[it's good to confirm that, he appreciates daniel just admits as much. he's a lot like sunny in that way, and jun really, being frank about things rather than dancing around them. even if the topic isn't one mob particularly cares for he prefers it this way.
he pets shisa idly still, quiet as he listens. the mention of robby makes him glance over, hesitant before he says,] Is Robby wrong about what he said?
Some of what he told me was wrong. He thinks you guys didn't help me at all, but you did. [he glances away again, ahead.] I hope you know that, sensei, since he doesn't. You did help.
[another beat and he blankly continues,] I don't think he was wrong about the rest though. So I guess I don't really see why Miss Makima would be involved. [he struggles to see it as cruelty when there's a lot he agrees with. that and how much he wants to trust makima.]
[ God, talk about feeling like he's getting punched in the stomach with words over here. Almost makes him miss the day people would just pick him up and physically throw him around, that felt easier to handle than this - than sitting here and listen to one of his students blame himself so hard that he thinks the idea of getting chewed out by a friend is somehow okay. ]
Shigeo, let's.. imagine for a moment. Alright?
[ Daniel is trying hard to not look as awkward as he feels right now - instead trying to continue to give Mob a small smile as he speaks. Not entirely hiding his concern, but still trying to keep things warm here. ]
Imagine that Robby had some sort of power that went out of control instead. That he had hurt me like that. [ Look, it's probably obvious where Daniel is going with this, but he's going there anyway. If Mob refuses to believe things about himself so easily, then Daniel just has to flip it around the other way for the boy to see it. ] Would you then have gone up to him to tell him all the things he said to you..?
[ He believes Mob is so close to the realisation too, if he at least knows that Robby was clearly wrong about not having helped Mob.
He just has to know that the boy was wrong in a lot more of what he said, and why that was happening. ]
Alright. [he can try, a little nod before he sets himself to do just that. imagining.
ah, he already doesn't like this scenario, but he's trying.
it's... difficult. because no, he wouldn't have. there's no way around it, he wouldn't have, he'd be more worried about how robby was doing than anything else. that's the simplest way of putting a very complicated situation, and he stares down at his hand in the omen's fur as he lets it all settle.]
No. [he'll admit that, glancing over again.] But I don't think Robby would make the same mistakes I did. He was right, I wasn't careful and got attacked, and then I didn't fight the way I should have. Robby would never let that happen to him, he's too smart for that.
[even so the point isn't necessarily wrong, he can register that. maybe it wasn't okay for robby to have been so harsh he almost didn't come back to karate. or, at least, he would never have thought robby would react that way before, but this sort of thing was messy, wasn't it? it was between him and ritsu, the first time it happened. ritsu said harsh things to him too.
(ritsu also didn't mean a lot of them and he knows that now. ritsu was also dealing with a lot of things mob didn't know about that warped his behavior.
[ It's not exactly the sort of answer Daniel expected. Daniel did expect the boy to deflect somehow, but he thought it'd end up going more in the direction of how Robby shouldn't be blamed for such a thing, while Mob himself somehow should.
He supposes this angle is a little different, but there's still a core of something similar in it, isn't there. Mob holding himself to different standards than other people, or having different ideas about himself. Even though Daniel is pretty sure he knows what Robby would have to say about the words Mob just spoke, and it wouldn't be agreement.
(Then again, what does he know anymore about what Robby would or wouldn't say, with everything that's going on now.
Daniel shoves the thought down, letting it sit uneasily in the pit of his stomach.) ]
Well.. I do think you're onto something. Robby is a pretty great kid. [ Despite all the awkwardness going on between the two of them right now, Daniel can admit to that. It's true no matter what, after all. It's an opinion no one or nothing could shake. ] He is smart. And he's sweet. I always see him worrying so much about you guys. About a lot of people in this place. Every single day I find myself being so proud of his kind heart.
[ Daniel pauses for a moment, exhaling as he glances at a point in front of him rather than at Mob directly, before turning his head to look at the boy again. ]
.. that's why I know, Shigeo. Robby would never be unkind to you. That's just not who he is. And I think that when you really think about it [ when Mob moves past all of his self-blame, that is-- ] you know the same thing.
[mob keeps his gaze down because he can't deny that. robby is one of the kindest people he's met. he came to find him in the woods when he got lost, he gave him shoes and clothes when he first came here. robby's the one who got upset when mob told him about staying in the other city to keep everyone safe, who insisted on helping, who went on runs with him and made this daunting place feel survivable that first month. (24%, 25%)
maybe more than anything daniel knows robby best, doesn't he? if he's worried mob needs to listen to that. even if none of it is easy or clear.]
It's just- [his jaw works a moment, fingers curling and uncurling, little aborted movements of unease.] Things like this, when people get hurt, it gets complicated, doesn't it? I hurt him- I hurt you, and he had to watch, and he had to take care of it all.
Isn't it unfair to expect him to always be kind when he was hurt like that? Ritsu- he had complicated feelings too, when something like this happened. [and wasn't so kind. maybe that's something he clings to because if it's anything like ritsu then maybe one day robby will be willing to forgive him. just... with time. time and distance.]
.. yeah. It gets complicated. And people can have complicated feelings about it.
[ Another thing Daniel knows well. It's not like he has never seen Robby unkind before, after all. But that was aimed at him, and it was during a time where he deserved it, where his actions made it make total sense that Robby would react like that.
It feels much easier to justify than anything he's heard about here. ]
But.. Robby never blamed you for this. He was so worried that you'd blame yourself, Shigeo. [ Daniel says it softly, because.. well, Mob did blame himself, and Daniel doesn't want to put pressure on the poor boy over it.
But he believes it's this knowledge that makes Robby's attitude afterwards baffling. Unexplainable, unless there's something more going on. ]
He was basically begging me to go do something together to keep you from blaming yourself over all of it, even when I couldn't really move. [ Because Robby had been so out of it that he hadn't been able to think logically.
But even without that, he still didn't blame Mob. From the start, from instinct, he never blamed the boy. ]
Does that sound like a guy who'd then later turn around and say all those other things to you..?
[this is new information. mob goes quiet as he considers it compared to what happened. it's undeniable robby blamed him in some way when they spoke, and maybe more so mob felt a lot from robby during everything that happened, back when their bond was still open. even then, between all the fear and horror, robby was still worried about him.
robby even reached out when sunny was upset and in mob's body. maybe he was selfish at that time because part of him was happy, like maybe robby would change his mind, give him another chance.
he glances to daniel from under his bangs, tone a touch unsure when he says,] You really think he doesn't hate me for this?
[maybe that's a harsh word, a strong word, but he's tired and fourteen and he misses his friend. now he's a bit worried even. regardless of what's going on between him and robby, if sensei is worried about robby then something must be wrong somewhere.]
[ Daniel exhales, but more because it hurts to think that Mob genuinely thinks Robby hates him. This entire thing is-- it's such a mess, and none of it should even have happened in the first place.
He hates seeing kids sad. Hurting.
So he reaches out, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. ]
Of course he doesn't hate you.
[ No matter what exactly is going on here, that much is firmly established in Daniel's mind. There's no way in hell that Robby hates Mob. That he could ever do so. ]
He cares about you so much. He's been so invested in helping out, constantly. That's exactly why this entire thing is so strange to me.
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he pets shisa idly still, quiet as he listens. the mention of robby makes him glance over, hesitant before he says,] Is Robby wrong about what he said?
Some of what he told me was wrong. He thinks you guys didn't help me at all, but you did. [he glances away again, ahead.] I hope you know that, sensei, since he doesn't. You did help.
[another beat and he blankly continues,] I don't think he was wrong about the rest though. So I guess I don't really see why Miss Makima would be involved. [he struggles to see it as cruelty when there's a lot he agrees with. that and how much he wants to trust makima.]
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Shigeo, let's.. imagine for a moment. Alright?
[ Daniel is trying hard to not look as awkward as he feels right now - instead trying to continue to give Mob a small smile as he speaks. Not entirely hiding his concern, but still trying to keep things warm here. ]
Imagine that Robby had some sort of power that went out of control instead. That he had hurt me like that. [ Look, it's probably obvious where Daniel is going with this, but he's going there anyway. If Mob refuses to believe things about himself so easily, then Daniel just has to flip it around the other way for the boy to see it. ] Would you then have gone up to him to tell him all the things he said to you..?
[ He believes Mob is so close to the realisation too, if he at least knows that Robby was clearly wrong about not having helped Mob.
He just has to know that the boy was wrong in a lot more of what he said, and why that was happening. ]
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ah, he already doesn't like this scenario, but he's trying.
it's... difficult. because no, he wouldn't have. there's no way around it, he wouldn't have, he'd be more worried about how robby was doing than anything else. that's the simplest way of putting a very complicated situation, and he stares down at his hand in the omen's fur as he lets it all settle.]
No. [he'll admit that, glancing over again.] But I don't think Robby would make the same mistakes I did. He was right, I wasn't careful and got attacked, and then I didn't fight the way I should have. Robby would never let that happen to him, he's too smart for that.
[even so the point isn't necessarily wrong, he can register that. maybe it wasn't okay for robby to have been so harsh he almost didn't come back to karate. or, at least, he would never have thought robby would react that way before, but this sort of thing was messy, wasn't it? it was between him and ritsu, the first time it happened. ritsu said harsh things to him too.
(ritsu also didn't mean a lot of them and he knows that now. ritsu was also dealing with a lot of things mob didn't know about that warped his behavior.
hm.)]
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He supposes this angle is a little different, but there's still a core of something similar in it, isn't there. Mob holding himself to different standards than other people, or having different ideas about himself. Even though Daniel is pretty sure he knows what Robby would have to say about the words Mob just spoke, and it wouldn't be agreement.
(Then again, what does he know anymore about what Robby would or wouldn't say, with everything that's going on now.
Daniel shoves the thought down, letting it sit uneasily in the pit of his stomach.) ]
Well.. I do think you're onto something. Robby is a pretty great kid. [ Despite all the awkwardness going on between the two of them right now, Daniel can admit to that. It's true no matter what, after all. It's an opinion no one or nothing could shake. ] He is smart. And he's sweet. I always see him worrying so much about you guys. About a lot of people in this place. Every single day I find myself being so proud of his kind heart.
[ Daniel pauses for a moment, exhaling as he glances at a point in front of him rather than at Mob directly, before turning his head to look at the boy again. ]
.. that's why I know, Shigeo. Robby would never be unkind to you. That's just not who he is. And I think that when you really think about it [ when Mob moves past all of his self-blame, that is-- ] you know the same thing.
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maybe more than anything daniel knows robby best, doesn't he? if he's worried mob needs to listen to that. even if none of it is easy or clear.]
It's just- [his jaw works a moment, fingers curling and uncurling, little aborted movements of unease.] Things like this, when people get hurt, it gets complicated, doesn't it? I hurt him- I hurt you, and he had to watch, and he had to take care of it all.
Isn't it unfair to expect him to always be kind when he was hurt like that? Ritsu- he had complicated feelings too, when something like this happened. [and wasn't so kind. maybe that's something he clings to because if it's anything like ritsu then maybe one day robby will be willing to forgive him. just... with time. time and distance.]
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[ Another thing Daniel knows well. It's not like he has never seen Robby unkind before, after all. But that was aimed at him, and it was during a time where he deserved it, where his actions made it make total sense that Robby would react like that.
It feels much easier to justify than anything he's heard about here. ]
But.. Robby never blamed you for this. He was so worried that you'd blame yourself, Shigeo. [ Daniel says it softly, because.. well, Mob did blame himself, and Daniel doesn't want to put pressure on the poor boy over it.
But he believes it's this knowledge that makes Robby's attitude afterwards baffling. Unexplainable, unless there's something more going on. ]
He was basically begging me to go do something together to keep you from blaming yourself over all of it, even when I couldn't really move. [ Because Robby had been so out of it that he hadn't been able to think logically.
But even without that, he still didn't blame Mob. From the start, from instinct, he never blamed the boy. ]
Does that sound like a guy who'd then later turn around and say all those other things to you..?
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robby even reached out when sunny was upset and in mob's body. maybe he was selfish at that time because part of him was happy, like maybe robby would change his mind, give him another chance.
he glances to daniel from under his bangs, tone a touch unsure when he says,] You really think he doesn't hate me for this?
[maybe that's a harsh word, a strong word, but he's tired and fourteen and he misses his friend. now he's a bit worried even. regardless of what's going on between him and robby, if sensei is worried about robby then something must be wrong somewhere.]
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He hates seeing kids sad. Hurting.
So he reaches out, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. ]
Of course he doesn't hate you.
[ No matter what exactly is going on here, that much is firmly established in Daniel's mind. There's no way in hell that Robby hates Mob. That he could ever do so. ]
He cares about you so much. He's been so invested in helping out, constantly. That's exactly why this entire thing is so strange to me.