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| Chapter 37 | Book 5 • Chapter 38 | Chapter 39 |
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Pomefiore Dorm
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| There you are. | No need for the long face. |
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Hey, our kindly manager's brought you a bottle of water. |
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[MC]. Grim. Sorry about running off like that. |
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You should be! If you guys don't win first place, my tuna bonanza goes up in smoke. You and Epel both better buck up and get back to practice. |
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Ha ha. You and your one-track mind. It makes me kind of jealous. |
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Y'know, Deuce, I've been wondering: why did you stick your nose in Vil and Epel's argument? Even I know that's just askin' for trouble. |
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It is, huh? I agree. It was dumb of me. But I've seen something in Epel ever since we ran into him by the courtyard well. I think...he and I are a lot alike. |
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Seriously? You and Epel? You guys don't look or act anything alike. |
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It's hard to put it into words. It's about wanting to change, but not being able to... Not knowing HOW to change yourself, and just kind of floundering. Ugh. Ace was right. I'm hopeless with this stuff. I'm bad at getting a point across. It's just so...frustrating. |
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Such frustrations are the bittersweet pain of youth, Monsieur Spade! |
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C'mon, what's the matter? Cheer up! |
| WHOA! |
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Rook? Kalim? You scared me! What are you doing here? |
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It's about time to get back to dance rehearsal, so we came to check up on you. |
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Are you feeling ready to return to the ballroom? |
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C-can I...really go back? |
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Huh? Of course you can. |
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Vil was right when he said I'm dead weight. I know that. I was chosen for the ensemble, and I'm trying my best. But I'm afraid it might not be enough... |
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Do not get ahead of yourself, Monsieur Spade. You are but a chick still inside your egg. Would you expect an unhatched chick to accurately gauge their own limits? Non. You will not attain a beautiful warble or plumage for flying while huddling within your shell. |
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Rook... |
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Don't worry. I've heard it loud and clear— I've heard all of you pecking, slow and steady, at the shells around you, striving to break out. Here's a bird fact for you, actually. Unhatched chicks have a hard, pointy, horn-like protrusion on the end of their beaks called an egg tooth. They use that to break their shell. That egg tooth fades away as the chick grows, though. |
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The point I am making is this: Ensnared as you are in the throes of hatching, each of you has an egg tooth that no one else possesses. You have power within you, somewhere. Speaking not only for myself, but for Vil: We're both waiting eagerly for all of you to break free and stand tall at long last. |
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A strength that only I possess, huh? Hm… ...... ...... Nope. I got nothin'. The best I can come up with is that I'm a little quick on my feet. I'm neither book smart or a clever thinker. I don't have much going for me at all, really... |
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Hey, Deuce? Maybe the problem is that you keep using your brain to try to work through these problems? |
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Huh? |
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If that's not really how you're wired, then why are you trying to force it? When I watch you, do you know what I see? I see someone trying to write with their non- dominant hand, then yelling, "Oh, I'm so bad at writing!" You're doing something you know you're bad at, then beating yourself up when it doesn't turn out well. Of course you won't see your strong points when you do things that way. |
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Heh heh heh. Kalim, your eyes are as clear as the sky after rain. Such candor. Such a pure luster. Truly, that is your strength, Roi Doré. |
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Hm? Was that a compliment? That's very kind of you, Rook! |
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Kalim is right, Deuce. Your true strength lies elsewhere. It's not about using your head. |
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Ain't that the truth? Every time you come up with a plan, it's a disaster waitin' to happen. Remember that time you tried to catch me by throwin' Ace, and you broke a billion-thaumark chandelier? |
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P-please, don't remind me. |
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I get that a lot too, you know. Jamil calls me thoughtless and oblivious all the time. But it also means that whenever I'm feeling down, a little food, rest, and dancing are all I need to purge whatever's bugging me from my mind. So it can also be a plus, in my view. Basically, um... I'm trying to say that something you see as a negative can actually be a positive. I'm not sure how to word it better. |
| A weakness can also be a strength, right? | He means try seeing things from another angle. |
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...! Oh. Ohhh. I get it! Thank you, Kalim. Rook. I think I understand things a little better now! |
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Really? Well, glad to hear it! |
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Um, may I ask a question? |
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Oui, by all means. We'll be happy to answer if we can. |
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There's something I need to borrow. |
| Oh? |
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| Chapter 37 | Book 5 • Chapter 38 | Chapter 39 |
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