A PLEASANT CONVERSATION
- Location
- England
"Just tell her to come here already." Your words are a little muffled where you are speaking into your arm, but you can't be bothered to lift your face up. "I just want to get this over with." She stops fidgeting, which you take as a confirmation and close your eyes, feathering your thermal sense out now that the streets are empty of people. All that's left are the rats. You are kinda impressed at how quickly they got everyone out, but this is a town on the front line, they probably have evacuation procedures or something.
A minute or so passes before you feel two people pop into existence behind you. Finally. "Took your time, old age catching up to you?" You hear her snort slightly, gently shooing your dinner mate out of her seat and claiming it for herself, the woman and what has to be the teleporter from earlier disappearing as she gets comfortable.
"Unlike you, I happen to have responsibilities that I can't just drop to go gallivanting around the world." You turn your head slightly so that you can stare up at her through a gap in your hair. That is exactly what you just did. She doesn't react to your stare, picking up the fork in front of her and trying a bit of the leftover cake. "Mmmm, this isn't bad." You don't resist the urge to roll your eyes and sigh, lifting yourself off of the table. She puts down the fork as you lean back in your chair.
"You probably know why I'm here." She nods, picking up the rest of the cake with her fingers and eating it whole.
"I have a good idea, it helps that Gaia is rather strongly urging me to as well." You aren't really sure what to say to that, you know the feeling but you are still kind of pissed off with her, so you just shrug. "Not that I disagree with the idea, it would just be nice if she didn't feel the need to force me to." You give her a slight nod. Gaia, are you dampening my emotions again? I feel like I should be much angrier with her than I am. [Nope, I learned that lesson.] Mmm. She probably isn't lying to you. Probably.
"We good then?" She nods and you wonder how much of her easy agreement is Gaia and how much of it is her. Don't think about it too much, that way lies madness.
"Many of my people are still on the fence on exactly what to think of you." You tilt your head slightly. "They know what you did, but they also know that you are doing what Gaia says." She takes a sip of tea, the formerly empty cup suddenly full. "It would be good if you could tell them your side, mmm?" You see the olive branch for what it is, but at the same time you can't help but wonder what her game is. She wants her people to think well of me? Gaia is acting strangely and your 'mission' has suddenly changed. Boss huh? Did Gaia want you to rejoin the Clocktower or something? Try to poach their members?
"I'll think about it." You know better than to agree to anything she says without having the chance to think about it first, especially not while Gaia is being so fishy. Still, she nods as if expecting that would be your answer, smiling slightly.
"Good, you shouldn't jump in without thinking things through first, it's a mistake a lot of people make when they start, often their last." You narrow your eyes at her. She knows what Gaia is up to. Easiest way to find out is...
"What is Gaia doing then?" You cede the conversation to her, but it's not like Gaia is going to tell you, and she seems to know. Now, will she try to press the advantage or is she going to try to get me on her side. She takes another sip of tea, probably using the time to consider the question before lowering it.
"You've reached the point where most everything is beneath you in combat, which is where she should want you if you are to play as her 'monster'." She taps a nail against her cup as she looks at you. "But, she appears to be pulling you out of that role completely, why else would she urge us to make peace?" You nod, following her logic. "She has some sort of replacement that would do the job better than you then, and she's transitioning you into a friendlier role with me, probably..." She pauses for a moment, a single eyebrow raised as a little smile creeps onto her face. "Bold, certainly, it'll be interesting to see how you do as my counterpart."
It takes a second for her train of thought to click and you groan, dropping your face into your hand, elbow resting on the arm of your chair. "She is, isn't she?" You feel her heat silhouette nod and sigh. "Ugh." You rub your face and sit up. At least that explains why she's being so helpful. "Why doesn't she understand that I just want to live peacefully with my sister?"
"Oh, I'm sure that she understands that perfectly." She sets a mug down on your side of the table and you don't even pretend to be surprised to find it full of tea, picking it up and drinking half of it. "She just places what she wants above what you want." You snort, lowering the mug from your mouth.
"Like you then?" You bite your tongue a second later. If I'm going to actually have to work with her... "Sorry." Both of you know that you aren't really, but she accepts it with grace.
"It's alright, it's the truth after all." She sighs, the odd dichotomy of her young body and her weary attitude incredibly jarring. "Eventually, you'll come across a situation like yours." You raise an eyebrow, actually curious as to her excuse. "I knew from the moment I met you that something would set you off and drive us apart. In the end I decided to get the most use out of you as possible before that happened, and all things considered, we both left our relationship having gained a lot."
"I tore a massive hole through your base."
"It was fixed in two days." You blink and she shrugs. "And in return England was rendered safe, several magical girls denied to my enemy and you were placed in a position of relative safety so that we can work out our differences at a later date." She smiles slightly. "Not perfect, but we both got a lot out of it and here we are, talking, rather than trying to kill each other." She puts her cup down and leans forwards slightly. "I doubt we will ever be friends, but I think that we can agree to a tentative partnership?"
You look at her, not bothering to hide your thoughts as you lean back, drowning slightly as you resist the urge to tell her to go fuck herself. Gaia, you want me to take a role similar to Karen then, a leader? [Yes] You let out a tight breath and close your eyes. Not like you'd ever let me say no. You look back at the ageless girl sitting across from you, patiently waiting for your answer. Having her on side would be really useful, but can I actually trust her not to fuck me over later?
[] "I can work with you."
[] "Sure, not like we don't expect each other to try pulling shit."
[] "Maybe, if you can prove that you aren't going to stab me in the back again."
[] "No."
A minute or so passes before you feel two people pop into existence behind you. Finally. "Took your time, old age catching up to you?" You hear her snort slightly, gently shooing your dinner mate out of her seat and claiming it for herself, the woman and what has to be the teleporter from earlier disappearing as she gets comfortable.
"Unlike you, I happen to have responsibilities that I can't just drop to go gallivanting around the world." You turn your head slightly so that you can stare up at her through a gap in your hair. That is exactly what you just did. She doesn't react to your stare, picking up the fork in front of her and trying a bit of the leftover cake. "Mmmm, this isn't bad." You don't resist the urge to roll your eyes and sigh, lifting yourself off of the table. She puts down the fork as you lean back in your chair.
"You probably know why I'm here." She nods, picking up the rest of the cake with her fingers and eating it whole.
"I have a good idea, it helps that Gaia is rather strongly urging me to as well." You aren't really sure what to say to that, you know the feeling but you are still kind of pissed off with her, so you just shrug. "Not that I disagree with the idea, it would just be nice if she didn't feel the need to force me to." You give her a slight nod. Gaia, are you dampening my emotions again? I feel like I should be much angrier with her than I am. [Nope, I learned that lesson.] Mmm. She probably isn't lying to you. Probably.
"We good then?" She nods and you wonder how much of her easy agreement is Gaia and how much of it is her. Don't think about it too much, that way lies madness.
"Many of my people are still on the fence on exactly what to think of you." You tilt your head slightly. "They know what you did, but they also know that you are doing what Gaia says." She takes a sip of tea, the formerly empty cup suddenly full. "It would be good if you could tell them your side, mmm?" You see the olive branch for what it is, but at the same time you can't help but wonder what her game is. She wants her people to think well of me? Gaia is acting strangely and your 'mission' has suddenly changed. Boss huh? Did Gaia want you to rejoin the Clocktower or something? Try to poach their members?
"I'll think about it." You know better than to agree to anything she says without having the chance to think about it first, especially not while Gaia is being so fishy. Still, she nods as if expecting that would be your answer, smiling slightly.
"Good, you shouldn't jump in without thinking things through first, it's a mistake a lot of people make when they start, often their last." You narrow your eyes at her. She knows what Gaia is up to. Easiest way to find out is...
"What is Gaia doing then?" You cede the conversation to her, but it's not like Gaia is going to tell you, and she seems to know. Now, will she try to press the advantage or is she going to try to get me on her side. She takes another sip of tea, probably using the time to consider the question before lowering it.
"You've reached the point where most everything is beneath you in combat, which is where she should want you if you are to play as her 'monster'." She taps a nail against her cup as she looks at you. "But, she appears to be pulling you out of that role completely, why else would she urge us to make peace?" You nod, following her logic. "She has some sort of replacement that would do the job better than you then, and she's transitioning you into a friendlier role with me, probably..." She pauses for a moment, a single eyebrow raised as a little smile creeps onto her face. "Bold, certainly, it'll be interesting to see how you do as my counterpart."
It takes a second for her train of thought to click and you groan, dropping your face into your hand, elbow resting on the arm of your chair. "She is, isn't she?" You feel her heat silhouette nod and sigh. "Ugh." You rub your face and sit up. At least that explains why she's being so helpful. "Why doesn't she understand that I just want to live peacefully with my sister?"
"Oh, I'm sure that she understands that perfectly." She sets a mug down on your side of the table and you don't even pretend to be surprised to find it full of tea, picking it up and drinking half of it. "She just places what she wants above what you want." You snort, lowering the mug from your mouth.
"Like you then?" You bite your tongue a second later. If I'm going to actually have to work with her... "Sorry." Both of you know that you aren't really, but she accepts it with grace.
"It's alright, it's the truth after all." She sighs, the odd dichotomy of her young body and her weary attitude incredibly jarring. "Eventually, you'll come across a situation like yours." You raise an eyebrow, actually curious as to her excuse. "I knew from the moment I met you that something would set you off and drive us apart. In the end I decided to get the most use out of you as possible before that happened, and all things considered, we both left our relationship having gained a lot."
"I tore a massive hole through your base."
"It was fixed in two days." You blink and she shrugs. "And in return England was rendered safe, several magical girls denied to my enemy and you were placed in a position of relative safety so that we can work out our differences at a later date." She smiles slightly. "Not perfect, but we both got a lot out of it and here we are, talking, rather than trying to kill each other." She puts her cup down and leans forwards slightly. "I doubt we will ever be friends, but I think that we can agree to a tentative partnership?"
You look at her, not bothering to hide your thoughts as you lean back, drowning slightly as you resist the urge to tell her to go fuck herself. Gaia, you want me to take a role similar to Karen then, a leader? [Yes] You let out a tight breath and close your eyes. Not like you'd ever let me say no. You look back at the ageless girl sitting across from you, patiently waiting for your answer. Having her on side would be really useful, but can I actually trust her not to fuck me over later?
[] "I can work with you."
[] "Sure, not like we don't expect each other to try pulling shit."
[] "Maybe, if you can prove that you aren't going to stab me in the back again."
[] "No."
