i_speak_softly | Seventy-First Theory [Voice/Action]

[It's been an extremely frustrating month. First he was kidnapped and experimented on by the Malnosso, while everyone else in the village - as Don learned later - got to fly, with their own wings. As the long-vanished Raphael would say, "Turtle Luck runnin' true to form".]

[When the droids returned him, he was invisible for a week, and spent most of that time watching his partner have a serious substance abuse problem, while the Turtle himself was powerless to do anything about that or the underlying issues causing Robert's addiction to resurface.]

[When Don became visible again, Robert tried to explain himself, but the Turtle had seen too much of drugs in his own world to want to hear any more about it. As a result, for the past few weeks relations have been strained at best in the Hamato-Hastings household.]

[Today Don heads out to the beach, seeking to clear his head and reconnect with his Filial magic. The Malnosso's experiments had had strange effects on his control of the elements, and he thinks he'd better spend some time re-establishing his bond with the spirits, the true source of these abilities.]

[In the afternoon, he happens to check his journal and finds a long, privately-filtered written message from Robert: another attempt to explain his behavior. Part of Don doesn't want to read it, but another part knows he owes that much to his partner of over two years.]

[That doesn't make it easy, though, and Don can only stand to read the manifesto in small pieces over the next several hours.]

[When he's done, he stays at the beach, watching sunset, watching the stars come out. When night and solitude have made him invisible again, he opens his journal.]

Have you ever learned something... that made you change your perspective... on something you thought you would never change your mind about?

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[Oscar ponders his answer for a bit.

Not about what would be right to say or what that "right" answer even would be – rather, he ponders on the hows of getting his opinion across. Eventually, he decides to keep it short:]

Mm. Probably.

[Don wants to hear stories.]

Can you think of an example?

I can think of many. You must mean something monumental, right? I was thinking of the more mundane things, like when you don't want to eat your vegetables at a young age; that sort of stuff is significant in its own way, but, maybe . . . that my perception of someone has changed?

... Actually I'm interested in the vegetables.

Really? [Vegetables are good, though.] Most kids don't like to eat vegetables, right? They don't want to eat them at all. But something changes one day . . . or it might be gradual . . . and they start to eat them until it's part of their regular diet.

It doesn't even have to be vegetables. It could be anything someone didn't used to like.

I recently decided to be vegetarian, but I had wanted to try it for a long time. What makes other people want to eat vegetables?

The reason could be anything. Some realize the health benefits, while others' appetite just expand naturally. These are only two examples.

And then -- [Don feels like he's losing the connection, but he persists anyway.] - how do they feel? Do they want to keep not liking vegetables?

Maybe. It depends on the person, don't you think? Some might like the benefits, but not the taste. But others might love everything about them, whether they liked or disliked them in the past.

[Personally, he never thought much about them. He just ate.]

Do you have another example, mister ...?

A few. What sort of example are you looking for?

I guess one where something is not just unpleasant, but ... bad. Physiologically, socially, morally. Only then you find out maybe it isn't.

Ah, I see. [A beat.] Mm, that could apply to many things – like those dealing with race and war.

Yes. I think so.

That varies even more than vegetables, you know. You must be really curious!

I'm sorry; I can't help it.

It's not bad. Being curious makes everything more interesting; at least, that's what I think.

But you were talking about race and war...?

Ah, right. Some wars are started by mutual dislike between races, aren't they? Prejudice, discrimination, racism. They feel like they never end. But what if when there's the chance that those deep-seated opinions can suddenly change? It might have felt impossible at first, mightn't it?

... It certainly did when I came here.

[ . . . hm.]

Have you changed your mind since then?

Me? Well... yes.

Then you're your own example, aren't you?

[He hesitates.]

It's more complicated than that.

Why do you say that?

voice;

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