Are you? [Skepticism is scathing enough to be a third presence in the room.] 'Cause you sure as hell been takin' a roundabout route hidin' the guilt and coverin' up secrets.
[The proof is in his classmate's completely preventable death, and Mondo damn well knows it, just as a part of him must know that constantly lashing out and slapping open hands extended toward him does him no favors except give him more time to marinate in his self-pitying narrative of needing to hide the truth to stay strong.
This might qualify as the first time Mondo's ever given him a straight, honest explanation of events, which isn't saying much under these conditions. Honesty doesn't count when it's forced--a point he's heard directed toward the Phantom Thieves before.
What they were doing was a violation, they were just kids playing dress-up and acting out, no better than the criminals they pretended to bring to justice... There'd been so much push-back against them that Ryuji had had times where he doubted their mission. Times when the public seemed to overwhelmingly hate them and he'd wondered if disturbing the hornet's nest had been worth it when as many people were dying as they were saving.
But then he'd found out about the Grail. His eyes are open now.
Unable to help himself, he bristles a little at hearing the Grail's taunting coming out of someone else's mouth.]
Of course it did! Someone like Kamoshida was gonna get away scot free usin' the guys at our school like punchin' bags and feeling the girls' up. He thought no one was ever gonna stop him. He didn't want to stop. It took someone else to make 'him. That's what we did.
[But...]
You're not like that.
[A distinction Ryuji doesn't hesitate to make. Kamoshida hadn't gone so far as murder, but he'd felt no guilt for the harm he had caused. Mondo had, and guilt seems to be the mortar holding together every crack and crevice of the wall he's built.
Both are capable of change of heart. With Mondo, it might just have to be less traditional.]
If you seriously wanna start puttin' things right, then this way could work for you. But only if you really mean it. It starts with admittin' you need help. You can't do it by hidin' the truth from people.
no subject
[The proof is in his classmate's completely preventable death, and Mondo damn well knows it, just as a part of him must know that constantly lashing out and slapping open hands extended toward him does him no favors except give him more time to marinate in his self-pitying narrative of needing to hide the truth to stay strong.
This might qualify as the first time Mondo's ever given him a straight, honest explanation of events, which isn't saying much under these conditions. Honesty doesn't count when it's forced--a point he's heard directed toward the Phantom Thieves before.
What they were doing was a violation, they were just kids playing dress-up and acting out, no better than the criminals they pretended to bring to justice... There'd been so much push-back against them that Ryuji had had times where he doubted their mission. Times when the public seemed to overwhelmingly hate them and he'd wondered if disturbing the hornet's nest had been worth it when as many people were dying as they were saving.
But then he'd found out about the Grail. His eyes are open now.
Unable to help himself, he bristles a little at hearing the Grail's taunting coming out of someone else's mouth.]
Of course it did! Someone like Kamoshida was gonna get away scot free usin' the guys at our school like punchin' bags and feeling the girls' up. He thought no one was ever gonna stop him. He didn't want to stop. It took someone else to make 'him. That's what we did.
[But...]
You're not like that.
[A distinction Ryuji doesn't hesitate to make. Kamoshida hadn't gone so far as murder, but he'd felt no guilt for the harm he had caused. Mondo had, and guilt seems to be the mortar holding together every crack and crevice of the wall he's built.
Both are capable of change of heart. With Mondo, it might just have to be less traditional.]
If you seriously wanna start puttin' things right, then this way could work for you. But only if you really mean it. It starts with admittin' you need help. You can't do it by hidin' the truth from people.