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The Mind has never been one for hobbies, unless trying to keep their vessel alive counts. Though, he doubts it, considering he doesn't find any of this enjoyable.
Being stuck separated into three had a rough impact on them, leaving him to constantly analyze and strategize to ensure the survival and success of the Whole while it sat slowly dying.
He was willing to sacrifice anything- or anyone- in order to stay in control.
Unfortunately, those sacrifices were the worst people to be stuck with, if they could even be called 'people'. The caffeine-obsessed fool was nowhere to be found, so the Soul was deemed hopeless, and the Heart was always a nightmare talking to, the depressed being making everything about them and their emotions.
So, logic was left alone as Mind paced through his void, scratching at a never ending itch around his neck, the blinding white was forever comforting as it was an endless cleanliness, something he yearned for in the Whole.
But of course, the host wouldn't ever truly be complete without at least one of them taking a toll, and he sure as hell wasn't going to be the one to falter.
That was, until he took a double take at a mess that caught his attention, stopping him in his tracks.
Mind turned his head to stare towards the area Heart resided, the Moon's own pitch black void.
The creature was laying on his knees, hunched over and humming a light tune, combining the sound with the scratching of a pen. But Mind was more focused on the papers, scattered and crumpled, all over the void surroundings, combined with shed white feathers that definitely came from his wings, which fluttered cheerfully.
His face fell as he had no choice but to step into the black void that was the other side.
["..Heart."]
The Sun's brooding voice came out harsher than intended, as the creature flinched at the bass. The Heart whipped his head around towards the area of his voice, his curls bouncing around as he stared towards the general direction of the calloused one.
("Mr. Mind? This is a nice surprise.") Heart exclaimed, though their motions made them seem sarcastic.
Mind looked at Heart's mess with a twitch of the eye. It was so disorganized it made him feel irritated. ["..Your space is a total disaster.."] He scowled. ["How did you even manage to make this much of a wreck?"]
("Well, it's not like I can exactly see it, can I?") Heart laughed, gesturing towards their blindfold, letting Mind scrunch his face in a light cringe, though the creature waved him off dismissively. ("Besides, I'll clean the mess later.")
["What are you even doing?"] Mind scoffed, picking up one of the less crumpled papers. The Sun smoothed it out best he could, and read between the creases of the paper. The writing in the purple pen looked almost sparkly with the white paper clashing in the black void.
"maybe you're beyond,
ancient asian poetry,
or maybe it's just me"
["..A haiku?"] Mind muttered aloud. At least that's what he thought it was. The syllables had the rhythm of the type of poem, but the last stanza had one too many, resulting in what looked like a frustrated scrawl of the pen in a fit at the end of the line.
Looking down against the black void, most of the white papers had the same scribbles in a tantrum, contrasting with the beautiful cursive that the first parts were drawn in, and most were thrown closer to the other hemisphere. The Heart had turned back to the writing in front of them. As they did, Mind swore he heard an embarrassed hum rise.
Slowly, Mind pressed his knees against the void, moving almost robotically to sit next to Heart, who had tensed at the sudden closeness. Thoughts of violence slowly appeared, wondering if either one would take this moment to try and kill the other, yet they didn't dare move.
Peering around, the Sun read more papers, some were harder to read because of the creases in the paper, but all had the same handwriting and the same scrawls at the end. Sliding his gaze to the paper the Heart was currently writing on, Mind noticed the scrawls stopped with the pile next to him, as well as the one they were currently hovering over, though Juno instantly covered the writing with their sleeves.
["If you don't know how to write a haiku, I could provide-"]
("I know how to write a haiku, Mind.") The Moon spat back, clearly a bit sensitive in the moment.
The Sun peered again, this time towards the pile of papers. Though the first one clashed with the rest of the mess, looking like it had been stacked neatly on top, with no crease along the entire paper, one the Moon seemed to have been proud of.
“ 簡単な
はずさ何手こ
ずってんだ... “
When he finished reading, he blinked for a few seconds, pleasantly surprised at that stanza. Turning back towards Heart, he saw they were avoiding Mind's whole general area, like looking in his direction would blind him, though- that statement was extremely ironic. ["..So? May I see the ones you've gotten correct?"]
("..It doesn't matter..") Heart sighed, leaning more into the paper, burying his head in his arms. ("They'll never be correct.. Not with you reading them..")
Mind could only roll his eyes, unimpressed at the dramatic display. ["Oh please, I don't judge everything you do."]
At the madman's dismissal, Heart suddenly rose sharply, smacking their hands against the ground in irritation. ("Yes you do! It's a constant disagreement with us, and you know it.") He yelled, spitting every word. ("Unrhymable rhymes, never listening to the other, that's our whole thing. The mechanical hands made it perfectly clear-")
Mind promptly rose his hands up in defense. ["Calm yourself. You're getting worked up."]
("See?! You're completely ignoring me!")
["Heart, I'm not-"]
An aggressive, frustrated growl came from Juno's throat as Mind was cut off yet again. ("God! Here!") Resident Heart had grabbed the paper by the side and thrown in it at the Sun's face, floating slowly down into his fingers. ("You want to read it so badly? Lay those dead eyes on it!")
The Sun meant to give a slight glare to the other figure, but they simply turned their back to them, the feathers on their wings had puffed up dramatically, full of anger and somber, as they pulled on the curls of their hair. He turned his gaze down to the paper, careful not to crease it. No frustration was present and the paper was full of gratifying poems, four different stanzas lovingly placed in between the lines, each word was sensitive and emotional, most definitely Heart's handwriting.
" kind, sweet, and charming,
voluptuously endowed,
hair a darkened brown.
but then suddenly
a sharp, piercing pain resounds
vision starts to cloud.
I wanted to see
the hand in which it was held
before the knife fell.
I thought you'd stabbed me
I thought that I smelled your smell.
but I stabbed myself. "
He read carefully and calculated, allowing each word to linger a little. They were quite the contrast compared to the crumpled balls on the floor. He allowed himself to savor them until he reached the end, letting the words mutter out. ["..It's a pleasant read.."]
Glancing back, he looked at the perfect time to see Heart perk up, only if a little. They certainly weren't expecting those words from Mind. ("...You think so?")
["Well, yes. You certainly have a knack for rhymes. It's the only reason I can stand your voice."]
At that, Heart turned back, a smile curling their lips as a small chuckle sounded through the void, a sense of fulfilling pride emitted brightly. It was rare for them to receive such genuine praise from their counterpart, and it made all the effort put into their penmanship worth it.
But then, the Sun straightened his posture. ["Now if only you put this much thought into your job-"]
Mind's spilled words were cut off by a scoff arising from the Moon as the paper was swiftly snatched out of the Sun's hands.
("I knew you were going to find something to nitpick..") Juno muttered, holding the poem close to their chest. Their smile quickly turned down into a frown.
["I'm not nitpicking, Heart. I just think we could all benefit from putting a little more effort into our work."] Mind replied, keeping his tone even.
That only made Heart's mood drop further. They had poured their emotions into the poem, and Mind always found something more important to whine about. ("You always think you know what's best for us.") Heart retorted, their voice rising in frustration.
Mind sighed, knowing that this argument was all too familiar. ["That's because I do. I just want us to be the best versions of ourselves-"]
("That's the problem! You think we aren't the best, so you want to control the Whole all on your own like the deranged freak you are! I know, Soul knows, we all know!") Heart screamed, the shriek made their ribs strain and their throat tighten. ("You're so focused on logic and reason that you forget about the human element all the time!")
["Because we're not human. Never will be."] Mind scowled. ["Your mindless diversions aren't helping and you keep having these breakdowns!"]
Finally, the rage shattered, and Juno shot out. ("THEN LEAVE! I was fine before you invaded my space! I don't need your complaining and nothing is keeping you here!!")
Mind jerked back at Heart's outburst as his eyes furrowed in surprise and frustration, until he scoffed, his voice going monotone. ["..Fine. I'll take care of everything."] He muttered as he turned to leave, pausing slightly. ["Enjoy your writing, Juno."] As he walked away from their void, Heart couldn't help feeling a pang of guilt among the fury.
It seemed like they were never going to see eye to eye.
" I finally did it.
yet it hasn't helped at all.
I still feel so small.. "
A brash groan of frustration emitted through the Moon as they kicked at a stray piece of paper before scuffing his foot along the ground, and turning back to their work station, pressing his palms against the void. But instantly, emotions welled up, they couldn't think straight.
" I know it's too late. "
Feeling the fabric press against his eyes, they felt the tears welling up fast. The weight of emotions made it hard to think rationally. But that's his whole thing. They can't think rationally, not with the Sun always wanting control. He just had to be the worst, insufferable, prick they could've met.
" I know you won't hear my call. "
Tearing off the blindfold, they recoiled at the light seeping in, a hiccup leaving the lump in his voice. Hastily, they began rubbing their hands against their eyes, leaving purple stains on their fingertips. His gaze was blurred and his eyes burned. Even still, they looked down at the paper, now stained with purple droplets and creases surrounding the words.
" and so now I fall.. "
Aware of his throat tightening more, he gave his feelings to the paper, and crumpled it in between his hands.
It was all for you.