( video, un: koriel - slightly forward-dated )

[passio]

[ on the morning of the 14th, everyone’s feeds get to enjoy what appears to be a somber-looking video of a somber-looking man. his shoulders are hunched, his eyes downcast, and one might wonder why he’s making a video if he’s going to look this sad while doing it. don’t worry about it. ]

It’s…

[ he falters. he should have planned this out a little better. ]

I’m sorry to bring them up again, but what was said about the Oracles of the Sinless has been weighing on my mind. One of those members mentioned wanting to “reset” the world…

[ a new game+, as tarn put it. ]

My world is… I… [ although he can't finish his thoughts, it doesn't sound like he's getting emotional. his voice is quiet, but even-toned. ] It’s been destroyed. Most people are dead, and those that aren’t are… unwell. And when I think about that, the idea of resetting the world doesn’t seem wrong.

[ he seems to realize that he’s dangerously close to spreading cult propaganda, and he looks up at the camera with the first fluctuation of emotion—from a kind of downtrodden pensiveness to concern. ]

But I don’t think it seems right, either. I don’t know. [ he glances away from the camera once again. ] The Sinless must be scared. They don’t want the world to get worse. Our arrival here… it makes beautiful things, but maybe…

…um. I wanted to know what everyone else thinks.

Comments

[accurately]

[ That's fine if he waits to finish it. Midorima doesn't interrupt or push him more. If anything, Midorima himself as done this. (Much to some peoples' annoyance.) Usually when he's embarrassed or people are fussing after his health/luck issues/taking care of him unprompted. So he doesn't rush him. ]

Then finish up your juice.

[ Midorima is finishing up his. But this is really all he wanted to accomplish was to help Dextera a little.. ]

[passio]

[ if you’re happy and you know it drink your juice. (sip sip) ]

I am. I’m sorry for being slow.

[ dextera wonders if it’s really okay to think of the world around him like that. if it’s all right if he considers his fellow moonblessed gods of a kind. they are, though, in the same sense as the absolute god—not protectors, but creators. it’s the prismals who protect the planet that the moonblessed are working hard to restore. ]

…I would be happy if you still thought of me as human. [ after a pause. ] That’s what I want to be.

[accurately]

Unless you're capable of improving my luck, I'll be treating you the same as ever.

[ dextera is dextera, he's not going to let him get a big head. either way, he's finished with his juice so he gets up to toss away the cup. for what it's worth, he doesn't just ditch dextera- he comes back to the table once he's cleaned up. ]

[passio]

Midorima…

[ perhaps today isn’t so bad after all, if he’s maintained a friend and gotten free juice out of it. then, once midorima returns, dextera has been able to take a moment to compose himself. ]

Thank you for letting me try your juice.

[ his cup is… not empty, but he’s working on it. ]

And thank you for listening to me.

[accurately]

Don't join any cults without talking to me first in the future.

[ Just so they're clear. He can do whatever he wants, but Midorima would like to make sure he's not going off the rails and not realizing important things or feeling alone/vulnerable/whatever. ]

I have to leave for practice in 15 minutes. Hurry up.

[ Dextera can come watch if he wants. ]

[passio]

…

[ in the future, dextera will regret agreeing to this condition, when the archangel shows up and dextera has a moral obligation to (re-)join the cult he was raised in. for now, however, he’s thinking only of the sinless, so he nods.

then: ]

Practice? …for basketball?

[accurately]

Yes.

[ He sits down again for now though, he's not going to stand the full 15 minutes while he waits for Dextera to finish his juice. ]

I have to practice every day.

[passio]

[ dextera has never played basketball. he isn’t confident enough in himself to think that he could ever keep up with midorima, either, but he is a little curious about what it looks like. ]

…I want to come.

[ he’s down to the bottom fourth of his juice, so midorima doesn’t have to wait long. ]

[accurately]

You're coming.

[ Obviously. He says it as if he told him because he's coming with. He had every intention of telling him 'let's go' as soon as Dextera finishes his drink. ]

[passio]

[ he’s coming!

it’s just the kind of bossiness he needs, at a time like this. as ever, midorima strikes the perfect balance between bossiness and kindness, and dextera is happy to follow along.

he tosses away his juice when it’s finished, and he lines up behind midorima like a child.

some god he is. ]

Where do you usually go?

[accurately]

[ Dextera is probably one of the few that identify his kindness easily. Most people just want him to stop demanding things and doing whatever he wants. Midorima appreciates that Dextera doesn't try to rub it in all the time and just lets him be bossy, though. ]

I'm on a basketball team, we have a gymnasium that we have access to for a set period each day. If I want to practice on my own, there is a street court near my home.

[passio]

[ dextera knows jack shit about basketball, so the things midorima is saying make only a moderate amount of sense. (he also hasn’t ever been to a gym, so there’s that.) ]

How do you…

[ okay, he knows this is going to sound ridiculous. he doesn’t know how to soften the blow. ]

How do you play basketball?

[accurately]

[ He hates this question because Midorima doesn't like explaining himself, but it's not the first time he's had to answer it. And he'd rather Dextera have the answer than not. ]

In basketball, two teams who play against each other with the goal of getting the ball through the hoop on your opponent's side of the court. You have to dribble the whole time except to pass and make shots. You cannot hold the ball if your feet are moving, you cannot hold or harm your opponents. Points are scored when shots at the basket are successfully made. Shots are worth 2 points unless made past the three-point line, at which point they are worth three as they are more challenging shots that not as many players can successfully make. [ He's definitely setting himself up to be impressive here. ] The only exceptions are if one team commits a foul by breaking the rules, then the other team gets a free shot worth one point. That's the core information for understanding the game.

[ There's a lot more detailed things, but they're walking and Midorima can't stop to explain plays and strategy and why you can't just be good at making the shots because there are 5 players trying to stop your team from getting through at any given time. Especially not without visuals. ]

[passio]

[ dextera doesn’t understand a word of it. he’s never seen a basketball court, first of all, and he can’t visualize a three-point line or how challenging that is. once he sees it, it’ll probably make sense, but he’s very much a kinetic learner. he learns by dying. ]

…

[ slowly, he nods. ]

I don’t know about the rest of it… but I’m really good at throwing.

[accurately]

You can't just be good at throwing, you have to be good at throwing while someone is blocking you.

[ But it will help. ]

[passio]

[ dextera nods. ]

I’ve gotten good at avoiding things. [ he’s about to say something weird; there’s a way about him that changes, especially when he’s talking to midorima about his traumatic past. ] I used to die every time. Now it only happens sometimes, when I take too long to aim.

[accurately]

You aren't going to die in basketball.

[ That's not a thing, Dextera! Stop being weird about this! ]

[passio]

[ not to brag, but he’s very good at dying. dextera takes midorima’s assurance (?) as truth, though, and nods in acknowledgment. ]

Then I’ll be even better.

[accurately]

You also can't kill anyone and have to follow the rules. I'll show you the lines and other details once we arrive.

[ Maybe they can rustle him up a spare tshirt and shorts.. ]

[passio]

[ dextera would assume most sports have the inherent, unspoken rule of “don’t kill anyone,” but he does also think that the coffin man might not mind relaxing such a restriction.

despite himself, he smiles. ]

Thank you.

[ with nothing else morbid to say, dextera allows midorima to escort him to the gym. luckily for the both of them, there aren’t so many other people around. ]

[accurately]

[ Midorima would've assumed the police would be called if a person was wandering around with a weapon in broad daylight, and yet half the people here think that's a reasonable action. He doesn't assume common sense applies to most people on Prismatica.

As they head in, Midorima leads them straight to the locker room. ]

There are rental shorts at the window over there. Change so you don't get your normal clothes sweaty. You can use my locker.

[ Midorima has his own change of clothes in his locker, but he doesn't think his spares will fit Dextera. ]