Duplicity IC Contact

[bothbarrels]

 I suppose if you've reached this message I'm not around to accept your contact.
So, you can just leave it here, and I'll be sure to contact you back as soon as I can.

Comments

[ownperson]

I've only heard about it third fucking hand, okay? I didn't... I got pulled to the rig before it happened.

[ She hasn't lived it. She hasn't lived it, but she knows all the details. It's just that she knows too damn well that sharing those details will put a mark on someone else. ]

[bothbarrels]

[ His other hand goes to her other arm. ]

You heard about what?

[ownperson]

Drew...

[ Fuuuuuuck. Fuck fuck fuck. He's as stubborn as she is sometimes and fuck right now she wishes he wasn't. Wash is here, she can't just... ]

I fucking pushed my luck and got a bullet in the face for it, okay?! I— I just—

[ She probably deserved it. She probably fucking deserved it. ]

[bothbarrels]

[ He lowers his hands to her wrists. ]

You know all that but you don't know why?

[ownperson]

Not— exactly.

[ By one interpretation, it's not a lie; by the one he means, it definitely is. She doesn't know why she was there, there's no reason she can imagine ever risking being that near Wash. She didn't live long enough to make whatever stupid choice that was. But she knows why Wash did it. ]

[bothbarrels]

Only kind of?

[ He frowns. She seems to be holding back and he doesn't know why. ]

So tell me the kind-of reason.

[ownperson]

What else? I pissed someone off. Is that really a surprise?

[ Deflect, deflect, deflect. She can't look him right in the face or he'll be able to tell just how bullshit all of this dodging around it really is. Her hands flex into fists and release again. ]

[bothbarrels]

What?

[ He moves a hand to her chin and lifts her face toward him. ]

What are you hiding and why?

[ownperson]

Drew—

[ She grits her teeth, wrenching her head away from his hand, but of course he doesn't let her turn away again that easily and just moves with her. God-fucking-dammit. How the fuck is it she can spend months lying to his face but in situations like this, every fucking word out of her mouth gives her away? ]

I told you. I pissed someone off, that someone had a goddamn gun in their hand, bang. Goodbye South. It's that simple.

[bothbarrels]

[ He pauses, considering what she'd just said. He lets her go and sits back against the couch. He waits, thinking. A hand goes to rub his chin. ]

Someone?

[ownperson]

Yeah, someone. I told you, I only know all this third hand. It's not like I stood there staring down the barrel myself.

[ But she doesn't like the look on his face. At all. Her brow furrows and she eyes him warily. ]

[bothbarrels]

[ He continues to rub his chin. ]

And who told you this?

[ownperson]

[ Oh no she does not trust like that. She rubs her tongue against her teeth, trying to think, because she can't just say nothing but— ]

The others on the fucking rig who lived longer than we did, duh.

[bothbarrels]

Those being...?

[ He really feels like she's trying to hide something because of the way she's not being forthright with it. He doesn't like it. ]

[ownperson]

Wash. Lina. You know. Same as here. They're the last two in the future.

[ She doesn't even like that she's trying this hard to obscure this, trying this hard to lie, but for once she's not lying for her own good. She should've done this the right way, then she could've made up a decent fucking cover story. ]

[bothbarrels]

[ He turns his head again, looking at her, still rubbing his chin. Then it suddenly clicks. ]

And you know which one of them did the shooting. Don't you.

[ownperson]

Them being the last two around doesn't mean one of them fucking shot me!

[ Technically a true statement. There are countless other Freelancers that were still kicking when she was actually shot. Doesn't make it convincing, though. Especially with the way her shoulders pull tight. ]

[bothbarrels]

[ Yes, that is perfectly true. But North is having trouble buying it. ]

Do you know the person who did it?

[ownperson]

[ She's going to have the world's worst headache after this. Just. The worst. She would take him bursting into tears again over this right now. ]

What do you think? It was fucking Freelancer eat Freelancer out there.

[bothbarrels]

South, you're going to really great lengths to avoid giving a straight answer.

[ 'South' right now, because this is about the Project, apparently.

He reaches and takes her hand. ]

Please. Tell me.

[ownperson]

[ She flinches—hearing him say South when not in front of other people still has some raw associations. She bites her tongue hard enough she tastes iron. Fuck. Fuuuuuck. She's backed into a goddamned corner. She laughs without humour, covers her face with her other hand. ]

The one fucking time I try cover for someone else...

[bothbarrels]

[ He doesn't say anything at that point. She knows she has to say something or he won't drop it. So he waits. Waits for the news that he needs to hear. ]

[ownperson]

[ Well, this is either going to nuke the surprisingly amicable friendship (?) developing with Wash, or— something else, she doesn't know. ]

...you've got to fucking promise me you're not going to be stupid.

[bothbarrels]

What do you mean by that?

[ He says it mildly, not sounding offended. ]

[ownperson]

Dude you suddenly developed the ability to want to kill out of revenge when I told you about a psyche experiment, you're trying to get me to tell you who fucking kills me.

[ Plus the him on the rig was so fucking stupid about this but she doesn't want to get right into that when he's at least acknowledged the whole 'lying to myself and others' thing here. ]