week 3; monday ( stephanie )

[axilium]

[there's a number of things he wants to discuss with steph, but he'll start off with the obvious.]

How'd things go with your boyfriend?

Comments

[axilium]

... Yeah, all right. Akechi's kind of a loose cannon, but that might work in our favour. See what you can do with Hikage.

[in the end, belph doesn't know if he can trust anyone here, save for the girl in front of him right now, but... he supposes they have to try.]

Just in case Akechi or any of the others target me down the line, though: I'll give you a signal. [maybe it's morbid to think about, but.] A horizontal cut across my face means it was Akechi; diagonal for Monika; vertical for Sousei. Got it?

[vigilantics]

[ she blinks.

it's strange, because realistically she knows that either of them can end up dead. she found natsuo's body last friday, and it could very easily be belph's that she finds next. and she knows that she should have a proper response to this, an actual helpful addition to his suggestion, but all stephanie can get out is ]

No.

[ ... ]

Sorry. I didn't mean to say that.

[axilium]

[well, he can guess why she said that.]

... It's best to have some kind of safeguard in place.

[vigilantics]

No, you're right. That's the smart thing to do.

[ she runs a hand through her hair. ]

I just didn't really want to think of you getting killed.

[axilium]

[... ha.]

That's the kind of thing I'd expect from you.

[it's not a bad thing.]

Well, hopefully, it won't come down to that.

[vigilantics]

It better not.

[ it's muttered. she has a bad habit of saying her internal monologue out loud sometimes. ]

Wait. What would you... cut yourself with?

[axilium]

[he holds a finger up to his lips.]

Shh. Don't tell Sanji.

[guess who one of the knife thieves is.]

[vigilantics]

Oh my god. Klepto.

[ she shakes her head. ]

You know I normally beat up thieves.

[axilium]

You've already beaten me up, though.

[vigilantics]

But now I have a valid reason to?

[axilium]

Hey, it's not like anyone owned those knives!

[vigilantics]

Sanji would disagree.

[ he thinks he owns the entire kitchen. ]

... if something happens to me, though, I should figure something out.

[axilium]

[...

it's easy to be flippant about his own life, but hearing steph say it now—for a moment, he can empathize with her initial response of "no."]

I guess.

[vigilantics]

I'll figure something out.

But neither of us are allowed to die.

[axilium]

[... and it's things like this that make it clear how he can never tell steph the truth—why they're having this conversation now. that at this point, it wouldn't be a tragedy if he were to disappear.

but for steph's sake, and for his own, he'll continue playing the clown.]

Roger that, partner. I'll hold you to that, of course.

[vigilantics]

[ she holds her pinky finger out again. ]

Right. We're partners.

[axilium]

[... all right, he'll do it.]

Yup.

[vigilantics]

So, you know, when something's bothering you, you should tell me.

[ she hasn't let that go from when they were drinking together. ]

[axilium]

Do you think I'm hiding something?

[vigilantics]

Nothing to do with the job. I know you'd tell me.

[ that comes easy enough. ]

But no one is always so chill all the time. I'd know.

[axilium]

[honestly, the fact that she trusts him so easily... well, he doesn't know how to handle that. nobody trusts him like that.]

Maybe I'm a special snowflake.

[vigilantics]

You're my special snowflake.

[ it's said in a song-songy tone, but then she drops it. ]

I think you're a very private person, but I also think that nothing good from bottling absolutely everything up.

[axilium]

[why do you think he drinks so much.]

A hero and a therapist? What can't you do?

[vigilantics]

Calculus.

[ ... ]

You're doing it again though.

[axilium]

Hey, I'll do the job just fine. Don't worry about it.