Dark Dealings [Social]

[Deleted]

Ah, Karakura town. It truly was a place that Orobas loved to be. The lively areas around his shop, the cheerful groups of people that couldn't help but bring a smile to his face every time he saw them, he truly felt at home here. And, while he had eventually planned to tear this city down brick by brick, that wasn't for quite some time. His organization still needed to grow; to foster up an army worthy of taking on the three worlds. For the time being, his goal was to have his shop prosper, and take advantage of the atmosphere while he could.

After leaving a newly opened 7-Eleven with a cup of morning coffee, Orobas began to make his way to his shop. Oh, how he loved that shop. Almost as much as the hellish forces he was bolstering. That being said, he was effectively on a "paid vacation" for the time being; that is to say, time he had the option to spend away from hell in order to continue to familiarize himself with the Human World. The more he was able to do so, the easier it'd be to eventually and inevitably conquer.

Taking a sip of the cheap coffee, Orobas felt his face contort. It wasn't good by any means, but he did get his money's worth. Nonetheless, he'd probably take the time to hand-brew some more once he was inside. Pulling out a set of keys, he unlocked the front door to his shop, and flipped the sign to "Open". While he wasn't expectant of any regulars to arrive this early, he wanted to make sure he didn't miss anyone. As such, he turned on the shop's cameras, and headed into the backroom.

Turning on the store's security system (even though it was far from necessary, he tended to only use it to monitor inside of the store while he was in the back), Orobas began to prepare himself a new cup of coffee, while subsequently tossing the one he had just bought in the trash. He didn't much care for taking the time to brew his own cup, but if that's what it took for a decent cup, then so be it. Every few seconds, he'd glance at the camera feed, just to make sure he knew if someone entered.

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Ludwig sighed to himself as he sat on a bench. "Hidden" in a gigai body he was physically no different than he would otherwise be had he been seen as his shinigami self. The major difference however was that he had on a pair of khaki slacks, a white button up shirt, a deep leather vest, and a pair of nice black dress shoes. Why? Ultimately for no other reason than Ludwig simply felt like dressing in his "Sunday Best" since the last time he'd entered the world of the living he'd been there on orders to harm a former ally. Former family member more like.

That night still hadn't settled well on him. He'd almost done it. She was so very close and very easily available to kill as he was supposed to. And yet. . . nothing felt "right" about it. Not that killing ever should but usually if there was a reason to kill it should feel like it was "right". But harming his prior ally just . . . wasn't. He'd come to find out since that she had in fact sided with hollows and arrancar for one reason or another. And had gone so far as to feed other shinigami to hollows. . . Which didn't make him feel any better either about his decision to leave her alive.

Ludwig shifted on the bench, leaning on his elbows who in turn weighed heavily upon his legs, just above the knee's. "Was there even a right answer? As much as I may think I did right by giving her an opportunity to run off and find her own path she's chosen to outright oppose the Soul Society. Had I not though would her blood have been something I could have washed off from my hands? Would it have been something that haunted my dreams as much as my time in the war did? . . I can't know for certain but it really doesn't feel like there was any "good" decision."

Another sigh and Ludwig looked around. It was unironically a Sunday morning which meant that for as early as it was he had the bench and the cool morning air in the park to himself. Well himself and the animals around. He'd even been blessed with no hollow attacks or anything else spiritual in nature. He leaned back onto the bench's back support as his thoughts continued to wander. The guilt and weight of his choices, as well as the regrets from his own squad's falling out just wouldn't go away. Which in turn was why he was here, in Karakura, in a park, thinking on things.

Ludwig sat on the bench for awhile longer just trying to collect himself and try to calm his ever chaotic emotions. With the quiet park not doing much to calm himself he eventually gets up and walks around Karakura to try and distract himself by getting involved in something around. It didn't take long for Ludwig to find a small antique shop. Almost hidden in a way when you thought about it. It didn't pop out and catch the eye. It was just there. Simple and pleasant. Surprisingly clean even. With nothing better to do he walked into the quiet shop. It's sign said it was open, despite it being so early in the morning. Here's hoping this place will distract me at least for a bit. Lord knows that escaping the past is easiest when looking at someone elses past. Heh. Maybe I'll even find something from Germany.

[Deleted]

Noticing someone enter from the back, Orobas simply paused their coffee preparations as they made their way out into the shop itself. Holding a hand on the wall while they walked, Orobas did what they could in order to keep themselves upright. After spending so much time in their other bodies, they weren't exactly fond of having to switch back to this old one. Though, if that's what it took in order to maintain the guise they'd taken so long to get set up originally, then so be it.

"Welcome in," they started, using their sensory abilities to get a good reading on the man walking in, "it's certainly nice to see someone other than my standard customers walk in here. Though, I must say, there's a level of curiosity to your arrival here; certainly you've a reason? Or perhaps you're simply here on off-time while not explicitly needed by Soul Society, Mister Shinigami?" Even while most of their power was suppressed, Orobas had still been able to detect even the faintest traces of reiatsu if someone wasn't doing everything they could to suppress themselves. They were going to use this to their advantage where they could've here.

"Everything inside is currently available for sale, and everything matches up with the listed price; you needn't pay any more than listed. I'd like to think prices are modest, but should you have a problem with how something is priced, I'm more than willing to reach an agreement with you, Sir. If you're here for the selection in the back, please don't hesitate to ask. We're still getting set up back there, but for now, everything is available to at the very least be looked at."

Remaining at the front counter while Ludwig presumably looked around, Orobas couldn't help but wonder much like they'd originally asked; what had brought a Shinigami here? He didn't have a threatening aura about him, so certainly he wasn't here to provoke conflict. Perhaps he just hadn't known where he'd stumbled into? It was of no worry to the Akki when it boiled down to it, as they were happy to simply have someone that was not a regular show up to their humble shop. "If you've any questions," they'd started to say after a longer pause, "please don't hesitate to ask. If you're looking for something somewhat specific, we may have something for you. Also, we do accept items, and will pay for most anything you'd like to see, should you have brought something with you."

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

It took Ludwig a moment to realize that someone had spoken to him once he'd walked in. He'd even gone so far as to glance around until finally spoking the older gentleman. . who was leaning on the wall. Ludwig without even thinking raised his eyebrows as a form of unspoken question. But with Orobas being blind this would have gone unnoticed. With a quick thank you he almost tuned him out expecting to hear the usual "I'm here if you have any questions bit" however Orobas clearly had other plans. Most notably when he called him out directly for what he was.

His eyes sharpened some as he became far more alert and cautious with regards to the old man. "That was no simple coincidence. He knows what I am despite the drastically reduced spiritual output I exude. For the love of all that is holy in this world can this not be a trap of some sort I walked into? I really just need to be away from everything that wants to kill shinigami. For the meantime he simply let Orobas speak until he was done with the pleasantries and his business proposition. Which thankfully if nothing else THAT was normal.

Still he couldn't help but look over the man. Try as he might there was nothing about this man that he could recall. He wasn't someone that had a bounty or some disturbing nickname. He wasn't anyone on a potential "watchers list" that the shinigami kept note of. He was simply a "randomly spiritual" human. A rather highly adept spiritual human. . . Random his ass. Still Ludwig was tired and in truth just didn't feel like pursuing this train of thought. There were many people the shinigami didn't know about. There were no doubt some that were powerful. And without a shadow of a doubt there was a number that had incredibly nefarious plans that would see the world or a world changed fundamentally. And yet even still there were just people that were experienced in spirits enough to recognize them and had no intention beyond living their current life. Gods help Ludwig if this man wasn't the rare few. He really didn't have it in him to try and stop him if he DID have something planned.

With a deep breath, followed by a quiet sigh he stopped walking around and made his way over to Orobas. I'm. . . Just looking for a place to sort my thoughts out. A lot has happened of late so I'm simply wandering around at this point. Your shop being one of the few that is open currently. Admittedly I'm really only window shopping at best. Unless something in particular catches my eye but let's be fair. Heh. I'm not exactly paid as well as one may think."

Ludwig glanced over at the door that lead to the back. Admittedly he would like to take some time to glance over at the "backroom" if only due to it being "hidden". It implied a level of "interest" that the general populace weren't given access to. Which most ikely implied that there was something spiritual in nature to them. But who knew? Maybe they were hot goods. Given he wasn't here to find anything in particular he wasn't going to look too deep into it. He wasn't even really invested in it honestly.

Glancing back at the old man he quickly decides that if nothing else he'd at least humor him. Why be in a shop if not to glance over the wares? "As far as your goods are concerned I'd be curious to see if you have anything from Germany. It's . . . my home country though it's very different from when I was alive now." He chuckled to himself as he thought about some of his incredibly young years with his mother and siblings. Sometimes even being able to see the old house is he focused long enough. Or smell the fresh paint his mother used.

Being in an unfamiliar place however made the memory incredibly brief. With it replaced came his cautious nerves. The man was still engaging in pleasantries so if he was willing to talk to the elephant in the room he took could ask his own question regarding the other. "However, if you don't mind my asking, who or what are you? With no name tag and you realizing what I am I find it hard to believe you are a simple human merchant. Even if you're a fullbringer it's hard to sense my "kind" of individuals even compared to my own race. And don't feel concerned, I really just want to know who I'm talking to since it'd be rude otherwise to make an assumption."

[Deleted]

Orobas couldn't help but chuckle at the Shinigami's words. "Oh, that's quite all right," they said, "I'm not looking to rob you of your heard-earned funds. If something seems a little out of a comfortable range in terms of pricing, please let me know and we can get that adjusted for you. I'd hate to have you walk away unsatisfied, Sir. The only thing I'd like is for you to walk away with something you'd like, as well as still a comfortable size to your wallet." They chuckled.

Hearing Ludwig out, Orobas couldn't help but chuckle not moments later. "Our stock regarding something from Germany might be a little low, but that's not to say that we don't have anything. Regarding what you're looking for, though, you may find something up front and to the left of the door. That'd be where we hold our international items. There should be a strong selection of furniture from Germany, as well as possibly even a few badges from the war times, if those haven't been all bought. I'll have to take a look in the back to see if there's anything that might interest you from there, as well. Let me know if you'd like me to check and I've no qualms doing so."

"However, if you don't mind my asking, who or what are you? With no name tag and you realizing what I am I find it hard to believe you are a simple human merchant. Even if you're a Fullbringer it's hard to sense my "kind" of individuals even compared to my own race. And don't feel concerned, I really just want to know who I'm talking to since it'd be rude otherwise to make an assumption." With that, Orobas once again chuckled.

"Oh, you needn't worry about me, Shinigami. I'm but an old spirit that's since spent my fair share of time around the worlds. I'm but a nobody to most, simply looking to enjoy the remainder of my long life how I please. I apologize if that's not exactly what you're looking for, but do note that I'm rather shy about disclosing my identity like that, so perhaps down the line I may let you in on who I am. Or, perhaps share a bit about yourself? Just as a sort of 'ice-breaker'?"

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Ludwig hummed to himself as he thought over Orobas's last comment. There was no doubt in his mind that he wasn't simply an older spirit. Still Ludwig if only through lack of energy and a willingness to hope for better wasn't going to ask any further questions about his race. He did however want a name to address him by. If only so he could show somme level of respect. The man being as cordial as he was deserved such. If nothing else perhaps he could give him his first name and go from there. At least that way he'd be possibly more inclined to share his own. With a deep breath Ludwig walked over to the area pointed out by Orobas.

After glancing over some of the furniture, specifically an older couch Ludwig just shakes his head. Mostly to himself. He continues to look over the couch, with its roses of various colors with veins and thorns galore while speaking up to Orobas. "While I don't want to get too deep into myself I will give you my first name. If only to hopefully have a name to call you by as well. I'm Ludwig, I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you. . . but I'll be honest I'm a bit more hollow from life at the moment so it's sort of poisoning things right now." He glances at Orobas and gives him a weighted smile before continuing onwards. "And honestly if nothing else I'd much rather not lie to you or anyonne if I don't have to. So my apologies if I come off more rude or insincere than I intend to."

His eyes immediately caught onto the bagdes Orobas mentioned. Swastica's, a high ranking officer pin, and even a few divisional patches. Ludwig shuddered as he immediately recalled his past time in the war. He almost immediately ran off towards another section, hoping to run away from the guilt that those times brought him. He had enough to deal with already. He really didn't need to have any further weight on his shoulders. Sincerely he just needed some time away from it all. But wasn't time away what caused this all to happen? So much time away that everything fell to shit? His face grew hard as he was now looking over older styled pocket watches. Time kept moving on. And he knew he should and that he should be trying to keep moving in stride with time. . . but that couldn't be the answer. Not everything was something you could walk by and ignore right?

"Then what was the right answer? What is it I'm supposed to do? How do I even atone for all the crimes I've allowed and keep committing? Surely there's a way right?" Ludwig hadn't realized he was speaking quietly to himself. He was slowly losing himself in his mind again. So much so that he hadn't even been able to hear Karvaldia. In truth he hadn't been able to hear her for awhile. Something he never wanted to admit given that shouldn't happen when he was as close to her as a parent is with their child. And yet it was. . . how ironic though given he had tried to do that with his squad and failed miserably. Parents that were present weren't parents at all were they?

The guilt and regrets were really stacking up the more he was here. And there was a part of him that was really starting to regret coming to an antique shop. Especially this one. And it wasn't the owners fault it was his stupid mind and how he couldn't control how it handled the situations at hand. It really made him think if he'd ever changed since the war. Standing at the sidelines and watching as they killed, raped, and did all manner of other violent actions against their enemies. Especially the french.

He couldn't keep thinking on this. He needed to get out of here. He needed space and some air. Preferably fresh air from the part or some other part of the world without others. "I'm sorry sir, I . . . I need to leave. My apologies for wasting your time but I can't bring myself to remain here much longer. . . too many memories of times past. With that Ludwig would immediately start making his way towards the door.

[Deleted]

"While I don't want to get too deep into myself I will give you my first name. If only to hopefully have a name to call you by as well. I'm Ludwig, I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you. . . but I'll be honest I'm a bit more hollow from life at the moment so it's sort of poisoning things right now." Well, they couldn't exactly argue with that logic, now could they? "You've certainly got me bested there, I'll give you that much. For what it's worth, I've gone by many, many names over the years. Though, the one that's stuck around the most has simply been Orobas. Though, if you're not fond of using that, anything else also works." With that, they simply chuckled. "If you don't mind my asking though, what's plaguing you? I've been known to be rather good at aiding those in need, and I've no problems doing the same here, if I am able to assist in any way."

"I'm sorry sir, I . . . I need to leave. My apologies for wasting your time but I can't bring myself to remain here much longer. . . too many memories of times past." With that, Orobas walked slowly from behind the counter. "Hold on there for one quick moment, Ludwig," they said, "I apologize for moving slowly, my legs aren't exactly what they used to be. Though, please don't worry about not being able to hold through here. I don't doubt that there might be some memories you may not be ready to dig up. That said, though, perhaps we could work through those together. Customers aren't going to truly be coming in for at least another hour or two; I've got quite a bit of time on my hands before I need to truly man the shop, and a new hire should be here relatively soon so I'll have someone to watch the place if you'd like to step outside and talk."

Following Ludwig outside the shop, Orobas reaching into their pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "Would you like one?" they asked. Whether or not Ludwig turned them down, they'd still go on to light their own. If the Captain accepted one, then they'd pass one, as well as offer to light it. Once that was done, they turned to Ludwig, a look of concern on their own face. "Now; it doesn't take a professional to tell that something is bothering you. Care to humor an old soul? I likely have more experience underneath my belt than you think; I may, perhaps, have a way to guide you on where to go. Should you be willing to take that, that is. Ultimately, Ludwig, the choice is yours, but I'm more than happy to assist you where I can. I'm not fond of seeing a soul like yourself in pain; especially someone with as much going for you as you do where things currently are."

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

So many things were strange with this older fellow. His name being the current biggest oddity to speak of. "Orobas" It was such a strange name that it actually managed to take his minds focus for a moment as he thought on it Is that really a name? Perhaps it was once upon a time. . it's definitely not the usual choice of name. Especially in this day and age. There must be a grain of truth to his age if nothing else. Perhaps I'll look into it later and see from what age this name may have come from.

Still once he'd finished his thought the weight of everything came back and with a vengeance. And it had absolutely no intention of leaving for a LONG time yet. Thankfully though, for better or worse, Orobas was rather insistent on helping him. Even though it had absolutely nothing to do with his shop no less. Granted even Ludwig had to admit given the time and day he was most likley correct about how much time he actually had at his disposal. Still this kindess was . . . odd at best. Appreciated but odd. Why would he care? Perhaps he just had a genuine interest in helping but Ludwig couldn't help the part of his mind that told him that wasn't it.

But does it matter? Does it REALLY matter if he does have a plan or ulterior motive? As it stands he could pull quite a serious hit on me if he really wanted to. Yet here he is and he's doing anything but. Besides that he's a stranger. One we'll likely not meet again. Unless of course we come back but as it stands I'd much rather not for a long while yet. . . But would it be so bad to have him try to help? I can't exactly talk to my squad or the other captains. . . I feel like my hand is forced in a way. If I don't I'll be doing what I always do. Stuff it away and pretend like nothing's wrong. Eventually feel "ok" because I just won't acknowledge it. Or I could take this mans offer and try to work through it, at least a little. *sigh* There's really only one answer.

Ludwig stopped at the door waiting and listening to Orobas as he shambled his way over. He even held the door open for him and followed him to where ever the older fellow decided to stop at. Admittedly even before they talked Ludwig did feel mildly better by being outside. It wasn't terribly life altering but every bit helped. Just like the offer for a smoke. Under normal circumstances Ludwig probably would have politely declined. However this was a unique circumstance and with unique circumstances came unique decisions. In this case enjoying a smoke after decades of having not even glanced at them. With a polite but quiet thank you he took a cigarette and lit it up once able.

Ludwig simply nodded at Orobas as they stood and smoked together. Once the older was done speaking Ludwig took a drag then breathed out a few moments later before looking at the sky. "I'll be honest with your Orobas I've a lot of things that weigh me down. My life as a human for one has many chains that still hold me down. They still affect my decisions and unlike most souls I remember almost everything. How ironic it is to say the times of brevity and happiness are actually the memories that are the most faded because they were so far and few between."

"Then there's my death in and of itself that weighs me down and has me question why I'm even here. I was told I'd go to hell for several things. The foremost being I committed suicide a very long time ago. I still remember my last moments breathing and the pain from it. It haunts me. Then there's my time in the Soul Society and my failings there." Ludwig took another drag, longer, slower, and deeper this time before he finally let it out to the side Orobas wasn't on out of politness. "For better or worse I am a captain. And my squad. . . let's just say my recent failings over the past several years have shown the repercussions and it's in line with exactly what I was fighting against. I. . . I feel like a failure. Sure others look up to me. Yes I'm "strong" in a way. But what really matters are how those beneath me are. How I'm leading them and the impact I've had. And given I had to kill one of my own recently against my will just goes to show how far I've fallen. Or I suppose just how badly I've failed as their leader. For the record it was not a member who had been "evil" or done "heinous crimes" like others might make them out to be. They simply lashed out at injustices they saw and were attacked in almost every way by their peers. And as if that's not the end the peers struck the first blow so everything they did that's a "crime" was self defense."

"Failure happens to everyone. It's constant and present in everything. Signing you name incorrectly. Saying the wrong word to someone. Hell even losing something is a failure. But they are small, they don't really stack up and the truly important matters shouldn't be consistent failure. But that's what I've done. Fail. And Fail. And Fail. And fail again on what matters." Ludwig got very quiet for a moment as his brain sifted through his thoughts. Taking another drag in the process without even thinking. He realized that despite the years it'd been since he'd smoked it was still just as second nature to him. His brother would be proud of him for that at least. He had shown him cigarettes and had the leeway to bring about such luxuries frequently back in the nazi regime.

"I should also point out in case you would like to ask why I'd say my life as a human was a series of failures I'll save you the time. I was a nazi. Raised in a hitler youth private academy, immediately shipped off to the army, and promptly got involved with Poland, France, and Russia. I was involved or moved around in a few more countries but those happen to the countries that I remember the most. . . especially France. Can you imagine how people who've lost absolutely everything react when they are in positions of power against those who took their lives? Simply put. . . I've yet to ever see hate, anger, or any other darker emotion so prevalent than then. The things I allowed to happen. . . even if I didn't participate in them myself. . . it makes me sick."

"And my brother who was in charge of the entire armed force I was attached to made certain to express how "right" it was for everyone to take out their pain on the french "dogs" before them. That's not to mention how many lives I helped take personally. How many homes, towns, cities we destroyed. Nature itself warped and barren from our arrival. . . I won't say I didn't at the time feel some sort of "rightness" my sibling spoke of. But it wasn't something I revelled in. But they had started the war. They'd torn apart my country and by proxy my family. How can you not enjoy fair play to even a minor degree? I don't now because it wasn't fair play it was overkill but in the moment I didn't feel how I do now. But they were still people. A lot of them not even directly involved in what occured to me and those who I worked with in the armed forces. But how do you convince those who lost everything that there is the same humanity in themselves in their enemies? Especially when everything else says otherwise? I. . . I don't know."

Ludwig just stayed quiet after that. His mind going through so many memories it wasn't even funny. He could recall several instances they stormed Poland. How they utterly obliterated those in their path. The wrath and fury that only Hell itself could recreate when the army was told they were going to France. Even their allies who died. . . died smiling. Smiling a dark monstrous grin. Even death couldn't shake their fury and with every body they lost they gained more of that hellish energy to propel them further until they finally forced France to submit or be wiped off the map as a whole.

He was so lost in his memories he hadn't even realized that his cigarette was burnt through. Nothing but the filter between his fingers. Yet his eyes were glazed over, his breathing slow and deep but his body incredibly tense. Ludwig dared not even look at his hands because he swore he'd only see blood on them. It didn't help he could hear the screams and cries for mercy. Cries that were met with fury sounds only comparable to torture without bounds. Ludwig was well and truly frozen in his memories. Memories he hadn't revisited in . . . decades. Almost a century even and barring Orobas dragging him from them he'd be stuck in them without any ability to fight back. Just as weak and unable to do anything now as he was then.

[Deleted]

"I'll be honest with your Orobas I've a lot of things that weigh me down. My life as a human for one has many chains that still hold me down. They still affect my decisions and unlike most souls I remember almost everything. How ironic it is to say the times of brevity and happiness are actually the memories that are the most faded because they were so far and few between." The old Akki simply nodded as they continued to listen to what Ludwig had to say. Truth be told, they felt quite similarly to Ludwig; their own human life still held quite a bit of influence over them, for better or worse. They too still lived with similar atrocities locked away in some closet in the middle of hell. Still, though, they had to continue to hear him out. "Then there's my death in and of itself that weighs me down and has me question why I'm even here. I was told I'd go to hell for several things. The foremost being I committed suicide a very long time ago. I still remember my last moments breathing and the pain from it. It haunts me. Then there's my time in the Soul Society and my failings there."

Taking another puff of their cigarette, Orobas decided to speak up. "𝔚𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔦𝔱 𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰," they said, "ℑ 𝔠𝔞𝔫'𝔱 𝔰𝔞𝔶 ℑ'𝔪 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱'𝔰 𝔞𝔟𝔩𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔧𝔲𝔡𝔤𝔢 𝔴𝔥𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔬𝔯 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔟𝔢𝔩𝔬𝔫𝔤 𝔦𝔫 ℌ𝔢𝔩𝔩. 𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔪𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱'𝔳𝔢 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔪𝔦𝔱𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔰𝔱 𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔰 𝔰𝔢𝔢𝔫 𝔦𝔫 𝔪𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔫𝔫𝔦𝔞, 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔪𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔡𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔰𝔪𝔞𝔩𝔩; 𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔫, 𝔦𝔱 𝔪𝔞𝔱𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔰 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔞𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢'𝔰 𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔞 𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔫𝔤 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔥𝔬𝔬𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔰𝔦𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔶 𝔡𝔬𝔫'𝔱 𝔟𝔢𝔩𝔬𝔫𝔤 𝔡𝔬𝔴𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢. ℑ'𝔡 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔨 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱'𝔰 𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔡𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢𝔡 𝔟𝔶 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔣𝔞𝔠𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲'𝔯𝔢 𝔱𝔞𝔩𝔨𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔬 𝔪𝔢 𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔫𝔬𝔴, 𝔫𝔬?" The Akki chuckled. "𝔗𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔰𝔞𝔦𝔡, ℑ 𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔪𝔲𝔠𝔥 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔨 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 ℑ 𝔪𝔞𝔶 𝔟𝔢 𝔞𝔟𝔩𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔥𝔢𝔩𝔭 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔲𝔫𝔭𝔞𝔠𝔨 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔰𝔢 𝔲𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔶𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔭𝔯𝔬𝔟𝔩𝔢𝔪𝔰, 𝔦𝔣 𝔶𝔬𝔲'𝔡 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔥𝔢𝔩𝔭 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱. ℑ'𝔪 𝔰𝔲𝔯𝔢 𝔴𝔢 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔤𝔢𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰 𝔣𝔦𝔤𝔲𝔯𝔢𝔡 𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝔬𝔣 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔰. 𝔒𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔱𝔬𝔭𝔦𝔠, 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 ℑ 𝔞𝔰𝔨 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔞 𝔟𝔦𝔱 𝔬𝔣 𝔟𝔞𝔠𝔨𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔯𝔶 𝔟𝔢𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔡 𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰? 𝔚𝔥𝔶 𝔴𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔬 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔖𝔮𝔲𝔞𝔡 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔟𝔢 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤… 𝔡𝔬𝔞𝔟𝔩𝔢?"

From there, they simply began to continue to hear Ludwig out. "For better or worse I am a captain. And my squad. . . let's just say my recent failings over the past several years have shown the repercussions and it's in line with exactly what I was fighting against. I. . . I feel like a failure. Sure others look up to me. Yes I'm "strong" in a way. But what really matters are how those beneath me are. How I'm leading them and the impact I've had. And given I had to kill one of my own recently against my will just goes to show how far I've fallen. Or I suppose just how badly I've failed as their leader. For the record it was not a member who had been "evil" or done "heinous crimes" like others might make them out to be. They simply lashed out at injustices they saw and were attacked in almost every way by their peers. And as if that's not the end the peers struck the first blow so everything they did that's a "crime" was self defense." As he finished, Orobas once again went on to speak. 

"ℑ 𝔞𝔟𝔰𝔬𝔩𝔲𝔱𝔢𝔩𝔶 𝔲𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱. 𝔚𝔥𝔦𝔩𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱'𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔠𝔞𝔰𝔢, 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥, ℑ 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔠𝔢𝔯𝔱𝔞𝔦𝔫𝔩𝔶 𝔰𝔞𝔶 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔰𝔲𝔠𝔥 𝔞𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱… 𝔯𝔞𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔡𝔦𝔰𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔢𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔰𝔦𝔱𝔲𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔡𝔬𝔢𝔰𝔫'𝔱 𝔪𝔞𝔨𝔢 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔞 𝔣𝔞𝔦𝔩𝔲𝔯𝔢. 𝔔𝔲𝔦𝔱𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔬𝔭𝔭𝔬𝔰𝔦𝔱𝔢, 𝔦𝔫 𝔣𝔞𝔠𝔱. 𝔜𝔬𝔲'𝔳𝔢 𝔰𝔥𝔬𝔴𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲'𝔯𝔢 𝔞𝔟𝔩𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔪 𝔞𝔫 𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔰 𝔪𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝔰𝔢𝔢𝔪 𝔞𝔰 𝔦𝔪𝔭𝔬𝔰𝔰𝔦𝔟𝔩𝔢; 𝔪𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔟𝔢 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔬 𝔠𝔞𝔯𝔯𝔶 𝔬𝔲𝔱. 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔣𝔞𝔠𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔴𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔞𝔟𝔩𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔡𝔬 𝔰𝔲𝔠𝔥 𝔞 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔰𝔥𝔬𝔴𝔰 𝔞 𝔰𝔦𝔤𝔫𝔦𝔣𝔦𝔠𝔞𝔫𝔱 𝔞𝔪𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱 𝔬𝔣 𝔡𝔯𝔦𝔳𝔢 𝔦𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲. 𝔇𝔯𝔦𝔳𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 ℑ'𝔪 𝔰𝔲𝔯𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔶𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔞𝔟𝔰𝔬𝔩𝔲𝔱𝔢𝔩𝔶 𝔨𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔱𝔬 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢. 𝔖𝔲𝔯𝔢, 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔭𝔢𝔫𝔢𝔡 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔞 𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔳𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔶; 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔰𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔥𝔞𝔡 𝔱𝔬 𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔩 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥. 𝔗𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔰𝔞𝔦𝔡, 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥, 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔡𝔦𝔡, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔩𝔢𝔡 𝔦𝔱 𝔞𝔰 𝔴𝔢𝔩𝔩 𝔞𝔰 ℑ'𝔡 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔨 𝔞𝔫𝔶𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔢𝔩𝔰𝔢 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢. ℑ 𝔴𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡𝔫'𝔱 𝔭𝔦𝔫 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔬𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔰𝔢𝔩𝔣; 𝔢𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔠𝔦𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔶 𝔦𝔣 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢𝔫'𝔱 𝔟𝔢𝔢𝔫 𝔞𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔬 𝔨𝔢𝔢𝔭 𝔞𝔫 𝔢𝔶𝔢 𝔬𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔖𝔮𝔲𝔞𝔡. 𝔗𝔥𝔞𝔱'𝔰 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔞𝔱 𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔬𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲; 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔬𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔖𝔮𝔲𝔞𝔡 𝔪𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯𝔰 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔖𝔮𝔲𝔞𝔡 𝔪𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯𝔰 𝔬𝔫𝔩𝔶."

"Failure happens to everyone. It's constant and present in everything. Signing you name incorrectly. Saying the wrong word to someone. Hell even losing something is a failure. But they are small, they don't really stack up and the truly important matters shouldn't be consistent failure. But that's what I've done. Fail. And Fail. And Fail. And fail again on what matters." "𝔉𝔞𝔦𝔩𝔲𝔯𝔢 𝔦𝔰 𝔞𝔫 𝔢𝔵𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔪𝔢𝔞𝔫𝔱 𝔱𝔬 𝔥𝔲𝔪𝔟𝔩𝔢. 𝔗𝔯𝔲𝔩𝔶, 𝔦𝔱'𝔰 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔰𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔩𝔢𝔱 𝔤𝔢𝔱 𝔱𝔬 𝔶𝔬𝔲. 𝔖𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔰𝔦𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔶 𝔢𝔵𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔦𝔱 𝔪𝔬𝔯𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔫 𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔰; 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱'𝔰 𝔧𝔲𝔰𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔶 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔩𝔦𝔣𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔨𝔰. ℑ'𝔩𝔩 𝔟𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔰𝔱 𝔱𝔬 𝔞𝔡𝔪𝔦𝔱 ℑ'𝔳𝔢 𝔢𝔵𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢𝔡 𝔪𝔶 𝔬𝔴𝔫 𝔣𝔞𝔦𝔯 𝔰𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔫𝔲𝔪𝔢𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔰 𝔣𝔞𝔦𝔩𝔲𝔯𝔢𝔰 𝔞𝔠𝔯𝔬𝔰𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔩𝔞𝔰𝔱 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔭𝔩𝔢 𝔪𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔫𝔫𝔦𝔞. 𝔏𝔦𝔨𝔢𝔩𝔶 𝔪𝔬𝔯𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔫 𝔪𝔬𝔰𝔱 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔫 𝔟𝔢𝔤𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔬 𝔣𝔞𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔪. ℑ'𝔩𝔩 𝔟𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔰𝔱 𝔱𝔬 𝔞𝔡𝔪𝔦𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 ℑ'𝔳𝔢 𝔩𝔬𝔰𝔱 𝔞𝔟𝔰𝔬𝔩𝔲𝔱𝔢𝔩𝔶 𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔡𝔲𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔪𝔶 𝔬𝔴𝔫 𝔥𝔲𝔟𝔯𝔦𝔰 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔭𝔞𝔰𝔱; 𝔞𝔫𝔡 ℑ 𝔞𝔟𝔰𝔬𝔩𝔲𝔱𝔢𝔩𝔶 𝔡𝔬 𝔪𝔢𝔞𝔫 𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤. 𝔉𝔞𝔦𝔩𝔲𝔯𝔢 𝔦𝔰 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔨 𝔱𝔬 𝔰𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔢 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔞𝔰 𝔞 𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔰𝔬𝔫. ℑ𝔱'𝔰 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔶𝔬𝔲'𝔳𝔢 𝔠𝔢𝔯𝔱𝔞𝔦𝔫𝔩𝔶 𝔢𝔵𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢𝔡, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔲𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔢𝔵𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢. ℑ𝔱 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔟𝔢 𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔰𝔢𝔮𝔲𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔞𝔩, 𝔦𝔱 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔟𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔩; 𝔢𝔦𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔴𝔞𝔶, 𝔦𝔱 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔣𝔬𝔩𝔩𝔬𝔴."

"I should also point out in case you would like to ask why I'd say my life as a human was a series of failures I'll save you the time. I was a nazi. Raised in a hitler youth private academy, immediately shipped off to the army, and promptly got involved with Poland, France, and Russia. I was involved or moved around in a few more countries but those happen to the countries that I remember the most. . . especially France. Can you imagine how people who've lost absolutely everything react when they are in positions of power against those who took their lives? Simply put. . . I've yet to ever see hate, anger, or any other darker emotion so prevalent than then. The things I allowed to happen. . . even if I didn't participate in them myself. . . it makes me sick."

"ℑ 𝔞𝔟𝔰𝔬𝔩𝔲𝔱𝔢𝔩𝔶 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔦𝔪𝔞𝔤𝔦𝔫𝔢; 𝔴𝔥𝔦𝔩𝔢 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔞𝔪𝔢, ℑ 𝔩𝔢𝔡 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔬𝔭𝔭𝔬𝔰𝔦𝔱𝔢 𝔰𝔦𝔡𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔠𝔱𝔯𝔲𝔪. 𝔚𝔥𝔦𝔩𝔢 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔴𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔣𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔞 𝔠𝔞𝔲𝔰𝔢 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢𝔩𝔶 𝔡𝔦𝔡𝔫'𝔱 𝔟𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔢𝔳𝔢, 𝔦𝔫 ℑ 𝔥𝔞𝔡 𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔫𝔱 𝔪𝔶 𝔩𝔦𝔣𝔢 𝔩𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔞𝔫 𝔢𝔪𝔭𝔦𝔯𝔢. 𝔖𝔦𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔶 𝔭𝔲𝔱, ℑ 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔞 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔮𝔲𝔢𝔯𝔬𝔯. ℑ 𝔥𝔞𝔡 𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔫𝔱 𝔪𝔶 𝔩𝔦𝔣𝔢 𝔴𝔦𝔭𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔯𝔢 𝔠𝔦𝔳𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔷𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰; 𝔰𝔲𝔟𝔧𝔲𝔤𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔰𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔡𝔞𝔯𝔢𝔡 𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔨 𝔞𝔟𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔬𝔭𝔭𝔬𝔰𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔪𝔢, 𝔰𝔩𝔞𝔲𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔪𝔢𝔫, 𝔴𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔫, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔠𝔥𝔦𝔩𝔡𝔯𝔢𝔫 𝔞𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔬𝔴𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔪𝔢𝔯 𝔱𝔬 𝔪𝔶 𝔪𝔢𝔫 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔱𝔦𝔪𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔦𝔪𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔨𝔢𝔢𝔭 𝔲𝔭 𝔪𝔬𝔯𝔞𝔩𝔢. ℑ 𝔭𝔯𝔬𝔪𝔦𝔰𝔢 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 ℑ 𝔨𝔫𝔬𝔴 𝔪𝔶 𝔴𝔞𝔶 𝔞𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔥𝔬𝔯𝔯𝔬𝔯𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔣𝔩𝔦𝔠𝔱, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 ℑ 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔰𝔢𝔢 𝔴𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔶𝔬𝔲'𝔯𝔢 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪. 𝔖𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔞𝔫𝔡 ℑ 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔟𝔬𝔱𝔥 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔡 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔩𝔦𝔳𝔢𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥 𝔦𝔰 𝔢𝔫𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥 𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥𝔩𝔶 𝔡𝔦𝔰𝔤𝔲𝔰𝔱 𝔪𝔬𝔰𝔱 𝔞𝔫𝔶𝔬𝔫𝔢."

"And my brother who was in charge of the entire armed force I was attached to made certain to express how "right" it was for everyone to take out their pain on the french "dogs" before them. That's not to mention how many lives I helped take personally. How many homes, towns, cities we destroyed. Nature itself warped and barren from our arrival. . . I won't say I didn't at the time feel some sort of "rightness" my sibling spoke of. But it wasn't something I revelled in. But they had started the war. They'd torn apart my country and by proxy my family. How can you not enjoy fair play to even a minor degree? I don't now because it wasn't fair play it was overkill but in the moment I didn't feel how I do now. But they were still people. A lot of them not even directly involved in what occured to me and those who I worked with in the armed forces. But how do you convince those who lost everything that there is the same humanity in themselves in their enemies? Especially when everything else says otherwise? I. . . I don't know."

Almost in a condescending manner, Orobas turned to Ludwig as they stomped down their now-burnt out cigarette. "𝔏𝔢𝔱 𝔪𝔢 𝔞𝔰𝔨 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰, 𝔏𝔲𝔡𝔴𝔦𝔤," They started, "𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔡𝔬𝔢𝔰 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔦𝔫𝔤 '𝔥𝔲𝔪𝔞𝔫𝔦𝔱𝔶' 𝔱𝔯𝔲𝔩𝔶 𝔪𝔢𝔞𝔫 𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔢𝔤𝔦𝔫 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥? 𝔇𝔬𝔢𝔰 𝔦𝔱 𝔪𝔢𝔞𝔫 𝔠𝔞𝔯𝔯𝔶𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔨𝔦𝔫𝔡 𝔬𝔣 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔰𝔠𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢? 𝔇𝔬𝔢𝔰 𝔦𝔱 𝔪𝔢𝔞𝔫 𝔤𝔦𝔳𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔞𝔫𝔶 𝔰𝔬𝔯𝔱 𝔬𝔣 𝔠𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔱𝔬𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔩𝔦𝔳𝔢𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔰𝔢 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔡𝔬𝔫'𝔱 𝔡𝔦𝔯𝔢𝔠𝔱𝔩𝔶 𝔨𝔫𝔬𝔴 𝔢𝔵𝔦𝔰𝔱? 𝔗𝔯𝔲𝔱𝔥𝔣𝔲𝔩𝔩𝔶, ℑ'𝔪 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔢𝔵𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔩𝔶 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔞𝔫𝔰𝔴𝔢𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔮𝔲𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫. ℑ'𝔪 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔲𝔰𝔲𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔶 𝔱𝔢𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔱𝔬 𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔨 𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔪𝔶𝔰𝔢𝔩𝔣; ℑ 𝔭𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔰 𝔪𝔶 𝔬𝔴𝔫 𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔰 - 𝔴𝔥𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔰𝔢 𝔞𝔩𝔦𝔤𝔫 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔪𝔶 '𝔭𝔢𝔢𝔯𝔰' 𝔦𝔰𝔫'𝔱 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 ℑ 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔠𝔢𝔯𝔫 𝔪𝔢. ℑ𝔣 ℑ 𝔴𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔦𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔰𝔥𝔬𝔢𝔰, ℑ 𝔴𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡𝔫'𝔱 𝔤𝔦𝔳𝔢 𝔦𝔱 𝔞 𝔰𝔢𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥𝔱. ℑ𝔣 𝔪𝔶 𝔣𝔞𝔪𝔦𝔩𝔶 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔱𝔞𝔨𝔢𝔫 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔪𝔶 𝔟𝔶 𝔞 𝔤𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔭 𝔬𝔣 𝔭𝔢𝔬𝔭𝔩𝔢, ℑ 𝔴𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡𝔫'𝔱 𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔭 𝔲𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔩 𝔢𝔞𝔠𝔥 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔪𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔤𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔭 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔢𝔯𝔞𝔡𝔦𝔠𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔡; 𝔴𝔥𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔬𝔯 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔪𝔞𝔧𝔬𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔶 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔤𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔭 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔡𝔦𝔯𝔢𝔠𝔱𝔩𝔶 𝔦𝔫𝔳𝔬𝔩𝔳𝔢𝔡 𝔦𝔰𝔫'𝔱 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 ℑ'𝔡 𝔩𝔢𝔱 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔠𝔢𝔯𝔫 𝔪𝔢. 𝔈𝔪𝔬𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔦𝔰 𝔞 𝔭𝔬𝔴𝔢𝔯𝔣𝔲𝔩 𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔶, 𝔏𝔲𝔡𝔴𝔦𝔤; 𝔞𝔫𝔶 𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔢𝔞𝔰𝔦𝔩𝔶 𝔟𝔢 𝔧𝔲𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔣𝔦𝔢𝔡 𝔟𝔶 𝔰𝔦𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔶 𝔤𝔦𝔳𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔰𝔢 𝔢𝔪𝔬𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰; 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔰𝔢 𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔪𝔞𝔩 𝔲𝔯𝔤𝔢𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔭𝔲𝔰𝔥 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔪𝔦𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔞𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔠𝔦𝔱𝔦𝔢𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔶 𝔣𝔢𝔢𝔩 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔣𝔢𝔠𝔱𝔩𝔶 '𝔯𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱'. ℑ'𝔳𝔢 𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔫𝔱 𝔪𝔶 𝔣𝔞𝔦𝔯 𝔰𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔦𝔪𝔢 𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔬𝔫 𝔪𝔶 𝔢𝔪𝔬𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔨 𝔞𝔱 𝔴𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢 ℑ 𝔞𝔪 𝔫𝔬𝔴; ℑ'𝔪 𝔞 𝔯𝔢𝔩𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔳𝔢𝔩𝔶 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔩𝔱𝔥𝔶, 𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔦𝔠𝔲𝔩𝔞𝔯𝔩𝔶 𝔰𝔲𝔠𝔠𝔢𝔰𝔰𝔣𝔲𝔩 𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔰𝔬𝔫 𝔩𝔦𝔳𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔪𝔶 𝔩𝔦𝔣𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔞𝔟𝔰𝔬𝔩𝔲𝔱𝔢 𝔟𝔢𝔰𝔱 𝔬𝔣 𝔪𝔶 𝔞𝔟𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔶. ℑ'𝔳𝔢 𝔣𝔢𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔡 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔪𝔶𝔰𝔢𝔩𝔣 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔪𝔶𝔰𝔢𝔩𝔣 𝔬𝔫𝔩𝔶 𝔣𝔬𝔯 ℑ 𝔠𝔞𝔫'𝔱 𝔱𝔢𝔩𝔩 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔥𝔬𝔴 𝔪𝔞𝔫𝔶 𝔶𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔰, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔦𝔱'𝔰 𝔤𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔰𝔴𝔦𝔪𝔪𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔩𝔶 𝔦𝔣 ℑ'𝔪 𝔟𝔢𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔯𝔲𝔱𝔥𝔣𝔲𝔩."

"𝔓𝔢𝔯𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔰 𝔦𝔱'𝔰 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔶𝔬𝔲'𝔡 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔯, 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔦𝔱'𝔰 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔰𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔞𝔟𝔰𝔬𝔩𝔲𝔱𝔢𝔩𝔶 𝔟𝔢 𝔰𝔞𝔦𝔡; 𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔞𝔨𝔢 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔞𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔦𝔫 𝔰𝔲𝔠𝔥 𝔞 𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔰𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔴𝔢 𝔟𝔬𝔱𝔥 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔦𝔰 𝔱𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔪𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱 𝔱𝔬 𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔩. 𝔉𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔪𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔫𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲, ℑ, 𝔬𝔯 𝔞𝔫𝔶𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔢𝔩𝔰𝔢 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔟𝔢𝔢𝔫 𝔟𝔬𝔯𝔫, 𝔴𝔢 𝔭𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔠𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔞𝔯𝔱; 𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔣𝔢𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔲𝔫𝔢𝔫𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔰𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔴𝔢'𝔳𝔢 𝔦𝔫𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔡. ℑ𝔫 𝔱𝔯𝔲𝔱𝔥, 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱'𝔰 𝔢𝔵𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔩𝔶 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔩𝔦𝔣𝔢 𝔦𝔰; 𝔞 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔲𝔬𝔲𝔰 𝔰𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔭𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔰𝔦𝔫. ℑ𝔱'𝔰 𝔩𝔦𝔣𝔢 𝔦𝔱𝔰𝔢𝔩𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔡𝔯𝔞𝔴𝔰 𝔲𝔰 𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔰𝔞𝔪𝔢 𝔡𝔞𝔯𝔨𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰 𝔴𝔢'𝔯𝔢 𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔡𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔢𝔡 𝔱𝔬 𝔢𝔵𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔞𝔱 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔭𝔬𝔦𝔫𝔱 𝔬𝔯 𝔞𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯. ℑ'𝔳𝔢 𝔞𝔠𝔠𝔢𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔪𝔶 𝔣𝔞𝔱𝔢 - ℑ 𝔨𝔫𝔬𝔴 𝔟𝔢𝔶𝔬𝔫𝔡 𝔞 𝔰𝔥𝔞𝔡𝔬𝔴 𝔬𝔣 𝔞 𝔡𝔬𝔲𝔟𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 ℑ 𝔞𝔪 𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔩. ℑ 𝔨𝔫𝔬𝔴 ℑ 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔤𝔦𝔳𝔢𝔫 𝔪𝔶𝔰𝔢𝔩𝔣 𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔰𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔴𝔢 𝔠𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔩𝔦𝔣𝔢, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 ℑ 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔠𝔞𝔯𝔳𝔢𝔡 𝔪𝔶 𝔴𝔞𝔶 𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔰𝔢 ℑ'𝔳𝔢 𝔰𝔦𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔶 𝔣𝔢𝔩𝔱 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔰𝔢𝔯𝔳𝔢𝔡 𝔱𝔬 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔶𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔞𝔨𝔢𝔫 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔪. 𝔄𝔰 𝔶𝔬𝔲'𝔳𝔢 𝔰𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔢𝔡, 𝔦𝔱 𝔰𝔢𝔢𝔪𝔰 𝔞𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔞𝔰 𝔴𝔢𝔩𝔩, 𝔏𝔲𝔡𝔴𝔦𝔤. 𝔚𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔦𝔱 𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰, 𝔦𝔱 𝔰𝔢𝔢𝔪𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔴𝔢'𝔳𝔢 𝔪𝔲𝔠𝔥 𝔦𝔫 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔪𝔬𝔫 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔯𝔢𝔤𝔞𝔯𝔡."

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Ludwig was utterly torn from the clawing grasp of his thoughts. One part from his cigarette finally starting to burn the filter and him in turn. The latter part being Orobas's inputs on his dialogue. A quick step on the filter to ensure the cigarette was out and once he'd made sure it was out, Ludwig picked up the butt and threw it in the nearby trash can. No point in letting it sit in front of Orobas's small shop. From there Ludwig simply thought to himself. Quietly enjoying Orobas's also silent company as his mind tried to take everything he said into account.

Well he's certainly explained why he seems to be more than he lets on. A soul from a time long since passed and one in charge of an empire when those were still a thing. Very curious. Can a human even live that long even if they are on the highest echeleon of power? I suppose even if he isn't a human anymore it probably isn't nearly as important as what he's said. Perhaps he has a point with Camilla. . . perhaps in a way it wasn't a total failure. If nothing else I did manage to convince the Soul Society as a whole that she's dead and out of the picture. Maybe she'll be able to live in peace without the chains of the sereitei around her neck.

It also ensured the squad as a whole take me at least a bit more seriously given that I've punished someone whose broken the rules. . . hmmm. . I don't quite like the thought of that but the fact remains they will be impacted by this some. I think the biggest thing to consider however is his commentary on ones "Humanity". Honestly it's a question I can't really answer myself. I don't know what it means to be human, especially when anymore I don't exactly feel human as it is. I feel akin to something else though what I'm not certain. Perhaps I too have lost my humanity along the way.

His commentary about sin and how life is just a compounding interest of it. . . I. . want to disagree. I mean sure we all make mistakes. And sure we all do things we shouldn't but there is more to it than simply that. Especially when people work to move past it. The mistakes or sins of our past don't necessarily paint over every facet of our life. The things we've done well as well as those we've brought along with us also define it. . . . but what then is sins counterpart? I don't know. Perhaps thats what "Humanity" is. The counterpart to sin that tries to help us be better. Perhaps break that compounding interest as Orobas calls it. Regardless I'll have to consider it more. I will not have an answer for him today.

Ludwig looked back over at Orobas for a moment. A good deal calmer. A good deal more thoughtful on things. And ultimately a good deal appreciative over his influence thus far. He hadn't had such a conversation like this in . . . really at all. He'd been given a lot of food for thought but he'd also gotten a few things ironed out. Ultimately Orobas had helped him more than he might have realized at that point. With a deep breath, followed by a deep sigh, Ludwig gave Orobas a smile he knew the other couldn't see. Perhaps he would be able to feel it somehow though.

"I can't say I have answers to some of the questions you've posed. And I don't disagree with a few things you've said today. There's a lot to unpack and a lot of food for thought. But I do think I agree with you on a couple things. Perhaps it wasn't a failure, at least not completely, with regards to my squad. And even still I can help it be rebuilt to a better version of itself. And perhaps we've got very common places we've been but I think. . . I think we also have very different answers to some of the questions you've posed. The biggest being I'm not sure what my answers are currently. But we've each done our fair share, and thensome of acts that are less than "dark". To put it mildly."

"Regardless, I appreciate you talking with me over this. As you said earlier you did manage to help me unbox a few things. And I've got a lot to consider. But I think it's help clear things up at least a bit so I can decide what path to go down, with some careful consideration. For that, I'm immensely grateful. Thank you. For now though I think I can handle the rest on my own."

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Orobas: 25 Paragraphs -> 20% boost with Ludwig

Ludwig: 36 Paragraphs -> 30% boost with Orobas