[ his eyes follow the soot upwards, briefly, but they come back down - another little shake of his head follows, and this time, he smiles a little, half apologetic, a little rueful. ]
Just...reminiscing, that's all. [ ... ] The date turned out to be different than I thought it might've been.
Since a human - a monster [ the benefit of having already been in a murdergame is understanding now that humans are not usually monsters ] - attacked my home, a place called Halia.
[ he glances over at kate again, at the soot rising from her head. she's... a bit strange looking, but she's young, and it tugs his heartstrings, enough that he huffs quietly and offers a small, rueful smile. ]
A bit of a strange topic for first meetings and first days, in the midst of a strange situation, I'm sure - I didn't mean to frighten or worry you.
[ he huffs - the noise soft, a wry almost laugh. ]
I've a feeling that's going to be the norm. [ a lack of processing time, if his prior experience was any indicator. ] As it sounds like it has been, really.
...you had to go through a situation like this before, as well, right?
Down to its core, yeah. Some're longer, some shorter, some more than once, but it sounds as if they've all been nightmares.
[ which makes the whole "audit" thing feel even worse. he frowns, deep. ]
To go through all of that, only for some outside force to tell you they think they're not sure you deserve whatever you achieved from it - it's wrong beyond measure.
[ there's something low and seething on his end as he says it, a ferocity of protectiveness, a rankled sensation at the injustice of it all. in the context of the burning of halia, seven years to the day, it feels even more stark. ]
If we're forced to play along, I've no intention of playing along quietly - we all get out of this, and break it down in our wake on the way out.
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... I'm fine. You're the one who was making an intense face just now...
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Just...reminiscing, that's all. [ ... ] The date turned out to be different than I thought it might've been.
...Thanks. For asking.
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[ she takes out her phone to look at it, too. she taps at the touchscreen very delicately, like she has no idea what she's doing. ]
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...yeah. When I left, it was October. And today's... [ he glances down at the screen again, and after a moment of quiet: ] ...an anniversary.
Suppose now it would be eight years, to the day.
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[ asking softly. she can tell it's something painful. ]
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[ he glances over at kate again, at the soot rising from her head. she's... a bit strange looking, but she's young, and it tugs his heartstrings, enough that he huffs quietly and offers a small, rueful smile. ]
A bit of a strange topic for first meetings and first days, in the midst of a strange situation, I'm sure - I didn't mean to frighten or worry you.
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... It's all right. That sort of experience leaves scars that don't heal easily.
It's a bit unfair that we don't get much time to process such things, at times like this.
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I've a feeling that's going to be the norm. [ a lack of processing time, if his prior experience was any indicator. ] As it sounds like it has been, really.
...you had to go through a situation like this before, as well, right?
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Yes.
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...'m sorry to hear it. [ she's so young, he thinks. ] Worse still, that you got dragged into it again.
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... It's awful. But it's the same for everyone here, isn't it?
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[ which makes the whole "audit" thing feel even worse. he frowns, deep. ]
To go through all of that, only for some outside force to tell you they think they're not sure you deserve whatever you achieved from it - it's wrong beyond measure.
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[ the smoke thickens. ]
I saw how hard everyone was working... -- no, that's not even the point. No one should have to earn the right to live. The very idea is absurd.
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[ there's something low and seething on his end as he says it, a ferocity of protectiveness, a rankled sensation at the injustice of it all. in the context of the burning of halia, seven years to the day, it feels even more stark. ]
If we're forced to play along, I've no intention of playing along quietly - we all get out of this, and break it down in our wake on the way out.
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