disingenuous | aventurine catchall

[ Look, he's got enough EQ to not put her in that awkward position. ]

I think he'll be more charitable with what he has to say than Essek was.

[ But oh nyo, i almost got away with it. Since they kicked it off with family, have family (stop at 4:59:40) in return. ]

[ do you think i wouldn't hold you at gunpoint for a memory?

a younger roxana would think there is good fortune in surviving like this against all odds, but now... she wonders how much of a front he puts forward besides his name. he was so young there to be told he should be left so alone like that. ]

Are you religious, Aventurine?

[ A restless energy comes over him once the memory ends, and Aventurine looks to nowhere in particular. ]

... I don't know. I grew up being told I was a blessed child, favored by our goddess, but as I grew older, it became harder and harder to believe.

[ she watches him carefully. ]

Being blessed can be a curse as much as anything else. I don't know what the years between then and now were like for you, but I wouldn't blame you for losing faith.

[ A laugh, dry without humor. Just a noise to slice through whatever somber air that's been allowed to seep in during his moment of weakness. ]

I can't lose it. No matter what the years have done to me, it's still the faith of my clan, of my mother and my sister. I hold onto it for them.

[ He just... can't believe in it like them. ]

That makes it their faith, not yours. More a memento or a talisman they've given you than something you uphold yourself.

[ it's not like she can't understand not being to let go. her brother's death is still something that affects her enough that it breaks through her composure. ]

I think their love is something better to remember than their faith.

[ even if their love also meant that they left him. ]

[ If only he could let go. Even if it's just one thing. It would lessen the burden, wouldn't it?

But he's weak, he's sentimental, and while his sister's face has long since faded from his memories, her final request for him to preserve what's left of their clan still rings in his ears. ]

... Sincere advice. Does it come from dealing with your own faith, or lack thereof?

There isn't much of a god that's revered in my world.

[ the world building in her novel world needs a lot of work, and much of her life has made her lose faith in the good that it holds. ]

But my family isn't one that's known much for their love or kindness either. Most of them would be more like whoever came to attack your clan.

[ Now that gives him pause, and he thinks back to that memory that he'd witnessed, the exam she had been made to undertake. ]

And should they ask you to do such a thing, would you do it? Take innocent lives solely for the sake of bloodshed?

[ she gives him a smile devoid of any warmth or feeling. ]

I wouldn't be here if I didn't.

[ she would be dead like the illusion of a brother she had to kill. ]

Out of necessity, wasn't it? Does your family still hold such power over you even to this day?

[ Smiles back, also without warmth. ]

Or have you fully assimilated into the flock?

Make a guess first, and I'll tell you if you're right.

[ Studies Roxana for a moment. ]

... I think you're clever enough to play the long con, and I think that you'll do whatever it takes to survive.

[ ... ]

I'm sorely tempted to lie to you.

You can if you'd like. I'd even play along.

[ why are they like this ]

Such sweet words to say for a first meeting. It's a lot of pretending you're doing, but that must not be anything new for you.

[ why ARE they like this ]

Recognize the act that easily, do you?

It was only a guess. Your words are so smooth... it makes a person wonder.

Speaking honestly, I only mean to make friends here. I don't see any merit in scheming against those in the same position I'm in.

Some people are wholly annoying, and some people aren't worth the time.

I do wonder which one you'll find me to be.

You're not going to try for a third option? It's not as if I dislike everyone out of the gate.

I guess I'm still getting accustomed to the people here lacking the usual stigma when it comes to my appearance.

What part of you is discriminated against? Your eyes?

[ those are the only unique feature. blonde is so common. ]

[ blonde should be discriminated against actually. but not you roxana. ]

That's right. They're just eyes here, as they should be.

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disingenuous - 2025-07-09 04:04 (UTC) - Expand

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tactic - 2025-07-09 17:49 (UTC) - Expand