[And there's the backhanded, passively cutting way of expressing himself. Not to mention the flickering shadow aura.
Atem wonders, a little bit: will Ryou try to take his soul, if he pushes too hard? Will Ryou lose his temper, then feel terrible about it later? If Ryou felt bad about nearly eating the Ring-Spirit...what would an attack in these circumstances do?
(Because what matters is how Ryou feels, not the number of lives Atem's got left. He's got at least one, it's fine.)
He swallows how he's feeling.]
I know you are. I know this is difficult.
[Atem can't make Ryou do what he thinks is best. Ryou's got to decide how to handle this on his own -- whether drinking the whole case of water on his own is better than leaving home to get outside help.
Just like how Atem decided sneaking a contraband-corpse into the 38-8 was better than letting Ryou revive in Fog-Dyster. It may have been the right choice, it may not have. There may have been no right choices at all, just like there aren't with Yugi, next door, hungrier every day. There's just decisions, and consequences.
(He should be better. What is he, if he can't help his people?)
He remembers lessons, sometimes unpleasant, sometimes at the end of a switch, in rooms lit by torches and pale pre-dawn light. Listen, don't speak.]
cw mention of corporal punishment in a school setting & self-sacrificing behavior, heck
Atem wonders, a little bit: will Ryou try to take his soul, if he pushes too hard? Will Ryou lose his temper, then feel terrible about it later? If Ryou felt bad about nearly eating the Ring-Spirit...what would an attack in these circumstances do?
(Because what matters is how Ryou feels, not the number of lives Atem's got left. He's got at least one, it's fine.)
He swallows how he's feeling.]
I know you are. I know this is difficult.
[Atem can't make Ryou do what he thinks is best. Ryou's got to decide how to handle this on his own -- whether drinking the whole case of water on his own is better than leaving home to get outside help.
Just like how Atem decided sneaking a contraband-corpse into the 38-8 was better than letting Ryou revive in Fog-Dyster. It may have been the right choice, it may not have. There may have been no right choices at all, just like there aren't with Yugi, next door, hungrier every day. There's just decisions, and consequences.
(He should be better. What is he, if he can't help his people?)
He remembers lessons, sometimes unpleasant, sometimes at the end of a switch, in rooms lit by torches and pale pre-dawn light. Listen, don't speak.]
What can I do?