You look at Rin. She looks uncomfortable, reaching up to adjust glasses that aren't there, and then moving to fidget with her hair instead.
Truth be told, you're getting sick and tired of these negotiations. Maybe that makes you a bad negotiator - after all, they can go on for days at a time, but well, if Akiko isn't going to negotiate in good faith...
But your patience can stretch a little further, and you can afford to push a little. More than a little, even.
"
So what exactly is Akiko saying, Rin?" you ask, catching and holding her gaze.
"
Thirty Grief Seeds, to be paid in installments, and me to be returned..." Rin says. "
She also said to let it be bargained down to twenty... to try and convince you that she's not unreasonable.""
"
Hm, no, I don't think so," you say. "
Look... you do realize that there's no way the University girls will agree to her demands, right? Thirty or twenty, they've literally died for them already. You know
that. And I'm offering to make Grief Seeds unnecessary. For everyone.
And she's still refusing to budge. "
"
Sakura, she's right..." Rin says softly. "
Akiko's... being unreasonable."
"
More than that, I'd wager," you inject, before Sakura can get a word in. "
You know
the University girls won't got for it, and she
knows it too. So, what? Is she trying
to sink the negotiations, or does she have some serious, like, issues about it, or what?"
"
Jesus fuck, yes she does," Sakura snaps. "
And you
have your hangup about helping people."
"My
'hangup' hasn't gotten people killed," you riposte calmly.
"
That-" Sakura says, and breaks off. "
Fuck."
"
That what, Sakura? Doesn't matter? I think it does, personally," you say, almost conversationally. "
But y'know, let me ask something. Say I'm not here, say you get the University girls to agree to the thirty. What next? You keep on fighting for territory forever?"
"
No, I assume
we back the fuck off on them if they actually managed to fucking make us negotiate," Sakura snaps.
"
And speaking of negotiating," you say. "
Negotiations only work when both sides are actually working in good faith. Like, say, the University girls. You know that you've pretty much ruined their lives, and they're still willing to let it go, right? How 'bout Akiko, hmm? Of she isn't willing to bend on something, then I don't think she's negotiating much. Just demanding she gets her share. That's not going to work.
Convince her to reconsider, or get someone to take over, or this is going nowhere."
"
Sakura, I think Miss Sabrina has a point," Rin pipes up, unexpectedly. You'd almost forgotten she was there. "
Maybe Yumi could take over?"
"
With her fucking broken neck?" Sakura says sourly. "
And you know
Akiko won't fuckin' agree."
You fight the urge to sigh again. Turning to look at the rooftop where Sakura and Akik-
...
You frown.
"
Where's Akiko gone?" you ask, narrowing your eyes at the
single figure on the roof.
"
Elsewhere," Sakura says, unhelpfully.
[] Look around for Akiko/the rest of the Sendai group
[] Press Sakura about Akiko
[] Talk to Rin
- [] About...
[] Talk to Sakura
- [] About...
[] Write-in
=====
So I tried this last time, but it kinda fell to the wayside. This time, I think I'll
insist. Point form the dialogue. I'll be reasonable about
short segments that you want in
specific phrasings, but only that.
