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Dr. Ratio

"There's no rush."

Dr. Ratio

Greetings, I am Veritas Ratio.

Dr. Ratio

Knowledge should flow freely between people, and the same fate should befall truth. You can ask me about technical problems at any moment, and I shall do my utmost to give you a reply.

Dr. Ratio

But before you ask, remember to establish best practices for intense self-rumination, and remember that time is precious for everyone, as for me, so for you.

Dr. Ratio

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[ Only Aventurine manages to draw out such lurid ideas from Ratio. Only he is allowed to fluster Ratio like this. But thinking of such things only makes him miss the man more, so he wipes it from his mind and clicks his tongue in irritation instead.

There's a lot he can say about Godzilla, but mostly, he's just annoyed that the kaiju's been allowed to do as he pleases without regard to everyone else's safety and concern. ]

His selfish behaviour may compromise your team's safety. Prioritize that above the objective.

[ It's not in Aventurine's nature to prioritize safety, he knows, but this isn't the IPC. Aventurine isn't beholden to LILITH, to sacrifice his health and life for profit and the organization's benefit. Ratio is rarely selfish, but this, he thinks he should be allowed to ask for. ]

Yeah. He’s hit that kid—- Hunter, I think? But he bounced so it’s probably not going to count against him in LILITH’s eye. ( It has been a wild time up here, Ratio. As for Veritas’ wish, well, Aventurine gives him a small nod. ) So no challenging the big guy to a race. Got it.

It’ll be interesting to see how he reacts to all this if it’s another shot at the one we failed to get in Seoul. Considering how he is about the hatchlings—-

[ He what. And they're going to let him continue to drive?????

Tired as Ratio is, he is tongue-tied for a moment as he tries to sort out all the thoughts that come to him at once at the suggestion of Aventurine racing Godzilla. This isn't the desert, gambler. You brought it up just to annoy me, I know you aren't going to race him. Why are you even trying to engage with him??

None of it manages to get out. Instead, he just resorts to giving the other man a look of irritation, softened by the slight droop of his eyes. ]

I would not count on him to be reliable, or even act in our interests should he decide that the imugi hatchlings are far more important than anything else. The possibility of a betrayal is not zero.

( None of it gets out, sure, but Aventurine likes to think he's adept at reading Veritas' expressions by this point. Perhaps more than other people -- he bets that even if Ratio had donned his mask he'd still be able to read him well enough to get by. Better than anyone else here, at least. Which, okay, isn't really difficult but it's the spirit of the matter.

Aventurine does flash him a winning grin in order to set his mind at ease. )

You'd think they'd better screen the people who were brought here, huh. Not that I'm complaining -- they let me in, after all. But there's a difference between 'likely to backstab' and 'literally what we've been brought here to fight'. A conflict of interest was bound to arise sooner or later.

[ Ratio is often mistaken to be stoic because there is little that causes him to react so strongly. The exception to that is, of course, Aventurine, who is capable of drawing out all sorts of emotion from the scholar. And with the bust regularly hiding his features, he's far less accustomed to schooling his face, making him quite easy to read, especially for the gambler; perhaps the only person who has worked with Ratio this closely for this long.

The winning grin does not set him at ease, so his brows remain furrowed. ]

Whatever their selection criteria, it does not change the fact that we must deal with him now. Be careful, and stay safe, my dear. There is no need for you to gamble your life for this planet.

[ Perhaps to those who do not know Ratio well, his words might come as a shock. For him to prioritize one man over millions... but he has never claimed to be altruistic. No, he is simply an ordinary man, with an ordinary wish to see his lover safe. ]

( It does something to Aventurine's heart every time Ratio worries about him -- there's the urge to do something reckless and dangerous to bask in his attention, sure,. But the idea that someone cares enough about his wellbeing to be concerned is still a new and novel revelation that Aventurine, almost a year on from his last attempt to end his life, still can't quite believe.

"Do stay alive, I wish you the best of luck."

Does Ratio have any idea how much those words meant to him in that moment? Proof that Acheron was right and that there was a reason to live after all? That maybe he wasn't so alone, that there still could be people out there that cared. That wanted him to stick around.

One day, Aventurine will tell him. Before it's too late and he can't anymore, either by death or because Ratio will have left him. His expression softens slightly, and his hand goes back to wrap around the pendant he hasn't taken off since Veritas gifted it to him. Perhaps he's been selling them both short lately on the longevity of this arrangement.

Perhaps.

Anyway-- )

Isn't that what we're supposed to be doing? Saving it? It's strange though, there's really not much to save -- here's where I'd make a bid for allowing the IPC to come in and offer them a little nudge in the right direction, if I could. But don't worry so much, dear Doctor. There's something here I'm not eager to go without.

[ With Aventurine, it's easy to express his concern. He is the one man Ratio has opened his heart to, and with any luck, the only one he'll ever open his heart to, for the rest of his years. It's easier to show his love when he's been allowed to, as Aventurine's lover. And that's all he wants to do. To shower Aventurine with affection and adoration, as if that will somehow convince the man to live for another day, though he knows the desire has to come from within.

Though, truthfully, he just wants to express the emotions simmering within that are sometimes overwhelming to him. ]

While I am not fond of the IPC's takeovers, in this case, I believe it would be a net benefit to both parties. There is hardly worse the people of this planet can suffer through under them.

[ Especially with that inter-universe summoning technology of theirs. That alone will offer them more than enough leverage for a good deal.

Something here he's not eager to go without? Does he mean...? ]

...it better stay that way.

[ He values something greater than his own death? That... it's progress. ]

We'd at least be able to help them with the kaiju problem. Now I know you've made your peace as much as you can with all of this, but it really does feel like they're handicapping you by limiting what you can access. The first thing I'd do would be to make them share their research with you.

( As for having it stay that way, well. Aventurine doesn't like talking about his emotions in a way that makes him seem vulnerable, so he turns over on his side and curls in, the rest of the campervan to his back. His voice dips slightly, soft. )

Yeah. I don't see it changing any time soon, at least. Not as long as you're here.

[ It's something that has been gnawing at Ratio for a while now. How helpless he's been. How he hasn't been able to do even a fraction of what he knows he's capable of doing to help this planet, simply because he no longer has his reputation and authority as one of the brightest minds of the cosmos. It's reminded him of how ordinary he truly is, especially when compared to other Outsiders. ]

There's no use talking about hypotheticals. We both know that won't be happening any time soon.

[ If it sounds a little bitter, well, Aventurine can forgive him for expressing his displeasure, right? ]

Good.

[ He knows how difficult it is for Aventurine to open up, even to him, so this is more than enough for the scholar. ]

( There isn't anything that Aventurine wouldn't forgive Ratio for, which should be worrying for any normal, sane person. Unfortunately, Aventurine is in desperate need of therapy, and therefore the self awareness that this might not be a great thing escapes him. )

You know, if you were to tell the me of a year ago that'd we'd be, you know. ( Practically engaged. Aventurine knows what all the gifts Ratio has been giving him mean, even if there's still a part of him that struggles to believe that this won't end suddenly. But he is placing his trust in Ratio, and that will have to be enough. ) I wouldn't have believed you.

[ You know, he says, with a subtle but strange inflection that tells Ratio all he needs to know about how Aventurine feels regarding their relationship. But he isn't worried. Some wounds require more than just a few months to heal. So long as there is progress, there will be a point in time when the other man fully accepts that he will not lose Ratio or this relationship.

It's a little upsetting that he can't reach out to reassure Aventurine now, separated as they are. Belatedly, he thinks about making a silly little addition to the pendant clutched tightly in the gambler's hand; some sort of... Perhaps heat generator so it can warm up when he—no no no, that's far too silly for the pair of them. Far too childish. He opts to gaze unwaveringly at Aventurine instead. ]

This is the new truth of our relationship. Don't forget it any time soon.

[ Again, another subtle promise that he will be with Aventurine for the years to come. ]

( Aventurine doesn't know how to being to think of himself as a man with a husband, a family. But there is a part of him that aches for it, that wants what he never thought he'd have with a force that takes him by surprise. So he gives Ratio a smile, small but genuine and full of a surprised warmth. )

Why would I, when you're here to remind me?

( Aeons, he wishes Ratio was here in his bed. Not for sex, but just for the warmth the other man radiates, for the feeling of arms around him and the comfort of a warm chest against his back. )

Wish you were here, Doc.

[ Ratio smiles warmly back, a small crease in his brows betraying the yearning he feels for the man on the other side of the screen. ]

As do I, gambler. But we have a mission to complete.

[ And they will have their own objectives and goals once they return home. If anything, these kaiju hunting missions are a good method of testing their ability to stay apart. For the two of them, fiercely independent and driven individuals, it should pose no problem.

But it doesn't stop the quiet yearning in his heart. ]

It's just annoying to have these things interrupt our perfectly good vacation!

( It's a joke, yes, but also an acknowledgement that he knows they can't continue like they have been back in their own universe. If only he didn't feel so useless when they aren't fighting -- there's nothing to do, nothing to sink his teeth and fingers into. It'll be better, he's sure, when he's got his choice of projects and how he wants to approach them again.

If he manages to live through his trial. If he survives the Nihility. Hm. )

A rather long vacation, as it is. I wouldn't stand being idle for this long.

[ Not to mention, the work and the separations make the times spent together all the sweeter. He now knows this will also be true once they return home, so he doesn't mind any of this at all.

A thought occurs in his mind, and he pauses. ]

...how safe would you say your surroundings are at present?

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