Inbox (Synflux)

[curingidiocy]

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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Comments

[queenofkur]

[ Thankfully, she has zero intention to bring up Aventurine besides the bouquet. Though, his reactions so far are less than encouraging. She'd figured he had to be feeling incredibly down and - while he probably is - he's even more obnoxious and rude than usual. ]

... So this is what you meant by our conversation being unpleasant.

[ He's not even trying. What if she supposed to do...? Guh. She's imagined multiple possible paths their interaction would take, and this is somehow worse than even the bad path she'd imagine so far. ]

You are not invincible, doctor. [Unfortunately for him.] I did not call you for empty platitudes. I was simply hoping...

[ ... To help him? She's not sure what she'd been hoping for any more. She's been pretty badly affected by this and she's been trying to force herself to be better for everyone's sake, but that's just not going to cut it here, huh? ]

[curingidiocy]

[ Yes, this is what he meant about their conversation being unpleasant. He has always been an abrasive individual with strong opinions. How he behaves rarely matches with how people expect the average person to behave. It has never costed him much socially, because he could leverage the eccentricity that people expect with genius. However, that meant that when it came to making genuine connections, it was far more difficult for him than the regular person.

So no, he's not really trying. This is not what he wants from Ereshkigal. He'd prefer her anger over... whatever this is. ]

Hoping that I'd bare my heart to you and reveal sorrow that you could soothe? So you could feel better about yourself after your failure to help Seoul? If so, you've picked the wrong person to use.

[ This might be the opposite of trying, actually. ]

[queenofkur]

[ Ereshkigal freezes on the spot after what he's just said. That's... She'd invited him to try and help him, even knowing he wouldn't make it easy on her. That much, she had expected.

What she hadn't expected was for him to pick at her insecurities. For him to accuse her. She's aware it's her failing. She'd voted to stay, but it hadn't been enough. She knows as a goddess, she should have found a way to convince everyone. But she didn't. ]

...

[ Ereshkigal remains silent a moment longer, staring absently at the cash register. Is that what she'd been trying to do...? To feel better about herself? Is that why she's contacted him and others? It's true, she doesn't do that usually. But... ]

... The store is closing.

[ Her voice is cold, her tone distant. She turns her back to Ratio and moves some things on a nearby shelf. She utters but one more word: ]

Out.

[curingidiocy]

[ She crumples like a wet paper towel after being called out just once. He scoffs at her, opting to approach instead. ]

And now you wish to wallow in self-pity? For a goddess that claims to serve humanity, your reaction is utterly pathetic. You criticize me for my flaws, yet when confronted by your own, you wilt without resistance. Where is your conviction, goddess? Are you even trying to preserve humanity's future on this planet? Will you cry every time someone dies due to your decision?

[ Is he trying to goad her into anger? Maybe. ]

[queenofkur]

[ There is a lot she could say here. That she didn't make that decision, for one. That she's been trying as hard as she possibly can ever since the day she's been summoned. That she intends to keep on going, no matter what hardships await. She could say all of those things. But she won't

It gets cold all of a sudden. So very cold, one would be forgiven for thinking winter has suddenly fallen upon Neo Tokyo. ]

I said: out!

[ She turns back to look at him. Though she is obviously teary-eyed, she is also uncharacteristically angry. But more striking of all are her eyes: they shine a golden hue, rather than the usual red. ]

I will not tell you a third time.

[curingidiocy]

[ She didn't, but he thinks she would have cried just the same, if not more, had she been the one to make that decision.

Her anger doesn't scare him. For all that she is angry, he knows she will not hurt him in any way that would permanently harm him. She is a kind, gentle goddess—maybe far too much for this planet's cruel reality. Far too much to handle Ratio, a mere human who has nothing but his words and his brain and tries so hard to help humanity.

He sighs, and turns to leave, but not without one last quip. ]

Our decision to chase the kaiju is not your burden to bear. Do not demean our will and intelligence. Humanity does not need to be coddled by you. We must bear our own failures in order to learn and improve.

Think carefully about what your role should be, goddess.

[ And with that, he departs, his mind clearer and even more determined than before. ]