[ he doesn't want to deal with her. Even though she insists that he's not a bad person, Hikage remains convinced her tune would change if she knew the truth. That's the difference between her and Belph. It's easy to tell that Belph has his own secrets, and Hikage knows (or thinks he knows) enough about his sense of morality to guess that, at worst, Belph would probably feel distant disgust. At least, that's his rationale after the fact; during the moment, he'd certainly felt as terrified as if he'd been holding Hikage at gunpoint. Stephanie, though, is different - she's a hero, and a good person, and she has plenty of other, better people to turn to. She puts up with him because she pities him now. If she knew the reason he acted the way he did was because he was a killer and a sadist struggling with his own loose grip on sanity, he'd probably even lose that pity.
And he's pathetic enough that he doesn't want to. ]
... If you'll still talk to me after hearing all this, I think I'd be happier keeping you alive than watching you suffer. [ it's an absurd statement; Hikage seems aware of it, considering his tongue-in-cheek tone. At the same time, though, he's serious. That's what this comes down to: what option will leave him less miserable. ] How about it? Would you still avoid choosing me if you became the Blotter? If you kill me now, you might be protecting all these people. I haven't made my decision yet.
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[ he doesn't want to deal with her. Even though she insists that he's not a bad person, Hikage remains convinced her tune would change if she knew the truth. That's the difference between her and Belph. It's easy to tell that Belph has his own secrets, and Hikage knows (or thinks he knows) enough about his sense of morality to guess that, at worst, Belph would probably feel distant disgust. At least, that's his rationale after the fact; during the moment, he'd certainly felt as terrified as if he'd been holding Hikage at gunpoint. Stephanie, though, is different - she's a hero, and a good person, and she has plenty of other, better people to turn to. She puts up with him because she pities him now. If she knew the reason he acted the way he did was because he was a killer and a sadist struggling with his own loose grip on sanity, he'd probably even lose that pity.
And he's pathetic enough that he doesn't want to. ]
... If you'll still talk to me after hearing all this, I think I'd be happier keeping you alive than watching you suffer. [ it's an absurd statement; Hikage seems aware of it, considering his tongue-in-cheek tone. At the same time, though, he's serious. That's what this comes down to: what option will leave him less miserable. ] How about it? Would you still avoid choosing me if you became the Blotter? If you kill me now, you might be protecting all these people. I haven't made my decision yet.