standalonehuman | Recolle IC Inbox

[[part one, part two]]

[Togusa, you've got high hopes.

But Dante's response here is going to be delayed. Because he's been assuming they were going to shove all of this other him into his head from the start--he's been worrying that one day he'd wake up with Ansem in his head all over again. This possibility that Togusa's been refusing to see... it's the reality he's been facing for months now.

He's taking this private now, though. This isn't something he wants to be public knowledge. And so a few minutes later, Togusa will receive Dante's response via a more private channel of communication.]

why do you think i've been worrying so much about everything that happened in his past

if i wake up one day with ansem's voice in my head, i want to be ready, i don't want to roll over like he did and let him use me to attack the people i care about

[He does, okay? That's what he's here for. And even when he's reading Dante's response, part of which he rather expected, he'll keep those high hopes up because someone has to.]

You won't. And that's exactly why I have so much faith in the memories that we're making here, in this life. You're this Dante. You've got so many people that are important to you who are going to help you fight if that day does come.

That's...why you've been arguing so hard for leniency for Malik, isn't it? Because he had no one to help.

got it in one

malik... he's the person i probably could've been if i hadn't fallen in with the crowd i did instead. when it feels like nobody actually cares and you're just there to be held up as an example of how great someone else is... you get suspicious of other people. you start wondering what people want from you when they try to reach out to you because nobody bothers to deal with you otherwise, they just take what they want and sooner or later you'll either get a knife in the back or they'll just abandon you

[Are they talking about Malik's life or his own?]

i'd like to think i wouldn't have dissociated like he did and gone off the deep end but

the last thing he needs is to be thrown in jail and forgotten about

something like that, it'll just reinforce everything he already believes about the world

he didn't have anyone to help him, not like i do

I get it. And I agree with you. While agreeing with the others, too.

Malik has every check box for someone to get completely fucked by the system. His personality, background, no parents, socioeconomic status, it’s almost formulaic. But the damage he did can’t be overlooked. I’ve got two people I care about a lot advising the exact opposite things for him.

So I’ll ask you the same question I did him. If this is just Retrospec’s fault, but it can’t be controlled. What then?

[Do you even have to ask that question, Togusa?]

you already answered it

"You've got so many people that are important to you who are going to help you fight if that day does come."

if i wake up with ansem in my head one day, i don't know if i'll be able to control him. i could do the same thing malik did, or i could come after any of you like that fake me did in the fog. if you wouldn't give up on me, why are you willing to give up on him?

Because from the way it looks, a hell of a lot of people have had their hands out to this kid and he has slapped every single one of them away. Yours included.

For you, okay, i’ll see what I can do to advocate for helping him. But not a one of us can save him if he doesn’t want to be saved.

i know that

but you and the prof... you guys didn't give up on me even when i tried to push you away

so i'm not gonna give up on malik either

but thanks. it means a lot

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