softlyfalling | inbox;

[Narrows her eyes briefly before she smooths the expression away, hopping over the back of the chair to saunter over to Shrike.]

Oh, it's you. It's my day off from all my evil plotting, so you can report back to your little Taisho friend that she won't be needed to save anyone from me tonight.

I...

...you know I didn't ask her for that or want her to do that, right? I don't even know why she cares that much.

Hah. That makes two of us.

But yeah, sure, I should've guessed, what with how you totally jumped to my defence and everything. I mean––is that how you were planning to "protect" me, too? Stand there stupidly doing nothing?

...

...would you have accepted my defense of your character?

No, it was fun when she tried to walk all over me.

[Obviously sarcasm.]

What, would you have wanted me to duel her for your honor?

[ —wait maybe she shouldn't have put that idea out into the world but

too late. ]

[Looks actually taken aback for a moment, then her tail starts swishing. Congrats, looks like Shrike caught her interest.]

What, like, fight her?

I.

I guess?

Cool. Let's do it.

[:)!!!]

[ well. she did this to herself. ]

Fuck, well, I guess we're doing this.

Do you have terms?

[DOUBT.]

No killing, obviously. I mean, how's it supposed to work? You go 'til someone taps out or can't fight any more, right?

The bigger question is, what are you gonna do if she says no?

I'll confess I absolutely did not think that far. I don't really have any kind of leverage.

[Scoffs lightly, crossing her arms and letting her tail twitch in agitation. ]

You have to think that way with this girl. She already made one play at screwing with us, what makes you think she won’t do it again? So she’ll probably be a coward and call your bluff, saying she won’t fight and knowing you’ll back off and nothing will happen.

[ "us"

????

???????????? ]

I don't, ah—I mean, I can't just attack her anyway.

Uh huh.

If she won’t fight, we don’t have to hurt her. We can just tie her up and have a chat. Think you can handle that, or will you just let her walk all over you again?

...have a chat.

[ she sounds mildly dubious but, well, she's still rolling with this despite the fact that she could win an award for "most times walked over in a conversation lifetime achievement." ]

A chat about what?

[By both Kohime and Kaguya, really, when you think about it. There there.]

You really need me to tell you?

. . .Must be nice, huh, to be on a unit people actually think don't deserve their deaths. Let me ask you––what do you think would happen, if another unit took out Alcheme outside of a game? Or Pep? People would freak out, right?

So what about BARITONES? I'll help you out, since you seem to be having trouble working through this yourself. No one would care. If it's us, they all think that's fine, because we deserve it.

[She affects a calm, nonchalant tone, like they're talking about the weather or what they had for breakfast yesterday, but there's still bitterness pretty clearly bleeding through.]

........is that why you wanted someone contracted to protect you outside of games? You think someone would, and no one would do anything about it?

[ she doesn't sound incredulous, just—deeply concerned? ]

I... you wouldn't have to ask, in a circumstance like that. Maybe we don't know each other well, but no one deserves that. I don't think avante as a whole would let that stand, either.

[Immediately folds her ears back, lashing her tail a little as she stiffens and leans back a little, like Shrike just somehow became physically imposing???]

Cute. But we're getting a little off-topic.

Way back –– like, before you were ever here –– they stuck us with this crazy girl who thought it'd be a great idea to go randomly kill that "Shoes" idiot that never shuts up over on Taisho. He's got some kind of feud with Eichi from their home world, too, I don't know what that's about.

[She starts counting off on her fingers as she goes through other members of Taisho other than Shu, pacing a little as she does it.]

One of their guys didn't even hesitate and murdered me in that game.
And apparently is totally fine with it.

Another wanted to do it outside of the games, because I ran a Live in the lobby.

A third just kept making weird cryptic comments and said that whole killing-me-in-the-game thing was something BARiTONES owed them––

[And she stops the pacing here, turning to face Shrike again, though she's managed to put a little distance between them now.]

Which brings us to your little friend, who I don't even know but somehow has some hangup on me or BARiTONES or both, and I'm wondering why it's so offensive to ask for that kind of deal, so important that Taisho has to be an exception in a contract about protection.

So, yeah, I think someone would, and they should know we're ready to protect ourselves if they decide to actually act on whatever stupid ideas are bouncing around in their heads.

[She doesn't say "because no one else will", that part is pretty much obvious, and Shrike already pointed it out anyway.]

I think I... vaguely remember that, actually, but I'd been a person for less than a week, then, so I was a bit preoccupied and also terrified of everything, so I didn't really... remember how that happened, at all.

...so it's Taisho, specifically, that you're worried about. Wouldn't it be, um. Less than convincing to tie one of them up, though? Not that I don't think it sounds like a problem, but they all seem, ah. Kind of stubborn.

Edited 2019-10-17 03:36 (UTC)

Oh, were you around that long? Guess you just weren't that noticeable.

[Pauses, and flicks an ear, taking up her casual, dismissive tone again.]

I'm not worried, none of you creeps scare me, I'm just keeping an eye on Taisho for now. But, tell me, what's your brilliant plan, if you don't like mine?

Mm, I'm really not very noticeable at all.

[ she doesn't seem very bothered by the idea at all. ]

I guess it depends on what you want them to do, when all's said and done? I'm assuming it's not to change their opinion of you, since... you don't seem like the sort to want that.

I'm not about to let them think they can walk all over us.

So, ah... threatening them, then?

Pretty sure I already told you what I wanted to do? I mean –– half of it was even your idea!

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