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[knifemonopoly]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, PLAYER1. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 10.11.0.0.01 *** PLAYER1 has joined 10.11.0.0.01 <PLAYER1> If you're looking for someone you knew as Yugi before June, you've found him! It's Atem, leave a message.

Main handle: < Player1 > Anon: < turtleluck >, < actuallydied >, < burner >

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[knifemonopoly]

[...............

"Irrelevant."

What. What on earth.

Atem can't decide if he's angry or not. She came in here to judge him, interrogate him, thinking she had something to teach, and then...as soon as he brought up one of the inconsistencies bothering him, she spins around, drops her argument, and calls the whole thing irrelevant?

She comes into his house--!]

No. Not kill! Taking away one of your lives, and maybe a memory with it, just reduces your connection to who you were before you were a monster, and weakens your mind with painful memories. That doesn't help anybody!

[Atem lets out a short, sharp sigh.]

It may not be possible to stop you, if your plan gets too far, and Ryslig wants it to happen. Things tend to find a way to occur, if they build enough momentum! So, I can't make a useless promise like, "I'll definitely stop you!" But...

But if you're willing to discuss your eventual plan with other monsters who don't agree with you, even if it's not me...that's less likely to happen.

...

[Is he mad? Thrown off, yes. Annoyed, certainly. But he's not sure what he's feeling counts as anger.

Ugh.

Now that it's not dishonest...not trying to worm his way into her plans to stop them from within...fine. Fine, this is for the good of everyone.]

I can lend you my experience with what's been tried in the past. Patterns I've noticed, in attempts to change this world. I'm willing to, if you ever want it.

And, if it happens anyway...I'll only take revenge if one of the sacrifices is one of my treasured friends. I can't allow anyone to get away with something like that! Otherwise...I'll do my best to help you through the aftermath.

[Goodness knows he's done it before, for others. He can spot the kinds of uselessly self-destructive, suffering-generating mistakes monsters make a mile away.

A beat.]

That's it, then?

[alchepistol]

[ She'd offered her willingness to die as an indication of her sincerity! With such an agreement in place, Saint-Germain would be risking a memory, her humanity, if she behaved in a way counter to what she just swore. She would be entrusting him with the things that make her herself. That's why she offered her life as collateral.....

But if that's not a gesture he can accept, very well. The rest of his offer is both rational and touching. Discussing her plans with him.....They still don't see perfectly eye-to-eye, but she thinks he'd be a good resource. With his input, her plan will become that much more all-encompassing, complete, that much more perfect. Not because she plans to accommodate Ryslig's mechanisms, per se.

Because she plans to design a revolution that will surmount them. That will, by its very execution, release everyone from the need to suffer.

It's a tall task. Possibly impossible. But even so, Saint-Germain is an alchemist. Alchemists seek the pinnacle of human capacity. And she is - she still considers herself, she must always consider herself, to live up to her ideals - human.

So, is that it, then? She nods. ]

For the present. You have my gratitude.

[ She'll take her leave, now, to finish processing her thoughts. She's glad....so glad.....that he's here. That he's a resource. Even if he can't accept her justice in full, they're facing the same enemy, and he held up a mirror to the ways Ryslig seeped into her soul.

In attempting to repay her debt to him, she now owes him even more..... ]