[open]

[unlogic]

Who: Desidera and anyone
What: her roommate/best friend/??? almost died and their adopted vocaloid got kidnapped, so uh. yeah.
When: starting December 9th and probably going until Gunvolt's recovery
Where: mostly at the infirmary, but classrooms/Aube 2nd floor/library/cafeteria is doable too
Warnings: stuff that can reasonably be expected given what happened. will edit for specifics if necessary later.

Desidera's normal routine went more or less out the window upon her return to the academy after the mission. She still went to her classes and occasionally checked in with Valvatorez like normal, but most of the other activities she usually did were being almost completely disregarded; she stopped making her usual visits to the Mithril Cage (both not feeling up to it, and afraid of what might happen while she felt so horrible), went to the library less often (only to look into things related to her classes and nothing more), and didn't remain in the cafeteria for long (leaving the minute she was done eating instead of lingering around or getting more).

This was all so she could prioritize spending whatever free time she could find in the infirmary, refusing to spend any more time away from Gunvolt than she absolutely had to. She wasn't leaving unless they made her leave, or unless it was late enough that she needed to return to her room to try (and probably fail) to sleep.

Noticeably, she also made a point of wearing her uniform all the time now as opposed to changing into any of her normal outfits—what she normally wore tended toward darker colors, but blue and white were his colors—and the bracelet she had been given before any of this happened hasn't been removed since she first put it on.

Comments

[arcadianvampire]

...I see.

[Sometimes Valvatorez can be an absolute dunce at picking up cues of that nature. Today? Not one of those times. As much as he refused to admit it to himself, that struck a very, very familiar refrain. They say history doesn't truly repeat itself, but often rhymes.

He's pensive for a moment, sparing another glance at Gunvolt.]

If he's important to you, then make sure whatever you intend to do to the perpetrator follows with what he might wish for. ...It can be very easy for us to get swept up in our power and emotions and lose sight of those sorts of things. Sometimes we need reminders, lest we forget that.

[If experience ever sounded like it was talking, it was right then.]

[unlogic]

[Gunvolt didn't strike her as being the sort that really would seek vengeance—only to make sure that whoever had done it wouldn't hurt anyone else—so it was likely that he wouldn't want her to take things too far either, not unless there wasn't any avoiding it.]

Whatever he wants is what I'll do. [She's not doing anything until he's back.]

[arcadianvampire]

[He nods, a bit solemnly.]

...You've grown quite a lot in the short time you've been here, you know. Even just beyond simple mastery of your magic and powers.

[unlogic]

[At that, she turns away from the bed, facing toward Valvatorez a bit more directly.]

Professor? [It's a questioning tone. Not one where she has something she wants to ask, but more like she's seeking clarification. Tell her what you've seen, what you think of the path she's on now.]

[arcadianvampire]

You don't hesitate like you used to. You're not as unsure of your abilities, or even of yourself.

[He leans back against the wall of the room, looking more at ease himself.]

You've made quite a bit more of what you have your own. I've seen some of the work you've put in while training. Finding application beyond destructive purposes, and trusting yourself to put those applications to good use while doing no harm.

[unlogic]

It...never really wasn't mine, was it?

[Looking at it as something she was born with, it's technically always been hers.

It's still the result of a contract, but she never did actually learn if the power itself was what had changed her, or if she herself had been changed and the power was just something that occurred naturally because of it. More-recently, she's been suspecting the latter.

Maybe she should try to find out for sure, someday.]

[arcadianvampire]

To a fashion, yes. But even those born with power sometimes still do not make it their own, instead becoming owned by it.

[There's countless cases of this throughout history; those who become drunk on their own power, those who use it irresponsibly, or those who simply never bother to master it by taking shortcuts. And much more than that, obviously.]

You made a decision to stop running from it... and embraced it for what it is.

[An extension of self.]

[unlogic]

I wouldn't have been able to if I didn't have help. [From Valvatorez himself, for starters, but also from the friends she's made in her time here so far, although some did have more of an impact than others. Even the other teachers and students generally treating her like she was normal helped to reinforce the idea that there wasn't anything really wrong with her.

It would have been so much harder to begin accepting herself if the people around her weren't willing to do so themselves.


The opinions of people outside of the academy, however, might be a different story.]