eudaimonikos | Balance IC Inbox

Weeell... when you think about it, the threat of extinction is always around. The Hunger and all that, you know? Plus, I've got Dimension Door now, I could put you in like a demon time out or something if it happens again.

[ or just get nick junior to take care of it. the real beast. ]

Um, yeah, a bunch of people hurt me, or their literal demons came to life and did. ... Not, like, you demons, like... personal ones. Even without Wonderland, I've been attacked or threatened by plenty of other Reclaimers. [ so don't feel too bad, michael. ] I just... wasn't expecting you to know about my sister.

You should do the door thing, if it does. I wouldn't listen to you about the Hunger.

[And he hadn't remembered about it at the time, he thinks? It really hadn't even come to his mind.]

...yeah. She...she told me she was dead a while ago. Kinda comes up, with my...being from the afterlife, and all that. [.....] But that's all she said, that she was dead. Everything else was just me looking for a way to hurt you.

[It had been very successful, clearly. But it's not like he got all that blame from anything Mia had said.]

Got it! See, we figured it out, so don't beat yourself up about it, okay?

[ her energetic 'cheer up' energy only lasts as long as it takes for them to talk about mia again. then it's back to the good ol' gentle self-deprecation. ]

Well, it's like..... I found her body, you know? If I had been there just a couple of minutes before....

[ then maybe she could have done something. or at least, that's how maya's been thinking of it. ever since it happened, evidently. ]

A-Anyway, um. [ she doesn't want to make this about her! ] Do you.... do you still wanna be friends?

[Was Mia sick? Was there an accident? A murder? Michael doesn't actually know, and the answer would significantly change his response. But he's also not sure he should ask. Maya doesn't seem to want to discuss it, and Michael can certainly understand that much.]

Do you?

[ it's always murder in ace attorney, michael. he can always ask mia, she's more than happy to make gallows humor jokes about it. ]

Of course! [ she at least has the self-awareness not to be like 'why wouldn't i want to be'? ] I have to admit..... I think you're really impressive.

...you do?

[Michael is usually better at taking compliments. But not in this particular circumstance!]

Yeah. The old you was really scary, um, no offense..... but you're so far away from that person now. You're really nice and cool and you're friends with humans, and you're kind of a dork. In a good way.

[ she's seen this before, with will, which is maybe part of why she's taking this in stride. ] I know that a lot of humans are bad, and some of us do such horrible things it's no wonder you thought we deserved to be tortured.... and I think it takes a lot of strength to see past that and just believe, especially if you're not human yourself. So the fact that you got there, even if it took you a long time.... I think it's really kind of amazing. It proves that anyone can change.

...none taken.

[How could he take offense to that, really? And the rest of it is...so sweet? Like, wow?]

I don't think any of you are as bad as all that. Like you said, anyone can change. Besides, an eternal punishment seems extreme - all your actions are only limited. Chidi had this whole reading about that.

[ she's got a very big heart in a tiny body!! ]

I don't know who Chidi is, but, I agree. I just mean.... looking from the outside, I can see why people think the worst of humans. But you only think the best of humans, even though I bet some of us haven't given you much of a reason to.

[ and that's why it's important. ]

For me, all that scary demon Michael stuff is in the past. I really like the you that you are now.

Chidi's a friend. He taught us all ethics. Literally, he was an ethics professor.

[Not just like, a really good guy. Although he's that too, sure.]

...thanks. I like this better, too. I know this really shouldn't be the point, but...I'm much happier now. [He'd been looking for something fulfilling the entire time, just not in the right places.]

Sounds like you've got a pro helping you out.

[ a pro nerd that is!!! ]

Kinda proves you're on the right path, doesn't it? Since just torturing and being a big ol' scary demon wasn't making you happy.

Oh, I don't know. I'm sure I would have said it did at the time.

[Things were boring a lot, or scary, or lonely. But there were moments; he was a demon, after all.]

Just didn't know there was anything else out there. It's not like demons can typically just take other jobs.

Well, once you realize there's more out there...... Maybe all it takes is a push.

[ combined with threat of extinction. ]

And now you can teach all the other demons, too.

[Michael laughs.]

Oh, no. That's a nice thought, but I'm scheduled for execution by two entirely different groups if I ever go back to the afterlife. Maybe this whole thing will shake that up a little, but I'm not gonna count on that.

I'm sure you can figure something out. I mean, these missions haven't exactly been walks in the park, and if you think about it... we're all kind of scheduled for an execution with the Hunger and all. So you've got loads of experience being an outlaw on the run.

[ thanks, maya. ]

...I guess I do.

[More with just going into hiding, really.]

And you're really smart! And old! [ wow. ] I bet you can do it.

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