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shiningstages · 2 years

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A light tap on your shoulder. You turn around to see Hecate staring at you with wide eyes one single exposed eye, sketchbook held open, pen poised as though to take notes. If you don’t shoo her away, she’ll take that as permission, clearing her throat softly.

“I’m doing a research,” she tells you. “What do you think happiness is?” ( for any of your muses / just one or multiple !! please feel free to answer however you'd like !! )

It's as if the whole argument stops dead in it's tracks. Well, argument might've been a strong word, at least for all the sinners present - Leon, however, definitely viewed the conversation as something that could turn ugly real fast. It was his shift to supervise the recreation area, so of course he wanted to do his best to make sure all the sinners had the safest amount of fun possible. And everyone was grinning...He could just feel the heat behind their stares. Horo arguing that her battle axe was the best thing ever, while Summer pointed out all of the prowess in her various inventions, and Chelsea showed off her beloved Sitri while stoking the other girls' flames. Somehow he got roped into it, and the amount of expectant gazes and yelling in his face was a bit too much for him. If only the Chief was here...Chief always knew what to say...

Before he can mutter something that could set off a mini war, a light tap on his shoulder feels like an angel's heavenly touch to get him out of here. Turning around to find Hecate, however...Wasn't bad, per say. Her own wide-eyed gaze at him made him gulp, however relaxing the presence of the most loyal sinner was, worried that she would want to join the conversation and boast about her Nightmare or something. But the words that do come out of her mouth take him aback. "Happiness...?" He can't help but stare at her for a minute. While it could just be a question to drag him away from all of this, Hecate did look serious and curious enough...

"If it's research, then I suppose you've been trying to ask everyone, right?" His arms uncross from where they were on his chest, hands going on his waist. At confirmation from her, he turns to make her more shown to the rowdy group, whistling through his teeth for a bit of attention. "Hey girls, I think Hecate has a question of her own." Nodding his head over to the other girl, everyone else looks at her as she repeats her statement and question, producing the first moment of silence this entire afternoon.

Horo's the first to break it though. "Well, it's a feeling, right?" Another beat of silence. Horo can't help but look around, a bit baffled when no one agrees with her, "I-I'm right, aren't I?!"

"I think you need to be a bit more detailed." Leon states through a huffed laugh. "Or, if it's easier, rather than defining happiness, it's more of what's happiness to you. Like an object, a person, an event - "

"Oh, that shit's easy then! Obviously it's being a part of The Legion!" Horo shouts it out like the proud and loyal follower she was, pounding her fist to her chest. Everyone makes a polite sound of awe, as if that wasn't the answer she'd give at all. "Zoya and The Legion are just so amazing and powerful! They want to do everything they can for Syndicate, and Zoya rushes towards that goal no matter the cost. Being a part of that - being a strong part of the team, kicking ass in their honor, and doing everything I can to help - is the most rad thing there is!"

"Oh~?" Summer and Chelsea let out an amused sound at the same time, both of them smirking slightly.

The response makes Horo's cheeks go red, "W-What's that supposed to mean, "Oh~"?! You wanna fight?!"

"No, not at all - I think we established anyways that I could easily - " Summer starts, but then a very loud and obvious cough from Leon, followed by a gesture to Hecate, makes the genius pause. It leaves her a moment to think, leaning back and curling up into her floating gunner chair, looking at the imaginary sky and humming several sounds. Leon debates if she's actually gonna grace Hecate with an answer or not, knowing how bored she can get with trivial matters.

But she does manage to surprise him. "...I kind of have to agree with you, though your thoughts are so narrowminded." A compliment in an insult. Horo would lunge at her had Leon not given her a look as Summer continued. "Happiness is experienced by everyone. Whether they do a good job, feel like a part of the larger whole, get to watch their favorite anime, eat a really good snack, or get one step closer to their goals - The smallest and biggest things can make a person happy." It's an answer that makes everyone go silent once more, yet Summer looks like she just said the most obvious thing.

"That said, though," She starts up again, sitting up in her chair with a twinkle in her eye, "for me specifically, it's all my awesome inventions and the praise everyone around the world has given them! I wanted to explore my world and cure it of all the evil with every research project I did, no matter what the cost was. The only reason all my research has slowed down is because...Well, I'm in jail, the institute claims I'm "too dangerous", and baddies and nutcases stole all my weapon ideas, which doesn't help with getting research money. Only they made inferior replicas of my true masterpieces. Ha~, if only they could see that." She pats her gunner seat proudly on the remark, then gets distracted with polishing out a slight blemish.

And this time it's only Chelsea laughing in amusement, but Summer pays her no mind as she starts talking to herself about maybe upgrading again. "They both certainly have such wide scopes on this topic, don't they hun?" It's a pet name directed out both Hecate and Leon, twirling a piece of her hair between her fingers. "Though I don't think they're wrong, either. Happiness can mean anything to anyone, as long as it makes them feel that special way." As if on cue with her words, Horo shouts after Zoya upon seeing her from afar, and Summer had already zoomed out of the area to probably pester the staff for more materials. Looking after them as they both run off, she continues, "I think there's a kind of devotion in happiness as well. When you find that thing that makes your heart race, but also makes you feel so calm and at ease, that you commit to doing it more often or wanting to learn more about it. Or it's something that you just can't let go of, no matter what, because it makes you feel so...alive." There's a softness to her southern ring in her voice, now staring at nothing but seemingly everything all at once.

Then, just as quickly as the moment came, it went away with her passionate gaze. A hand immediately lays on Leon's chest before he can protest, "That said, I could make all of you very happy in various ways. Gems and other riches beyond your wildest dreams are my specialty, after all. Of course, I can buy you other gifts or precious things that you desire. And, of course, you'll always have my company - "

"Yeah, no. I passed, and I'll still pass, thanks." Leon writes her off quickly, taking her hand and instead placing it on Sitri's head.

The glittering, sentient feline pushes into the touch, and thankfully it does make Chelsea get distracted with petting her instead. "Oh, of course I never forget to treat you right, Sitri. No I wouldn't; no I wouldn't~" Bending down to kiss the gem creature on the nose, she does start playing with her a bit more, before recalling the gems back into her. "And, of course, Chief is still my other favorite sugar baby." A side glance at Leon, as if he was filled with any jealousy for the Chief in that regard, before Chelsea, too, pounces away.

Leon can't help but sigh in relief, a hand going to rub the back of his neck. "Well, I hope those answers helped you out, Hecate. I don't know if you meant to ask right then or not, though, but I still want to thank you for - " He starts, finally looking down at Hecate again. Only for her wide-eyed gaze to fall back on him, pencil ready on paper despite the amount of writing she had done already. He lets out a sigh, "Ah, I feel like their answers were pretty solid, Hecate. You're not gonna get much better out of me." Even if they all ended up being pretty selfish too. Though, in the grand scheme of things, his prompting made them give out semi-selfish answers, and he'd be lying in saying his own answer wasn't selfish either.

So, upon the sinner's unmoving gaze, he sighs into a smile. "In the way the others were saying it, I guess happiness to me is Sherry and Claire, and this job that helps me support them. Working here was really hard, at first. Adjusting from fighting goons pumped with mania to, um...becoming friends, in a sense, with you guys. Learning things with the Chief, getting my ear bitten off by Nightingale's rants, getting along with my coworkers while going on dangerous missions. It's all been hard, but it's rewarding too. The learning, of course, but also just...Being alive with the people I have left. Making sure they get the care and love they deserve...Them being happy makes me happy, you know?" He pauses then, jaw clenching a little as his smile presses into a thin line. A million thoughts go through his mind on that confession - a woman in red even springs to make his chest tighten - before he shakes his head. "...Happiness is what you make it. It can be selfish, selfless, or a mix of the two. It can be anything that gives you a sense of pride or joy in life, whether it be the tiniest thing or the biggest achievement. I think what matters for happiness is if you're having fun or enjoying doing anything you do; seeing anything around you; touching; tasting; feeling...What you like is in the eyes of the beholder, and it's the same with the concept of "happiness". You just have to find what makes you happy."

He rubs his neck again, cheeks a light blush at rambling for too long, and he lets out a forced chuckle to clear the air. "S-Sorry, maybe that was a bit too preachy or optimistic..." He looks away from Hecate for the moment, down at his boots that shuffle a bit as he straightens himself up. He let's a moment of silence fall between them as he composes himself internally, dusting off his shirt as if it had anything on it in this clean environment, before meeting Hecate's gaze again. "Even though it was probably just a bunch of rambling from all of us, I hope it helped you with your research. If you ever have any other questions, just let me know, and I'll try my best to answer."

#;ask #v: ptn tbt #;leon tbt #;summer tbt #;chelsea tbt #;horo tbt #ephixltes #( thank you for the ask hun!! sorry i wrote so much ghfgghfgjxhc #i can write something else for it if you want me to!!#getting to talk about this though was very fun!! )

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