[catch all for steph]

[survivaltricks]

Comments

[survivaltricks]

[. . . SIGHS. yes, he absolutely can, so. . . just gonna say the obvious]

So Akechi offered to provide him a body to burn while also completing his own objective of killing someone by drowning them.

[Belph filled him in on that part]

I can see what he was trying to do, but. . .

[vigilantics]

Yup.

[ ... ]

The person they chose was another very good friend of mine.

[ she does not say it was evan. ]

[survivaltricks]

[she does not because Bleph doxxed that, too]

That-- just. . . makes my memory even worse.

[vigilantics]

[ thanks belph ]

I would like to say I'm not the type to hold grudges.

[ at the very least, she doesn't hold them as much as she used to! she has gotten so much character development! she is less bitter than she was a few years ago!!



but less bitter is not the same as not bitter. ]

[survivaltricks]

[it sure is not, and honestly? Akechi being Akira's friend does not change his own bitterness at certain Akechi actions]

If it helps, he tried to kill me twice. Not at the mansion, but back home.

So there's. . . that.

[vigilantics]

Akira...

[ AKIRA YOUR TASTE ]

[survivaltricks]

I know.

[WHEEZES!! EVEN MORE!!!]

[vigilantics]

[ ... ]

You haven't given up on him though.

[survivaltricks]

[. . . hahaha. . .]

[. . .]

No.

. . . I haven't.

[vigilantics]

[ she considers what to say here, before sighing. ]

... some people need the extra chances. Whether it's the second one or sixth. It can be surprising what people can accomplish if others don't give up on them.

[survivaltricks]

[he. gives her a surprised look, because he hadn't expected her to be that charitable. wouldn't have blamed her if she had chosen not to be]

I-- yeah. I think you're right.

[. . .]

I don't know how much you know about what he went through, but his life has been-- rough.

[a bastard child of an asshole politician, losing his mother at such a young age, being passed around the foster care system until he could live on his own. . .]

It made him bitter and angry and jaded, and because of that, he made some choices that he has to see the consequences for. [on that he is firm!1]

But I want-- no. . . I believe-- that he can be better.

So long as he isn't trying to be better alone.

[vigilantics]

I think that... after a certain point, depending, you do have to give up. Like my dad? Total asshole. But I used to give him chances, up until I realized that he was never going to change no matter what.

[ ... ]

But, you can... tell, I think, when someone wants to do better. You just have to forcibly shove them in that direction and see where they go. And it might be hard, and maybe it'll take a while, but...

It doesn't make everything else they did not shitty. But it's nice to have a future that's a little brighter than your past.

[survivaltricks]

[the smile he gives her is wry and sympathetic all at once]

You're right. You can kind of tell.

The Akechi you knew might be different from the one I knew. Maybe he didn't deserve any of the second chances he got. [considering EVERY TERRIBLE THING AKIRA HEARD HE DID] But the one from the mansion?

[. . .]

. . . I have hope for him. And I'm glad he chose to reclaim his future for himself.

[vigilantics]

[ hilariously the akechi from the castle ended up with a pretty good ending for himself so sometimes being shitty wins out in the end ]

... well, if he has someone as stubborn as you are in his corner, I'm sure it'll be okay. Eventually.

Even if he's still an asshole.

[survivaltricks]

[BELPH TOLD HIM ABOUT THAT TOO AND THAT IS JUST AWFUL]

Even if he's still an asshole.

[JUST. A BREATHLESS LAUGH]

I can't believe we're talking about Akechi.

[vigilantics]

I know... this isn't how I thought my day would turn out.

[ she tries very hard to never talk about him. ]

[survivaltricks]

[HE TRIES VERY HARD NOT TO BRING HIM UP]

So tell me about-- yourself?

[he was about to say "your dad" but uh]

[vigilantics]

[ hilariously enough, steph's dad lore is the easiest thing to get out of her because she loves to shit talk him. ]

What do you want to know?

[survivaltricks]

[that's valid]

The most interesting fact about yourself that you think nobody would ever think to ask about.

[vigilantics]

[ she has to think about it. ]

I fight bad guys for a living?

[survivaltricks]

Oh.

Just like Dick does.

[VIGILANTES]

[vigilantics]

Yeah. We're part of the same team?

[ ... ]

Sort of. Maybe extended family works better.

[survivaltricks]

Hm?

[giving her a curious look now, because that's a story he wants to hear]

What do you mean "extended family?"

[vigilantics]

It means... multiple things, in this case, actually?

[ comics... ]

Like, different timelines and alternate universes, but also that... we are work together, but separately at the same time?

[survivaltricks]

[he is]

[so confused]

[but he does understand multiple timelines and universes, so he just. . . nods]

So you're saying there's another Dick running around your world that's different than the Dick here?