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WHO: Estelle, Joshua, and YOU?
WHERE: Outside the Bluobros house
WHEN: Julyish
WHAT: Building a better ~~mousetrap~~ chicken coop! In preparation for breeding more chickens, naturally.
WARNINGS: Probably not unless you bring them yourselves, u sinners.

[ If you hang around Bluo much, you’ve probably seen that one yard with the fence and the chickens (and chocobos) running around outside - but today, it’s bustling with activity of a different sort!

Joshua and Estelle are hard at work, surrounded by an assortment of lumber gathered from the more dilapidated buildings in town, and toiling away on a half-finished...something? It looks rather like it could be a chicken coop, if you’re familiar with what those look like, but it’s definitely got room for more than the five that are helpfully wandering around the yard and in and out of the way.

It’s coming along well! Mostly. ]

Estelle...you realize you’ve got that board upside-down, right?

....It has sides?

[She turns the board this way and that, frowning slightly as she examines it.

Things are definitely Going at least. At least this particular project doesn’t involve glue.]

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I...

[ Good...question. ]

Becoming bracers was always Estelle's idea first, so I used to just figure I'd follow her to wherever. But...I think I do enjoy it.

[ It actually leaves him with a good feeling at the end of the day, which is a lot more than can be said about his previous occupation? ]

Mm... that's good to hear.

[Honestly!]

So long as you're happy doing it, I don't think there's anything wrong with accepting someone else's dream as your own, too.

You think so?

[ It's honestly a bit relieving to hear. Cassius had made a point, back in his first days living with the Brights, that he was welcome to stay, but it was a choice he'd have to make for himself. And he'd agonized over it, because even that one simple decision was more than he'd thought he would ever have to decide for himself again.

If Estelle weren't around, he has no idea what he'd wind up doing with himself, and he's pretty sure most people would call that a bad thing. ]

Of course.

[Minato's quiet for a moment, focused on hammering out nails, straightening them neatly--

And then, peacefully:]

We can't be anyone if we live completely in isolation. By being around people... we influence them and change them. That doesn't mean it's not still your dream too, just because Estelle-san is the one who convinced you to give it a try.

...I guess that does make sense.

[ It only feels like he's not exercising his human ability to make his own choices if he comes at it from a different angle. When Minato puts it like that, it sounds a lot more...normal?

Normal. Not exactly a word he thinks can really apply to much about him. ]

[You gotta look on the bright side of things, Josh... not everything is a brainwashing plot!!]

I'm glad you're both so happy together. It's honestly really nice to see.

[ Mindblowing!! ]

I can't imagine going back to life without her, now. She saved me in every way it's possible to be saved.

[Josh... is so cute.]

... Good.

[Honestly.]

And I bet you've done more for her, too, than you've even realized.

She'd get along okay without me, which is a lot more than you can say about the reverse.

[ Don't smile when you diss yourself, Josh. ]

... If that's what you really think... then I think you need to take another really close look at what you do for her, too.

[Josh, please.]

We can't live together, after all, without touching each other's lives in some way.

[ Minato, denied.

But he does look surprised at that, and the gears...seem to be turning back there? He sure doesn't feel like he does nearly as much, but he's at least trying to wrap his mind around it. ]

[He'll take that. Thinking about it is much better than nothing.

And so, contentedly, Minato just dumps the pile of straightened out nails by Joshua and nods.]

There... hopefully that'll help. I think I need to get going [He's always got someone or something or other to check on, but--] but I'm glad we could chat today.

Yeah. Thanks, Minato.

[ For the nails? For the brain food? Take it as you will. ]