"Perhaps," he says honestly. "Perhaps they would. But how were you to know?"
He pulls her into his chest and begins to rock her gently. It's good of her to cry and mourn, to get this all out in the open. He can't believe she's gone this long holding it all inside.
"You couldn't know, and you aren't a devil. You're good daughter who loved her father, so much that you gave up a piece of yourself to help him."
Kyoko continues to cry. It's obvious that it's been a while since she talked about it and just being with Crozier, hearing him reassure her, having him hold her...it's enough to make her just continue to cry.
After a while, she fades into small little hiccups.
He tucks her head under his chin and continues to rock her, mimicking how his older sisters used to soothe him as a child. "What happened to you was terrible. Horrific," he says quietly. "No person should have to lose their family like that. But you, Kyoko, are a good daughter."
She wants to just sit here in Crozier's arms like this, indulge in this feeling, just break down and cry even more. But a little voice in the back of Kyoko's head points out that she's a big girl now. She can't do this forever.
So she lets out a loud sniffle before wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and continuing the conversation.
"You're my family now, Gramps. I'm gonna look out for you instead."
"I can work on that," Kyoko says, without any hesitation. "I'm still an inmate, I've got time! We can go to the Enclosure and you can make it into a boat. And I'll work more on swimming! Promise!"
He smiles softly, knowing full-well that no one's ever really ready for Arctic-level cold.
"Kyoko..." he mutters, pausing after a moment in his meal. "I think we may need to find a new home together. Not mine, not yours. A new place entirely."
A new place. Somewhere where both of them can make a new start.
"I think that's a good idea," she says, with a small nod. There's a pause before she asks, "Maybe America? I'll still have to learn English but you'll at least know the language. We can live somewhere quiet—not too quiet, though. I wanna live somewhere with an arcade not too far away."
And Kyoko, not one to waste food, wolfs down the meatballs as well. There's something different in her demeanor when she first arrived. She's calmer now. More relaxed. Someone who's gotten used to being around Crozier and who's let down all barriers, all guards, all walls that she might put up around normal people.
There's definite ease between them, a natural sort of peace that can only come from familiarity. He finishes his bread and refills her glass, standing to clean without needing to say a word to her.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2022-10-17 02:43 am (UTC)He pulls her into his chest and begins to rock her gently. It's good of her to cry and mourn, to get this all out in the open. He can't believe she's gone this long holding it all inside.
"You couldn't know, and you aren't a devil. You're good daughter who loved her father, so much that you gave up a piece of yourself to help him."
no subject
Date: 2022-10-17 02:54 am (UTC)After a while, she fades into small little hiccups.
"I just wanted to help my family."
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Date: 2022-10-17 11:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-17 01:14 pm (UTC)So she lets out a loud sniffle before wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and continuing the conversation.
"You're my family now, Gramps. I'm gonna look out for you instead."
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Date: 2022-10-18 12:05 am (UTC)He pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and gives it to her, rubbing her back with an encouraging, water-sort of smile himself.
"Have you thought of the future, what we'll do?"
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Date: 2022-10-18 01:40 am (UTC)"Wherever you wanna go, I'll go with you. England, Japan, doesn't matter to me. I'm fine wherever."
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Date: 2022-10-18 02:21 am (UTC)And he means it. In the days since his conversation with Xie Lian, he's made an important decision about his potential deal with the Admiral.
"The universe is open to us now."
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Date: 2022-10-18 03:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-18 11:13 am (UTC)"You'll need to be more comfortable around water to go where I'd like to travel."
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Date: 2022-10-18 01:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-19 12:22 am (UTC)He finally sits back and picks up his fork again. "How comfortable are you with the cold?"
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Date: 2022-10-19 02:36 am (UTC)She is not ready for Arctic level cold.
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Date: 2022-10-19 11:25 am (UTC)"Kyoko..." he mutters, pausing after a moment in his meal. "I think we may need to find a new home together. Not mine, not yours. A new place entirely."
no subject
Date: 2022-10-19 01:15 pm (UTC)"I think that's a good idea," she says, with a small nod. There's a pause before she asks, "Maybe America? I'll still have to learn English but you'll at least know the language. We can live somewhere quiet—not too quiet, though. I wanna live somewhere with an arcade not too far away."
no subject
Date: 2022-10-20 12:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-20 01:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-20 02:02 am (UTC)"So that settles it. We'll need to work on your English."
no subject
Date: 2022-10-20 02:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-20 06:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-20 09:42 pm (UTC)Paaaaaause.
"Much."
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Date: 2022-10-21 12:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-21 01:26 am (UTC)He absolutely cannot take it.
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Date: 2022-10-21 02:50 am (UTC)He laughs softly and gives her the rest of the meatballs from his plate.
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Date: 2022-10-21 01:22 pm (UTC)And Kyoko, not one to waste food, wolfs down the meatballs as well. There's something different in her demeanor when she first arrived. She's calmer now. More relaxed. Someone who's gotten used to being around Crozier and who's let down all barriers, all guards, all walls that she might put up around normal people.
no subject
Date: 2022-10-22 01:44 am (UTC)Much like a family.