Forge Contact II

[priscilla]

You've reached Priscilla. Please leave your message as you prefer. I will absolutely return your contact, especially in the case of business concerns!

[...]

I'm sorry I left that terrible message up for so long!

[beep!]

Comments

[silverking]

Well, here and there. It's not a thought which has preoccupied my mind this entire time, Priscilla.

Juvenile things can't hold my attention for that long!

[ ...Except Priscilla holds his attention. ]

I have been curious, though. Had Yachiru not been with us at the time that I saw it, I might have asked then... but it seemed rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

[ A beat. ]

So, who gave it to you?

[priscilla]

[...]

[...]

Um. Well! It was-- a while ago, some things showed up from some people's... worlds. Not anything alive, just little trinkets and anyway so, Nagi got Yuukai and Goutou, um, they're the... mascots of Deadman Wonderland which is the... place Nagi came from and anyway, he didn't want them so he gave them to Senji, who is also from the same place, and then Senji gave one to me while I was staying at his-- um! I mean, after I came back from that--

Anyway, it was from him.

[silverking]

How generous of them both.

[ His youki thrums noticeably for a moment, ripples in the surface of a bottomless body of water that continue to grow, stretching outward... endlessly reaching toward something—

—before it stops. Just like that.

As suddenly as it started. Seemingly as though the ripples had never existed. ]

Its sentimental value to you must be quite prodigious, then.

[priscilla]

[And that just makes her stop breathing for a second there. Even when she starts again, it's shaky. And so is her voice, a little.]

Do you really want to talk about that?

...it was a long time ago.

[silverking]

The passing of time does not make happenings any less relevant.

[priscilla]

No, I guess not.

...but you already knew about him.

[silverking]

Regardless of that fact, I'm torn between wanting to remain ignorant, and wanting to learn more. For obvious reasons, I should think.

For example—

[ In your opinion, what part of him do you think would be the most delicious? Truth be told, I can't imagine that meat being anything but tough and tasteless.

Why you ever wanted to put your mouth anywhere near that... ]

—you mentioned very evasively that you and Senji were staying under the same roof together. This is a fact of which I was previously unaware. You might say that it is almost overwhelmingly bitter knowledge... but it is knowledge nevertheless.

...Priscilla.

[ I want to rip that swine's head clean off his shoulders, stuff it and mount it on my wall for decoration. ]

I'd like to understand you better... and I would like to hear more about your life here. Before my arrival. Speculation is, after all, perverse. Particularly when I could hear the truth straight from your lips...

[priscilla]

O-oh.

Well, I... didn't think it mattered that much. I'm sure you've done a lot of things I don't know about, too. [Things she would rather not think about, in fact. But she bites her tongue on that bit, just to avoid derailing.]

Um!

It isn't that I've been trying to hide anything, but it didn't really come up, and I-- [Didn't think you'd want to hear about some of it? Hm.] --well.

After I returned from d-- well, after I returned, I did stay in his apartment for a while. Until I recovered and my... memories came back.

And... he lived with me, for a while, too. Until Riful did what she did. And then we split up, so he left.

That's all. I don't really have anything to hide, but I don't... talk about myself just to talk about myself.

[silverking]

Your home is hardly fit for one, let alone two.

[ Opting to ignore the implications of that statement, because... ]

I wonder... must you be romantically involved with someone to live with them?

[priscilla]

...wait, I-- What's wrong with my home?

[silverking]

Priscilla.

Answer my question first... and then I'll answer yours.

[priscilla]

[FOCUS.]

I guess it's not strictly necessary. Plenty of people have roommates. But it would have been... odd.

And besides, he left me for, um, yoki control reasons. I guess worrying about him made my yoki hard to control.

[silverking]

...Allow me to clarify.

If I asked you to stay with me, would you accept?

[priscilla]

...but, why?

[silverking]

You can't keep answering my questions with questions of your own, Priscilla. We'll be talking in circles for all eternity that way.

[priscilla]

I... I think it's a relevant question, though.

If you're trying to compete with him, that's not really... necessary.

[silverking]

He isn't much in terms of competition, I'm afraid...

Actually, I was just hoping to spend more time with you. I didn't want to ask if you had something against living with a man that you were not involved with, though.

[priscilla]

[Don't think she didn't hear that.]

[She bites on her bottom lip.]

I don't think I can leave here. It is my building, after all. And I should be here in case something happens. And I--

[...]

Normally, I wouldn't have anything against that. But you?

I don't know if I could be around you that much without... being an idiot. I mean, without... doing idiot things. Err. What I mean is...

What I mean is. I don't think I could live, and sleep, and breathe in the same place as you all the time without losing track of my um. Common sense. It happens enough as it is, with you.

And it's only getting worse.

[silverking]

Then, I presume the times between us before were mistakes in your opinion.

Had I known...

[ He doesn't even wait for an answer. The line goes dead. ]