( it's a strange feeling, to hear that someone is concerned for their well-being. well, yes, they do get the sense that vergilius and many of the other sinners want them to remain unharmed, but dante gets the sense that it's more perfunctory and less personal — as manager, they play an important role, and they simply can't allow them to fall or falter in that. but when gregor says that he worries for them as a friend (or, sorry, a pal), they trust that he is telling the truth. even without what they had all gone through in District 4, dante knew enough about the thirteenth sinner to know that he has a good heart.
good enough to concern them. in a world like this, those hearts usually only get hurt. )
Though we've continued to face hardships and setbacks, our success rate has only improved as we've moved forward. I know that you sinners are doing your best to apply yourselves and fight harder, when necessary... So, yes, I will continue to try to learn how best to support you. This road seems like it is going to be a long and difficult one. We should be prepared for a marathon, not a sprint.
( dante already regrets having broached this topic, perhaps thinking it might have been better to discuss in person. but they do believe it should be spoken about. gregor carries much on his shoulders... and since it seems inevitable that they will run into hermann and her lackeys again one day, they should try to be prepared. )
Have you heard of a "Pyrrhic victory"? Given what each of you must face to make it to the Boughs, I believe results like this — like what we saw in District 10, but especially what happened in District 11 — will be most common. What matters most is that, in the end, we succeed in collecting the Boughs. And in keeping them away from those like Hermann. But it also matters how we walk away from these victories, or these defeats. We will need to recover quickly and not allow them to dictate our futures. ...Which is why I think the chicken kabobs worked out well. Perhaps we should have a tradition of something like that every time we complete a mission?
[He reads all of that text, humming fondly to himself as a thought occurs.]
Hey, doesn't it get annoying when we do all this stuff related to food, and you can't actually get involved? We can make it a new tradition, but a tradition would take some of the Pyrrhic out of the victory, I think. I mean, it's been a long slog every time, but I felt a lot better with Rodya's haul of chips and Sinclair's chicken kabobs, than all of us just sitting there in silence after we fudged the bough retrieval the first time.
And even marathon runners get to relax after each marathon they take part in, before they train again. We should brainstorm on things that might appeal to even less food-motivated Sinners, you know? That way we all get the serotonin from a battle hard-fought. Though all my immediate ideas are probably ideas that Vergilius would immediately shoot down; who'd even give us prestige at this point, right??
But I think you should get to participate too, since you go through it every time we get roughed up too much. Maybe a night spent sleeping in actual beds or something.
( while dante can't really do so physically, they can't help but fight back the impulse to laugh. not in a mean-spirited, of course — gregor is such a considerate sinner, to concern himself with his clock-headed manager so much. )
It's not annoying at all. This is something I want to do for you guys, after all. You need to eat, even if I don't anymore. And a part of me enjoys it as well, when you are all content with a meal. And... I'm not sure. I am still trying to decide if it is better for me to set myself apart from you as your manager. That might be better in the long term.
( gregor might actually be one of the few sinners that actually respects them as manager without further convincing, so dante doesn't consider this for him, but rather for the others. )
Though... I think this is a good idea. Surely we can find other activities and amenities to reward your actions with. Ideally nothing too extravagant or expensive, considering how much grumbling Vergilius does about our funding... A decent night's sleep in a hotel does sound nice. Though... we will have to take certain... precautions.
( ie: putting people in rooms least likely to either cause property destruction or ... get along a little too well? that would just cause strange problems down the line, wouldn't it... )
If you want them to be something I might be able to participate in as well... I will keep that in mind.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yes!! all's well that ends well
good enough to concern them. in a world like this, those hearts usually only get hurt. )
Though we've continued to face hardships and setbacks, our success rate has only improved as we've moved forward.
I know that you sinners are doing your best to apply yourselves and fight harder, when necessary... So, yes, I will continue to try to learn how best to support you.
This road seems like it is going to be a long and difficult one. We should be prepared for a marathon, not a sprint.
( dante already regrets having broached this topic, perhaps thinking it might have been better to discuss in person. but they do believe it should be spoken about. gregor carries much on his shoulders... and since it seems inevitable that they will run into hermann and her lackeys again one day, they should try to be prepared. )
Have you heard of a "Pyrrhic victory"?
Given what each of you must face to make it to the Boughs, I believe results like this — like what we saw in District 10, but especially what happened in District 11 — will be most common.
What matters most is that, in the end, we succeed in collecting the Boughs. And in keeping them away from those like Hermann.
But it also matters how we walk away from these victories, or these defeats. We will need to recover quickly and not allow them to dictate our futures.
...Which is why I think the chicken kabobs worked out well.
Perhaps we should have a tradition of something like that every time we complete a mission?
no subject
Hey, doesn't it get annoying when we do all this stuff related to food, and you can't actually get involved? We can make it a new tradition, but a tradition would take some of the Pyrrhic out of the victory, I think. I mean, it's been a long slog every time, but I felt a lot better with Rodya's haul of chips and Sinclair's chicken kabobs, than all of us just sitting there in silence after we fudged the bough retrieval the first time.
And even marathon runners get to relax after each marathon they take part in, before they train again. We should brainstorm on things that might appeal to even less food-motivated Sinners, you know? That way we all get the serotonin from a battle hard-fought. Though all my immediate ideas are probably ideas that Vergilius would immediately shoot down; who'd even give us prestige at this point, right??
But I think you should get to participate too, since you go through it every time we get roughed up too much. Maybe a night spent sleeping in actual beds or something.
no subject
It's not annoying at all. This is something I want to do for you guys, after all.
You need to eat, even if I don't anymore. And a part of me enjoys it as well, when you are all content with a meal.
And... I'm not sure. I am still trying to decide if it is better for me to set myself apart from you as your manager. That might be better in the long term.
( gregor might actually be one of the few sinners that actually respects them as manager without further convincing, so dante doesn't consider this for him, but rather for the others. )
Though... I think this is a good idea. Surely we can find other activities and amenities to reward your actions with. Ideally nothing too extravagant or expensive, considering how much grumbling Vergilius does about our funding...
A decent night's sleep in a hotel does sound nice.
Though... we will have to take certain... precautions.
( ie: putting people in rooms least likely to either cause property destruction or ... get along a little too well? that would just cause strange problems down the line, wouldn't it... )
If you want them to be something I might be able to participate in as well... I will keep that in mind.