I don't know. It's not really that surprising when we're expecting it, is it?
I wasn't very close to anyone who died this week anyway.
[ Iwai had seemed like a respectable person, and she didn't mind Shirou, but she hadn't interacted with either enough to feel anything. Inaba... Anthy hadn't really liked her at all, and liked her even less after reading the notes she left. ]
Right, but even if it's not surprising, or even if you weren't close to them, most people would still...
[Be less than fine, unless they were somehow hardened to something like this beforehand. That's what he thinks, at least.]
You can tell me to get lost if you want to, but... I don't know. I just wonder about you sometimes. We're supposed to be able to trust each other, you know?
[ It's not like faking that kind of thing would be new for her, but she hadn't felt much of an obligation to do so here, when she didn't have to comply with Utena's wish for her to be "normal".
She stands back up, brushing the dirt from her hands. ]
I don't think Inaba-san did either. The way she described her role in the note she left, she was able to ask about one person's private meetings each week, and the first one she mentioned learning about was ours.
[ There's a long silence wherein she just looks at him, turning the question of how much to say over in her head. Hunter has never been forceful in his inquiries about her, but he still hasn't let them go, either. It's a very different kind of persistence from Utena's.
She wonders, if Utena had ever asked her, or if she'd ever pressed her to finish the thought she'd started to voice on so many nights as they'd looked into each other's eyes... how much she really would have revealed to her.
Eventually, once she's settled on her analysis of how much anything is worth saying, she gives a succinct, carefully worded answer. ]
Once you've been pierced by the dozens of swords of an angry mob, you find that most other experiences lose their edge.
[A few things happen in rapid succession. His eyes widen and then narrow in sympathy. He takes a step towards her, raising a hand as if to put it on her shoulder for some form of comfort, and then thinks better of it. There's a long moment during which he hesitates, before he speaks.]
I... That's awful. Anthy, I'm so sorry, I... You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but - why?
[ She's already refocused her attention on the plants by the time he asks, and she speaks calmly, still not betraying any emotion despite the content of her words. It's been a very long time, after all. ]
I was trying to protect someone important to me.
[ Technically, she did succeed, but...
She lightly traces a finger along the outline of a rose's petal. ]
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[ It obviously isn't a compliment, but she doesn't really have anything to say to it. ]
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I wasn't very close to anyone who died this week anyway.
[ Iwai had seemed like a respectable person, and she didn't mind Shirou, but she hadn't interacted with either enough to feel anything. Inaba... Anthy hadn't really liked her at all, and liked her even less after reading the notes she left. ]
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[Be less than fine, unless they were somehow hardened to something like this beforehand. That's what he thinks, at least.]
You can tell me to get lost if you want to, but... I don't know. I just wonder about you sometimes. We're supposed to be able to trust each other, you know?
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[ It's not like faking that kind of thing would be new for her, but she hadn't felt much of an obligation to do so here, when she didn't have to comply with Utena's wish for her to be "normal".
She stands back up, brushing the dirt from her hands. ]
I don't think Inaba-san did either. The way she described her role in the note she left, she was able to ask about one person's private meetings each week, and the first one she mentioned learning about was ours.
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[He runs a hand through his hair, exhaling.]
It's not a bad thing. I just wish I understood why.
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She wonders, if Utena had ever asked her, or if she'd ever pressed her to finish the thought she'd started to voice on so many nights as they'd looked into each other's eyes... how much she really would have revealed to her.
Eventually, once she's settled on her analysis of how much anything is worth saying, she gives a succinct, carefully worded answer. ]
Once you've been pierced by the dozens of swords of an angry mob, you find that most other experiences lose their edge.
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I... That's awful. Anthy, I'm so sorry, I... You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but - why?
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I was trying to protect someone important to me.
[ Technically, she did succeed, but...
She lightly traces a finger along the outline of a rose's petal. ]
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[It's not something he can think of, which speaks to the difference in their experiences more than anything else.]