If you think that's some kind of jab at me, you'd better take a good look in the mirror.
[ How many years had he been the only person in the department who knew who Julius was going home to every night? Pretty much no one else left there now even knew what Julius's original name had been or that he had any special connection to Bisley — the upside of nearly every agent kicking the bucket by 40 is that hardly anyone who was with Spirius when the two of them started there is still around to remember any details of their early years with the company.
In contrast, as much as Rideaux has taken care to keep the publicly known version of his personal history carefully curated, there's at least something out there for people to latch onto and relate to.
...And frankly, he might have been willing to share a few more off-the-record details with Julius in particular (ones that couldn't easily be weaponized against him, anyway) if he'd ever given any indication that he was interested in hearing them.
But whatever. ]
Possibly. Though he did seem to make a whole thing out of the idea that Dancer had chosen to seek out that power for himself. It's not like anyone ever asked us if we wanted this.
[ Though back then, before he knew about the hidden power he already had, he would have jumped at that chance to take it for himself if anyone had offered. Even if he'd known everything he knows now, thinking back to how desperate his situation had been, he's sure he still would have.
There'd been a brief time where Bisley had seemed almost like a savior to him. Fucking pisses him off to think about that now. ]
I imagine it also would have helped that we don't look... well, like that.
[ By the way he pointedly ignores that comeback, he's essentially agreeing without saying it. He had to tell Ludger about the soul bridge in a letter, there was no way much else about what he'd done would ever see the light of day. ]
No, I guess not.
[ That didn't stop Julius from using Ludger, early on. He was only taking care of him out of guilt, but also for the added benefit of being able to use that second pocketwatch to increase the power of his chromatus. So for all intents and purposes, he doesn't really see a whole lot of a difference, as far as Julius was concerned. ]
It's quite the power to have access to, to be able to use your skeletal structure like that at will. I can't imagine it feels pleasant to use it.
Probably not. Though I'm sure he's managed to adjust to it if he's used it that much.
[ His eyes look briefly to the pill bottle there on the table, still mostly full. None of the drugs in this world have the same names as any they might be familiar with back home, but it's probably not hard to infer what these are for. ]
I wonder if he chose that power in particular, or if he was just willing to take anything and that was what he got.
[ He glances at the pill bottle, a question half forming, before he decides against it and turns back to the interesting spot in the floor. ]
That doesn't seem like anything that anyone would specifically choose, would it? At least, not how it manifests.
[ Diluc did call it a Curse Seal, after all. Doesn't sound pleasant, even if Kimimaro volunteered for it. Probably beats slowly turning into an alternate dimension, at least. ]
Not typically, but I don't know his life. It's not like children are known for rational decision making anyway; maybe he happened to be going through a phase at the time where he just thought skeletons were cool.
[ But yes, despite appearances, maybe not actually any worse than what they're stuck with.
Though on that subject... Hm.
He takes a drink, debating briefly whether he should really mention this in case it makes Julius more likely to use his power against him, and fuck if he's letting that happen. ...But, well, without little Ludger's watch on hand, they're probably on equal enough footing, actually. ]
...Catalyst transformations seem to be on hold here, by the way, or at least slowed. Not that I'm too eager to personally test the limits of that.
[ ... Well, that sort of answers the question that he had. It seemed weird that whatever had stopped his own progression wouldn't at least curb Rideaux's issues, but. Something came of it, he guesses. ]
It's good to know, at least. [ He says like he's known this whole time. That spot on the floor is looking pretty interesting right now. ] I have a feeling it probably won't be an issue, at least in the short term.
[ Like, even if Julius wasn't technically a sneeze away from turning into one at all times, it'd seem real anticlimactic for all that effort suppressing it to go to waste if one of them beefed it like that. ]
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no subject
[ How many years had he been the only person in the department who knew who Julius was going home to every night? Pretty much no one else left there now even knew what Julius's original name had been or that he had any special connection to Bisley — the upside of nearly every agent kicking the bucket by 40 is that hardly anyone who was with Spirius when the two of them started there is still around to remember any details of their early years with the company.
In contrast, as much as Rideaux has taken care to keep the publicly known version of his personal history carefully curated, there's at least something out there for people to latch onto and relate to.
...And frankly, he might have been willing to share a few more off-the-record details with Julius in particular (ones that couldn't easily be weaponized against him, anyway) if he'd ever given any indication that he was interested in hearing them.
But whatever. ]
Possibly. Though he did seem to make a whole thing out of the idea that Dancer had chosen to seek out that power for himself. It's not like anyone ever asked us if we wanted this.
[ Though back then, before he knew about the hidden power he already had, he would have jumped at that chance to take it for himself if anyone had offered. Even if he'd known everything he knows now, thinking back to how desperate his situation had been, he's sure he still would have.
There'd been a brief time where Bisley had seemed almost like a savior to him. Fucking pisses him off to think about that now. ]
I imagine it also would have helped that we don't look... well, like that.
no subject
No, I guess not.
[ That didn't stop Julius from using Ludger, early on. He was only taking care of him out of guilt, but also for the added benefit of being able to use that second pocketwatch to increase the power of his chromatus. So for all intents and purposes, he doesn't really see a whole lot of a difference, as far as Julius was concerned. ]
It's quite the power to have access to, to be able to use your skeletal structure like that at will. I can't imagine it feels pleasant to use it.
no subject
[ His eyes look briefly to the pill bottle there on the table, still mostly full. None of the drugs in this world have the same names as any they might be familiar with back home, but it's probably not hard to infer what these are for. ]
I wonder if he chose that power in particular, or if he was just willing to take anything and that was what he got.
no subject
That doesn't seem like anything that anyone would specifically choose, would it? At least, not how it manifests.
[ Diluc did call it a Curse Seal, after all. Doesn't sound pleasant, even if Kimimaro volunteered for it. Probably beats slowly turning into an alternate dimension, at least. ]
no subject
Not typically, but I don't know his life. It's not like children are known for rational decision making anyway; maybe he happened to be going through a phase at the time where he just thought skeletons were cool.
[ But yes, despite appearances, maybe not actually any worse than what they're stuck with.
Though on that subject... Hm.
He takes a drink, debating briefly whether he should really mention this in case it makes Julius more likely to use his power against him, and fuck if he's letting that happen. ...But, well, without little Ludger's watch on hand, they're probably on equal enough footing, actually. ]
...Catalyst transformations seem to be on hold here, by the way, or at least slowed. Not that I'm too eager to personally test the limits of that.
no subject
It's good to know, at least. [ He says like he's known this whole time. That spot on the floor is looking pretty interesting right now. ] I have a feeling it probably won't be an issue, at least in the short term.
[ Like, even if Julius wasn't technically a sneeze away from turning into one at all times, it'd seem real anticlimactic for all that effort suppressing it to go to waste if one of them beefed it like that. ]