sorrowful blade of the softly-falling rain ([personal profile] softlyfalling) wrote2019-02-12 07:23 pm

Re: day 190, to Shrike and Cardigan

[personal profile] worthathousand 2019-12-31 11:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Demeter: I do not know precisely what John has learned, though I have a reasonable guess. But he is demanding I meet him in his clinic and submit my weapons to him.

[personal profile] deicider 2019-12-31 11:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Cardigan: Is he in his right mind??

[personal profile] worthathousand 2019-12-31 11:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Demeter: His memories are back, if that is what you mean. But their return has done little to improve what was lost during the cards game.
Demeter: Regardless, I know that I cannot rely on him to respect me when he is like this. Perhaps I never could have relied upon such a thing at all.
Demeter: May I leave my naginata and staff with avante?

[personal profile] worthathousand 2019-12-31 11:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Demeter: Most likely. It is the only information I made any effort to hide. Of course, he says nothing of this, and demands obedience.

[personal profile] deicider 2020-01-01 12:14 am (UTC)(link)
Cardigan: You dueled someone and I missed it?!

[personal profile] worthathousand 2020-01-01 01:18 am (UTC)(link)
Demeter: I'm sorry, Cardigan, I meant to tell you about it much sooner. The idea was poorly informed, and I had yet to fully decide what I most desired to do, going forward.

Demeter is typing . . .
Demeter is typing . . .
Demeter is typing . . .


Demeter: I believed that ZRAEL targeted LiliS because of what I believed should be done about Eclipse's murderers. If they wanted me dead for such a thing, and would take such an underhanded route as targeting us using a game, I decided a duel to the death would be sufficient to resolve things. Requiem herself was, I learned only later, in no emotional place to correct me. Fortunately, her ambivalence was all too apparent in her combat, and I got the truth from her before killing her.
Demeter: Cobalt and Leviathan both agreed to assist so that the quarrel need never leave the space of our temporary battleground, but who can say whether that, or my choice to end things before either of us was truly hurt, has had any impact on John's opinion—or indeed if he even knows anything beyond my being a "brutal" woman who has behaved in a way he will fit to his worst expectations.

Demeter: And no, Shrike, we have never gotten along, if it were not already obvious from what I have said. But I believed we were friends, despite all of that.
Edited 2020-01-01 01:20 (UTC)

[personal profile] deicider 2020-01-01 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
Cardigan: Did she confirm whether that was ZRAEL's reasoning?

[personal profile] worthathousand 2020-01-01 01:35 am (UTC)(link)
Demeter: She seemed to, when I insisted on it. But she was only telling me what she thought I needed to hear, for fear that I would think her a coward if she gave me reason not to fight her.

Demeter: In truth, I do not think either of us is doing very well right now. I am glad that I did not truly go through with the final strike.

Demeter is typing . . .


[ but the typing notification goes away ]

[personal profile] deicider 2020-01-01 05:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Cardigan: Me, too. I don't know what Req was thinking, leading you on instead of being straightforward.

Cardigan: You know you can stay at Avante too.

[personal profile] worthathousand 2020-01-01 10:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Demeter: I should speak with her soon—Requiem, that is. Knowing her, she will have wanted space from me, but perhaps a week is long enough.
Demeter: And thank you, Cardigan. I hope it does not come to that, but if this is who John is once he finally decides to take some damned responsibility for the unit, then he is no longer someone whose presence I can bear. I will be talking to him about this, just as soon as I've entrusted you both with my weapons.

[personal profile] worthathousand 2020-01-01 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Demeter: In that case, you can expect me at avante's dorm shortly. I owe both of you my deepest gratitude, and will endeavor to keep you updated on the situation.

[personal profile] deicider 2020-01-03 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Cardigan: Be careful around ZRAEL's dorm, Maki's pissed. I talked to her a bit; I'll give you the details when you come over.

[personal profile] worthathousand 2020-01-04 02:22 am (UTC)(link)
Demeter: I've already spoken with Maki, so her feelings are, for better or worse, no surprise to me. With that said, I truly believed we had at least reached some level of mutual understanding. How unfortunately typical at is for me to be mistaken on that front once again.
Demeter: In any event, you can expect me shortly.
worthathousand: (❦ would it be enough to live on)

[personal profile] worthathousand 2020-01-04 02:24 am (UTC)(link)
[ —And indeed, there's a short, deliberate knock on avante's door about five minutes later.

Outside, Amaranth is standing, naginata sheathed on her back, mouth set in something approximating a smile, though she doesn't look the least bit happy. ]
worthathousand: (❦ and the more often you learn to do it)

[personal profile] worthathousand 2020-01-04 05:29 am (UTC)(link)
[ a dip of a bow—a touch more formal than normal—before she steps inside and accepts the tea ]

Thank you, Shrike.
deicider: (RC5K6KB)

[personal profile] deicider 2020-01-06 06:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[Cardigan's not far behind Shrike, deftly stepping in to Amaranth's space so as not to jostle her tea when they lean up to kiss her briefly.]

No need to be so formal.
worthathousand: (and made it sing ❦)

[personal profile] worthathousand 2020-01-06 11:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[ she cups Cardigan's cheek a moment as they lean in, then offers them both a smile—though it's a little strained and thin ]

You're both doing me a service, and I'm grateful for it.
Avante has been as a second family to me in many ways, and this...

Well, it feels a bit like another part of that.

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[personal profile] deicider - 2020-01-07 15:02 (UTC) - Expand

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[personal profile] worthathousand - 2020-01-08 05:24 (UTC) - Expand