the truth is, everyone wishes to be saved.

[finalring]

The execution has come and passed with the death of two more Agents. However time moves on without cease and so must the living. There are no celebrations, only the silence that grows heavier and heavier with every day and the feeling that something is pleased with what it has done.

There are two more days before the new week arrives: what will you do?

Comments

[reanimania]

[ Treading carefully is really not one of his skills, but he's sure going to try... ]

...I can't say I wasn't, a little. There would be value in seeing how a win plays out -- whether the Vessel actually gives what was promised, and if so, how. If it had come up with some loophole like only letting him go once everyone else was already dead, or if it had let him leave only for him to immediately be killed by whatever is outside... those would have been good things to know, to dissuade anyone from trusting in one of their offers again.

[golden_dream]

[She writes more:

"Even if it somehow worked perfectly, we couldn't do it... even if he somehow got back to the Foundation and they launched a rescue attempt. We'd be dead before they got here because all sense of order would fall apart because of the precedent.

Though even expecting that is probably... stupid."

She shows it to him, sighs more, then writes a little more:

"Do you still have that note I gave you?"]

[reanimania]

[ He hadn't had any real expectations of it working, but arguing for it as an information-gathering experiment probably isn't going to be well-received, so when she starts writing again, he cuts his losses and stays silent until she's done. ]

I do. I was going to ask if you wanted it back, or if you wanted me to hold onto it.

[ In case anything happens in the future... ]

[golden_dream]

[She nods. Then writes:

"Yeah. The instruction still applies. If I die, give it to Battler."]

[reanimania]

[ Another nod in return. ]

All right. Let's hope I don't end up having a reason to do that, but if it comes to that, I'll be sure to give it to him.

[ ...In a way, he's almost a little jealous of that. If he were to write any kind of message to Jade or Nephry, with no one else from his world even in the Foundation, there wouldn't be any chance of it ever reaching them. ]

[golden_dream]

...

[She writes:

"I can't guarantee if I'm not in that situation I won't write more, though... I thought for sure I would die... Maria was all I could think about..."]

[reanimania]

I mean, if you want to write something more extensive out in advance in preparation for a worst case scenario... I'll hold onto whatever papers you want me to.

[ specifically papers because he's not going to be left holding someone else's weapon or something ]

[golden_dream]

[She sighs, then writes further:

"No, I don't want to depress myself any more than I already have."

A quick flip, then she pulls it back to write more.

"We're going to have to change strategy."

'We', not even 'I', she wrote...]

[reanimania]

In what way?

[golden_dream]

[Writing:

"The hard-ass bitch routine is getting on people's nerves. I'm going to have to kowtow and play nice for a while... especially with Dazai. When I think of who must have voted for me, I'm sure he must've been one of them."]

[reanimania]

Well, he is pretty much the worst.

[ ...subjectively. ]

I do think that would be wise, though. Act nice and play up the pity angle while you can.

[golden_dream]

...

[A pensive little look.

She writes:

"You think so? Why? What'd he do to you?"]

[reanimania]

He lectured me for wanting to repair Olympia and talked me into letting go of her core, which obviously ended up fantastically, he made Yachi cry, he acts like he's always in the right during trials, and he hit me in the face with a pool cue!! And I'm sick of how popular he is in spite of everything.

[golden_dream]

...

[A deep breath, as she listens and takes that all in...

Finally, she writes:

"He... has... done some good investigation work... before this he had himself electrocuted... so he has as much right to the 'sympathy' card as I do.

But, the rest is valid. If some of his friends start dying, we'll have a little more leverage. As it is, we have to play nice with him.

It hurts, but it's better to let him throw himself around for a while. See who it bounces off of."]

[reanimania]

Well, I helped them figure out how to use Jack's healing technology on him after the electrocution thing, so we're already even there and I don't have to give him any more credit.

[ huff ]

I think he has already lost some friends, but...

[ He doesn't hate most of Dazai's friends, and he doesn't want someone nice like Yachi who he sees every day to die unnecessarily, even if her taste clearly sucks. ]

Well, whatever. I'll tolerate him, I just won't like it.

[ At least life with Peony gave him some practice in that department... ]

[golden_dream]

...

[She looks up, eyes sad, then reaches up to pat his hand, softly.]

...

[After a moment she writes her next message:

"I know. I'm sorry. I know how terrible it is to be nice to someone who torments you...

It's not fun. It won't be fun. But if it helps us live we have to do it."]

[reanimania]

[ Looking at 'nice to someone who torments you' in writing immediately makes him think of Peony again, obviously. But staring at those written words for long enough, the scene in his memory pans over to Jade, too -- next to Peony, not him -- which he hates and doesn't want to think about, and he immediately forces himself to stop thinking about it. ]

Yes, of course. I agree.

[golden_dream]

[She goes back to patting and stroking his hand then. As much for her benefit as his, since it was stirring terrible memories in her own head.]

[reanimania]

[ ...

He really misses the professor. ]

[golden_dream]

[She'll keep that up for a while... feeling dizzy even lying down.

Before finally letting go, writing her next message:

"It'll be fine. Trust me, Dr. Everything's going to be fine, in the end."]

[reanimania]

[ He snaps himself out of it when that hand moves away, sitting up a little straighter. ]

...Yes. Right.

[ He doesn't really believe that, but he's going to do his damnedest to make it so. ]

[golden_dream]

...

[Yeah, on second thought, she doesn't believe it either. She re-writes:

"Okay, things won't be fine. But we'll be careful and we will stay alive until next week."]