AUDIENCE FOR: Lup

[guestservices]

mostly void, partially stars.

❤

Comments

[evocationary]

Ahhh, bud, I don't know what happened to my conscience.

[she laughs a little.]

I want to be a good person, but if Harrow killed someone? Molly, Cloud, even Jason. I'd cover for them. That wouldn't be the right thing to do, but I would.

[guestservices]

[there's a long moment of silence where they just walk and don't reply at all.]

...as I said. It depends on what the right thing really is in those cases. It would depend on why they killed, what caused them to act, a number of factors that could change everything.

[evocationary]

[she smiles, but it's pretty humorless.]

Yeah? But what about the truth? Isn't that what matters the most?

[guestservices]

It matters a great deal, yes, but the truth isn't always nice, Lup. You know that as well as I do.

[evocationary]

[she's silent for a moment, pulling her hand out of her pocket. she holds it in front of her, looking it over - there's cracks, red and glowing, all across her arm. her nails are painted blue. chipped, but blue.]

No. It isn't. [she says, flatly.] The truth was, if our contracts aren't lying to us - last week, Clementine was safe, no matter what happened to her, and Cloud wasn't. So I voted for her.

This week, the truth was that of all the people that were on the chopping block, I felt the least bad about Bucky. So. Without the right answer? I picked him.

[guestservices]

[they're also kind of looking at her arm quietly. the nails. the lava. everything.]

...Mister Barnes wasn't entirely making a good case for himself either. His disagreeable nature was doing him no favors. [. . .] Of course a person should strive to find the truth, but in the end if it's impossible, perhaps all that can be done is find a truth they can live with.

[evocationary]

The questions he was asking earlier are exactly the type of questions I hated when I was in your position, so uh. You're right. He isn't doing himself any favors.

[sigh.]

This isn't really a truth I want to live with. Think there's a way to fix it, eventually? Or are we screwed?

[guestservices]

Agitating. That's what it was. [sigh.]

...but I don't know. For now, all we can do is proceed with living with it and try to move ahead. I can't say for sure what will happen, but...you do still have your contract to fulfill. That's the most important thing.

[evocationary]

[she puts her hands in her pockets.]

Yeah, yeah. The contract. [she says this dismissively.] Whatever.

[guestservices]

No, not whatever. I want you to be able to fulfill the terms and succeed.

[evocationary]

Well, I would like that too, but I'm kind of at the whims of the hotel, aren't I?

[guestservices]

[silence.]

...what is it that you're most worried about now?

[evocationary]

[she tilts her head back.]

Dying, I guess. [...] I don't want to leave people behind again.

[guestservices]

...it's a bit of a scary thought, isn't it? Not having as much time as you thought you would, leaving people behind when all you wish to do is save them. [it's understandable, they think, for someone like her.]

The most you can do is protect yourself. And the assurance that if you did ever decide to take action, your brother would be safe.

[evocationary]

[she seems - very uncomfortable.]

Do you think I should? Take... take action.

[guestservices]

[....mm.]

I can't tell you what to do. And I'm not going to tell you what I think you should do, because I'm not the one who would have to live with whatever choice you make. What are your thoughts?

[evocationary]

I don't want to. [she says, voice just the slightest unsteady. she looks away.]

[guestservices]

[...]

That's your choice then. And all you can do is live with it.

[they don't seem to necessarily think it's a bad choice? they're mostly working on staying neutral about it.]

[evocationary]

[she nods a little...]

All I can do is live with it. [she mutters.] Well. That's all I do with any of my choices.

[guestservices]

[. . .]

...perhaps we should talk about something else.

[evocationary]

Sure. [her hair is slowly turning to lava, though.]

I don't know what.

[guestservices]

[NO NOT THE LAVA.]

...something better. Fleeting though it may be, there must be something that's made you happy recently.

[evocationary]

[wilts slowly to death (no)]

... I guess the little party game thing we did Wednesday did.

[guestservices]

Yeah? Did you enjoy yourself? Tell me about it.

[evocationary]

I got drunk. [she says, vaguely amused.]

I chased people around. Aikawa and I were dumbasses for a bit. I got kissed by a couple boys? Oh, and I told Sebsastian some embarrassing stories about Miles.