week 8; monday

[scythegun]

[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.]

Comments

[devilsnight]

[...]

Nah, I know what you're getting at. I never really saw any reason to, I guess - thinking any less of you would be fuckin' stupid and it's not like I'm gonna treat you like you're made of glass or anything, either. You're fuckin' important to me and I'm gonna act like it - it's doing you a disservice otherwise, yeah?

I'm a pretty straightforward guy like that; glad to know that it could do you some good, though.

[scythegun]

...I don't think I can ever manage to express exactly how much that meant to me. Thank you.

[He's still not sure he can face the others and actually talk about it, but this is a much-needed step in the right direction.]

[devilsnight]

[...]

...Well, you actually gave me shit to live for when I didn't have anything, so. Consider it even, yeah?

[God, and there he goes, fussing like hell with his gloves again.]

Ahhh, I'm bad at this...

[scythegun]

I know exactly how difficult that can be, and I wouldn't wish that on most people!

[he tried??? he would totally wish this on alexei though, fuck him]

And don't worry about it! It's not as though I'm doing any better. We're lucky we've gotten this far before I've made some horrible joke to try to redirect things!

[devilsnight]

[don't make him laugh, asshole]

...I would punch you. I would absolutely punch you.

[scythegun]

[YOU'RE WELCOME]

I'd probably even deserve it!

[devilsnight]

Oh, you'd definitely deserve it.

[oh my god]

[scythegun]

How cruel! What did I ever do to deserve that?

[devilsnight]

Well, shit, a few days ago I decided you needed to be dropped to the ground in a laser tag arena for the grave sin of losing track of me for twenty seconds.

So give me long enough and I'll come up with a reason.

[scythegun]

[. . .]

I still haven't forgiven you for that.

[devilsnight]

Didn't expect you to.

[scythegun]

And I still have the bruises! You're terrible...!

[devilsnight]

Yeah, and you wouldn't like me half as much if I weren't.

[scythegun]

Ja, that's certainly true, I'll give you that! Though I can't imagine you being any other way~!

[devilsnight]

Like I've said before, I had to pretend to be a halfway normal person back in Detroit sometimes.

[...]

There's a really good reason Grange handled most of my legitimate business shit for me.

[scythegun]

I can't really say I'm surprised, honestly...

[oh my god]

[devilsnight]

He was always good for that sort of shit. Knew how to talk to people, real good at calming them down if they got upset.

And if they didn't calm down, he'd make 'em calm down. He was good for that sort of shit, too.

[oh my god]

[scythegun]

That's exactly the sort of person you want handling your business!

[o h m y g o d]

[devilsnight]

Exactly, my friend.

[why are these people like this]

Business always bored the shit out of me, at least the way we had to do it back there. Too much paperwork and red tape everywhere. But it was good for income, so I can't really complain.

[...you know, all that income he fucking hates and never spends on anything that isn't clothes and cocaine]

[scythegun]

That's exactly why I prefer working with the guilds - they have their rules and laws as well, but they're much easier to get around! The Empire is a pain in the neck to deal with!

[...he also left because of the whole "being brought back from the dead" thing but ehhhhh, we don't mention that.]

[devilsnight]

I'll have to keep these guilds of yours in mind for the future, then, won't I?

[scythegun]

Oh don't worry, Dahngrest is one of the first places I plan on taking you. You'll learn everything you need to know about the guilds there! I'm sure you'll enjoy it, even if it's not a proper city like Detroit!