... I don't think anyone was trying to stop you. Perhaps they just decided to make the moment dramatic.
[ Dorothy lowers her gaze, frowning. ]
If anything, I feel as though most of the evidence was made to decisively point to me or Xie Lian, and with how he was hinting, it really was specifically me. And in such a way...
[ Dorothy pauses to think about it, to let her thoughts stray to Xie Lian and Hua Cheng glaring at her when it was obvious that he'd been the one too close in the first place--
And she winces at the emotions that swamp her for a minute. ]
. . . The memories are a blur . . . but I remember what you said then.
[It's perhaps the fragment of that encounter he recalls most clearly for how much it defines Dorothy—the belief that no one should have the right to change someone else.]
[ It's difficult to remember when she had said it... and what it had been in regards to. An item, probably. She and Rufus have met up so many times, she remembers that much, and they'd shared information.
... And he had told her once, as he'd wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, that he was feeling capricious.
Funny, how vivid that is. ]
It feels like so long ago... but I never stopped believing that.
It may feel that way, but it hasn't been that long.
[In the Realm, every moment feels so protracted. Time is, however, the one constant whose flow cannot be altered by the hands of ordinary man. The fact of the matter is that it's barely been two months, so it's expected that Dorothy would still hold onto her belief.]
... Was I not obvious enough about it, Rufus? How I feel about things like that?
[ She'd said it to him, fiercely-- and it stands, it will likely always stand, because Dorothy is a free spirit. Things that hold her in place, things that try to drag her down or trap her or dictate how she acts and feels... she can't stand them.
She thought she'd said it during trials, too, when they talked about items. But...
Why is he the only one, Ange excepted, who seems to understand? ]
[She couldn't have been more obvious. Words alone mean little, but it was evident as the weeks went on that she did hold to them and still does. There was that memory—her memory—too.
The sad reality is that feelings are often disregarded, whether on accident or purpose. Rufus has done it many a time, himself.]
[ It's not a direct answer, but it tells her enough. That he'd thought it was apparent, but that her feelings had just been pushed aside and glossed over in favor of a goal.
Dorothy falls silent for a moment, gaze dark. ]
I suppose there's no use lamenting it now. [ It had happened. She's dealing with it, or she needs to. ]
I'm sorry, Rufus. You didn't need to listen to me whining like this.
[He didn't need to listen, just as she didn't need to lament. But there is time, despite the overall lack, and an abundance of it for the solitary tonight.]
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[ She's pretty positive now-- that was an effect. ]
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[ Dorothy lowers her gaze, frowning. ]
If anything, I feel as though most of the evidence was made to decisively point to me or Xie Lian, and with how he was hinting, it really was specifically me. And in such a way...
[ That had affected her emotions. ]
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And she winces at the emotions that swamp her for a minute. ]
If I don't see it or think about it, it's fine.
[ Otherwise? Yeah, it's still there. ]
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Let's not discuss it, then.
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Why had Ochako done it? ]
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... I don't like... feeling this manipulated.
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[It's perhaps the fragment of that encounter he recalls most clearly for how much it defines Dorothy—the belief that no one should have the right to change someone else.]
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... And he had told her once, as he'd wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, that he was feeling capricious.
Funny, how vivid that is. ]
It feels like so long ago... but I never stopped believing that.
[ It was why she'd never used those items. ]
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[In the Realm, every moment feels so protracted. Time is, however, the one constant whose flow cannot be altered by the hands of ordinary man. The fact of the matter is that it's barely been two months, so it's expected that Dorothy would still hold onto her belief.]
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[ She'd said it to him, fiercely-- and it stands, it will likely always stand, because Dorothy is a free spirit. Things that hold her in place, things that try to drag her down or trap her or dictate how she acts and feels... she can't stand them.
She thought she'd said it during trials, too, when they talked about items. But...
Why is he the only one, Ange excepted, who seems to understand? ]
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The sad reality is that feelings are often disregarded, whether on accident or purpose. Rufus has done it many a time, himself.]
People will believe and do what they want.
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Dorothy falls silent for a moment, gaze dark. ]
I suppose there's no use lamenting it now. [ It had happened. She's dealing with it, or she needs to. ]
I'm sorry, Rufus. You didn't need to listen to me whining like this.
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[He didn't need to listen, just as she didn't need to lament. But there is time, despite the overall lack, and an abundance of it for the solitary tonight.]
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[ All they have is time. ]
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Really, this all still seems so fantastical to me. A memory-devouring monster, getting to know a demon...
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But I'll tell them about you.
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[ Dorothy is quiet for a moment, and then she sighs softly under her breath. ]
... It's about time for us to say goodbye for now, right?
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