Living With Determination [Hvit/Henrex] [Tokyo/Shibuya]

If there was one thing that he never seemed to learn about Ulv and Hvit, it was that arguing with them was pointless. It was like talking to a brick wall, most of the time, and it only ended in more and more frustration. So, closing his eyes, he just took a in a deep breath, cooling his irritation as Hvit's energy began to pour out. But, instead of the violent and furious rage that Ulv's energy often took, it felt...soothing, in a way, like that strange form that Ulv had taken the last time she had visited him in the Seireitei.

The firmness, yet added softness, like a mother. Paradoxical, yet natural. The fist curled in his pocket loosened, his irritated tension relaxed, and his voice no longer held the venom, bitterness and malice that it had before. Yet, the idea of something good coming from these moments of grief and heartache were, to him, utter nonsense. What good had come from being abandoned, led on, and lied to?

"What possible good could come from these moments? I don't see what good could come from being abandoned, led on, and lied to like I have been. With Azela, she left, with no rhyme or reason. Not even so much as a goodbye. With Taichou, what good could come from how long I waited? To show how much of an idiot I was, wasting months, years to wait and stay loyal to someone, because I didn't dare want to break her heart, yet she so casually and willingly broke mine?"

An eerie silence fell between the two as the half-breed remained silent. The bustle and noises of the city seemed almost deafening by comparison. His eyes closed, and he took in a long, deep inhale and held it for a moment. His shoulders gradually fell and his head lowered as the silence was finally broken by a quiet sigh. Even closed, his eyes relaxed.

He couldn't even remember if there were any good times with Taichou. The one little "date" they had, catching up with one another, and then, nothing. She disappeared, reappearing months, years later, only to disappear again. He could remember the time he spent with Azela, brief as it was, and the memory of that brought the hints of a smile to his face. But, it quickly faded as his eyes began to open, an almost submissive tiredness to them.

"You can be really irritating, you know. As much as I hate to admit it...you're right. I don't know who 'Algos' is, but, at the very least, I'll admit that...I'm here because I want to be, I suppose. What now?"

"You should really learn to temper your bravado. Nobody is always right. Just because you're irritating doesn't mean you're right. Sometimes, people might just think you're insufferable. There can be pride taken in being humble."

However, now the question was to stand up or stand down. Perhaps, the better question was, will he continue to stand, or once again stand down? A question that he had been posed to him throughout multiple points of his life, and despite how many times he seemed to think that he was standing up, he ended up standing down. Perhaps now, he'd be able to remain standing.

"I wish that it were that simple. Human emotions and desires are far more complicated than that. But, at least for myself, I hope to remain standing this time. Suppose I'll need to give Ci Lan or Izanami a visit somewhat soon, it seems."

Quietly sighing, Henrex held his tongue. He thought to respond, but, decided against it, ignoring the "cute" and "sub" comments. Instead, his mind instead occupied by the next portion of her statement. For some reason, he couldn't stop thinking of the fact that they had known one another for almost six years. It sure seemed like every moment was when she considered it to be the time to annoy him.

His eyes turned down for a moment, bringing a hand up from his side, closing his fingers as if he were grasping something. In that moment, a sword manifested in his hand, carved into existence through his own will, the desire to protect those he loved with a stalwart heart, to be both sword and shield for them.

"It might be easy for someone like me and you, who have that ability to change the world, to give orders to existence itself and force it to obey us, but, to drastically simplify that is short-sighted. To desire and to wish can lead to progression, those are the first steps."