[Immediately post-Wonder Quartet]

[grimgrimwar]

[Private Message to Reiji:]
I protected your Keystone, like you wanted. You can consider this the end of our arrangement.

[Private Message to Hibiki:]
Hey. I'm gonna do my own thing from here on out. Take care of yourself, okay?

[Event:]
[Alexandra is immediately approaching a few people after the climax of the Wonder Quartet and Yuya's duel with Reiji. Top of that list includes Yuya, Yuma and Labrys. Before, in between or after she's spoken to those people, she's open to be approached by anybody else who was present in the Quartet.]

Comments

[grimgrimwar]

[She nods.] Akaba Reiji came to me in the hospital. He made me an offer and I went with him. I've been going between Maiami City and the Armory since then, getting myself ready.

[tachyonparticle]

... It's too late to say... that I wish you could've told me exactly why, isn't it?

*she gives a sound like... a laugh?* Not that it makes much difference, since I know now, of course.

[grimgrimwar]

... [She shuts her eyes.] I couldn't talk to you. I wouldn't have been able to resist coming back if I did. And I had to focus completely on making myself strong.

[tachyonparticle]

Well... It clearly worked, didn't it.

You do look better since I last saw you. Healthier. Stronger. Like... Before.

*yet it's clear she does feel something at the fact that you had to avoid speaking to her-- because you would've so wanted to see her again. She doesn't like that she could've gotten in the way of your recovery.*

[grimgrimwar]

...I'm sorry. In that situation, it hurt just to think about you. About not seeing you. How it must've felt for me to just vanish like that. So I just...tried not to think about it as much as possible. [She sighs.] I...saw footage. Of Heartland. Of those poor people. And the horrible things that happened to them. I had to get as strong as I could. To stop Academia.

[tachyonparticle]

... I understand that. After seeing what they've done here... And understanding the threat they're posing, I'm not going to sit by and allow this to unfold.

I just hope that another situation doesn't end up coming up where you'll need to vanish again.

*she pauses then, recalling to back then* Though I suppose I'm no better in my intentions, since I was seriously considering conspiring with Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, to break you out of the hospital.

[grimgrimwar]

... [After a couple seconds, she manages a teeny-tiny little smile.] You want me all to yourself, huh.

[tachyonparticle]

I have no idea what you're talking about. I just wanted to make sure you'd be safe. Able to recover without people bothering you about what had happened.

... And maybe so I could have you to myself for a moment. No guarantees as to what I was thinking, at the time.

[grimgrimwar]

Mmhm...I think I understand. [...then the smile fades.] I came back to deal with Academia, though. After that... ...I have to face the consequences of what I did.

[tachyonparticle]

*... she gets serious about that.*

Do you feel ready to do that?

[grimgrimwar]

I...think I have to be. [She sighs.] I wanna say something, but I'm afraid it might...make you mad at me.

[tachyonparticle]

... You do know that'll just make me wonder what it is you want to say anyway, correct?

/2

[grimgrimwar]

I...yeah, I know. [She rubs her head.]

[grimgrimwar]

[Then, she gets more serious.] ...I don't think I was wrong. For wanting to destroy Eliphas. And if I could...I probably still would. I just think he's too dangerous and he doesn't deserve to get away with what he's done. But. I never should've let Tartarus use that to manipulate me. And it was unforgivable for me to...hurt people. With what I turned into. And to put you at risk trying to drag me out of the trouble I got myself into. I need to. Take responsibility for all of that.

[tachyonparticle]

*... she closes her eyes. Eliphas aside, given her feelings overall still about the Astrals...

She does agree-- agreeing to let Tartarus use her like that is similar to why she wants to make sure Akaba doesn't use those cards again. To then turn around and hurt others... even if Tartarus had influence on those decisions, Tartarus wasn't the one controlling her. She gets that.

... But she isn't sure of how to say it. She needs to say something here.*

... I guess the question is... how do you intend on taking responsibility for that? For what were your own choices?

[grimgrimwar]

...I don't know. Yuya and Yuma will probably just tell me to forget about it, because that's how they are. I guess I could turn myself back into the police and go to jail.

[tachyonparticle]

And serve out your time in captivity for what you did? I guess that is how people are expected to repent... *Probably not off from what we decided for Caduceus, though in our case, we'd have wanted to purify her if possible...

... she decides to not think about that for the moment.*

Do you think that'd make up for it, though? As in, your personal feelings about it.

[grimgrimwar]

I don't know.

I'm used to fighting. To at least...trying to use my powers to do the right thing. Part of me thinks that just sitting in a jail cell would be a waste of what I can do.

Like Spider-Man says, I guess.

[tachyonparticle]

... Spider who?

[grimgrimwar]

....Spider-Man?

With great power comes great responsibility?

[tachyonparticle]

... That... doesn't ring a bell, I'm sorry. *what kind of alien race doesn't know about superhero comics, this is insanity.*

But getting to the point of what you just said... You do have your powers. And I agree. I think that just sitting around not using them would be a waste of what you could potentially do.

Maybe what you can do here, with these people from "Academia"... Maybe you already took the first step you could take, towards repentance for your actions?

[grimgrimwar]

...

No.

[She looks away.]

Not really.

[tachyonparticle]

... Well, it's what I'd be doing to repent if I felt that I had done something truly wrong. I'd be working. Not waiting. But at the same time... Having to wait would be punishment to me. *she shakes her head*

But I could admit that my standards of what constitute extended repentance may... likely be different from what humans usually consider to be reasonable. But... Guilt may also simply carry on without stop, at times.

[grimgrimwar]

Being here...I haven't taken a step towards anything yet. I let Academia do as they please. I let tons of people get turned into cards, because I let myself think I had to focus on one person out of everybody. [She puts a hand over her eyes.] ....Yuzu was right there with me. And I left her. I knew it was wrong and I did it anyway.

[tachyonparticle]

... Why did you leave her?