voidseeing | [Accidental Voice/Action]

[The journal pops open as it hits the ground, the camera pointed straight upwards into the trees. There's nothing to be seen other than branches and leaves, and at first it may seem like just an accident... but the sounds that it picks up make it very clear this isn't just someone being careless and letting their journal fall out of a bag. In fact, the very first thing that anyone will hear is the sharp report of a gunshot, followed immediately by yelling.]

Law! Behind you!

On it. Room. [There’s a flash and the branches and leaves are now washed out by a blue glow. There’s the sound of a growl, the snap of electricity, and then an explosion.] Watch out! They’re swarming!

[Two more gunshots echo over the journals.]

Damn it... how many of them are there?

Can’t tell yet, Gai. [More explosions, and the crack of wood being torn apart. Then the groan and thud of trees crashing down.] They’re still coming out of the woodwork.

[Another shot.]

Guess we should be honored they felt we needed this much of a welcoming committee.

Goodness knows I’m flattered. [Metal clanging.] Perhaps this is what they think consists of therapy. [A crack.] Ugh. Well, if they’re offering, who am I to refuse? I’ve got a few issues to work out…

Too bad I prefer my therapy to be one on one.

[Another clang, then a thud. There's another wash of light, this time silver rather than blue-- a light that should be very familiar to a certain Shu Ouma if he happens to be looking into the journal while all of this is going down.

The sounds of combat continue for a while longer, at last dwindling down to an almost painful silence. This silence lingers for a long moment, heavy, until Gai's voice finally breaks it, exhausted yet triumphant.]

... they'd better not charge us for that session.

[Anyone who happens by the Battle Dome after this little spectacle will be treated to the sight of a battered and exhausted Gai and Law surrounded by droid fragments and damaged trees. They're in surprisingly good spirits considering what just happened, though some healing would be very much appreciated right about now.]

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Then it sounds like we have a deal. I'll make myself available just for the occasion. I'm looking forward to it. Don't disappoint me. [He'd like a challenge too.]

The same goes for you too-- I don't want to get my hopes up for nothing. I want this to be worth my time.

[Although honestly, anything that isn't a Battle Dome simulation will be worth his time in his eyes.]

[All he can do is chuckle lightly back. If there's anything Vegeta's good at, it's putting on a show.

But with that smile, he lightly closes his journal. He'd keep up his end of the deal, but now it was just a waiting game.]

[There's a shrug to that.]

Maybe their creative team has slow days.

Who knows. Does it really matter? They're still going to do whatever it is they want to us, whether the initial idea comes from us or them.

[And there's a sigh to that.]

Maybe a little. You'd think they'd want to treat us better to keep our loyalty or somethin'...all things considered.

[Yeah, he's referring to you know what.]

[The sound Gai makes in response to that is more of a scoff than anything else.]

Ever hear of Stockholm Syndrome?

Uhhhhh...

Is that some kind of allergy?

[That'd be a no. This one did not psychology in school.]

Not even close. It's a phenomenon where captives end up feeling sympathy towards their captors after they've been held hostage long enough. You could argue that a lot of the people here are textbook examples of it with the way they're so willing to do the Malnosso's dirty work for them.

How dumb do you gotta be to actually fall for something like that?

[A description like that seemed to accurately describe Clove. Willing to just throw her arms in with them and justify all their actions.]

And what do you mean by dirty work?

Willingly fighting their battles for them. Not for any ulterior motive, but because they want to.

[He's not being hypocritical here-- his reasons for going on missions are mainly to gather as much intel as he can.]

[Selphie's judging from the retort that she'd just gotten from Gai that it was definitely not nothing. She does know though that everyone has their own secrets to hide and things they don't want to share with others unless they have to. She gets it; she's the same way after all.

She won't pry unless he feels like sharing and shrugs her shoulders as a result.]

If you say so.

[She'll focus on something else in the meantime.]

You and Law sure made quite the mess down here. I heard the noise and came running but just how many of them were there coming after the two of you?

Maybe people go and fight the cultists cause they're just bad people in general? Not because they feel obligated to by the Malnosso?

[Of course, he can't really argue with that logic. He's only gone on missions for points so far. Points to try and spend on a computer.]

I'm sure some of them do. But if you've ever looked into any of the announcements made by the Malnosso, you'll hear some people offering to work with them. There are even some people here who want to join the Malnosso.

[Like Clove. And it angers him, because he likes and respects her otherwise.]

[The subject change is definitely welcomed; now he smirks, looking rather proud of himself.]

Not sure. I think there were at least a dozen of them. They weren't taking their chances with us, that much was obvious.

[And they cleaned up pretty nicely, all things considered.]

Yeah, I know which people you mean.

[Clove fit all the traits Gai described.]

At the same time...I can sort of see their reasoning behind it. I mean, some of them had it worse back home. Not that I don't agree that it's the dumbest reasoning in existence, but, I can understand it.

[Clove had gone into him about that before too. Maybe that's why he was defending her or at least people like just slightly.]

There's nothing wrong with wanting to fight to protect what you have here. But you can do that without surrendering yourself to the Malnosso's wishes. You don't need to give up your autonomy to a higher power in order to fight.

Sounds like you've had a lot of experience with stuff like this.

[Gai had mentioned it he was sure. During their little shout out if he recalled.]

That may be true for a lot of people but for those people who are brainwashed, they might think it's the only option. Or maybe they just didn't have any free will to begin with.

As sad as that sounds.

It wouldn't surprise me. Too many people here are happy to just roll over and play dead rather than make any effort to change their fate. There will always be those who would rather take the easy way out-- the only question is whether they're in the majority or the minority.

And I would like to think that they picked a fight with the wrong people this time.

[Selphie approves of the mayhem that went down.]

You'd think right.

[As sore and tired as he is, he's still here inside the barrier. That is a definite victory in his book.]

I'd like to think it's a minority thing. Sure, people may be grateful for some of the things they give us but I haven't seen anyone roll over like you said.

[Cross does sound sincere about it too. When he thinks back on it, he hasn't met many people that have come to agree with anything the Malnosso has done.]

It all depends on how public they are about it. Some of them may never admit to it out loud if they realize how other people would see them for it.

[Leading Funeral Parlor has taught Gai a lot about human nature, its worst facets included.]

I usually do when someone looks like they can kick ass and take names while doing it.

[No Gai, this is not an open invitation for a sparring match.]

[Too bad, because he'll take it as one anyway.]

You're welcome to find out for yourself if you want to go up against me. I'm always looking for more sparring partners to keep myself from losing my edge.

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