Mmhmm.

[There's another sigh and then an amused sort of noise, between Natsuno's playing with his hair and the miming that he can't see but can definitely tell is some sort of strange funny motion -- Anon really can't tell which reaction to go with. But that's fine.

He's comfortable either way, and the touches themselves are soothing -- he could sleep, he thinks, or really throw himself into touching in return like he's been wanting to this whole time. The second one would win.

He takes a breath, fingers tightening a little against Natsuno's shoulder, and keeps going.]

The tournament was just the latest thing. It was stupid, but... I-- [he pauses, reorients a little bit, because there are so many things that it's hard to explain and sort through] I think what the clan was always after was to get their old standing and power back. They wanted to lead again. And they wanted to take the Celestial world like everyone was meaning to all those years ago.

"It's what we were meant to be."

[He murmurs it softly, like a long-ago lesson.]

When I was littler, I believed in it. Trust only the clan. Take revenge on the Celestials. Take everything back someday.

That's the path that I was always meant to walk.