OFFICE HOURS

[didntgetdadslooks]

Got something you want to say to your good friend The Professor's Assistant? Come on in, don't be shy! Her official hours are daylight hours - girl has to sleep? after all, probably - but if you knock on the door at night she'll generally answer. Please just make sure to leave the in-game date and time in the header of your toplevel!

All comments are screened for confidentiality during the course of the experiment.

Comments

[bolderfell]

[He lifts his head automatically, then looks down and shields his eyes.]

No looking. I promised.

[He caught a glimpse, surely, but he's gotta do his best to keep his word!]

[didntgetdadslooks]

[ She laughs a little. ]

I trust you. And if you want to talk about anything, just go ahead - I'm good either way.

[ Help! This!! Boy!!! ]

[bolderfell]

[He freezes.]

...Why?

[didntgetdadslooks]

[ Ah. ]

Because you promised. And at the end of the day... because I want to. I can't even trust my own memories anymore, Therion.

[bolderfell]

But... I'm...

[Della mentioned that, during the trial. Therion hadn't had much to say at that point, and he usually doesn't, once they've cornered their killer, but he remembers, and he remembers assuming she was talking about Angel. 'She remembers more every week,' and all that.]

You know I'm not... You must have heard them during the trial. They know I'm not trustworthy. I could--isn't that all the more reason to protect yourself, if your memories aren't...?

[didntgetdadslooks]

[ Angel shrugs a little. ]

All I know is I don't think you're being dishonest right now. Which is a weird thing to be saying to a thief, maybe, but... sometimes with people I think you have to take chances. You took a chance trusting me first, remember.

[bolderfell]

[That makes him flinch.]

I--

[He curls more tightly, looks at the door, and then stares floorward, brows still knit with denial.]

...You can't lie to us. It's in your rules. Right?

[didntgetdadslooks]

[ Angel nods. ]

I cannot directly lie to you, no.

[bolderfell]

Right. So. Not as much of a chance as it could've been, believing you.

[didntgetdadslooks]

[ She lets out a small flat laugh. ]

I guess so. But... trusting me has historically been kind of a bad move. Not even for you guys, just... before all this. So I guess I'm not an expert, but I'd like to trust people where I can.

[bolderfell]

I...

I don't know how much you know about us. If you were part of those "observations" they did before we were brought here. But if you don't know, I'm... not a trusting person, Angel. Haven't been for a damn long time.

[didntgetdadslooks]

[ She nods. ]

I know. And that's okay. But I'm... I want to be a trusting person. At least sometimes.

[bolderfell]

[It feels like he's been asking her the same question this whole time, but it's the one word filling his head.]

...Why?

[didntgetdadslooks]

I know it's kind of a non-answer, but why not?

[bolderfell]

Trust only ever gets you hurt.

[didntgetdadslooks]

Hm.

[ she thinks for a few moments ]

I'll agree that it can. Someone I trusted used me to... well, to do a lot of really bad things, let's put it that way. But other people trusting me was the only way I could get out of that.

[ "Hey Angel there's a lot of key details you're leaving out of this" "Maybe so" ]

I just don't want to live in a world where no one ever trusts each other. And I say that as someone who some people wouldn't blame for not trusting anyone ever again.

[bolderfell]

...I'm such a fool. [It's barely a whisper.] Putting myself in this position again.

[He's really struggling, fam.]

I can't let them find me, because if they--apologize, or try to comfort me, or--anything like that. I couldn't take it. Not... not today.