourselves who truly has the authority to make that choice. I believe...that regardless of what Catra and Entrapta may have done in the past, that doesn't mean they don't still have a chance to do good in the future. Killing them would never bring Ray back. It would never erase the hurt that losing him brought so many people.
[But after all that, Ion smiles sadly.]
I think we all know how it feels to make a decision that you truly believed would save lives, only to watch the opposite happen. It's up to you to decide how you choose to view him, now, but I know that Ishikirimaru has been agonizing over his mistake.
[It's his turn to listen, now—and something in his face shifts as Ion talks. The confusion, at least, seems to clear a little, and Luke finds himself nodding along as he speaks. When Ion finishes, Luke is on his feet, ditching the quill on the table, and taking both of his partner's hands.]
That's it! That's exactly it, Ion!
[He still looks exhausted, but now, genuinely relieved—as if he's just come out the other end of a long tunnel—and smiles wryly]
I... lost my temper today, big time, when he finally confessed. I know you saw it. But what really made me stop was when Ishikirimaru mentioned... the cycle. Keeping it going. Killing a person because they killed a person. It reminded me of... how I wouldn't be alive, if everyone thought like that. If no one had given me a second chance after Akzeriuth...
[How easy it was to imagine, even now—being left on that sinking island in the sea of miasma, suffering the same fate as the last child. His life, rightfully snuffed by Asch, as he slept unconscious in Yulia City. Attacked and killed on any road, revenge for family lost. And he would have deserved it, regardless of what the Score foretold. He would have more than deserved it.]
...I'm angry. I feel betrayed, just like I did with Guy. But I...
[...]
I think I understand why he made that choice. And I think I want to go and see him tomorrow. I can't keep moving forward if I don't... move, I guess. Right?
[He exhales, a long, low breath—and leans down, pressing his forehead to Ion's.]
[Regardless of the situation, Luke's exuberance, as always, is contagious, and Ion can't help but smile as he stands, too. It's refreshing to hear him go through his thoughts and feelings, to be able to piece everything together that he couldn't quite place, before.]
I'm glad I could help.
[It's tempting to close his eyes, to let himself savor just the closeness and the warmth of their connection. But Ion doesn't want to miss even a moment, so his big eyes crinkle.]
[He'd really lost it pretty hard—but he'd dropped his damn sword. He wondered if he'd even been serious about it, or if it had just been an empty action, the formation of his despair made flesh and little more.]
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[It's a sound from somewhere in his throat, tired and thoughtful. He takes Ion's hand reflexively, eyes lidded.]
I guess I should be used to it by now.
[...]
...I was so close. But I still trusted him, because he told me to. I really...
[he breaks off, shaking his head with an exhale.]
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[It's asked gently, of course, without judgment.]
For his actions, or for manipulating your trust?
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[...]
It's... hard to tell. Everything is so mixed up right now, when it comes to... all this. I feel like if I can write it all down, I can get a clearer picture. But I don't know. Maybe even that's not enough.
[He leans back in the chair, staring at the ceiling, still twisting the quill in his left hand.]
Ishikirimaru killed Luna because Luna killed Fortune, and was trying to kill Ruin—and he helped Sasuke kill Catra, since she was the one who killed Ray. He lied to me, because he wanted to protect me. Same thing Guy would've done if he could've gotten away with me not finding out. When I try to think about who's wrong or right, here, I get a headache.
[He pauses, and looks at Ion, expression exuding confused misery.]
I know I'm angry he lied to me. After that... I-I can't tell.
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It's okay to be angry...and confused. I think it would be stranger if you did have a clear picture of how you felt...because this is the kind of situation where no one is right.
[He sighs.]
Ishikirimaru took on a role that would always put him in a guilty position, should he be successful. It was to protect others weaker than himself, and that's noble, but when a person then takes an initiative in response to a crime that may be committed...that's when we must ask ourselves who truly has the authority to make that choice. I believe...that regardless of what Catra and Entrapta may have done in the past, that doesn't mean they don't still have a chance to do good in the future. Killing them would never bring Ray back. It would never erase the hurt that losing him brought so many people.
[But after all that, Ion smiles sadly.]
I think we all know how it feels to make a decision that you truly believed would save lives, only to watch the opposite happen. It's up to you to decide how you choose to view him, now, but I know that Ishikirimaru has been agonizing over his mistake.
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That's it! That's exactly it, Ion!
[He still looks exhausted, but now, genuinely relieved—as if he's just come out the other end of a long tunnel—and smiles wryly]
I... lost my temper today, big time, when he finally confessed. I know you saw it. But what really made me stop was when Ishikirimaru mentioned... the cycle. Keeping it going. Killing a person because they killed a person. It reminded me of... how I wouldn't be alive, if everyone thought like that. If no one had given me a second chance after Akzeriuth...
[How easy it was to imagine, even now—being left on that sinking island in the sea of miasma, suffering the same fate as the last child. His life, rightfully snuffed by Asch, as he slept unconscious in Yulia City. Attacked and killed on any road, revenge for family lost. And he would have deserved it, regardless of what the Score foretold. He would have more than deserved it.]
...I'm angry. I feel betrayed, just like I did with Guy. But I...
[...]
I think I understand why he made that choice. And I think I want to go and see him tomorrow. I can't keep moving forward if I don't... move, I guess. Right?
[He exhales, a long, low breath—and leans down, pressing his forehead to Ion's.]
Thank you.
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I'm glad I could help.
[It's tempting to close his eyes, to let himself savor just the closeness and the warmth of their connection. But Ion doesn't want to miss even a moment, so his big eyes crinkle.]
And...I'm really proud of you.
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[He'd really lost it pretty hard—but he'd dropped his damn sword. He wondered if he'd even been serious about it, or if it had just been an empty action, the formation of his despair made flesh and little more.]
I should be glad you're not mad at me.
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I couldn't ever be mad at you.
[But that's beside the point.]
I'm proud because you're still learning so much every day, and becoming a better and more well-rounded person because of it.
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[There's a pause, and he gives Ion's hands an awkward squeeze, as soft as it is careful.]
...I'm proud of you, too. So... maybe we can both keep it up together.