(no subject)

[rollplayinghouse]

Who: Maki + whoever
Where: Approaching the hotel + lobby
When: Day 146 evening

[Maki has been missing for around a day when she reappears, walking up to the hotel looking a little pale, but otherwise not much the worse for wear.

Some people may have gotten some texts to let them know she's back.]

Comments

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[Guess who's waiting in the lobby for her after getting her text. He is missing his robot arm and has bandages around where his robot eye used to be, but otherwise he looks like his normal grumpy self.]

[rollplayinghouse]

[She approaches him immediately, but doesn't look at all surprised to see his arm and eye missing. She just says:]

We should talk inside.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Your place or mine?

[rollplayinghouse]

[blinks]

...Either way. Yours is fine.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[Guess we are going to FiN then. He takes a seat on one of the cube chairs and then kicks out one for her as well]

[rollplayinghouse]

[She also takes a seat, composed and neutral.]

I'm sure you gathered I killed myself. I needed a place to do it where I wouldn't be found by anyone well-meaning unless you all got back... that's why I picked King's spot. People would have looked for me in your office.

It seems like I just missed you, though. I got to "Lady Death" right after you left.

...She told me some of what happened. And showed me the state you were all in when she found you.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[The fact that her antidote bottle is on the common room table is also a good indicator of that. Even if King was the one who went and retrieved it.]

Yes, of course that was the reason.

...

Well, I don't have much to say in my defense. That's what happens when you get zapped by 10,000 volts of electricity.

Though I did get to keep my head because I wasn't stupid enough to attack the fallen angel.

[rollplayinghouse]

Mm.

...Why didn't you tell me you were going?

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

...

Did Man Eater not talk to you?

[rollplayinghouse]

He told me about the text you sent him after we got back here and you were all missing.

Before then, all I knew was that you and King's group were gone and none of you had said anything to me. King's memories were clearly messed with the last time I talked to him, so maybe the same could have happened to you. Plus, what does Asshole's vacation house have to do with what you all eventually ended up doing?

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

The message I sent Man Eater explained our end goal and what I thought at the time was the worst case scenario.

They were looking for information on how to get to the House of Mirth.

[rollplayinghouse]

And you didn't even feel the need to tell me that much? Or give me a heads up you were going on a stupid mission to infiltrate the Prince of Lies' house?

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

But I did tell you. I knew that if I sent it to Man Eater, he would talk to you. You both approached me about this mission, remember? And I couldn't send you the message because you wouldn't have understood it!

...

Is this really what you're upset about? That I didn't specifically send you a message.

It would have been as worthless as the message about "meet me in King's secret spot." What if I hadn't come back with King? Then what was I supposed to do?

[rollplayinghouse]

Texting Man Eater a coded message about what you were looking for and assuming he'll talk to me about it if something goes wrong isn't the same as giving me a heads-up on what you're doing ahead of time. I could have gone with you. I should have gone with you.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

And what die horribly?

Looks like you got the same experience as us anyway. Minus the 10,000 volts.

[rollplayinghouse]

So I had to stay behind because it was too dangerous? Is that what you're telling me? I thought 'damsel who waits at home' wasn't a good look on me.

Are you going to argue that it wouldn't have been a good idea to bring along someone else who hadn't had their head messed with, wasn't going to be an idiot about saving an idiot angel, and was an assassin with plenty of infiltration expertise?

Or is it still that you don't trust me?

...If you'd told me you didn't think it was a good idea for me to come, I'd have let you go without me. But you didn't even tell me what was happening. Just, suddenly you were all missing, and I had no idea why or what danger you might be in.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

So the answer to my previous question is yes. It has to be sent to you specifically because even if it gets to you, it doesn't count if it's from a third party.

Duly noted.

...

Your painting this out to be that I was specifically excluding you. As if I was trying to do this to specifically to hurt you. When the fact of the matter is, I thought going after her penthouse was stupid, too - but I only had one choice and limited time. Go with them or get left behind. And since 3 out of 5 of them were mind-fucked, I tried to follow so that I could be the getaway driver. I tried to protect them.

But I obviously spectacularly failed at that.

So yes. I fucked up.

There.

Are you happy now?

[rollplayinghouse]

It's not about it being a third party or not. It's a matter of knowing what's going on before it's too late to help and all I can do is panic and wonder what happened. You don't think I would have felt exactly the same way you did? Wanted to protect them, and you?

But you didn't even give me the chance. Of course I'm not happy.

[her eyes slide away]

...There's one more thing. But only you can hear it. Can we go to your lab, or your room?

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[Huffs and opens the door to his lab]

Fine.

[Though there are chunks of it missing since B ransacked the place like a good head of PR]

[rollplayinghouse]

...

[Once the door closes behind them:]

Your debt to her is less, now.

1/2

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[......?????]

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

What is that supposed to mean?

[rollplayinghouse]

It means what it means. You owe her less. She promised me, so don't let her still ask for any indefinite favor.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

So now we're both indebted to her?

[rollplayinghouse]

Not exactly. She didn't ask me for a future favor.

I can't tell anyone about the deal we made... letting you, and only you, know that your burden is lighter is the only concession she made. But the terms were clear, and it's not anything I was reluctant to do.