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Hm? I guess...

[ She never thought about it that much, but she supposes it must be so, seeing as Nekogami's taken to hanging out on her shoulders and never minded being used as a portable AC or to provide ice to cool people down. ]

It was tough at the beginning, since I was pretty freaked out because of... you know...

[ Because he's a ghost cat and she's scared of ghosts and being called "ghost girl" always made her cry when she was little and she doesn't like admitting she likes cute things like cats. Nekogami, as a whole, was like being faced with all her insecurities and forced to not only accept them as a part of herself, but be willing to parade them around if she wants Nekogami's help.

Unlike every other person in Cetana, Kido was able to accept her Persona and what it represents. ]

But we get along well now, and it's like we understand each other. Why do you ask?

That's good to hear.

[ Terry is glad that at least Kido doesn't have to deal with Persona turmoil. He swallows the feelings of unease, pushing them back to the depths of his mind and keeps a smile on his face as usual. ]

I was just wondering, since it looks like some other people are having a hard time.

Like you and Vassago?

[ She hasn't seen anybody else's Personas go berserk, just Terry's, and it's still a pretty frightening memory when she thinks back on it. ]

Has it gotten any better between the two of you?

... To be honest, I don't know.

[ He walks ahead by a step or two in a poor attempt to not let Kido see his face while they make their way to the shrine. He's not sure what kind of face he's making right now, but he knows that he's no longer smiling. It's a mix of confusion, a tinge of regret, and resignation. ]

I'm not scared of him though.

[ His words are enough to make her look his way, with furrowed brows and a frown on her face as she squeezes his hand a little to make him slow down. ]

Being scared doesn't really have anything to do with it, though? If two people aren't scared of one another, they're just going to keep butting heads. But Kurusu said we're to learn to get along with our Personas if we want to use them to their fullest potential.

[ ...If Vassago is this destructive while butting heads with Terry, he'll probably be unstoppable once Terry gets his act together. ]

[ Terry is quiet, but he does slow down a little when Kido squeezes his hand. He slightly turns his head to the side away from her. His voice is a little quiet. ]

... Yeah, you're right. Being scared has nothing to do with it. But I know for sure that I'll never be able to fully get along with him.

Edited 2019-08-20 03:45 (UTC)

...Isn't that alright too?

[ Having Nekogami around always sends a chill down her spine, but maybe that's because the temperature drops so much. But she doesn't think fully getting along with anybody is plausible either. ]

One of my siblings is even worse than you, so I punch and yell at him a lot. But I still love him, 'cause he's my brother. I do the same with you, but we get along fine enough too, I think.

[ ... The poor guy. Terry can't help but smile at that a little. ]

Maybe that was the wrong wording. I don't think I can accept him.

[ The trauma her siblings had to grow up with weren't their deaths or their eyes, but Kido's fist. ]

None of him? Even something superficial like he looks cool? Or that his wings are useful?

Maybe at first, I could have, but I feel like I learned a bit too much...

[ His curiosity always fights his passive trait of wanting to live with ignorance for certain things in life. ]

Or maybe that's why I don't like him either. He's strong. He's useful. He looks cool. If I have to stop and think about it, every time I see Vassago, I... [ like a continuation of the torn page-- ] ... feel disgusted with myself.

[ ...She doesn't really know what to say about that. In the past, she had similar sorts of feelings looking at herself in the mirror and seeing only flaw after flaw. Somewhere along the way, she must have grown out of it, she thinks, probably because those flaws stopped mattering and nobody cared if she was one way or another. She found herself a new family and was loved unconditionally. That's not really something she can put into words, so she just steps in a little closer so that she's walking shoulder to shoulder with Terry. ]

I know it doesn't mean much, but nobody expects you to be perfect or anything like that. For every thing you don't like about him, or whatever about you he's supposed to represent, there's ten good things.

[ Words are words. As empty as words can be, they're always backed up with emotion and intent that doesn't make them feel as empty anymore. His optimism feels like it's shrinking every day with the amount of things that fill his words, and perhaps it may be inevitable that Vassago turns rouge after getting immensely stronger to destroy whatever life Terry has left at that point.

Even so, he still wants to live his life. Not the original Terrence's, but his own.

He interlaces his fingers with Kido's when he feels that she's close enough to walk shoulder to shoulder with him.

Suddenly, a fear creeps into his heart: if one day, should he choose to become what he should have been, he'd lose everything. He ran away. He can almost hear the blameworthy accusations echo in his mind.

... ]

Ten good things, huh...?

[ He wonders if they would outweigh the single bad thing he has in mind. ]

Thanks, for doing your best for me.

[ He gives her hand a small squeeze. ]

...Yeah. I'm not really good with words, but I'll keep trying.

[ Doing her best, but it's not enough to smooth things over. It's not surprising, as she's never been good at lifting a gloomy mood like... basically everybody else in her family is able to, and she sure feels that now as the only thing she can do is squeeze his hand back and hold on tight. ]

Don't worry about Vassago for today, okay? Personas... are tools, but they're not a necessity.

[ It's not like you need them. It's not like they have to fight in the dungeons at all. If looking at Vassago's just going to get Terry down, maybe it would be better if she asks for his omamori so Vassago won't be able to come out and bother him again. ]

[ They sure aren't necessary, Terry thinks to himself, which was the original train of thought he had when he went to explore the dungeon. He could fight by himself now that he had the power to, he could let loose on the Shadows to relieve his stress and most people won't scold him for it. Though, that way of relieving stress is only temporary at best, and an incredibly fleeting method at worst--his predisposition to violence only gets worse in a vicious cycle.

He remembers the Attendant's words--Personas aren't tools. They're a part of him. But even so, it's hard not to accept Kido's words because of how easier it is to settle into that sort of thought. ]

Okay.

[ He decides on what to do and works up a smile again. ]

Thanks for hearing me out.

[ ... ]

Let's go have some fun today.

[ The Attendants are mean and they're wrong. Nekogami to Kido, at least... sort of feels like a pet more than anything else, seeing as she doesn't really fight with him unless it's to shoot needles at Terry. She's not really sure what to think of it. ]

As much fun as we can have in a shrine, anyways... But yeah, it's enough of that. We can just enjoy the day.

[ At a run down shrine and raccoon infested castle... ]

If I had known earlier, I would've packed a picnic or something. Maybe we can do that someday; I did promise Rei, before.

It sounds like a good idea! We can go next time with the three of us.

[ Luckily for Terry, he's easily swayed and feels happier already at the mention of the picnic. ]

We would have to bring a lot of food though... Rei pretty much inhales her food.

[ She's not the only one who inhales food... ]

That's not a problem. I like cooking, so it's no trouble to cook a bunch of different dishes for her to try, and I'll have you to help carry it all, right?

[ Hey.... he can eat normally... yeah... ]

Yeah! I can help cook too if you need any help with that.

[ He feels pretty excited about the prospect now, as if he wasn't talking about something sad a moment ago. ]

[ Mmhm, sure. Does she want help from Mr. I Burnt My Mouth Eating Takoyaki though? ]

Sure. You're more familiar with American dishes, right? Rei would probably like the variety.

[ Since Kido leans more towards traditional Japanese cooking ]

[ It was just that One Time!! ]

I guess so. I'm best at cooking with eggs though. Meat is pretty fun too. Ever since I came here, I've been cooking all sorts of other stuff, like more seafood dishes. But my taste is a bit different, so...

[ All it takes is One Time. ]

How are you cooking while living in the park?

[ Like a bum. Except he's somehow well off at the same time. ]

I can make a campfire by myself?

[ Does that answer anything. ]

[ Cooking eggs over a campfire... This is really sad. How is he living. ]

Just come over and use the stove when we decide to have the picnic.

[ He cooked an entire chicken over the campfire. Things are fine.... yeah... ]

Sure, sure. Oh, speaking of...

[ Hm. ]

I think I have enough for the down payment now. Do you want to hold onto it? Or...

Already? That's pretty impressive.

[ Terry is rich but he's still sleeping on benches and cooking eggs over campfires. She feels kind of bad about it now, living the nice comfortable family life she has already. ]

Sure, I can hold onto it, if you're afraid of being mugged in the park or something.

[ There's very little crime in Hirajiro, but things can happen... ]

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