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[rathercommon]

crystal | letter | cease and desist notices slipped under her door | action

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[rathercommon]

[ Earnest soul she is, she does. Her lips thin, and her eyes tighten about the corners - ]

That's completely absurd. You must know that's absurd.

[exsecutus]

[Nikos arches his eyebrows.]

No. Is it?

[rathercommon]

Yes. You've - You've got enormous worth.

[exsecutus]

Is that what they say about me.

[Without looking, Nikos reaches for his flask again. He takes a pull, still without looking, so he can go on looking at Kitty, waiting for her to get it.]

[rathercommon]

Who gives a damn what anyone says?

[ Quietly earnest - ]

It's simply the truth. You do so much more and attempt so much more than anyone else.

[exsecutus]

[........fuck it's starting to turn

Far from smirking, Nikos actually begins now to scowl. His skin has taken the particular pins-and-needles crawl that comes only with having received earnest compliments from someone.]

You're ruining this.

[rathercommon]

[ Uncertain - ]

Ruining what?

[exsecutus]

I drink cheap rum because the taste hardly matters any longer. And it is cheap. And those are the two reasons.

[The only two. This goes unsaid but is layered, heavily, in the subtext.]

[rathercommon]

I -

[ Oh. Color comes into her cheeks. ]

Then why did you say - all that!

[exsecutus]

I assumed you'd not take it seriously. Why would you.

[rathercommon]

Why would I expect you to tell the truth?

[exsecutus]

I told you from the start, I'm in a good mood. Not my fault you didn't take that to heart.

[rathercommon]

So when you're in a good mood you lie.

[exsecutus]

Joke. Don't be bitter because you misread.

[rathercommon]

You're terrible at jokes.

[exsecutus]

And you're a terrible audience.

[Though now he's thinking of Marisol, which causes a twist deep in him. It can't be helped. He takes one final swallow of rum to clear it, and shoves the flask back in place.]

And a worse runner. Next time we need a letter delivered, we'll leave you behind.

[rathercommon]

I -

[ That stings. ]

It wasn't - It wasn't cause I'm a bad runner.

[exsecutus]

Good. Perhaps you can prove it.

In fifty year's time.

[rathercommon]

Fifty -

[ With an incredulous little cry - ]

Fifty years? What happened to, oh, you keep fighting and that's good? What, now I'm not allowed to fight with you?

[exsecutus]

[yeah that's right don't get comfortable with that encouragement]

Fighting isn't running.

[rathercommon]

Running's easier than fighting.

[exsecutus]

Then take it as a compliment.

[rathercommon]

That's not a compliment. That's a slightly-less-nasty insult.

[exsecutus]

And that's as good as you're going to get from me, so be satisfied.

[rathercommon]

Ugh. Sometimes I wonder why I even talk to you.