[log] justin! he's punching all my blood out! [closed]

[bywolves]

Characters: Royce Melborn and Alfie Solomons
Location: House 12
Date: Day 351ish
Summary: We'll see if they both last the night, honestly.
Warnings: violence, extra stuff will be cw'd in the subject lines.

BUILDING 12: This bizarre house, while fully intact, only consists of one very large empty room and a hatch that leads to the maintenance tunnels.

Comments

[devoutish]

[Alfie's slumped against the wall by this point, wound cleaned and wrapped. He's tied the bandages tight enough to staunch the worst of the blood flow, but some still seeps out, staining the cloth red.]

You're paranoid.

[bywolves]

Yeah. I am. And I'm alive because of it.

[ A pause. ] What's the point? We both know that you know me.

[devoutish]

Because you read it on the network?

[He snorts.]

Well, then, you're lying to me. You must know me; I read it.

[bywolves]

Because I've been told by several people that you traveled with the man calling himself Royce for months.

[ And by several he means like, Karkat, but. Look. ] But fine. I don't care enough to argue with you.

[devoutish]

I've been told I traveled with you. I've seen myself having conversations with you. That does not mean I remember it.

[bywolves]

And I don't believe that for a minute. [ Royce says, rolling his eyes. ] You wouldn't have stopped me from leaving if that was the case.

[ You're his biggest weakness, Karkat had said. ]

[devoutish]

I told you.

[He yanks the bandage more tightly around his arm.]

I would have done it for anyone.

[And maybe it's silly that he's still stubbornly sticking with that lie, but he does really believe that it would make things harder if he admitted to the deception, as opposed to using it to try to manipulate this other-Royce into believing he's trustworthy. That's the biggest, most obvious reason. The other reason is that it's the principle of the thing - he hadn't really lost his memory, no, but he could have, and Royce doesn't actually have any proof that he didn't.

And then there's the third, deeper reason: he misses when Royce was like this. He doesn't miss him being distrusting of him specifically, of course, and ultimately he'd much rather have his Royce - but he misses the snap and spark he'd had, before the worst of the MN poisoning got to him. He'd rather bicker and challenge him than sit in stony silence.]

[bywolves]

[ He's either telling the truth or stubborn, and - it doesn't matter, honestly. Royce doesn't care. He's exhausted and hungry, and on edge, and he needs to save his energy. He's going to be awake for a while.

He's cold. He hates this. It's not new, feeling miserable, and he doesn't expect anything else, it's just. He was finally out of hell. And now he's here. ]

Don't come near me. [ Royce says, low and annoyed, pulling a blanket from his bag. ] Or I'll give you another wound to worry about.

[devoutish]

[Alfie flips him the bird.]

[bywolves]

[ sTOP - Royce actually lets out a little snort. Okay. Alright, yeah, he can admit he's amused by that. ]

[devoutish]

Oh, you know that one, do you?

[He rubs a hand down his face, which is turning a little gray.]

[bywolves]

Seems to be a common enough gesture.

[ A pause. ] Probably shouldn't move much more. You'll bleed to death.

[devoutish]

Careful. If you sound too much like you care, it'll be proof that you're lying about not remembering me.

[bywolves]

[ you fuckin' sassmaster ]

I mostly just don't want you tattling on me.

[devoutish]

Then why didn't you finish the job?

[bywolves]

[ A beat. ]

Plenty of reasons. I don't especially want to sit in a building with a dead body all night. You'll just come back anyway, or so I've been told by half the population.

[devoutish]

Yeah, I saw your little post on the network. Getting--

[He cuts himself off as a large drop of blood hits the floor next to him - the bandage is pretty thoroughly soaked through now. He pulls more fabric out of his bag to get a new one ready, and continues gamely:]

Getting busy, aren't we? And quick.

[bywolves]

Don't know why I shouldn't. I'm good at what I do and I know the people here aren't all perfect, law-abiding citizens.

There aren't any laws here, anyway.

[devoutish]

No. Just a great many people who think they are the law.

[Be careful, amnesiac assassin bro.]

[bywolves]

I'm not worried about it. They come after me, and I'll take care of it.

[devoutish]

You-- are a fucking ridiculous sort of man.

[His breathing goes harsher for a second, as he unwraps the old bandage and redoes the new one even more tightly.]

[bywolves]

[ There's a very small twist of sympathy in his chest - he knows how much wounds like that hurt. But it isn't enough for him to offer help. Alfie can be charming all he wants; Royce doesn't trust him and isn't looking to give the guy he just wounded any sort of ability to wound him back. Right now, Alfie's weak. Royce feels safer that way. ]

I'm not the one that's ridiculous.

[devoutish]

Yeah, you are. Never met a more ridiculous man in my life.

[bywolves]

You're the one that tried to stop someone with a knife. And now look at you.

[devoutish]

This is because I didn't want to kill you. If I'd wanted to kill you, I would've taken that cloak you've got on, wrapped the hood around your neck, and strangled you with it.