[WELL. The panthouse is open and anyone can enter, so. Yeah. Carlos will just be here when Zero arrives, holding his head in his hands while Polly is... elsewhere. Maybe the bathroom. It's fine.
... So you think what, exactly? You're also the source of disturbance? You ran around killing some more bodies we didn't find?
[ there's a weird overlap between Polly being the source of the disturbance because she sacrificed people, and Polly being the source of the disturbance because she has a demon in her. but it's hard to tell which one is right, exactly. ]
Not exactly. I think— The ritual did something to us. Connected us somehow. I was in pain when she was dragged away, Zero. I couldn't do anything but follow her. That's never happened before.
Right. I never touched her, though she kept propositioning.
[Polly's a lot. Having her as a roommate for the past week has been exhausting.]
... My throat, mostly. [He's rubbing the side where the fresh blood was.] It sounded like you guys didn't figure out this part. But she slit my throat when she killed me. She slipped out of my grip when I pinned her down in the Gift Shop and got lucky.
Hmph. It's undignified to keep trying to push yourself on people after they've said no.
[ ... zERO??????? ]
Then why didn't it work on the other two, and what the hell brought them back...? [ that question is, admittedly, just muttered to herself, before she looks back at Carlos. hm, how to say this... ]
Besides the knife, did she shove anything else down your throat?
If she had, it might have been the source of your... whatever issue. But since not, you must be bonded on a deeper level. So whatever happens to her...
Yeah. From the look on his face, he knows exactly how that sentence would have ended. It's a conclusion he has long since reached. Her question, however... That makes him pause, eyes darting to the side so he can stare at the jarpet.
After a beat:]
No, I don't. I'm angry at her, but I don't hate her.
Really? Even though she's why you won't get to have another shot at this, like Chuuya and the dweeb?
[ she doesn't really know what she's getting out of these answers, but it's important, somehow. to know if Carlos, an innocent result of Polly's fumbled experiments, resents his lot. resents his "creator". ]
[It's 100% understandable if he did. She's right. And yet...]
You know, I've been murdered before. [Surprise! Death happens so much.] And I forgave my murderers for it. Hell... they're some of my best friends now. If I could forgive them for it, then I can forgive Polly for the same thing.
[A beat.]
... Besides, it's not her fault that we're here. The demons used her. They put something they knew she couldn't resist in her path. I can't hold that against her.
[Doesn't mean Polly isn't a hecking idiot, tho. He's still so hecking exhausted by her entire existance.]
[Zero's already seen the hospital, so!! That's where she'll find herself the next time she walks through a door after requesting the meeting.
Carlos is waiting for her right outside the room, glaring at the ground like he's trying to burn a hole through it. His expression smoothens out once he notices she's arrived, but... not by much. He's still blatantly unhappy, even as he nods at her in greeting.]
... If you're here to yell at me, don't. I didn't want things to turn out this way either.
He looks like he wants to chew her the fuck out for a second— but then he sucks in a sharp breath. Rubs at his face. Finds his inner chill. Breathes out!!]
What, exactly, do you think you're going to get out of yelling at me?
[ for the briefest moment, Zero almost does the same. she can practically hear it now - the shrill cry of, "Zero, that's mean!" wailed at her. she almost backs off.
but. he's not here anymore. and now she won't be, either. ]
Well it's not like you're good for anything else, are you?
[ yeah. you're not good for anything else except ruining things, are you, Zero ]
About that - if I wanted to do a trial to find out more information about the ritual we need all these demon parts for, can I? Or do you think that would be a waste of time?
Really? Because it sounds like everyone thinks the ritual is the solution to all our problems, and I'm not sure it is. We have no idea where it or the exorcism shit came from after all.
[ her eye narrows in thought as she mulls over other options. ]
What about the exact steps of the ritual? We don't know what "the seven must come together" means, much less what we're supposed to do.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
week zero, saturday.
Hi.]
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You're certainly looking pathetic.
[ hi. ]
Why are you even up here?
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You really can't talk to others without insulting them, huh.
[He's. Really not in the mood, Zero.]
Because I didn't have a choice. You heard what Polly said when she explained herself, didn't you?
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It's part of my natural charm.
And which part? She said a lot of shit. [ ... ] Or are you talking about how none of the summonings worked until she grabbed you?
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[Zero, you make him so tired.]
That part. We both suffered the same fate when the ritual succeeded. I'm starting to think that wasn't for nothing.
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[ there's a weird overlap between Polly being the source of the disturbance because she sacrificed people, and Polly being the source of the disturbance because she has a demon in her. but it's hard to tell which one is right, exactly. ]
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Not exactly. I think— The ritual did something to us. Connected us somehow. I was in pain when she was dragged away, Zero. I couldn't do anything but follow her. That's never happened before.
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[ despite her... careless words, she's actually taking this very seriously. ]
Was it pain through your whole body, or one area in particular?
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[Polly's a lot. Having her as a roommate for the past week has been exhausting.]
... My throat, mostly. [He's rubbing the side where the fresh blood was.] It sounded like you guys didn't figure out this part. But she slit my throat when she killed me. She slipped out of my grip when I pinned her down in the Gift Shop and got lucky.
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[ ... zERO??????? ]
Then why didn't it work on the other two, and what the hell brought them back...? [ that question is, admittedly, just muttered to herself, before she looks back at Carlos. hm, how to say this... ]
Besides the knife, did she shove anything else down your throat?
[ nailed it. ]
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......
.........
UH.]
—The hell, Zero?
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[ she even says it nicely and everything! ]
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Yes, it's a "no."
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[ 'will probably happen to you.' ]
... Do you hate her?
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Yeah. From the look on his face, he knows exactly how that sentence would have ended. It's a conclusion he has long since reached. Her question, however... That makes him pause, eyes darting to the side so he can stare at the jarpet.
After a beat:]
No, I don't. I'm angry at her, but I don't hate her.
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[ she doesn't really know what she's getting out of these answers, but it's important, somehow. to know if Carlos, an innocent result of Polly's fumbled experiments, resents his lot. resents his "creator". ]
It'd be understandable if you did.
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You know, I've been murdered before. [Surprise! Death happens so much.] And I forgave my murderers for it. Hell... they're some of my best friends now. If I could forgive them for it, then I can forgive Polly for the same thing.
[A beat.]
... Besides, it's not her fault that we're here. The demons used her. They put something they knew she couldn't resist in her path. I can't hold that against her.
[Doesn't mean Polly isn't a hecking idiot, tho. He's still so hecking exhausted by her entire existance.]
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[ Zero looks away. stupid, noble, good people. what the hell. ]
If it looks like the ritual isn't taking you immediately or whatever, will killing you quickly interfere with it?
[ that's the only mercy she can offer. ]
week two, saturday.
Carlos is waiting for her right outside the room, glaring at the ground like he's trying to burn a hole through it. His expression smoothens out once he notices she's arrived, but... not by much. He's still blatantly unhappy, even as he nods at her in greeting.]
... If you're here to yell at me, don't. I didn't want things to turn out this way either.
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How do I save her?
[ there has to be something, right...? ]
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He's quiet for a long, long moment.
When he speaks up again, the only answer he has to share is most likely not the one Zero hoped to hear.]
You can't.
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[ ah. she's upset. but it's easier to be angry than upset. ]
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[He gets that she's upset. He's upset, too. But ffs, yell at someone else.]
She got the majority vote, Zero. We can't change that.
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A majority of three people?! The majority is wrong! This isn't even going to touch the demon that caused all of this shit, is it!
[ hm, or was it four people...? well, they're wrong too ]
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He looks like he wants to chew her the fuck out for a second— but then he sucks in a sharp breath. Rubs at his face. Finds his inner chill. Breathes out!!]
What, exactly, do you think you're going to get out of yelling at me?
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but. he's not here anymore. and now she won't be, either. ]
Well it's not like you're good for anything else, are you?
[ yeah. you're not good for anything else except ruining things, are you, Zero ]
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He's not obligated to sit here and take this, soooooooo...]
If that's what you came here to say, I'll see you on Tuesday.
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she whirls around and stalks through the door, slamming it behind her. ]
week five, tuesday evening.
Whew, long time no see.
[They saw each other like, 6 hours ago at most.]
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Yeah, it's been so long I can't even remember your name. Who're you, again?
[ her deadpan gives the joke away ]
Before we get started, what happened to Polly? Grune was worried about her.
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... Tell Grune I said thank you next time you see her, and that Polly's back with us if she wants to send her a message.
[Thotty ghost made it back...]
She was punished for breaking a rule.
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[ after all, punishments are handed out to deter law breakers from... well. breaking the law. if it got to Polly... ]
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It's not going to stop us from doing everything we can to help you guys.
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About that - if I wanted to do a trial to find out more information about the ritual we need all these demon parts for, can I? Or do you think that would be a waste of time?
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... I think... You would be better off asking for something else entirely. You can get the same information I would give you by asking around.
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[ her eye narrows in thought as she mulls over other options. ]
What about the exact steps of the ritual? We don't know what "the seven must come together" means, much less what we're supposed to do.
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[he's not. happy about this. things are moving at a snail's pace?]
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For fuck's sake - the escape route that was mentioned on the note in our date prize?
[ she's. running out of options that aren't "where's the last ritual item" ]
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The "escape route" relates to the ritual...? How's that possible? I would have thought it was a location.