( Ah, that settles some nerves. He doesn't have to scramble for reassurances that he means no harm, he doesn't have to panic over it. It feels nice. )
thank you. really, i mean it. i have to hide it back home, so it's weird having it out in the open here.
and no. it's a long story, actually. on my world plants are beings of energy. they can access interdimensional gateways that help bring resources to no man's land. food, water, all of that. but my sisters, those plants, they can't exist on the planet by themselves. and i'm an independent, one of two. i walk and talk and exist on the surface just like a human. i look like the humans do. i don't really know why i'm different, or why i was born. my brother has theories, but he's not here to tell them so everyone has to deal with my guessing.
( while vash tells part of his story, kaladin listens. and oddly enough, understands more about the complex nature of plants than he does any mundane thing he's been introduced to.
what is described to him sounds one-sided. he knows humans, famous for taking without giving back, and he wonders if that's what life is like for vash and his sisters. always being expected to provide while none of their needs are met.
because there are so many unanswerable questions, it feels almost unfair to demand vash to elaborate on things that stand out to kaladin. so, before proceeding, he decides to check. )
Can I ask you about the things you mentioned If you're tired of explaining yourself or if talking about it causes you pain then I don't want to push
you can ask! i don't actually get to talk about it all that much. but i also don't know if my answers will be good answers. and sorry, if it's super boring.
You don't have to apologize for that If I think it's boring then that's my problem to sort out not yours
But I want to learn about you So I doubt it ever could be
( in a vast world of bad, kaladin knows there's good. lately, it's been harder and harder to find. he thinks vash might be someone to allow into his life, but without a second opinion, he considers his own unreliable.
so, he asks. )
You said you're different That you can live like the humans on your planet But how do your sisters exist if they can't under normal circumstances
they're kept in tanks, there's a special fluid that helps. i don't know if it was different on earth, my sisters were already in them when i came to be.
my sisters can't live with humans. humans can't live without my sisters. so imagine the only thing that could keep you alive in the long run was something that needed you to live from the start. it's exactly how it sounds.
( It is neither bad nor good. Vash at least knows there's something in what his brother ( and by extension, Kaladin ) believe. He even agrees with it, for the most part. But he doesn't think his new friend would fashion himself into a monster to solve things, so he's not all that wary. )
actually, you're kind of the first. though i guess i did keep what i was secret back home. i have to believe that people are good though. a lot of the time they just don't know. or if they do the barren planet they're trapped on feels too scary to be kinder to something they don't understand.
what's your world like, kaladin? if you're running into the same problem.
( can't believe he's the first... would that he could be teleported to no man's land so he could STERNLY QUESTION EVERYONE'S LIFE CHOICES. )
Fear may make people do irrational things But there is always a choice to make Those in power failed you
Roshar has been torn in two by fear and oppression Like no man's land an entire people were enslaved and after generations they've begun to fight back Who can blame them when humans have no right to the land It's not our world to begin with yet I have to fight to protect my friends and family If I don't they'll die We all will
I'm searching for the third answer One that isn't kill or be killed But I don't know how to find it either Vash
( This is absolutely a conversation Vash wants to shy away from. Guilt is a familiar presence, but sometimes something comes along to shake him like a snowglobe and all the unsettling and unpleasant emotions he ignores goes careening like disturbed sediment. It does help that it's a little removed like this, but still. He has to take a moment, shake out the tension in his fingers, deliberately loosen his jaw. Would Kaladin still sympathise if he knew it was all Vash's fault? Every single bit? The Fall and the catastrophic aftershocks. That he's sure his own sisters are overworked and dying just because he trapped them all on a planet not built for people. That people are bitter and jaded and hurting because Vash chose wrong?
He doesn't think so. )
there has to be one.
( For both their sakes. )
it can't just be death. there has to be hope. it's just finding the right voices. or giving people something they can see in each other. and i know sometimes the most violent seem the loudest, but that's just noise.
you're a good guy, kaladin. i think if anyone can reach people it'd be you. and we have time here. so if you ever need to put your thoughts into words then i'm always around. and i'd get it. and hey even if you don't want to talk sometimes i find just finding someplace to lie down and look at the stars helps. distinct lack of sand dunes around here, but we've got some nifty rooftops. i can show you them.
( it's sad, but his heart swells. it's interesting how when, even at their most desperate, they can still empathize with each other. some of his bitter fury lessensβtemporarily, perhaps, and that's still momentousβand instead of turning vash's support down, kaladin lets it inspire him.
maybe sharing in a struggle is one way forward.
simply being... kind. )
Thank you
I'm not an optimist I can't look into the future to find an answer and I suppose we're not meant to But I want to see what you see
So I'll come with you To the rooftops or wherever If you know anything about the stars spaceman you can tell me about them too
well, i don't mind being one for you. and we have time here. we can put our heads together. i bet there are other people here who can help too. there's a lot of kindness for a place we've been forced into. you never know what might happen.
hah. spaceman. i kind of like that one. it's been over a century since i was up there, and these ones are different, but i like them all the same. tell me when you're free! also do u like ur hot chocolate spiked or unspiked?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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depressed............. )
Yeah she is
And I've spoken to Laios before
He told me he was trying to eat half of his sister so I'm still not sure about him
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i think he's just like that.
he was kind of disappointed i didn't have tentacles or sprouted fruit once.
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Why would he be
You are who you are
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You're a plant
I'm sorry what
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i'm mostly human.
( Except sometimes he glows, and his arm can turn into a terrifying monstrosity, and also he's fairly hardy. )
usually i wouldn't even mention it but lilith told on me my first day so now i don't hide it as much.
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I know
I wouldn't think of you any differently
I promise
( this is important to say first before asking anything of vash. )
You don't ever need to hide who you are with me
I'd like to learn more about it though
Is everyone on your planet a plant
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thank you.
really, i mean it.
i have to hide it back home, so it's weird having it out in the open here.
and no.
it's a long story, actually.
on my world plants are beings of energy. they can access interdimensional gateways that help bring resources to no man's land. food, water, all of that. but my sisters, those plants, they can't exist on the planet by themselves.
and i'm an independent, one of two. i walk and talk and exist on the surface just like a human. i look like the humans do. i don't really know why i'm different, or why i was born. my brother has theories, but he's not here to tell them so everyone has to deal with my guessing.
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what is described to him sounds one-sided. he knows humans, famous for taking without giving back, and he wonders if that's what life is like for vash and his sisters. always being expected to provide while none of their needs are met.
because there are so many unanswerable questions, it feels almost unfair to demand vash to elaborate on things that stand out to kaladin. so, before proceeding, he decides to check. )
Can I ask you about the things you mentioned
If you're tired of explaining yourself or if talking about it causes you pain then I don't want to push
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i don't actually get to talk about it all that much.
but i also don't know if my answers will be good answers.
and sorry, if it's super boring.
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If I think it's boring then that's my problem to sort out not yours
But I want to learn about you
So I doubt it ever could be
( in a vast world of bad, kaladin knows there's good. lately, it's been harder and harder to find. he thinks vash might be someone to allow into his life, but without a second opinion, he considers his own unreliable.
so, he asks. )
You said you're different
That you can live like the humans on your planet
But how do your sisters exist if they can't under normal circumstances
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i don't know if it was different on earth, my sisters were already in them when i came to be.
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( a word that stands out to him as sinister, but he can't jump to conclusions based on his own biases. )
What do you mean by that
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humans can't live without my sisters.
so imagine the only thing that could keep you alive in the long run was something that needed you to live from the start.
it's exactly how it sounds.
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( that's...
kaladin's hands form fists. fingers tighten until the pressure and friction between them create a noise similar to a creak. )
They're slaves
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they don't see plants as anything more than expendable.
they don't know that it hurts them.
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All anyone has ever had to do is to look outside themselves
Instead they look away because it's more convenient to do so
You don't have to make excuses for them Vash
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anyway, i'm trying to find a way that everyone gets to survive. it's harder than i thought.
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If you find out be sure to let me know
I need the same answer
Unfortunately the method will likely differ
You deserve to be treated equal to humans
As does your brother
As do your sisters
I know that's another pithy saying you're probably used to hearing
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actually, you're kind of the first.
though i guess i did keep what i was secret back home.
i have to believe that people are good though. a lot of the time they just don't know. or if they do the barren planet they're trapped on feels too scary to be kinder to something they don't understand.
what's your world like, kaladin?
if you're running into the same problem.
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( can't believe he's the first... would that he could be teleported to no man's land so he could STERNLY QUESTION EVERYONE'S LIFE CHOICES. )
Fear may make people do irrational things
But there is always a choice to make
Those in power failed you
Roshar has been torn in two by fear and oppression
Like no man's land an entire people were enslaved and after generations they've begun to fight back
Who can blame them when humans have no right to the land
It's not our world to begin with yet I have to fight to protect my friends and family
If I don't they'll die
We all will
I'm searching for the third answer
One that isn't kill or be killed
But I don't know how to find it either Vash
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He doesn't think so. )
there has to be one.
( For both their sakes. )
it can't just be death.
there has to be hope.
it's just finding the right voices.
or giving people something they can see in each other.
and i know sometimes the most violent seem the loudest, but that's just noise.
you're a good guy, kaladin. i think if anyone can reach people it'd be you.
and we have time here.
so if you ever need to put your thoughts into words then i'm always around. and i'd get it. and hey even if you don't want to talk sometimes i find just finding someplace to lie down and look at the stars helps. distinct lack of sand dunes around here, but we've got some nifty rooftops. i can show you them.
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( it's sad, but his heart swells. it's interesting how when, even at their most desperate, they can still empathize with each other. some of his bitter fury lessensβtemporarily, perhaps, and that's still momentousβand instead of turning vash's support down, kaladin lets it inspire him.
maybe sharing in a struggle is one way forward.
simply being... kind. )
Thank you
I'm not an optimist
I can't look into the future to find an answer and I suppose we're not meant to
But I want to see what you see
So I'll come with you
To the rooftops or wherever
If you know anything about the stars spaceman you can tell me about them too
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and we have time here. we can put our heads together. i bet there are other people here who can help too. there's a lot of kindness for a place we've been forced into. you never know what might happen.
hah.
spaceman.
i kind of like that one.
it's been over a century since i was up there, and these ones are different, but i like them all the same.
tell me when you're free!
also do u like ur hot chocolate spiked or unspiked?
1/2
I don't think I know where to look
I feel the same about the stars
It's too easy to become focused on the ground
Looking up at night wasn't a priority
But I guess there's nothing wrong with trying something new
2/2
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