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[ binch!!!!!! Hien is only slightly aware, because he thinks he knows the kind of person Elysium is, and thinks Elysium is overthinking something stupid. ]

"You say that like I'm a troublemaker."

[ the audacity of hien saying this ]

"I'd like to keep an eye on you forever, but if things go the way they should in Purgatory, I might not be able to."

[ truly, the audacity. He keeps himself from commenting on this and 'forever' being at odds with any natural lifespan, feeling a twinge of guilt that prick the inside of his chest.

It's easier, then, not to address it at all. ]

With how things will probably end? Ah. It's possible that next week might even be it.

[ Naturally, the "forever" just means until you die, but... ]

"Since it seems to be based on the seven sins for whatever time period?"

[ Virtues? Hien isn't even thinking about those. Purgatory also messed with his sense of time so the next day only begins when he sleeps and wakes up. ]

"If I meet the one inside my shard, it could be something or nothing. Either way... If it works, I'll see you off."

Mm. And a few of us have reported feeling closer to their shards more than ever.

[ Which is what they all came here for, wasn't it? It stands to reason that reaching them would mark the end of the journey, whatever form that end might take. ]

That's why it feels more important than ever to make the most of the time we have. It's almost a miracle, isn't it? That some of us managed to meet at all.

[ This would typically be where he bumps shoulders, but fortunately I have not forgotten that Hien is only six inches so he just bumps his head into him if anything. His voice drops, softening, and he finally lets himself rest against the railing, his weight going slack against the cold metal. ]

You owe me an answer back, by the way. You asked how I felt about the quote, but how do you? As one of the stars in the night sky?

[ It's what they all came for, but sometimes you have mixed feelings about wanting it but at the same time you don't for more selfish reasons. ]

"I like those sorts of miracles. People meet others, and sometimes a single interaction can change their lives for the better. I would like to think that there are more of them than we would like to believe."

[ It's the little optimistic part of him, because at the core of his being, despite everything that happened, this trait still sticks with him to this day. ]

"Would I really be one of the stars?"

[ Hien is contemplative as he thinks about the single night in Paris as he sat on the edge of the fountain while waiting for his boyfriend at the time when Hien was a human, finishing up his concert. He didn't realize that he was being stared at for a while, until his boyfriend spoke up:

"When I look up at the stars, I feel so small and insignificant. But you... you look like you're right at home under the night sky."

When asked about what it meant, his boyfriend changed the topic. Hien feels that he still doesn't understand. ]

"Because I always feel like I'm on the ground with everyone else, despite everything."

Yeah. Me too. That's why we live, and why we keep meeting new people. Everyone thinks miracles have to be some grand thing—and they can be, but the miracles of everyday are just as important. Without them, our horizons never widen. We stay the same, without growth or change. And… that's no way to live.

[ He smiles, light. He reaches up to try and twirl a strand of Hien's hair around his finger. This fails for obvious reasons. ]

… You know, I usually don't mind whatever form you show up in. But I'll admit this one's pretty inconvenient. You're not going to be mad at me for saying that, right?

[ But, it may also be their saving grace. Since that's a dead end, he tries the one option he hasn't yet: fingers sneaking to Hien's back, testing whether he’s ticklish with a light scratch. And, almost idly— ]

You don't think you could be that miracle for someone else? [ Teasingly. ] I wonder if you realise how many people gravitate toward you. Not because of what you are, but because of who you choose to be. It's always the ones who don't notice how many lives they're touching who end up touching the most.

"Why would I be mad..."

[ He likes the physical affection though, and squirms a little with the light scratch.

Hien also wants to refute that, but he knows that he can't. Even he's aware of how much he affects someone's life, whether positively or negatively, when he just comes and goes like he was never there. He's not proud of the fact, but he doesn't hate it either. It simply is. ]

"Because I'm nice and provide what the people want?"

[ Help. He will continue to be annoying, then, trying to get a laugh out of him. Has he ever heard him laugh?

… ]

If you wanted to put it that way, then yeah. You could. Fundamentally, that's what miracles are: things that happen to you that you never thought would. You probably don't mind seeing it like that, but I'd rather frame it differently.

It's people like you who inspire others to try and be that miracle for someone else. That's what stars are— [ a little more softly, hand finally going still, ] guiding lights in the night sky.

[ Has he? Probably not. Hien doesn't seem ticklish, or at least with the way Elysium is poking at him. Though Hien looks at him when the hand stills and leans his head against it, nuzzling a little against the finger. ]

"Then... I hope you're also inspired."

[ What a ticklish feeling. The finger curls slightly, almost shyly. ]

… Yeah. I've been inspired for a while now. My world is full of incredible people who create miracles each and every day for others through their dedication and effort.

"I hope you're including yourself in that group you're talking about."

[ Though it still feels wrong to compare himself to a star. Yes, he'll eventually guide them, but then--oh. The sun is a star. The sun will explode eventually and kill everything.

...

Huh. ]

[ The sun is indeed a star… get too close, and that's how you become the second coming of Icarus. ]

Yeah?

[ a non-answer. because of course he'd give a non-answer. To distract Hien, he starts messing up his hair into a bird's nest. ]

"Yeah."

[ His hair gets tousled into a bird's nest... if only Elysium would nest in his hair forever (no).

Hien would usually say things like "I love you" so casually, but he feels that in this sort of situation, he would just scare Elysium away. He has some tact. Wow. It's not like him to hold back on his feelings because he just wants to communicate them to the person, but he wants to keep this for a little longer.

Little does he know, it won't last all that long anyway. ]

"Hey, Elysium."

Edited 2025-12-27 00:16 (UTC)

[ Can you love someone in the span of five weeks…? He thinks it's possible to meet someone you could learn to love, but Hien would be right, he'd be too tripped up by the belief that no one could develop that kind of depth of feeling in so short a time to ever accept it.

That is, until he has to contend with his own feelings. There are certain things he just cannot afford. ]

Buenas. [ He tilts his head in that curious way he usually does, retracting his hand as a gesture of giving him his attention. ] Already wanting a change of scenery?

[ Unfortunately, Hien gets easily attached and has been through the motions enough to know what he feels for people. He doesn't second guess his feelings, because he's circled back to it all the same and figures it's a waste of time to doubt. He lives straightforwardly, freely and sincerely when he doesn't have a "job" to do. It's the default face of Hien Callias that he keeps on for so, so long. ]

"No, I was just thinking... I wanna hold your hand. You're right that this form is inconvenient. I wanna hug you too."

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