* Karasu stands on one of the balconies, leaning forwards and looking down at
the town. He's dressed in his typical attire.
* Ao-Lang comes walking down the hall, footsteps remarkably quiet for someone
wearing the boots she has. She blinks at Karasu, then sneaks up on him. "Boo."
* Karasu doesn't jump in surprise. He doesn't even turn around. He just says,
simply, "What is it?"
* Ao-Lang grins from behind Karasu. "The wicked witch. How's it going?"
* Karasu smirks. "Couldn't be worse. And yet, couldn't be better."
<Ao-Lang> Yeah?  Care to expand on that?
* Karasu shrugs. "Not much to it, really. I know where things stand now.
Although, it's not really far from my initial assumptions to begin with.
<Ao-Lang> They can change.  Disappointed?
* Karasu sighs. "I suppose I am. Not surprised, but disappointed."
<Ao-Lang> Yeah.
* Ao-Lang pauses, then steps out onto the balcony, next to Karasu. She looks
down at the town, too.
<Ao-Lang> It's really easy to say that you'll act a certain way when the
situation will never come up.
* Ao-Lang looks over at Karasu. "Kairi won't stay mad at you, y'know."
<Karasu> I don't follow.
* Karasu shrugs. "Maybe. Maybe not."
* Ao-Lang sits on the railing, heedless of the height. She grins. "He won't.
He's a simple kinda person."
<Karasu> There's a lot of simple people in this world.  I don't think Hope's
opinion is going to change anytime soon.
* Ao-Lang snorts. "Hope sees the world in black and white. It's comfortable, but
it's gonna make her hate a lot of people."
* Karasu nods.
* Karasu turns around and leans against the banister. "Still, I suppose that
makes me more the fool for expecting anything else."
<Ao-Lang> But hell, listen to me, and I never professed to do the right thing.
<Karasu> Who defines what's right and what's wrong?
<Ao-Lang> Society or the individual's moral center.  What do you believe in?
* Karasu folds his arms. "I'd like to say the individual, of course. But there's
too many beliefs in the world to clearly state right and wrong."
* Ao-Lang speaks easily, "Then maybe there is no universal right."
<Karasu> Undoubtedly.
<Ao-Lang> So, do you think you did the right thing?  Or the least wrong thing?
<Karasu> Can something be a mistake, and still be the right thing to do?
* Ao-Lang considers.
<Ao-Lang> I think so.
<Karasu> Then you have your answer.
* Ao-Lang grins. "But it doesn't matter what I think. What do you think? Can
something be a mistake and still be the right thing?"
<Karasu> Yes.
<Ao-Lang> Then why do you give a shit about what Hope says?
<Karasu> Because I would have liked to have gotten along with my team.  I knew
this would be an impossiblity from the beginning, simply because of my past, but
I had still Hoped.
<Ao-Lang> Ugly past, huh?
<Karasu> You know what I refer to.
* Ao-Lang doesn't respond to that, instead tilting her head up, looking at the
sky and letting the wind play with her hair. "You know, Karasu. People don't
need to like each other to work together."
<Karasu> I'm aware of that.
<Ao-Lang> And stop me if I'm getting mushy, but I don't dislike you.  In fact,
you're pretty cool.  In a don't interact with people kinda way.  You do what you
think you have to, rest of the world be damned, and there's something to...
admire in that.
<Karasu> Theoretically, you could say the same for Hope.
* Ao-Lang looks back at Karasu, tapping right above her chest. "If there was a
demon in me, I don't know if I'd keep it under control."
<Ao-Lang> Yeah, you could.
<Karasu> Well, there's no way to know until it happens.  Evidently, I can't keep
it under control, either.
<Karasu> No... That's not true.  I willingly set it loose.
<Ao-Lang> You wanted to rip Max's heart out and feed it to him.
<Karasu> Partially.
* Ao-Lang grins. "Well, I know I did."
<Karasu> I believe I handled that situation properly for the most part.
* Ao-Lang nods.
<Karasu> It may have been a mistake to give his soul to Tulpa.  That's the one
area I'm uncertain of
<Ao-Lang> Eh.
<Ao-Lang> It's gray.  But then you gotta ask yourself if Tulpa holding Kairi's
soul is better than Tulpa holding Max's soul.  And if Tulpa holding Max's soul
is permanent, which I sure as hell hope isn't.
<Karasu> It isn't if I can defeat him.
<Karasu> And as I've said, I rather Max be in that situation than Kairi.
<Ao-Lang> Me too.
<Ao-Lang> If that makes me a heartless bitch, then that's what I am.  But I
think you did the right thing.  Tough choices, life being ugly, yadda.
* Karasu nods.
* Ao-Lang smirks. "That's my take, anyway. It doesn't make me *happy*, but hey."
<Karasu> It doesn't? You sounded satisfied.
<Ao-Lang> Sure.
* Ao-Lang gets off of the railing and walks up to Karasu, looking up into his
eyes. "It's easier when people think you don't care, isn't it?"
<Karasu> Sometimes.
<Karasu> Often, even.  But sometimes it's not.
<Ao-Lang> No.  Being a certain way doesn't always make it easy.  It's not like
we come with an instruction manual.
* Karasu chuckles. "That's certainly true."
* Ao-Lang chuckles with him, then looks away. "Though whether I care or not...
Can't give away all my secrets. You come up here to think a lot?"
<Karasu> Sometimes.  I usually have some free time.  Comes from not having to
sleep so much.
<Ao-Lang> Oh, is that when you do your homework?  Well, Karasu.  Ever play
games?  Y'know, with other people?
<Karasu> Not often.
<Ao-Lang> Well.  Seeing as I'm overloading on enough good deeds to last me with
a mean streak a couple months long, I figure I can go for one more.  I'm going
to introduce you to a concept I like to call "fun".
* Ao-Lang grins and grabs Karasu lightly by the arm, pulling him into the hall.
* Karasu is pulled. "If you say so..."
* Ao-Lang laughs. "I say so. And I'm right, so what I say goes."