@achancetobehappy asked: Legs dangling over the building's edge, the blonde hedgehog has her hands neatly folded in her lap, staring out at the streets below, looking a little lost in thought. Her voice is soft, like the wind, but there is a somberness to it. " It's a long and.. complicated story. But I used to be someone.. completely different than I am now. In order for me to even survive, I had to change... " It's always difficult, talking about this. She could count on one hand the number of people who understood this feeling that she could safely confide in. She glances down at her folded hands, absently twiddling her thumbs. " ...There are days where sometimes, I'm not even sure who I am anymore. If I'm still that same person underneath it all, or if I'm just.. a copy. "
The speedster next to Maria listens to her answer, feet dangling alongside hers as his hands rest on the building's ledge. The initially curious look starts to grow more... concerned? Sympathetic? Regardless, he's starting to feel things he didn't expect when he asked about her background.
Change to survive... just a copy....
"...look, I... here's my two cents. First off, never regret changing to survive. Changing so you can keep goin' is always better than doing nothing and... not." Just tell her what you tell yourself. At least this part you're certain about....
As for that other comment... that's a can of worms for them isn't it? How the fuck is he supposed to help someone out with that question when he's barely figured it out himself? His fingers rap against the ledge, the awkward pause weighing heavy on Scourge as they try to figure out what to say.
Tentatively, trying to be reassuring but unsure of how to be, not used to the way making the gesture feels, he awkwardly puts a hand on Maria's shoulder. A gesture which is as much intended to be comforting to her as to give him the feeling that he's someone capable of providing comfort.
"...as for who you are, you get to decide that, y'know? I dunno who're supposed to be a copy of, if you even are one, but... whatever's telling ya you're less-than can shove it. You're alive and you can do all kinds of cool stuff. What matters more than being the original or whatever is not wasting the potential you got."
It was... improvised. Poorly, maybe, but it was the best he could do to provide something, digging past the specifics of his own insecurities and fixations on the subject to try and reach some core truth that kept him going. Did he really live by this advice he was giving her? Should he?
