[ It's said softly, a little incredulous. More at the fact that Ephemera fell for it than the fact Washington tried in the first place. This is what Freelancers do. They lie and dodge and refuse to stand and fight. They forget the dead they've left. And once, not so long ago, Washington stood with him in a dream and listened as Ephemera named the fallen. Promised to remember them. It's hard to reconcile that. It's a trick, or at least it ought to be. A save, something he'd done to save his own ass.
It hadn't felt that way in the moment, though.
Angela is standing in the corner. Wearing the exact same jacket he killed her in.
Ephemera tips his head back. Breathes. It doesn't help much. ]
Oh. You didn't mean to kill my people in the water. That was just something that happened, them drowning. You didn't mean to betray your own fucking people either, huh?
[ There are bad ways to die. Chica and Barrows died bad. That was a choice. That was deliberate. ]
I liked Connie. She was—
[ Stop. Don't go there. Don't start yelling. Ephemera shivers all over, flexing his hands. He doesn't want to be here, talking. But he promised, and he's already spiraled out once. Gotten the wrong people involved, drew the wrong blood. If he gets angry it will spiral out all over again and Angela is right there, watching it all play out. What he owes her cannot possibly be repaid, but they were friends once; he ought to try. He has so few friends in this world. ]
I have to let it go. I know that. I fucking know that. But you don't get to pretend this is something that just happened.
no subject
[ It's said softly, a little incredulous. More at the fact that Ephemera fell for it than the fact Washington tried in the first place. This is what Freelancers do. They lie and dodge and refuse to stand and fight. They forget the dead they've left. And once, not so long ago, Washington stood with him in a dream and listened as Ephemera named the fallen. Promised to remember them. It's hard to reconcile that. It's a trick, or at least it ought to be. A save, something he'd done to save his own ass.
It hadn't felt that way in the moment, though.
Angela is standing in the corner. Wearing the exact same jacket he killed her in.
Ephemera tips his head back. Breathes. It doesn't help much. ]
Oh. You didn't mean to kill my people in the water. That was just something that happened, them drowning. You didn't mean to betray your own fucking people either, huh?
[ There are bad ways to die. Chica and Barrows died bad. That was a choice. That was deliberate. ]
I liked Connie. She was—
[ Stop. Don't go there. Don't start yelling. Ephemera shivers all over, flexing his hands. He doesn't want to be here, talking. But he promised, and he's already spiraled out once. Gotten the wrong people involved, drew the wrong blood. If he gets angry it will spiral out all over again and Angela is right there, watching it all play out. What he owes her cannot possibly be repaid, but they were friends once; he ought to try. He has so few friends in this world. ]
I have to let it go. I know that. I fucking know that. But you don't get to pretend this is something that just happened.