Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (
hauntedsnowfall) wrote in
etrayalogs2024-07-29 07:29 pm
Entry tags:
{ Closed || Playing House }
WHO: Yuri Leclerc and Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd
WHEN: Throughout Mission 004
WHERE: Moorecroft Village || Leclerc-Blaiddyd Household
WHAT: Suburban Living
NOTES\WARNINGS: Ghost imagery, hallucinations, poor mental health, dissociation
Content Warnings by thread
WHEN: Throughout Mission 004
WHERE: Moorecroft Village || Leclerc-Blaiddyd Household
WHAT: Suburban Living
NOTES\WARNINGS: Ghost imagery, hallucinations, poor mental health, dissociation
My attic is full of bones and full of hopeless young emotions that just won't grow up...
Content Warnings by thread
- First Night || I will be your scarecrow
- Ghosts | Haunting | Hallucinations | Poor mental health
- Rainy Weekend || My life will always be painted in grey
- Dissociation | Low self worth

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...Are you feeling overheated?
[ Or is being in this small, enclosed place affecting him the way he's seen it do to others? Yuri isn't sure which it is, but if Dimitri needs to cool off or could use fresh air (or both), Yuri is equipped to handle that. He smooths some of Dimitri's long hair away from his face, then pauses. ]
I've got something better, I think. I'll have to let this light go for now, but I'm still here.
[ He lingers a few moments longer, then the healing spell flickers out. With some concentration, Yuri tries to limit the energy going into his wind magic. After several moments he moves his hand, directing a soft, cool breeze toward Dimitri. ]
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one, no, monster, like him. How much time he has thrown away on a waste like him- like Glenn had- like his father and step mother before him- like his kingdom-The touch doesn't startle him this time, which is quite the miracle for the state of his heightened nerves. His eyes close as Yuri pets his hair and he breathes into it actually managing to fill his lungs for once. He feels like a drowning man.
He's grateful for the warning when the light goes out. If it hadn't been for that he may have started freaking out in earnest and then that would have woken Sasha up and that would have been a mess- He really isn't cut out for this- How could they give Dimitri a life to take care of- What utter fools- Something so delicate- Something needing warmth and kindness- Breathe- Stop- Calm-
The cacophony that is Dimitri's thoughts breaks open once the gentle breeze blows across his face. He flinches at first having not expected it in the slightest, but he blinks rapidly and his mind catches up to what he can assume is happening. Air. Yuri cast a different spell, wind magic. Oh. He can breathe this air and it feels like his rushing thoughts are being blown out of him. Dimitri closes his eyes once more and works on breathing deeper, similarly to how Yuri had attempted to show him.
It was having a similar effect Dedue's snow had. The shock of cool air flushing him out of his own mind and instead into the room, or rather closet, he sits in. This might be nicer than the snow since that usually required Dedue to leave him to get it. Having Yuri still here keeps his mind tethered to his body.
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The words Dimitri had spoken roll around in his mind as he continues to use his spell. He'd already heard the man views himself as a monster, but unlike the country rumors of the Blaiddyd strength making them monstrous, it's something different. Something tied to his actions, understandable though they were in time of war.
At least, Yuri would call them understandable. Dimitri's force was excessive, but he's a Blaiddyd. Outside combat, he's constantly restraining his prodigious strength. Hunting Adrestians may not have sat well with some, but they were invaders within Faerghus' borders, and Yuri knows some thieves and brigands, like Miklan, are bound for ill fate. The past Dimitri recalls isn't unforgivable to Yuri — not when Dimitri clearly strives for better.
But he'll save those thoughts for later. ]
Does that feel alright, the spell?
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...It does.
[ He didn't know there was a spell for something so gentle. Combat magics were all he was aware of, but then again, Yuri had also used that cleansing spell Marianne had thought him. There wasn't anything brutal about that one either.
Dimitri's eyes drop to the babe resting against his chest, somehow still blessing them with sleep. He is grateful to not have disturbed Sasha with all of this. It didn't seem like the horrors trying to claw their way inside were making any progress... He vaguely recalled Yuri saying something about the house being built to keep them out. Concerning that he still saw them, but perhaps those were just the usual ones that came around Dimitri, rather than a full force horde.
Maintaining the deep breathing he looks back up to Yuri, not entirely certain what to expect now. Dimitri hasn't had these panicked breathing spells in front of anyone besides Dedue. ]
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He's seen Dimitri speaking with his ghosts, but this is something different. Dimitri always seemed fairly put-together before they'd been dragged into all of this, and he doubts the man wished to be seen in such a state.
Yet there's nothing for that now. ]
Good to hear it.
[ He replies, quiet and calm. Sasha's still asleep, and he has no intention of being the reason that changes. Besides, he suspects that it's better for Dimitri as well. ]
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Why are you... [ so kind to me? still here? But Dimitri supposes he knows why. Yuri has great expectations of him as King. ] ...Surly you are beginning to be disillusioned now...?
[ It is only a matter of time. ]
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[ Dimitri may be his king, but he's also a man who bleeds just like any other. He wouldn't be as concerned as he is with his safety if he wasn't very aware of the fact. No matter his colossal strength — a knife could still find his back. It's why Yuri fully intends to keep right on watching it.
And something like this, well. It isn't terribly surprising, considering Dimitri talks to his ghosts when he thinks he's quite alone. Sometimes when he isn't entirely alone, even. Yuri was under the impression he knew they were not truly there, but Dimitri has been different since they crossed paths on that bizarre vessel. ]
You may not want to think it, but I see you. Weaknesses and flaws just mean you're like the rest of us.
[ No one could relate to Dimitri if he was some infallible, perfect figure. Most likely, he wouldn't be able to properly relate to others were he that way, either. ]
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What an uncomfortable feeling, to be seen. His glaring flaws on display. ]
Yes, but the weaknesses and flaws of a king will get his people killed. But more over... I hardly feel like a man... more like a remnant. You seeing me like this is... [ shameful. disgraceful. not what I wanted. His mouth tightens.] ...I'm sorry.
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[ Yuri has led too. Rough as his life has been, he's been blessed with beauty and a sharp mind. He may have been poor, but he wasn't bereft of gifts others don't possess. It would be impossible to motivate his men if he didn't know their struggles and hadn't learned to identify strengths.
A king may indeed be a distant figure conceptually, but Dimitri's warmth and kindnesd inspire devotion. Those set him apart from others and make jaded men like Yuri actually believe he can do good. Dimitri doesn't see it, but it's true. ]
Don't apologize to me for being wounded. Most of us are, if you look closely enough. There's no shame in it, and as long as it's not an enemy seeing it, it's not all that dangerous.
[ Deliberately redirecting Dimitri's point. ]
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When Yuri speaks again it feels like his head is being pulled up from underneath water, the closet coming into focus again. Dimitri blinks his gaze back over to him. Wounded? Is that what this is? He couldn't tell. Perhaps he has been bleeding so long he ceased taking notice. Covered them so well no one saw. ]
I feel more broken than wounded... You seem to bear your wounds with far more grace than I.
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Dimitri's observation, however, gives him pause. Are his wounds apparent to Dimitri's eyes? He likes to think he largely manages to appear unscathed by what he's been through and what he does still yet, a few bruised aside. Ashe never seems convinced though, not in the way he aims for at least. ]
Maybe it seems that way because I rely so heavily on appearances.
[ He'll yield that, to make their positions more level in this moment. Yuri doesn't have Dimitri's strength, or the security or influence nobles around him enjoy. He has to look stronger than he is. Better than he is. ]
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Hmmph. As opposed to myself who has given up on all appearances. [ He stopped fooling himself long ago. Felix always saw through him. If only others had listened. ] I imagine it would be rather liberating if underneath all the strict layers of self composure wasn't so... [ damaged. grotesque. monstrous. ] well, this.
[ His breathing seems to be under better control now. He's even able to deeply sigh again. Yuri said not to apologize for being wounded, but he had been sorry for letting the other see it. Dimitri wasn't under any illusions that people thought him fine and of sound mind. That didn't mean he needed to inflict himself upon others. ]
Still, you did not sign up for this. I am sorry for disturbing you.
[ Dimitri thinks the word 'disturbing' is most apt for this, for his behavior, for himself. It clearly hasn't been what the other had expected. Yuri had said as much when they tried recounting the past together. ]
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[ Yuri tosses the words out casually between them, but he doesn't mean it any less for that. Dimitri could use help. Could use support. He strikes Yuri as the sort of man reluctant to impose with anything more weighted than a day of guard duty. The vulnerability hasn't escaped him, either.
Letting the wrong person see the wrong thing is dangerous, so Yuri has always endeavored to present a strong front. He's but a small and pretty thing, unable to snap threats like twigs the way someone like Dimitri could. Keeping it together is necessary, but the troubles that weigh on him aren't quite the same as what burdens Dimitri.
They have enough in common that he can imagine though, as he shifts to settle more comfortably against the wall. ]
You say you've given up, but...what do you think you look like, exactly?
[ Dimitri could sorely use some self-care, but the way he speaks of himself suggests something else. Something more than simple want of care or maintenance. ]
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He hears Yuri move and settle again as if saying he plans to stay for however long this takes. Part of Dimitri wishes the other man would just leave so he can stop burdening him further, but he finds a larger portion is relieved by Yuri remaining at his side. It feels like the thought of him staying is allowing him to breathe more easily.
The question he asks pulls some weary surprise out of Dimitri. Does he really need to answer? Isn't it obvious? Or does Yuri just want to hear him say it? Dimitri takes a deep inhale and mulls over how to begin. ]
... You mean besides awful? Hm. Broken, cold... brutal, ruthless... dark, paranoid, bloodthirsty, [ He slowly rests his head against the wall behind him, eyes closing. ] Ailell's teeth, I probably look half mad half the time. I'm unkempt, I stalk to and fro and talk in earnest to the dead- whom no one else sees... I am morose, brood more often than naught, and I look like I haven't slept since the fall of Garegg Mach. Everyone- [ He sighs. ] Almost everyone avoids me. They are too afraid to get close out of fear of what I might do to them. Like a rabid dog. And they have every right to fear. I have told my friends that... that I will use them without a moments hesitation. That their lives mean nothing in the face of completing my mission... Have I said cruel? If I haven't, cruel.
In short, a monster. The worst part is this has always been me. I was just pretending at being human before. [ No, his eyes are stinging again. Goddess, damn him and his loathsome self pity. ] Crossing 't's and dotting 'i's. Bowing here, smiling there.
[ Desperately reaching out to people knowing full well he could never let them in. Could never let them see the real him. No one would stay if they knew. He's stopped pretending. ]
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In truth, he didn't expect such a long answer. A detailed one at that. The portrait Dimitri paints of himself is incredibly grim and unforgiving. There's a degree to which he can agree there is some truth to his words, and there's a point at which he has objections, but he waits patiently until Dimitri has finished.
When he does, the weight of silence settles on his shoulders as he considers how to respond. Yuri knows full well he views himself in harsh terms, but he doesn't see himself as a beast. He can be a monster, he's a criminal after all, but that isn't all of what he is. Neither is it an all-encompassing description of Dimitri. ]
...Do you want to know what I see?
[ He thinks Dimitri does. Perhaps it's bafflement, perhaps it's morbid curiosity, but Yuri's fairly sure Dimitri has been wondering about his perception of him. ]
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When the question comes Dimitri opens his mouth immediately to say no, but... But. He does, doesn't he? He aches for it- the damnation or the absolution. Both painful in their own right. What does Yuri see when he looks at him. Not at the man who was to become king, but at Dimitri.
His lips push together fighting with the almost masochistic desire to hear Yuri spell him out plainly. This moment feels like the last chance to gasp for air before falling under water... And so, Dimitri takes a deep breath. ]
I would hear it.
[ His voice comes out quieter than before as if from a man awaiting his sentencing. ]
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It's possible that the man would find out what he thinks either way, but he asks for it, and Yuri will oblige. Small as Dimitri's voice was just then, he considers his words before speaking, even more than he already does. ]
I think people are complicated, and you're no exception to that. You're fearsome in battle, but you're gentle and kind to children and animals. I saw you teaching kids how to defend themselves and fetching cats from trees in Garreg Mach, and those weren't performances. No one would have noticed or judged if you didn't spend an inordinate amount of time coaxing a cat closer to try and rescue it without uprooting a tree.
[ It's little things like this that had told Yuri that Dimitri was always well-meaning. It's little things that people do when they think they aren't being observed that speak to who they are. Those actions were no affect for others' benefit, they were simply Dimitri. He believed it then and he believes it still.
For a time he'd also thought Dimitri foolishly naive, taking his interest in the poor as the same sort of pitying, charitable tourism some nobles partake in to make themselves feel like good people. Yet Dimitri's interest in improving peoples' lives had been real and grounded in the practical acceptance of its challenges. Moreover, he'd been eager for Yuri's opinion.
He'll not forget that either. ]
I don't believe avenging those you've lost makes you a wicked man. Not more than any other, at least. The fact that you revile yourself for it tells me that it's against your nature to do the things you feel you must for that goal, actually. Why would you punish yourself like this otherwise? But people lie to themselves to get through that they have to. They tell themselves to do whatever it takes, even if it pains them. I see that in you.
[ It may be that he sees it as clearly as he does because he's the same, but he doesn't inject that into the conversation. Right now, it isn't important, he reasons. ]
I see a man in pain, who's put himself to a task for those who can't fight for themselves anymore. A task that doesn't exactly suit him as well as he wants to tell himself it does, and the weight of it keeps his wounds from healing. I don't see all of that adding up to a simple case of calling a man a monster. People are flawed and complicated... But I'd wager you'd still rescue cats from trees.
[ Sasha is here, after all. Even though he was terrified, he'd thought of the baby they'd been issued. ]
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Then Yuri speaks. Dimitri thinks if the world had been loud it would've silenced itself at the other man's words. The other man could be so casual with what he says, and then again make himself sound so profound. How does Yuri do that? It's moments like this that speak to how Yuri became the leader of Abyss. Dimitri wishes he could see him as he answers, but then again, that would mean the other could see him as well. Still...
So it is to be absolution? Dimitri is ready to fight these words, to say the man who attended Garreg Mach is dead- but he holds himself back. Yuri hadn't interrupted him while he spoke, and he will do the same. Dimitri pressed his lips into a thin line biting back the words. His face and eyes are turned towards the other, staring at the darkness that hides the man.
But when did Yuri see that? Had he been watching? It's not like Dimitri made it a secret, how he taught those orphans swordplay, but no one besides Byleth spoke of it to him. And he's certain the professor only talked about it with him because he'd asked them for help. Has Yuri been observing him since before they met?? They hadn't spoken much, so he thought the man didn't take any interest in him back then.
Then Yuri continues. How can he see Dimitri so clearly when even he cannot? How is Yuri able to peal back his layers to see what's inside? The loathing. The dragging himself over nails to get it done. Losing his humanity because he cannot forget them. If he doesn't shoulder their agony, their regret, no one will. And then they would truly be lost... Gone completely from this world. He can't let them go.
The magical wind makes cold the tear tracks. What has he done? What must he continue to do to spare his family from ceaseless suffering? He feels young and lost again, uncertain of his path. Rodrigue's words still shake him: "There are those who take up their sword in the name of revenge, and yet along the way, lose the strength and composure to follow through..." The professor's question still unnerves him "Aren't you happy we won?" He isn't. He hasn't been happy in years.
The darkness makes this easier. Dimitri is glad Yuri can't see him in such a state. He swallows, but his voice remains quiet and more akin to a rasp. ]
...That doesn't... none of that can justify my actions.
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[ Dimitri doesn't rationalize the ugly things he does away. He doesn't claim they're some necessary evil and thus divorce himself of the emotional weight of them. Others would and they'd do so readily, because it was so much easier to excuse oneself than to live with the uncomfortable truth that nothing absolves the weight of lives lost.
Even if it's kill or be killed, those are still lives. There's a reason that Yuri would sooner ruin someone than kill them. Well, multiple reasons. A corrupt noble's wealth was more precious to them than anything, more often than not. Others in need could use that money. It's not as honest as killing, not really, but he finds his own justice in it.
Sometimes, however, he still takes lives. Their weight doesn't slide off of him any more easily than Dimitri, it seems to him. ]
And when that task is done, you can still come back. You can dust off those parts of yourself you've had to set aside. I still believe the others would help you bear the weight of it, if you'd let them... Strong as your Blaiddyd muscles are, the dead are heavy, and those still living loved them too, yeah?
[ Many of Yuri's people didn't have anyone else but other Abyssians and him. He can't forget or expect others to help him carry them to the future they'd fought for, but that's what Yuri's notebook is for. Dimitri doesn't remember it, but he'd renewed his hope that showing them that future truly is possible.
Why shouldn't Dimitri also have hope? ]
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He shifts Sasha's weight onto one arm so he can use his now free palm to wipe his face. The idea of his
friendscompanions lending their strength in this... ]...I do not... I don't know. I've pushed everyone away. Sylvain has been so withdrawn... My relationship with Ingrid has been strained since the academy... And Felix... [ Dimitri gives a small wet laugh. ] Felix has hated me since I was fifteen. He's seen right through me all this time. I can't... [ He sighs, ] Besides, I do not wish to drag them down to... to corrupt them as deeply as I have myself.
[ Dimitri frowns and swipes at his cheeks once again. While he's glad he has perfected the art of crying silently, he wishes the tears would dry up instead. He hates engaging in self pity, worse still to be in the presence of another to witness. He takes a shaky breath, concentrating on keeping it quiet.]
Most of all, I do not deserve them. I don't. No amount of good deeds can ever make up for what I have done... I don't understand how you can think...
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[ Confined as the space is, Yuri'd have to be deaf to not hear the tears in Dimitri's voice. He debates with himself whether to give him a handkerchief, knowing that this will inevitably call attention to his awareness of it. Still, scrubbing at one's face can feel even worse. After some deliberation, he fishes the soft square of embriodered cloth out and presses it to Dimitri's hand.
It isn't so fine and fancy a thing as a noble might possess, made with the modest materials a commoner might readily access. Still, his mother had put love and care into it. Even now, it smells faintly of lilac and clean laundry, because Yuri takes care of anything his mother gives him. ]
Not a one of them hates you... And not a one of them wouldn't reach back if you reached for them.
[ Not even Felix, cantankerous as he could be. No one piped up that much or about anyone if they didn't care. He should know — Ashe nags after him relentlessly and hunts him down to save him from his own reckless schemes. Yuri has no doubt that if Dimitri got himself into trouble again, the lot of them would go running to help him.
It's happened before, after all. Dimitri remembers an entirely different war somehow, but his friends are the same people. They'd known him since they were children. Of course they would help him if he'd only let them. ]
Maybe you need to look at it from another angle. What if it was Sylvain who was determined he didn't deserve any of you and that he had to set things right all by himself, even if it killed him?
[ Yuri's sure he knows the answer. ]
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Then Dimitri feels something soft press into his palm then. He's a little confused as he can't see it. nor can he use both hands to try and identify what it is. It pulls his mind out of the trees and into the closet proper. Yuri continues speaking before Dimitri's mind can puzzle out the object shared causing him to grip it in a spasm of emotion. Did Yuri truly believe that of his friends? Would that it were true. His tears are falling in earnest now and it's all Dimitri can to to keep his breathing light through his nose to keep it quiet. In a corner of his mind he is worried the droplets might disturb Sasha. It's this small thought that gets his mind to realize the item Yuri handed him is a handkerchief and suddenly Dimitri is thankful for the other's forethought and kindness. Such warm kindness that continues to surprise Dimitri the more he comes to know the man.
Dimitri gently dabs his cheeks with the cloth. Its fragrance is so lovely, which is just so typical of it's owner, isn't it? The scent helps ground him, and the breeze provided by Yuri makes it almost feel like a field of flowers inside the closet. Amongst the flowers on a cool clear night... Yuri poses a hypothetical, still trying to help Dimitri see his vantage point. If Dimitri is lost in the forest, then Yuri must be atop a ridge amongst flowers with the full moon lighting him, he thinks.
But Yuri's words stir the memory of a dank fortress filled with bandits. A flag with a corruption of the Gautier house symbol. Lightning flashing. The smell of lilac keeps Dimitri in the closet, but they are still images that jump readily to his mind, even after these long years. Dimitri can easily imagine this scenario Yuri is posing. Something like it had almost came about... He takes a deep breath, swallows, and clears his throat. ]
If... [ He sighs. Dimitri has a feeling this answer is going to be in Yuri's favor, but not answering would be worse and disingenuous. He doesn't want to think about it, so he just answers off the cuff. ] If Sylvain had insisted he be the one to slay Miklan... If he went on his own, I would... [ Another intake of breath, steeling himself. ] I would have followed him regardless. I would see to his safety... and help plan the murder. [ Dimitri winces at the thought. ] You see Yuri, even here I am a beast.
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Is it relief or dread, he wonders. Perhaps it's both. Perhaps it's something else entirely. Yuri couldn't say with any certainty, but he wishes that Dimitri didn't view himself in such grim terms. Some may say he has no room to talk, but Yuri doesn't mind being a hypocrite. ]
Would you call Sylvain a beast, if you knew he jumped at the chance to cull some spies I pointed out to him?
[ It's a question to which Yuri's certain he knows the answer. Dimitri's more unforgiving toward himself than anyone else, and Yuri can see it clearly now. Even in a dark closet, hearing the man suppress the sounds of his crying, he can see it as surely as if he were still illuminating the closet with his spell. ]
They'd help you just as readily as you'd help them... You just have to let them.
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Yet Yuri believes, despite being ill-suited, Dimitri can avenge his loved ones and set them free. That he will do what he must until it is done, and once done, Dimitri can come back to himself. This thought feels too good to be true, especially now that Rodrigue has sown the seeds of doubt. Seeds that root mercilessly fast causing all around it to rot.
Then there is the matter of his friends whom he has chased away deliberately. Cast them aside as if they were nothing. Claimed he would use them until their flesh peeled from bone. And yet, Yuri still believes they would help Dimitri. These two thoughts twine through him pulling more tears of regret, shame, and utterly hopelessly: hope. Dimitri does not want to go through this alone, but his want to not drag anyone else down is greater. His need to cast aside all that isn't his quest rending his heart asunder. Is it any wonder how it causes his heart to bleed? If only he could cut it out of him.
Dimitri knew Yuri's posed change of view was a trap, but one that was impossible to avoid, especially since he yearns the view from Yuri's flowery mountain ridge. He knows he does not deserve it, but he cannot stop his heart from calling out.
The handkerchief is held to his eyes now, it seems the best way to stem the flow while also allowing himself to breathe in it's soothing smell. Yuri isn't letting up on him yet either and part of his heart is begging 'why?'. Why hasn't Yuri given up on him yet? It hurts to be comforted when you know you're undeserving.
Dimitri is fighting with his mouth trying to get them to form the words he believes, but his teeth remain clenched. Any who kill willingly are monsters, lowly beasts pretending at being human... Why must Yuri push him to say this? ]
...War and necessity have made monsters of us all. Piling up corpses in the name of peace, dispelling the regrets of the dead... In the end, it's all murder. We're the same. Monsters born to kill...
[ When Dimitri has said this in the past it had come out more intensely, but it is getting harder and harder, especially as of late. This time it came out more hallow sounding... It's hard to think of Sylvain the child, the boy, or the man as a beast. He swallows and closes his eyes into the fabric, pushing it harder against himself. He hates these thoughts, this poisonous burning forest he is trapped in. Dimitri doesn't want to go on living this way, but knows no other. ]
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[ It's a question to which they both know the answer. Yuri asks it regardless, asks it because it needs to be asked. Dimitri needs to see himself with a clarity he currently lacks. Someone is only irredeemable if they revel in wronging others with no remorse. The people Dimitri has killed have been enemies, have posed a threat to him and his. He isn't the same as a ravening beast.
Dimitri can come back from the dark place he's in, Yuri is certain of it. He remembers his men telling him stories of how Dimitri commanded his forces to "save every last one of them" and how they did just that. It awed them. It inspired them. The heart behind that kind of order isn't one that has grown cold or cruel. ]
I don't tell you these things as platitudes. Setting up false expectations never ends well... But I know what I've seen and heard. And I know the difference between a monster who should be stopped and a man doing what he feels he must, who doesn't make excuses for the ugliness of it.
[ He knows it, because he's a criminal himself. But he has standards and it's a vital difference. ]
You don't have to go it alone, and you can come back. You don't have to take my word for it... Just ask, when we see them again.
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