whiterosefoes | ☄ ATTACK OF THE FILLER

I was too hungry to bother with it.

[He licks his lips, the picture of serenity. It was more like he'd been too miserable to care, he guesses, but really, it didn't matter. Though he wouldn't have noticed it, lately he's been finding himself caring less about mundane things. It isn't even Malik at fault. Maybe it's the anticipation of what's to come, his latest plan, the Ultimate Dark Game... or maybe it's just that Ryou will do all the boring crap for him, since it gets him in control.]

Funny, I thought I was pretty clear! You were the one who put in all that training with him, weren't you?

[He teases her ruthlessly, all trace of that retrospective mood utterly gone in favour of just tormenting her.]

But you were partners before I even met you two, that had to count for something!

[Ugh. His teasing is more annoying than the actual subject matter. After all, this is something she came to terms with a long time ago.]

It's true, I did. At the time, figured if he used it to do something I didn't approve of, I'd stop him.

[At this point, he might expect a long-suffering sigh from her, but she's silent instead. Just a bite of potato off her fork.]

... I don't really care about that now, though. I suppose I'll let it slide. All I want is for him to keep going.

Heh. I guess that's true enough! Though at the time, I wasn't taking any of it seriously!

[Her couch is pretty comfortable, and he wriggles down into it a bit. The reply he's gotten is rather surprising, actually. She seems pretty okay with Malik destroying a world. He wonders if it's the same as him. Out of sight, out of conscience... well. Not that he had a conscience.]

We may have saved him! The Malik from this world is all strange and repentant.

[It's not exactly that she's "okay." But.... her priorities have shifted, a lot. She looks a little surprised at this tidbit, but. Not as much as you might expect. If Harriet hadn't experienced the 'dream' with him, her jaw would have dropped to imagine what could have brought that about.]

Repentant, huh... then he must have learned the truth about his father. I can picture it.

[That's a Malik she could be happy for too. More than the one that's been stranded, so it's a shame that he isn't the one that matters.]

It's a bit disappointing, but whatever gets him off, I suppose.

[How boring... It seems Malik really needed the pushes they gave him.

And while he's in the middle of that thought, that is when he realizes what she said.]

...wait. What truth about his father?

["He didn't tell you?" is what she almost asks, but she refrains. That's a cold thing to say to someone who lost their boyfriend. But Malik, this should have come up...]

It was... something we learned in that dream we shared. It turns out his revenge quest was a little misguided... Since, it was his dark side that killed his dad.

[The panic at the revelation had wracked her entire body. It was their job to save him from guilt, and this...]

We watched it happen.

[...This was not something you could save with just words of encouragement.]

...Tch.

[That explains a lot. Malik hadn't wanted to talk about anything that had happened there, had refused to acknowledge it was anything but a dream for a while, and they'd had bigger fish to fry anyway, but something had definitely been different. His hands curl in on themselves, a frown crossing his face. The other Malik, huh? No wonder this world's Malik had gone so far in the other direction. Malik never was good at handling guilt. Or anger. Or pain. Or anything, really. If he couldn't repress it or deny it, it would overwhelm him.]

No wonder he was so unstable after that.

Yeah, really. That was only the tip of the iceberg there... I suppose, since he can't, I should finally tell you what happened.

[Sigh. He's probably noticed a change in her, too - this affected them both deeply. She's stopped eating now, tapping her fork against the plate a couple times before committing to the explanation.]

Malik's guilt had opened him to possession from some kind of... of strange monster, other than his dark side. They'd kill people, and make these strange, um- it's hard to explain. Crime scenes wrapped in allegories, stories about characters who were like all of us. There were cabinets full of our memories. We had to use them to identify everyone and weed out the source of 'blame' for that murder... if we blamed that person, the monster would eat their host and they'd stop killing us. But they could be saved, if we could free their minds of the guilt.

With a case like his, I don't know if we could have ever saved him. I was so afraid... and I tried so hard, but- everyone else gave up. They started - started talking about the ways he could kill us all if we failed, and that bitch Ty Lee said he wasn't even worth saving. They drove him further into despair until- he was so close to letting his dark half out, the only thing I could focus on was stopping that from happening. He wanted me to end it with my hands instead, but they stopped me so they could blame.

[Tension has been building up in her body as she recalls the situation and vents her anger. After a moment, she shakes her head sadly, trying to relieve it. At least it was long enough ago, and she's become detached enough that the anger and sorrow are only directed outward. They can't hurt her any more than they already have, but she could.]

I wish I'd killed those two, the ones who twisted the knife. They'd have killed me next just for the association, if Kaoru hadn't murdered those teenage girls instead. They deserved to die so much more... but I couldn't take the risk. I had to survive. Malik didn't fight because it was the only way he knew he wouldn't kill me. I had to live...

In the end, we were able to bring the others back to life by sacrificing a portion of our ... fate, I suppose. We were all slated to die in various awful ways, but the winners of the cat's game were guaranteed survival - the cat would bend our very realities to ensure it. Anyway, reducing our chances by a percentage would bring them back. I can't say for sure that anyone would have done that for the two of us.

[As she tries to remember who might have, she finally remembers to eat some of her soup. It's frustrating... even venting it all to Bakura hasn't made it feel any better. Just who is she supposed to give all this bitterness to?]

...At least we made it.

[Except, now they didn't. He was gone. Everything she did, and he's really....]

Sort of.

[Man, in retrospect it's no wonder she feels fine with him killing a world. People suck.]

Edited 2016-06-02 13:57 (UTC)

[Bakura listens in silence, his eyebrows raised as the outlandish story came out. It's bizarre and absurd and confusing - and yet he believes her utterly. He's not remotely surprised at the people involved, either. People usually were out to save their own skins after all. Still, it's a small wonder that she lost some of her ability to care... Though he's surprised by how far it's pushed her. To wish others dead? ...well. They did, in a way, murder Malik, and in the worst way possible, and put her through hell just for being his friend and trying to help him. He would have killed them himself if he'd been in her position. Who needed possession as an excuse?

He can see the signs of frustration and misery in the way she's sitting, and he can't think of anything he can really offer to help. It's not like he can go out and bring them back to be executed by her. They're probably in another world - almost certainly in another world - and that puts them out of their reach. Instead, he falls back on another method he'd use with Malik. Reaching out, he slings an arm around her shoulders in a loose hug.

Vaguely, he muses that this sort of thing really was beneath him... but it didn't matter. It's not like anyone could see him.]

It sounds like they were a bunch of selfish pricks, so they probably would have left you both to rot... but you made it out. Even if Malik isn't here, you're both alive. And if we ever get pulled into interdimensional bullshit again, we can hunt them down and get revenge.

[He'll do it himself, if he ever finds a way to cross dimensions. Bakura doesn't hold grudges easily, but these guys deserve it.]

[The comforting gesture is appreciated... and contrary to her shoving before, she's willing to lean into him now and just stare into space for a moment. Her eyes darken as he agrees with her suspicions. He's probably right. Even the kindhearted lawyers would probably let his death slide, knowing the crimes he was responsible for. They might have saved her alone, but that wouldn't have been enough. She's not wrong. (Yes she is.) Revenge is certainly impossible now... she doesn't want to get pulled out of her dimension again, although she would if she could find Malik. Of course, he would be a different man when they found him, but she wouldn't abandon him again. She merely chuckles at the suggestion.]

Revenge? But you can't call it that when the person is still alive. .... It's just that they don't deserve to live, right? Heheh...

[It's a nice thought. Maybe Bakura isn't the only one who can be cheered up with the idea of bloodshed, now.]

Heheheh... That's right! It's righteous judgement, wouldn't you say? A punishment for sacrificing those in need to save their own skins.

[It's almost creepy how easily things like that can be turned to sound like a good thing. Not that he'd care if it wasn't. Sure, Malik had committed crimes, but he was still just a child, and one who was salvageable. At least before Bakura got his oar - and some other things - into him. He wasn't sure he was so salvageable now, but there was still a relentlessly decent part buried inside of him. It was just hidden by layers of selfishness and anger. Of course anyone looking surface deep would only see the bad...

Well, Bakura had done his part to enforce that wickedness inside of him, whether intentionally or not. He doesn't regret it. Malik was boring when he was being good.]

[It does sound 'good' twisted that way, though hearing him say it kind of puts it in perspective too. She gives him a brief look.]

...I know you don't really care about righteousness. But yes. I judge very much!

[She stays under his arm, though. It's been too long for her to bottle it up, and she's still waiting to regain her composure.

"Give me one reason to think he's worth saving - oh wait, you can't!" Ty Lee had said, and Harriet had to calm Malik down before she ever got the chance to respond.... but after he was lost, she'd thought of answers, over and over... big things, small things, everything. There was good in him. She misses him. Even her friendship with Bakura would have never happened if it weren't for him....

And maybe she felt guilt over giving him the time when he was taking over Ryou, but it had thinned when he took care of her, woke her up from her nightmare and kept her informed, and if not concern, then he at least gave her support. He really is her friend, and no one could (or did) blame her for that. Maybe she should learn from her mistakes, and stop pushing him away so much... it's only been a day though, so it's no wonder she fell into old habits. She's not used to him being around again, dredging up old memories and pains.]

Anyway... it took way too long for you to hear about that. I guess I owed you this stay, huh? Especially after you took care of me.

[Did she ever even thank him for that....?]

[A low laugh is drawn out of him by that look. Of course he doesn't care about righteousness... but she does, which was the point. In his eyes, righteousness doesn't really exist. He doesn't believe there's any black and white among humans, just pure grey, with everyone's actions appearing good to some and bad to others. Of course, his own actions are pure black... but then, he's a spirit. He's above them, beyond them. Even if they still utterly confuse him a lot of the time...

Her other comment startles him. Ah- that's right. He could have called in that favour... oh well. At least she didn't turn him out anyway.]

It's fine. I'll hold that one over on you for if I need you to help me with something else, I'm sure.

[The playful tone in his voice makes it clear he's joking. Though he still might. He has no doubt if she figures out what he's doing, she'll try to stop it. She may be jaded, but she's still human... the destruction of her world is something even she won't just make fun of.]

Edited 2016-06-06 05:26 (UTC)

[...Well, maybe a little distance is still fine. It's great for demonstrating mock offense, as she rolls her eyes and scoots over pointedly.]

I shouldn't have said a thing!

[Really, she just thought she should finish this soup before it gets really cold. He'll understand.]

Can't wait to see what that'll be....

[That little plan has its merits. For someone with a reputation as a betrayer, Harriet can be tragically loyal. And he has earned it.]

HAHAHAHAHA!

[Her poor neighbours be damned, he just laughs derangedly, leaning back on the couch. He understands. He'd understand if she did just find it unnerving too, but then, there's very little that can actually get to him.]

Oi, oi, what's wrong? Can't you trust me?

[She'd be very right not to. Only a fool would.]

[Sluuuuurp... ah well, the neighbors already heard a lot already. Poor bastards.]

Never on this! You were meant to take that as even stevens - so greedy.

Me? Greedy? How rude!

[He grins at her, drawing his feet up onto the couch as best he can. He's still wearing his shoes, of course. Manners never were his forte.]

[Wow, Bakura. Shoes in the house to begin with!! Your Japanese host would be totally appalled.]

Well, you're rude and weird. Who keeps their shoes on while they nap, anyway?

What? It's not like I was in an actual bed!

[He stares at her in mock-confusion.]

[A slightly flat look, then she turns back to scrape the rest of the potato out of its skin.]

You shouldn't put shoes on a couch anyway. And it's uncomfortable!

[Well, not that she can judge other people's comfort, but how tired was he even.]

Should I start calling you 'mother'?

[He's making no effort to put his feet down. Not now that it's clearly gotten to her.]

Only if you plan to be a good boy and obey me. I won't adopt any little shits.

[Nom. That's you.]

Edited 2016-06-07 07:11 (UTC)

Obey? Me? You must be out of your mind! I couldn't be a good boy if you were paying me for it.

[He laughs, totally not offended by her insult.]

Anyway, isn't it your job as a parent to keep the child on the right track, not the job of the child to be inherently good?

That's right. So if I were your mum, you'd be off to boarding school. You'd need to be paying me instead, no one's got time for that!

So you'd give up on your own dear child, and send them off to be looked after by a total stranger? How cruel!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject