( Mika had heard the cadence of a familiar step approaching, but, these days, he's getting a little better at sensing, too - it's not long after he hears him that he starts to sense a semblance he thinks he knows.
It's been discomfiting, not really being able to sense much since he got here; he relied on knowing who's what and the gauge of their hostility quite a bit, back home.
Right now, as he turns his gaze to Khun, he can't be sure if he's fully without danger or not - and he probably wouldn't believe his own senses right now, even if he did. Khun has proven he can turn on a time, so Mika appears guarded. He cautiously studies him for a few moments before he finally decided that even if a Khun may turn, the gesture of non-violence itself has relevance.
If Khun had wanted to hurt him, he would have done so already. And given their previous encounter, he didn't like having to manage his guillotine in crowds. )
... It does.
( Was that cute small talk? Sadly, Mika answers it seriously. )
[ it could be both, in fact it was both. no weapons holds no meeting in the Tower either, when you can have invisible inventories next to you, summoned in an instant. ]
I don't think you're the type to worry, [ in the usual way. ] but I wanted to be clear and tell you myself that I don't intend to take another shot at your head. It'd probably be more useful to tell Ginger, but I imagine you'll relay it, and I prefer to do things directly.
[ plus khun isn't exactly jumping to deal with Ginger being theatrical at him even if he's capable of it. ]
( That's not how you respond to an olive branch, Mika. However, it doesn't sound like Mika thinks Khun intends to; it's more like he's making clear his stance in very few words: he will accept what Khun says about not going after him, but what will make Mika aggressive is not his own safety, but Ginger's.
He adds: )
... I haven't shared what I heard. I don't intend to, either.
( It's a partly pragmatic stance: it's more trouble than it's worth, to potentially set off Khun again. (Even if Khun's taken a shine to Tatara, apparently, and he's pretty sure Tatara doesn't want them fighting... Like an injured alley cat, Mika isn't so quick to get comfortable in such knowldge, though.) )
And I'd kill you if you tried to kill me. As far as Ginger is concerned, I have no intention of attacking him or pursuing him in any way. Naturally, the prior still applies. [ that's the biggest variable in this khun thinks, but this is mika's business to handle not his. ]
...I don't imagine you'd be able to make much sense of it, but it's appreciated. [ he has no problem saying as much. he's also had time to think about some things, and while he would still strike out the same on reflex if his thoughts were read again, he doesn't see the old information as a threat. he'd chosen to tell tatara all of it and he told kurapika most of it, and in doing so it means he's wrestled control over it in some way. ]
I don't consider you my enemy or target beyond how that applies to mostly everyone either, and I'd guess that our first ideas in regards to the haunting were likely similar.
( He's not going to say he'll talk to Ginger, or anything - it would feel like he's deferring to Khun as more powerful, or acknowledging Ginger was wrong, somehow, so he refuses. (Even though he does wish Ginger hadn't done that for him.) He will speak to Ginger, but not for Khun. He'll talk to Ginger because he worries about him, that's all. )
... You look down on people often.
( He doesn't say this with annoyance; just statement of fact. It's true that much of the particulars were Greek to him, but even within those thoughts there was suggestion that Khun thought Mika wasn't a person worth explaining things to.
However, regarding their first instinct... Yeah. Mika thinks so, too, and the flicker in his eyes suggests as much. Just look at them, )
If it were reasonable, I would have tried.
( Alas, he had no intention of getting himself mutilated just to come out unsuccessful. Mutilated and successful maybe, but no one gains anything from bravado with no results to show from it. )
Tatara doesn't seem to want to lose anyone, though.
( Whether it's because they can't be replaced, or... )
I'm a noble, so yes. [ that's part of it, it's obviously more than that given how he holds himself, but he'll own up to it. and he thinks mika would understand if he phrased it this way, though it is true. ]
It was reasonable, but it wasn't desirable because he doesn't want to lose anyone. [ there were a lot of them and one of him, and he could have thought of a lot of ways to go for lethal with multiple fallback plans. but that's not what tatara wants and as long as khun thinks there's another way, even if it's a giant pain in the ass, he'll just do that instead.
( "It was reasonable." This remark lands as hot air - but given Khun is, by his own admission, a noble, that, to Mika, explains the ego; that, and, potentially, the level of skill he likely had at home.
Mika certainly wouldn't consider Khun incapable, based on what little he's seen. But thinking less of others and much of yourself, in Mika's perspective, creates an irreconcilable gulf between your mind and reality. )
So you washed your hands of my blood before holding his? That's considerate of you.
( Weirdly? Mika does actually have a sense of humor, especially when it comes to his own bodily harm, so no need to be sorry - it was a weird, weird joke. His humor's just so rarely relevant because the world is not a laughing matter [when you're always looping In The End.mp3, like Mika is].
But yeah, huh. He wonders if it's a mutual thing, or just Khun. )
... I wouldn't have expected it, though. I thought he was devoted to someone else.
( Mika... may be asking(?) this for a reason... (Mika gazing at himself and Ginger). )
I can be plenty considerate to people I like. [ he grins briefly, having no problems going along with this flow. he's not sure if it was a dig or an odd joke, but it changes nothing for him.
the rest though— mmn. it makes him skip a beat, but probably not for the reasons mikaela might expect. devotion makes him think of maria and baam in that order, and it makes him wonder if this is the path he's walking down again. he knows it is, but he hasn't quite reconciled it with himself yet.
and yes, he does wonder briefly about tatara's devotion to this someone, which he files away to ask later. it doesn't really surprise him though, nor does he mind. baam had rachel and maria had their king, and it didn't change how khun felt one bit. ]
That's a question for Tatara, not me. But you can cherish more than one treasure.
( Redundant as this question may seem, he asks it anyway: )
... Do you?
( Vaguely put, but he knows Khun has someone he cares for - or, rather, he knows of at least one. Mika wouldn't even put that in the past tense; Yuu would not matter any less to him in death, either. )
( Unperturbed (if only because he already considers Khun a danger - and Khun does not seem to have particular desire to disarm him of this presumption): )
I'm sure there's more you would do to treasure them than just killing me. I don't matter much, in the grand scheme of things.
( He doesn't say this in a way that's derisive toward himself - but simply that he gets the impression that Khun would not stop at just him, and to describe his feelings relative to only Mika, even if it was only to make a point, seems to almost understate them. )
But I don't intend to do anything to harm Tatara. ( At the moment. ) He seems to be the axis of this operation.
That depends, I value efficiency. [ he's not one to drag things out or gloat unless there's actual dislike involved, and no one's reached that point (or come close to it) yet. all that being said, he would kill most basically anyone here, so it probably doesn't matter all that much in the end.
khun regards mikaela with a lengthy gaze, not particularly imposing or aggressive, but searching. ]
I didn't think you did more than anyone else not possessed by a whiny ghost, but noted.
[ khun's not one to take people at their word, but those words are still useful to get a read. ]
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no subject
It's been discomfiting, not really being able to sense much since he got here; he relied on knowing who's what and the gauge of their hostility quite a bit, back home.
Right now, as he turns his gaze to Khun, he can't be sure if he's fully without danger or not - and he probably wouldn't believe his own senses right now, even if he did. Khun has proven he can turn on a time, so Mika appears guarded. He cautiously studies him for a few moments before he finally decided that even if a Khun may turn, the gesture of non-violence itself has relevance.
If Khun had wanted to hurt him, he would have done so already. And given their previous encounter, he didn't like having to manage his guillotine in crowds. )
... It does.
( Was that cute small talk? Sadly, Mika answers it seriously. )
What did you want?
no subject
I don't think you're the type to worry, [ in the usual way. ] but I wanted to be clear and tell you myself that I don't intend to take another shot at your head. It'd probably be more useful to tell Ginger, but I imagine you'll relay it, and I prefer to do things directly.
[ plus khun isn't exactly jumping to deal with Ginger being theatrical at him even if he's capable of it. ]
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I will kill you if you hurt Ginger again.
( That's not how you respond to an olive branch, Mika. However, it doesn't sound like Mika thinks Khun intends to; it's more like he's making clear his stance in very few words: he will accept what Khun says about not going after him, but what will make Mika aggressive is not his own safety, but Ginger's.
He adds: )
... I haven't shared what I heard. I don't intend to, either.
( It's a partly pragmatic stance: it's more trouble than it's worth, to potentially set off Khun again. (Even if Khun's taken a shine to Tatara, apparently, and he's pretty sure Tatara doesn't want them fighting... Like an injured alley cat, Mika isn't so quick to get comfortable in such knowldge, though.) )
no subject
...I don't imagine you'd be able to make much sense of it, but it's appreciated. [ he has no problem saying as much. he's also had time to think about some things, and while he would still strike out the same on reflex if his thoughts were read again, he doesn't see the old information as a threat. he'd chosen to tell tatara all of it and he told kurapika most of it, and in doing so it means he's wrestled control over it in some way. ]
I don't consider you my enemy or target beyond how that applies to mostly everyone either, and I'd guess that our first ideas in regards to the haunting were likely similar.
no subject
... You look down on people often.
( He doesn't say this with annoyance; just statement of fact. It's true that much of the particulars were Greek to him, but even within those thoughts there was suggestion that Khun thought Mika wasn't a person worth explaining things to.
However, regarding their first instinct... Yeah. Mika thinks so, too, and the flicker in his eyes suggests as much. Just look at them, )
If it were reasonable, I would have tried.
( Alas, he had no intention of getting himself mutilated just to come out unsuccessful. Mutilated and successful maybe, but no one gains anything from bravado with no results to show from it. )
Tatara doesn't seem to want to lose anyone, though.
( Whether it's because they can't be replaced, or... )
no subject
It was reasonable, but it wasn't desirable because he doesn't want to lose anyone. [ there were a lot of them and one of him, and he could have thought of a lot of ways to go for lethal with multiple fallback plans. but that's not what tatara wants and as long as khun thinks there's another way, even if it's a giant pain in the ass, he'll just do that instead.
oh the rights tatara has. ]
no subject
Mika certainly wouldn't consider Khun incapable, based on what little he's seen. But thinking less of others and much of yourself, in Mika's perspective, creates an irreconcilable gulf between your mind and reality. )
... Are his values so weighty to you?
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No, but he himself, is. [ similar but not one in the same, and to khun the distinction is important. ]
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... Is that why he had the scent of your magic on him?
( Marking? )
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do you think he's a coward. ]
Hm? [ right, it's easy enough to check magical signatures if choose to look. ]
That too.
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Is it the beheading attempt that attracted him or something else.
( Is this a real question or is he truly suspecting Tatara of bias a lil. Only God knows. )
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khun just bursts out laughing. sorry, sorry, not sorry. ]
You'd have to ask him. Actually, don't ask him that way. [ it would probably upset Tatara which is bad! just his reflexes. ]
It started before that anyway.
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( Weirdly? Mika does actually have a sense of humor, especially when it comes to his own bodily harm, so no need to be sorry - it was a weird, weird joke. His humor's just so rarely relevant because the world is not a laughing matter [when you're always looping In The End.mp3, like Mika is].
But yeah, huh. He wonders if it's a mutual thing, or just Khun. )
... I wouldn't have expected it, though. I thought he was devoted to someone else.
( Mika... may be asking(?) this for a reason... (Mika gazing at himself and Ginger). )
no subject
the rest though— mmn. it makes him skip a beat, but probably not for the reasons mikaela might expect. devotion makes him think of maria and baam in that order, and it makes him wonder if this is the path he's walking down again. he knows it is, but he hasn't quite reconciled it with himself yet.
and yes, he does wonder briefly about tatara's devotion to this someone, which he files away to ask later. it doesn't really surprise him though, nor does he mind. baam had rachel and maria had their king, and it didn't change how khun felt one bit. ]
That's a question for Tatara, not me. But you can cherish more than one treasure.
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... Do you?
( Vaguely put, but he knows Khun has someone he cares for - or, rather, he knows of at least one. Mika wouldn't even put that in the past tense; Yuu would not matter any less to him in death, either. )
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[ that wasn't really what he was doing that night, but in some kind of way, it was. ]
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I'm sure there's more you would do to treasure them than just killing me. I don't matter much, in the grand scheme of things.
( He doesn't say this in a way that's derisive toward himself - but simply that he gets the impression that Khun would not stop at just him, and to describe his feelings relative to only Mika, even if it was only to make a point, seems to almost understate them. )
But I don't intend to do anything to harm Tatara. ( At the moment. ) He seems to be the axis of this operation.
( And there's only one of him, after all. )
no subject
khun regards mikaela with a lengthy gaze, not particularly imposing or aggressive, but searching. ]
I didn't think you did more than anyone else not possessed by a whiny ghost, but noted.
[ khun's not one to take people at their word, but those words are still useful to get a read. ]