[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

[bywolves]

[ WHAT ]

Shut your mouth. [ Royce's voice breaks, just slightly, and then he clears his throat and tries again. ] Don't play with me.

[devoutish]

You stabbed me. The least you can do is hear the truth.

[bywolves]

What are you talking about? Spit it out. [ His grip tightens on the razor. ]

[devoutish]

Royce, if you cannot put two and two together--

[bywolves]

[ He slams his fist into the wall - and with it, the razor, which tears through the drywall with a terrible sound that actually knocks him out of the anger haze. ]

Don't. [ His voice is pained and hoarse. ] Don't call me that.

[devoutish]

[Alfie jerks in surprise at the sound, head bumping the wall again.]

I know you've read back the network. How much have you seen?

[bywolves]

[ Deep breath. Calm down. ]

At least a month's worth. Maybe two.

[devoutish]

[He says his next words almost gently.]

You don't really believe it was an impostor, do you?

[bywolves]

[ He leaves the straight razor in the wall and brings his arms in to wrap around his stomach. ]

It has to be. [ Because he can't remember any of it. ]

[devoutish]

Why?

[bywolves]

None of your gods-damned business.

[devoutish]

Because it scares you, is that it?

[His eyes drift shut again.]

If you've forgotten this, what else could you have forgotten? If they've taken your memories, what else can they take?

[bywolves]

[ His breath hitches, and it's audible even from across the room. He's quiet, trying to calm himself down, for a long, long moment. ]

Just die already, if you're going to. [ He says, harsh. He's scared. And he hates how much. ] So I don't have to listen to you.

[devoutish]

[He grimaces.]

No. If I die from this it's gonna be slow.

[bywolves]

[ Yeah, and he knows that. ]

By Mar, no wonder you're wandering this place alone. Shut your mouth doesn't work, and the more subtle request doesn't work - I imagine nothing does.

[devoutish]

No, it does not.

[His lips curve up into a humorless smile.]

[bywolves]

[ Usually this sort of thing makes him feel better, but he sort of just... feels worse. So he goes quiet again, hugging himself a little more tightly. If Alfie doesn't say anything else, it'll be at least half an hour before Royce speaks up again of his own volition. ]

[devoutish]

[It'll be that long, because Alfie falls silent too, the only sound coming from him his labored breathing.]

[bywolves]

This is your ring.

[ Royce says quietly, at the end of that half hour. ]

[devoutish]

Yeah.

[He touches one of the rings still around his fingers, inadvertently smearing some blood on it.]

[bywolves]

[ He swallows hard. ]

What else do you know about me?

[devoutish]

Likely more than anybody else here. But I only know what you've told me; I haven't stalked you.

[Just getting that out of the way. He saw your conversation with America, buddy.]

[bywolves]

[ Yeah. He thinks that makes sense. He's never seen any conversations with America elsewhere, but he knows how much he was around Alfie. ]

Tell me the name of the person you just told me you're not like. [ If that was real, and not just a lucky guess... ]

crosses fingers I spelled his last name right

[devoutish]

Merrick Marius.

[Though granted, he actually thinks he is a bit like Merrick - just not in the way that Royce is worried about.]

sure did

[bywolves]

[ Okay. Okay, so he - he knows. Because Royce would never tell anybody who or what Merrick is. Not unless they were close to his heart. ]

You understand this is a lot to swallow.