idolpro | 531 Monstrosity & Morality: Dividing Lines of the Self and Other, Section 4

Very focused, very serious—she reaches out a hand and. Pat. Pat. Pat.

"What... am I supposed to feel?"

[ it's very silky and fluffy and soft. ]

What...? Well -

Um, first ... why don't you think about the way that it feels in your hand? There's the texture of my hair, but the warmth of my head too, isn't there?

"Ah—that's true. It's... soft, and you're warm, because you're alive." There's not actually any warmth from her own small hand. "...it's like a really nice doll's hair."

Mm. Because my body is like this, blood flows into my brain and ends up making it warm, and the heat rises through my skull, skin, and hair so that it's able to be felt by your hand, right? And there's the texture of my hair, too - ... those are the sorts of things that can be felt when patting someone's head, but everyone's bodies are all really different too, aren't they?

"...are everyone's bodies really different? I never learned any of that stuff or how it works... just how to eat. But I guess... my hair isn't as soft as yours."

Her expression softens a little bit, though; there's a slight curious look to the bend of her mouth.

For these sorts of bodies, there's - ... the color and texture of someone's hair, and its length and scent, and thickness - and there's the shape and size of the head too, isn't there? Noticing it is... it isn't something that would be noticed all of the time, I think, because a lot of people have hair, but the way that those sorts of things would feel would be different too, wouldn't it? Because they're different, and because their hair can be different, too, can't it ... ?

Your hair is different from mine, and "Iris" and "Grace" are different from you too, aren't they?

"Mm... Iris is a little like me, and people say we look a lot alike, but her hair's darker than mine, and Grace has short hair. I don't get to touch it, though. Just Iris's, since she let me practice braiding..."

Really?

Do you want to try braiding mine? If you want to, then I can take it down for you, can't I?

"Can I? Can I?"

She sounds—excited?

[ !!

sitting herself down on the floor, smoothing out her skirt before reaching behind her head to take her hair down, removing her ribbon first ]

Is braiding hair something that you like?

"I don't know if I like or dislike it, but I think I'm good at it."

You can feel her fingers twine into your hair; sometimes she tugs a little too hard, combing through it, but not too much. Eventually she settles into humming quietly—an unfamiliar melody, working carefully.

Well - ...

[ she winces occasionally when it's tugged, but stays still throughout, relaxed ]

It was something that you really wanted to try doing, wasn't it? When I offered, it seemed like it might have been something like that...

"Like—fun, maybe. I remember fun—"

There's a pause, and then she says—

"There, turn around!"

Although she sounds a little different.

Mm, like "fun."

[ said a bit like she isn't totally sure about it herself, but - ]

That sort of feeling can be called excitement too, I think... so being that way, isn't that something that's yours?

[ and turning around. ]

It's... a different young girl, now? But this one bears a lot more resemblance to Hope.

"Yeah! That looks great," she says, nodding seriously. "That kind of feeling—well, I really like learning new things," she says. "So that's exciting. And you have an interesting way of explaining things."

... ?

[ ??? ]

Really? What do you mean...?

"Oh! Miss Aradia, you're very thoughtful the way you consider your words and explain things, you know. I can appreciate that better, too. You're a good teacher!"

She bows, politely. "It's nice to meet you properly! I'm Miaoshan."

... I am?

[ a little pink in the face, pleasantly flustered - and giving a small polite curtsey in kind ]

Thank you... it's nice to meet you too! Then ...

[ after a pause, ]

Is that the name that you were given by your parents...?

Mhm! Or I guess it's my baptismal name, after the saint. Or Bodhisattva, depending on who you ask.

Mm, I had read that story just a little while ago, I think...

... But what about you? What do you think about it, Miaoshan?

Miaoshan's really cool and she can do anything, and when she thought she was doing something that was right and good she didn't give up on it. Also I think in some stories she rides a tiger.

...so I think it's a really good name.

Mm, I thought so too. Even after she ended up dying, she didn't give up on trying her best to make things better for others at all . . .

You're both really wonderful people, aren't you?

"You think so? Thank you, Miss! I think you're really wonderful, too."

She shifts a little shyly on her feet.

"You're a student, right?"

Oh, well - . . .

[ sitting down, then gesturing for miaoshan to sit next to her, patting the bit of ? floor ? chair ? wherever ]

It's only the memories that I've ended up regaining so far ... I have amnesia, so I don't really know what sort of thing it is... whether it's something about the time, or incarnations, or any things like that - well, of course I have my theories too, but some of the memories that I ended up regaining seemed like they happened at a university, and I'm in the part of a student here, too ...

But what about you?

"I'm studying a lot—I want to get a first in the examinations when I'm older, but I don't know when they'll happen next, so I'm working hard..."

She very cheerfully sits down nearby; she doesn't seem to have any of Hope's particular difficulties about physical closeness. "So I'd like to keep learning lots and lots more—even things that won't be on the exams, so I can be a better administrator someday, and really help people."

She swings her feet. "There's a paper, right? One that you're supposed to write."

Re: ESSAY

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Re: ESSAY

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