newlydead r2 - day 13 - june

[jinglebros]

[ Late at night, Santa is fidgeting and upset and angry in his hospital bed. He's picking off most the blankets and thrown all his pillows. He's so upset and angry that his face is blotched red. He wants June is who he wants, but he doesn't see her. So he keeps glancing at the door to see if she'll come back, he's ready to send someone for her soon, but maybe she'll come back soon. He fucking hopes. He needs her. ]

Comments

[exequte]

[She looks back up at him, and there's something cold about her now.]

If she was going to betray us, why do you care?

[jinglebros]

Because...

[ He covers his face. ]

Because I don't want to watch another mother die.

[exequte]

If she was planning to murder me, I don't think she was one.

[jinglebros]

[ He just keeps his face covered and says nothing. ]

[exequte]

That only makes what she's doing worse, right? If she pretended so that you'd want to save her regardless of anything else, so that she could betray you more effectively?

[jinglebros]

No, she didn't pretend! She just happened to decide that she thought better than me on something.That's what it was. Isn't that what all parents do?

It just usually doesn't lead to fucking murder.

[exequte]

Oh.

[Her lips feel numb with cold now. Her face becomes quite flat, and she turns a little away.]

So it's not you she doesn't like, it's me.

Fine. I'll vote for her. And then I never want to hear about her again.

[jinglebros]

[ he stares at her. ]

Do you really want to do this?

I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want. Not even for votes.

[exequte]

[Her voice is as flat as her face. She feels so cold....]

If she's doing this because she thinks it's better for you, it's because she thinks I'm bad for you. That would mean she's trying to protect you. From me. That also means she does still care about you. I don't want you to watch someone you love, who was trying to protect you, get murdered.

[jinglebros]

[ He takes in a ragged breath and drops his hand into his lap, staring down at it. ]

She knows about the stabbing, Akane. She knows why it happened and whose idea it was in the first place.

[exequte]

Mmm, that makes sense.

All right. I'll keep you out of my plans going forward, if you want me to.

[She was trying to protect him too, even (especially?) with this latest plan, but she doesn't say that. If he doesn't know it already then her saying so isn't going to convince him, and she doesn't want to waste her breath. More than that, maybe, she doesn't want to know if he doesn't.]

[jinglebros]

I'd rather know about them, thanks.

[exequte]

That's not what I meant.

I'll keep you uninvolved.

[jinglebros]

[ He nods and keeps looking down at his lap. ]

Thanks.

[exequte]

All right.

Is there anything else?

[jinglebros]

...no. There's not.

[exequte]

All right.

I hope you feel better soon.

[She sounds very cold still, almost mechanical, and doesn't quite look at him. She hasn't quite been looking at him for a long time.

She pushes herself to her feet with a sort of mindlessness.]

I need to go cast my vote, then.

[And she turns around and leaves.]