The 2022 Valentines: Mercy Edition

Perfect......right?
That part was ....important. Or was it? Would she think so? There was something about Shaoling that .....seemed antiethetical to failure. But at the same time, she was smart enough to recognize failure. And recognize that failure was inherent. She wouldn't...EXPECT a perfect valentine would she? Would she expect a short one? No, she'd EXPECT none at all. so she supposed that the length wasn't really important. Not so far as her goal was concerned. Getting what she wanted across, but in a way that would....COME across as she wanted it to.

She twirled the pen in her hands, gently spinning it from finger to finger, up and down her knuckles in a ceaseless scything of plastic writing utensil as she pondered over the specifics. And.....eventually. She started to get a notion of what she wanted.

Shaolin

Do you know what crossed my mind in hearing that name? I've heard it before, though it may surprise you. Or perhaps you aren't surprised at all. I have my ways, after all. I know so much about you. I know your past, your struggles, as much as someone who was away from you for such an extended period of time CAN know someone. Every step you took in externalization of whatever mysterious feelings you held inside were things that I pored over to an extent that frankly I almost feel ashamed of.

And yet I feel none. I was happy to do it. In some small way, I felt as if I was able to catch up on everything I missed out on. How very selfish of me. How very like me to look behind me, trying to figure out what is to come, while you so boldly look in front of you. The spite from your lips is something I could never hate. That thorny disdain in your eyes, something I can't help but enjoy. Is it so bad to love even your hatred? Is it terrible to find something so beautiful in aversion? Is it wrong to love a rose as much for it's thorns as its petals?

You have become so much, and the reclaiming of your very own name was but another beautiful step in peeling away your chains. Not put there by anyone, but by yourself. For who else could possibly be strong enough to bind you? Certainly not me.

If nothing else, may this letter find you knowing that you are appreciated. May some gleaming pride be taken that you are valued. And yet I know it is nothing to the value you have in yourself. I envy that. As I do so many other things.

In addition to this letter, which you may very well find detestable, I have included chocolates. You deserve at least some joy from this.

Sincerely,
Kisuke

She smirked to herself. But only for a moment. Staring at the name signed at the very bottom, in her very best facsimile of his handwriting. And she wrote her own. And then....she tore it in half. No longer smiling, but staring straight ahead. The only one she'd pranked was herself.

Was ....that right? She looked at the letter a few times. Scrutinizing it for a moment. No this......didn't feel....quite what she was going for. She crumpled it up, and slowly tore the ball in half, tossing it to the side so that Beeps could reduce it to ozone. She scooted back up to her computer and started typing once again with ....renewed purpose. A new....vision.

Dear Ira,

I dunno how to really say this so I'm just going to say it: I like you. Which is pretty gay. For me at least, right? And not like...just because you are super nice to look at. And hang out with. And so many other miscellaneous reasons.
I am gay for you because of the way you make me feel. I've fucked up like...RIGHT in your face. Several times. Some of which were in succession. You saw that fucked up side of me like.... a couple times.
And you're still here. That's good, I hope.
which makes it suck that I'm not ...mature enough for what you're probably hoping for.
However, I DO have a consolation prize.

I am going to wreck you.
There will be no shred of you that will dare forget what I do to it.
I want to catalogue and organize a library of the sounds you make while being wrecked, and I will sort them by volume and pitch.
The chocolate is some kinda like....energy drink thing?
Dunno if you like that kinda stuff, but you better eat it before I get over there.

Your Friend,
Ehefra.


She smiled, printing the letter out, then handing it to Beeps to deliver. With a pleased, proud smile: she leaned back, and hit her spacebar, promptly resuming the shark documentary she'd been watching.

Ho boy. How long had it been since Tatsuki had written one of these? A light smile crossed her lips as she imagined that Chizuru herself probably was going to be sending a whole lot of these. And there was some sort of ....smug pride in the fact that she knew more than a few of those recipients would probably be smitten. Maybe? It was hard to figure out to say the least. Sure, they hadn't been 'on again' in a while, but when they were, Chizuru was surprisingly charming. Well....and aggressive. Which she liked. WAS she charming? Or was Tatsuki just weird? She'd always valued those that could see the girlish part of her, rather than the thuggishly boyish way she conducted herself and the resting hatemurder face she sometimes had on. The fact that Chizuru saw past that was ..... good. So maybe she really was a little messed up finding the woman charming. Maybe Chizuru just learned to get good over the last four hundred years. OR maybe her bias was what grew. maybe it didn't matter.

Sup Chizuru,

More than Four Hundred and Twenty Years since we left home and decided to try and become shinigami. And if Keigo makes one more 420 jokes I really think I'm going to put him through a wall. But that's still a big number regardless. And I can't help but think about how much of that was spent with you. we've been dancing this dance for a while now. We've lived a real friggin long time, congrats to us being hot still. And, I've told you this plenty of times, but you really should come to visit me more often. I visit you when work allows, but it's been rough with how Soul Society has been these days. Though that may be changing, my job still means I spend most of my time in sereitei.

Which uh... yea I guess thats' me saying I miss you. I'll be coming down to earth later today. I wouldn't mind spending Valentine's day with you.


Yours,
Tatsuki

Dear Algos

I miss you. But more importantly than that I want you to know that I still think about you. You were a ...demon right? I don't know where demons go when .....

You were very special to me. I know you were a bad person, you even said that to me a few times. The way I am now, I don't really know what it was I was looking for. I think back to everything I've done. Was I any better? But I would do little things..... and see your expression. I could see the little ways that you seemed to like me back. When I picked you up. When we went to the Grand Canyon.

Would you be proud of me? OF what I've become? You seemed so focused on me growing stronger. I don't exactly know if I've done that. I've made friends. Friends I care about. Strong friends. Is that the same as...BEING strong? I don't know what to think of them. One of them might be .....different from.... a friend. Actually, I'm not sure if I can call either of them 'friends'. It seems no matter who I find in this world, things get so complicated.

Is that why you left?

I'm sorry if it is. I want to make this world so much simpler. Or at least, nicer. A place you could have enjoyed. A place you wouldn't have to be bad in. Ajora says it doesn't matter. She says that in the end, everything will evolve. Find it's 'Final Shape'. I wonder what my Final Shape will be. I hope it's something like yours. Even if people were afraid of you .....or disliked you. You didn't seem afraid of anything.

I miss you. And I hope you find a happier life, wherever it is you went.

your Valentine,
Santa

She smiled, having maybe ...uh...meandered on the topic. But she couldn't bring herself to try again. This was a more ....honest letter wasn't it? It was ok if she got a bit off topic. She couldn't help but sigh softly.....clutching the letter to her chest, before setting it aside. She'd ask Ajora where she should send it later.

Bauher smiled gently to himself as he sat at the little desk at the corner of his hotel room. Something of a pleased smile spread across his face as he eyed the length of paper he had in front of him. He'd considered just typing things up, but there was something so much more....personal....intimate about handwritten letters. Even if he WAS in the category of having overly fancy handwriting, Belle had even once commented that his writing seemed a little feminine, and he allowed himself to close his eye and take a moment to remember back. To those warm, happy days of courtship.

Nah, they were absolutely miserable. He'd been roughing it in Thailand at the time. But there was something about love that gave a rosy tint to such memories. Seeing her in a caravan of so many others that he'd been travelling with. She was on a horse and he was just some kid walking. He'd been too damn nervous and shy. Something that Belle always found surprising when he'd told of his reasonings later, and had gone to write a little note to leave in the saddle of her horse that he wanted to see her. He'd never forget the first thing she'd said to him when they finally saw eachother face to face. 'Oh, you're a guy!'.

And here he was, years later. Same ol girly handwriting, almost chuckling to himself as he ran his fingers over the letter he'd finished writing.

To Her Majesty,

I hope that the day finds you well, and that this letter finds you swiftly. It has been only a day or two since I've last been blessed with your presence and already my heart grows fonder. I have yet seen any other woman that did not inspire the very same thought in my head: 'Ah, but she is not my Belle'. You occupy my every thought, your voice whispers into every wind, every sighing breeze, every subtle beep of an alarm on my phone. And on this most dreary of holidays I find myself elated. For as much as I so very much miss you I know that when I return I will once again be welcomed into your arms.

And yet I wonder. How long has it been since I have last paid tribute? Aha! Too long! The answer finds itself, and I too find the solution readily enough. In but two days time, granted that this letter arrives when it should, I will return and we will have ourselves a date! Courtship long overdue.

I will be wearing the Red Tie when I arrive. I hope you will be wearing yours.

Your Loyal Knight,
Sir Bauher

He used to be a bit ashamed of how much of a dork he was. But years of marriage had long since banished MOST of those thoughts. The thought of her laughter at reading such a ridiculous letter only made him smile all the wider as he admired his own work. A romantic letter, and of course a coded request at the very end. It was perfect. He was already slipping it into the envelope when he heard his phone go off. He reached out absentmindedly and was already starting to stand up when he brought it to his ear. "Dr.Kleinmund." He answered in calm business tone, grabbing his keys off of the counter as he started to walk toward the door, intent on heading downstairs to drop his letter off at the desk for delivery before heading out for the night. But what he heard in his ear made him slow to a stop in his tracks.

"Who is this?....Is she alright?" He asked a bit more firmly, his good eye narrowing just for a moment as he reached up, taking the phone from being pinched between his cheek and shoulder as he focused, pulled from that warm fuzzy lul. The joy drained out from his expression and quite suddenly, he stuffed the jacket into his breast pocket and suddenly was moving around the room. "I understand, I'll be there in a few hours. Thank you Doctor, please, PLEASE call me if there's any other changes." He murmured firmly before he hung up and began quickly packing his things. Forcing himself to remain calm. Optimistic.

Looks like he was going to be delivering the letter in-person.

Dear Asami

A pause as she ....drummed her fingers. Was that too familiar?

Dear Sensei

No that just sounded weird. A sigh escaped Lerna as she rubbed her eyelids and slowly dragged her fingers down to stared up at the ceiling. She hated Shinigami custums. Or more specifically: she didn't know if she would come off as weird. Earth was a whole different alien thing altogether, a place she belonged to only because she had spent so LONG in those scattered slums and such. And now she was in a whole new era of nonsense and protocols.

To my Sensei

She didn't like it. It felt impersonal. A growl escaped her and she adjusted her seat, straightening up before trying again.

Dear Asami,

Is it alright for me to call you that? It feels right, but that may just be the Earth culture rattling around my head. I considered trying to write this like a proper shinigami. Something that would look you know.... NICE for a noble. But I'm sorry that I don't really have that in me. But I still have something I want to tell you.

There is something about feeling a connection. Laughing at a bad joke. Trying out pancake toppings when I know darn well they're just fine with syrup (You were right though, some of that stuff was awesome). Sparring out on a lawn and getting choked out with a leglock. Well...pretending to get choked out. Sharing legends.

I dunno if I've really talked to anyone about the stuff I've talked to you with. Kinda crazy huh. I get along with Captain Murasaki, and Lieutenant Magnolia also. Two people who vouched for me to be a Shinigami. A lot of the other girls are writing letters. Pretty bad ones too. Always been kinda fascinated with how horny humans can get. Lioke, this one girl...whatsherface...ah I shouldn't say her name. But uh, she's CLEARLY got a thing for some Kyo guy. What a strange holiday. But hey, I wanna fit in, so I decided to give it a go.

I don't really have anyone to thirst at. But you came to mind. Old me would've beat new me's ass for being such a teacher's pet. New me would dare her to try it, punk. And then there's just .... me, that's wondering if this is all just kinda weird and awkawrd for you to read. This random peasant sending you this long, drawn out ramble. Do I have a point? I don't really know.

But hey, happy Valentines day. Included some chocolate.

Lerna

She itched the back of her head. Yep, that sure was.... an attempt at a coherent letter. But well, she was never really great at writing. She smiled a little to herself and sealed up the envelope, just in time to hear some giggling in the adjacent room. Seemed like Kyo fangirl finally figured out what metaphor for snogging she wanted to use. Lerna smile to herself and stood up to go send her letter. Maybe she'd just deliver it herself, who knew.