Entertaining a Small Thought

3rd Arc Part 25: Too Little Too Late

"Rin? What do you mean?" Keebo asked.

"Angie told me something before." I began.

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"Y'know, these past few days have been a first for me."

"A first?"

"I've never had people yell at me before now," Angie told me. "Cause...on my island, I'm considered an oracle by the people, so they never yell at me and they always listen to me." Her expression then became one of confliction as she gave a weak smile. "But here, people get angry with the things I do. It's...comforting, in a way."

"Really?"

"Yes. If I had to explain it, it makes me feel like I'm talking to real people." Angie told me. "I love the people on my island, but sometimes, it feels like they only listen to me because I can hear Atua's voice. Like the only reason they care is because of Atua." Angie quickly gave a smile, but this one seemed a bit more strained.

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"People on her island never treated her the same as any other person. They treated her just as a prophet that allowed them to talk to and gain wisdom from their god, Atua. they never cared about Angie herself." I explained. "All they cared about was what the stuff Atua did with her, and that must have included her art."

"Angie...did say that her art was made by Atua, who was just using her body to make it," Kaede added.

"Exactly. People must have only seen her as the middleman for Atua. everything she did, everything she was... None of it mattered to her people. All that mattered was Atua." I said sadly.

"So when she was given the FA that she wasn't able to make any more art, that cut off her main way of being connected with Atua." Rantaro summarized.

"And that caused her to lose her sense of self... Her sense of purpose." Maki finished with a sigh. "So that's why she resorted to this."

"So...that's why..." Himiko muttered. "That's what she meant back then..."

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"Angie...what did you do!?" Ryoma shouted as he stared at the artist. She was standing over Rin's avatar, shovel in hand. She was looking back at Ryoma with a face that could only be described as confused and terrified.

"R-Ryoma...? Why...are you here...?" She asked in a soft, broken voice as she held the shovel in her hands close to her chest.

"I saw you from the roof, and I followed you here. You were supposed to be investigating the main hall of the mansion, so why are you here!? Why did you attack Rin!? Did you...kill him!?"

"I..." Angie didn't respond as she looked at her hands that were holding the shovel. "...I had no choice..."

"No choice? Are you talking about the motive?" Ryoma asked in a pant. For some reason, he had started taking breaths that were deeper than before.

"There was no other way." Angie continued as she started to shake a little. "If I didn't do this...what would be left of me. All that I am is being taken away. No one wants me for me. They only want me for Atua and all He can bring. Atua is perfect, as any God should be, and I love him just like everyone else on my island, but I'm not like Him. I'm not perfect like Him. People don't love me like they do Atua. If I can't hear His voice...if I can't be used as His tool for creating art and delivering divine messages...then what good am I?"

"What are you talking about? No one here cares if you can talk to Atua or not." Ryoma chided. "Why would you even think that? Isn't Himiko your friend? Isn't Tenko? Rin? All of us?" Angie then looked back up to Ryoma with the angriest face she's ever had.