Private One Step Forward, Many Steps Back

Keen

Keen

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Konpeitō nodded along, seeing where he was coming from. "It's not healthy to compare yourself to others like that. You know how much of a mess I was when I came here," memories of him wearing a western-styled pink maid outfit made him visibly cringe, "but I had an easier time socializing because Dad gave me internet access. I think almost every NEK0, if not every NEK0, came here with their own strengths and weaknesses."

He smiled down at Ganymede. Genuine and kind. An assessing look. "I think your strength was your empathy, and it evolved into a helping others. Not like a servant, but like someone taking a leading role in life."
 
Kait

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Ganymede didn't actually remember Konpeito being that bad of a mess. Maybe he just didn't understand back then. He was still getting his bearings. So when Kon brought that up he just shrugged and smiled and didn't comment.

He got even happier, and a little bashful, when Kon talked about what he saw as Gany's strength. "Thanks Kon. Though, I don't think being a servant and a leader have to be different things. A leader can kind of be like a servant to all the people they're leading. Like how I'm kinda doing this to help people."

He took some time to munch on some more of the nek0-friendly fruit. That stuff was a real treat.

"I wonder if it would ever make sense for me to try... starting an organization to help our kind. Like how the demons and the vampires have their own groups like that."
 
Keen

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Konpeitō tilted his head. Not out of confusion, but out of consideration. A servant and leader. That idea didn't stand out to him. It was Ganymede's interpretation of it that did. Konpeitō always thought being a servant and a leader at the same time meant they were leading while serving over someone bigger. According to Ganymede, Konpeitō was a leader of TWIS and a servant to its members.

Ganymede pulled Konpeitō out of those thoughts with a visible wince to the words "our kind." "I don't consider myself a NEK0 anymore. I'm not comfortable being considered one," he replied quickly, followed by a deep breath. "But don't let that stop you if you'd like to make an organization for them. It makes sense now that there's a sizable portion of NEK0s here and its only growing."
 
Kait

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Ganymede nodded. "I remember. I just misspoke. Sorry."

The conversation moved on to making a nek0 organization. "You're right," Ganymede said. "And now that you mention it, we're probably going to keep getting more rescues. So... making an organization would be useful."

He thought - who could he talk to about this? Whose help could he draw on? He was sure Monday and Candle would support him, though they did have their own priorities with the store and the coven. Some of the other NEK0 had enough on their plates just adapting to their new lives, except...

"I should see if Le Loi would want to help! I think I mentioned him to you - he's incredible." Ganymede's excitement at the prospect of working side by side with him was already palpable - Loi was his hero. "He actually managed to take his master's whole business right out from under his nose! He already has his own house! And he helped the scouts find even more nek0 to rescue on the way over here." The little catboy stared at the clouds and sighed. "I wish I'd had the kind of... je ne sais pas... the backbone. I wish I'd had the backbone he had, to do something like Loi did."

It still haunted him. Ganymede could have escaped on his own. Just like the record-player-demon had told him after killing his master. Freedom was his for the taking, if he wanted it. But he stayed, and he mourned, and he allowed himself to be taken to that trading post. He should have run. He should have burned that place to the ground, or barricaded it and kept it for his own. He should have flown into town, and been found by a scout. He should have, he should have, he should have.
 
Keen

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The moment that name came up, there was a distinct change in Konpeitō's expression. Disgust could be a word for it, as could disappointment or annoyance.

"I met him," he replied in a flat tone. His vision felt blurry. He sat his fork down and pushed a bowl of fruit away, suddenly no longer interested in eating. One slow, deep breath later and he was ready to continue speaking. "Doesn't that mean the rest of the NEK0s who didn't take over their owners also didn't have a backbone? And don't you find it interesting that none of the other NEK0s were asked to help find others to 'rescue.'" Heavy quotation marks were put around "rescue" from the emphasis of his voice.
 
Kait

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Konpeito was offended now. Ganymede could tell that much - but he was caught off-guard by it. After a moment of confusion, he concluded that it must have been the 'backbone' comment. He had implied Kon and the others didn't have a backbone.

He sat up, giving Kon his full attention."N-not at all," he said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that none of us had backbones.I... it's just that, most of us didn't have opportunities like the one that Loi had. No amount of backbone could have put us in his shoes. Even if I did take advantage of my own little opportunity, it's likely that I only could have saved... one other person, if I was lucky."

He sighed. "It's not that we all should have been like him. It's just that I wish I could have been more like him."

Hopefully that would make things better.
 
Keen

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Konpeitō wasn't really offended by what Ganymede said. If it was any other person, he would have been more offended, but right now, he was giving Ganymede a hard time to let out his own anger.

His voice took on a softer tone as he said, "You're alright. I understood what you meant."

There was an awkward pause as he once again tried to collect his thoughts. "We all had different situations. Personally, I think I could have been in his shoes if I want to, but... I... I don't think Lợi is that special. I don't think he's better than us, even if he acts like he is. I've spoken to him twice. Once before I knew he was a NEK0 and once after. He's not perfect. He's far from it." As he spoke, his voice became stronger and more determined. His pupils sharpened, as did his teeth.
 
Kait

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"Well... we all have our flaws."

Now Ganymede was even more confused. It seemed like Loi had offended Kon somehow, and Kon was still sour about it. What could have happened between them? Whatever it was, Ganymede couldn't abide by two of his favorite people having such a negative relationship. Maybe he could help set this right.

"I mean... I did a few terrible things, under my master's direction. I just don't like talking about them very much, for obvious reasons. And I'm sure someone in the kind of situation he was in might have... well. Did he do something that you think was bad?"

Loi couldn't have done anything too terrible. Or if he did, Gany was sure it would be something excusable.
 
Keen

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Now was Konpeitō's turn to be confused. He wondered why Ganymede thought Lợi did something bad. Looking back on his wording, he could spot why.

"I don't think he did anything bad. Ah, other than telling me that I'd come around one day to believing I was a slave." There was a visible grimace on his face. Red flared all over his body before promptly disappearing. "I don't believe his story. His owner could have been lazy and wanted a NEK0 to do all the work, so he set up a situation where Lợi thought he was taking power from his owner by running the business himself. Then Lợi realized how much power he was given, so when the scouts came to retrieve him and his owner lost control. Doesn't that make more sense?"
 
Kait

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Ganymede was overwhelmed with confusion

"Kon... we were both the property of other people. Both at the trading post and before. That's slavery. No matter how much better you owner may have treated you than mine or what kind of relationship you may have had, it doesn't change the fact that, technically speaking, you were his property, and the NEK0 organization repossessed you. So... he's not wrong."

Ganymede was starting to feel defensive on Loi's behalf. It didn't seem as though he had done anything wrong, insisting that Kon had been a slave - even if Kon didn't really see it that way, surely he knew...

"And... why would you believe his master was faking it? That seems terribly convoluted, while Loi's explanation is much more straightforward.
 
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