It isn't about whether or not you should pay her back, exactly. I understand your reasoning for doing so. But what would be enough to consider you even?
[ It isn't as though it's a case of "thanks for paying for my lunch, I'll get it for you next time". It's a far more complicated issue than that, and it's where Barnaby's curiosity comes from. The truth is that he's not sure he'll ever be able to repay Kotetsu for everything that he's done for him. Not that it's the most daunting prospect in the world. ]
[ What indeed. Truthfully, he could look back and consider the warning his payback. He'd been off grid for almost a week at that point, but he'd made sure to contact her. To let her know that something was wrong, that the people closest to her might not exactly be the ones to trust. November had known she would put the pieces together, so he'd left names out. There just hadn't been time to answer all the questions he knows she would've inevitably had.
If only there'd been more time. Should he envy Amber, for that ability? ]
I'm sure I'll know it whenever that opportunity comes around.
[ What a delightfully vague answer. And yet, Barnaby supposes that it makes sense. Trying to anticipate exactly what might make it up to Kotetsu in the future will likely prove to be a waste of time, especially considering what it is that Barnaby owes him for. What is the price for a person's life? There's no easy answer to that, he doesn't think. Perhaps he's learned something from this endeavour after all, even if it wasn't exactly his intention to pursue this line of questioning. ]
Then perhaps I should take that to heart, and consider the same.
But, he doesn't think he'd be able to anticipate what it'll feel like to make it up to Misaki. Because while he'd given her that warning, it still feels like he's indebted. For a Contractor, it's the oddest feeling. One because he's feeling something at all and for so long. And for two, he's not sure what to do with it. No logic seems to apply to it, and he hasn't been able to rationalize himself out of the thinking. So for now, it sticks, weighing at the back of his mind. ]
Trying to measure all the time becomes tiring. I'm sure you'll figure it out.
[ Because he's not blind. Barnaby is smart and dedicated. Kotetsu just doesn't know what he holds over him, and that's where the separation begins. ]
[ The truth is that if Kotetsu knew about this, he would try to shut it down on the spot. He wouldn't believe that Barnaby owed him anything, therefore it wouldn't be a problem in the first place. Yet Barnaby doesn't know that he can ever repay his partner for what he's done; he wouldn't know where to begin. At least this conversation has shed light on a few things. ]
Perhaps I need to think of it less as me owing him, and instead that we support one another equally.
[ And what an epiphany it is. November glances at the other man, head tilted. If there’s one thing he can give the other man, this conversation has at least been rather interesting. ]
Of course. Isn’t that what partners do for each other?
[ April’s saved his hide a few times and vice-versa. They don’t completely depend on each other, but they also don’t operate as fully separate units. Why would they need to? Working together allows for more to get done, and efficiently. ]
You know what they say about old habits, don't you? That they're difficult to break.
[ It's a vague statement, but November may be able to understand what he means all the same. Barnaby has always found it difficult to trust people, but he's found that, gradually, he has been able to change his stance on that. Slowly, and depending on the person, but he's making progress. Some of the people that he's met since he dropped onto Ajna have helped with that considerably too.
That isn't something he intends to acknowledge directly, however. Not at this point in time. ]
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[ It isn't as though it's a case of "thanks for paying for my lunch, I'll get it for you next time". It's a far more complicated issue than that, and it's where Barnaby's curiosity comes from. The truth is that he's not sure he'll ever be able to repay Kotetsu for everything that he's done for him. Not that it's the most daunting prospect in the world. ]
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If only there'd been more time. Should he envy Amber, for that ability? ]
I'm sure I'll know it whenever that opportunity comes around.
[ Will he, really? ]
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Then perhaps I should take that to heart, and consider the same.
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But, he doesn't think he'd be able to anticipate what it'll feel like to make it up to Misaki. Because while he'd given her that warning, it still feels like he's indebted. For a Contractor, it's the oddest feeling. One because he's feeling something at all and for so long. And for two, he's not sure what to do with it. No logic seems to apply to it, and he hasn't been able to rationalize himself out of the thinking. So for now, it sticks, weighing at the back of his mind. ]
Trying to measure all the time becomes tiring. I'm sure you'll figure it out.
[ Because he's not blind. Barnaby is smart and dedicated. Kotetsu just doesn't know what he holds over him, and that's where the separation begins. ]
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Perhaps I need to think of it less as me owing him, and instead that we support one another equally.
[ Someone's had an epiphany. ]
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Of course. Isn’t that what partners do for each other?
[ April’s saved his hide a few times and vice-versa. They don’t completely depend on each other, but they also don’t operate as fully separate units. Why would they need to? Working together allows for more to get done, and efficiently. ]
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[ It's a vague statement, but November may be able to understand what he means all the same. Barnaby has always found it difficult to trust people, but he's found that, gradually, he has been able to change his stance on that. Slowly, and depending on the person, but he's making progress. Some of the people that he's met since he dropped onto Ajna have helped with that considerably too.
That isn't something he intends to acknowledge directly, however. Not at this point in time. ]