scythegun | week 8; monday

week 8; monday

[Monday's a dreadful day for Yeager, but he's got a pretty good idea of how awful it is for some of the others as well. Everyone has someone important to them held captive and sitting around feeling sorry for himself isn't going to do anything.

Top Dollar's the one he's really concerned about, though. After all, Myca is very dear to him and she's supposedly dead.

He shows up at Top Dollar's door after checking most of the other rooms for anything interesting. It's late at night, but he figures Top Dollar won't be getting much sleep either.

The knocking isn't as obnoxious and loud as usual, but it is persistent and he'll keep it up until Top Dollar answers.]

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[Ah yes, it looks like you're doing well. Please don't break anything, including yourself.]

To talk, that's all. May I come in or are you going to leave me standing out in the hallway?

[It's kind of an attempt, but it doesn't get close to the usual level of humor.]

[Yeah, he knows Yeager's fucked up, too. He knows. At the same time, he isn't...particularly at a point where he can care about that right now.

His empathy never really has been all that great; this is just a welcome fucking return to the status quo.]

...Fine. Ignore everything I've got going on in here.

[He'll step back and let Yeager in; it looks like he's already been breaking things, though "himself" doesn't seem to have been one of the things he's broken - there is an impressive amount of broken glass in the kitchenette, because it looks like he's been taking everything today's decided to be out on those glass animals he was collecting.

But yeah, come in if you want, whatever.]

[Oh dear. Well. This is definitely something. He'll be staying over here, just to be safe.]

I can't really blame you for that. I was tempted to break everything as well!

[But he just sort of ended up... not... doing anything...]

[Stay over there if you want; everything else in the room seems clear. The sitting room is more or less untouched; the actual bedroom is where the weapons are.

His tablet is out on the coffee table, though; he's been watching it more or less all day.]

Guess I owe you an apology for not checking in with you earlier.

[It's weird and distant when he says it, though; seems Yeager's not the only one who can't keep the usual act up today - the agitation seems to be breaking off into something decidedly blank, far more detached than anything.]

Don't worry about it.

[He waves it off easily. It's not something he's bothered by.]

You had a lot to deal with as well, ja?

[And speaking of that...]

How are you holding up?

About as well as can be expected.

[He shrugs a little at that; he doesn't seem troubled, at least, he just sort of...doesn't seem much of anything.]

I'll manage, though - it's not like I've got a lot of other options.

Ja. Believe me, I know. It's... certainly not easy.

[Not for him, anyway, and he can only imagine how Top Dollar is handling this.]

We don't have to talk about it at all if you don't want to.

[He is not handling it well, to put it lightly- ]

...I'll fucking kill everyone.

[And despite the blankness of his words he's pacing again; the agitation seems to be in the physical motion for the time being, nowhere else, and he's fussing with his gloves again before he can stop himself.]

I'll fucking burn this entire place down, I don't...Jesus, it doesn't fucking matter anymore.

[Yeager is quiet for a moment. He settles a hand over the blastia and looks away.]

It all feels pretty pointless now, doesn't it? I'm sorry. I wish I had something else to say, but I'm afraid I don't.

You don't have to apologize to me, friend, it's just the way things are.

[He shrugs again; fuck everything.]

Christ, I don't know if that's even her? It could be something that's just...made up, like the fuckin' sheep or something, but I keep thinking that, you know, maybe it's actually her. People come back from the fuckin' dead, people come from different timelines or whatever, maybe that's actually my dead sister being fucked with on that video feed.

[He closes his eyes after that's out there, though; tries to breathe. Probably for the best, they're doing that weird bright thing again - he can't tell for sure, but he can kind of feel it and it's pissing him off.]

It's dreadful. Not knowing the truth and having the possibility dangling in front of you... Well, I can certainly say that I don't envy your position any.

[He forces himself to let go and fold his arms instead.]

...I'm sure it's the last thing you want to answer right now, but will you talk to me before you do anything rash?

I'm not gonna promise you anything right now.

[...We're doing great at this.]

[He figured it was exactly that bad, but it's still not pleasant to hear it.]

I see. I'll be sure to keep that in mind.

[It's not dismissive or upset, just a statement.]

Is there anything I can do for you right now?

...I don't know.

[And that much does seem to be genuine, at least, as opposed to being cagey for the hell of it; he just...legitimately doesn't know.]

Just talk to me for a while, I guess. Stick around for a couple hours.

[...]

If I take this shit out on anyone, it's probably not gonna be any of you that I start with. So. You know.

I appreciate that. I'm not sure how well we could handle losing any more of our number right now.

[Much less another trial...]

But I certainly don't mind spending time with you. I can stay here for... well, until I get too tired, I suppose!

[Which might not happen for awhile, since he's been keyed up all day.]

...Good to know.

[This is going to be a shitshow, but at least that does seem to calm him down a little. Not much, but a bit.]

How're you holding up, anyway? Actual answer, not the usual bullshit.

Ah, cut me off at the pass, ja? I can't blame you for that!

[He took every opportunity to avoid any serious discussion with Yuri, so.]

I'm... Well, I won't lie to you, I'm not okay. I doubt I'll be okay at all until I can confirm that my girls are fine. But until then, I can't sit idly by. I've never been good at that sort of thing and if I allow myself to stop for even a moment, I'm afraid I won't be able to start again.

[It's what happened back home and he can't let it happen again.]

Yeah, I get it. Offer still stands, though - you need anything, you come to me.

[I MEAN SHIT HE CAN'T EVEN TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF AND HE'S NOT ENTIRELY CERTAIN THAT HE WON'T DIE TONIGHT DUE TO HIS OWN STUPIDITY

BUT IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, JUST SAYING.]

[...HE'S LIKE 90% SURE YOU'RE GOING TO DO SOMETHING INCREDIBLY STUPID WITHIN THE NEXT TWO DAYS AND GET YOURSELF KILLED BUT THANKS FOR THE OFFER...????]

I know. And maybe I will! But I'm... okay for now, I think. We can't afford to have everyone fall to pieces right now, ja?

[It's said as a joke but he's entirely serious. We can't rely on anyone to be the lone sane man right now.]

I know that. At the same time, if I spend too long thinking about my own shit I'm gonna go insane.

[...]

Sorry about your girls, by the way.

I understand entirely.

[He shakes his head a bit at that question, more to clear it than anything else.]

They're strong girls, I know they'll do everything they can to pull through it.

[It might not be enough, and that's the terrifying part.]

Yeah, of course they will.

[To his credit, he doesn't sound disbelieving of that.]

Myca...assuming that's actually her, she's gonna be okay. I'm not saying she won't be upset as hell whenever everything actually comes together and everything's less that, but she'll work through it. She's...stronger than me, I guess. More resilient about shit, less prone to weird decision-making.

That's certainly an admirable trait to have! It's a dreadful situation to be in, but I think they'll be fine.

[For now, at least. It gives them a little time to come up with some sort of way to end this, right? There has to be a way that doesn't involve handing over the gunners.]

...And for what it's worth, you've been very resilient so far.

Well, yeah, ignoring the part where I stabbed a priest to death and decided that I fucking miss T-Bird, of all godforsaken people, to the point where I ate a bullet.

[...Jesus Christ, that's probably the closest he's come to sounding normal all day.]

[jesus christ he's trying so fucking hard not to laugh don't do this to him]

Well yes, but it's not as though the rest of us haven't done absolutely crazy things here as well!

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