Quote:Frankly? No idea. Either works. Both, if you feel up to that.
Okay, this is the one I'm due for, isn't it?
"Damn, you couldn't have tried to be a little more intimidating?"
I blinked. Shrugged. "It's not something I do well at most of the time."
"Maaa ... for being as stressed as you usually claim you are, you're way too mellow."
"Biting sarcasm so early in the evening? I hate to say this, but I don't think I can see this relationship is going anywhere. We're just too different. It'd never work out."
"Touche," Juliet snickered, then sobered as she changed the topic. "You think it's really going to happen? That's not just some delusion of yours, is it?"
"Kruger seems to believe it, everything else aside. Predictions say 'yay' and we'll be doing some subtle inquiring into the matter starting tomorrow," I shrugged.
We fell into a brief, if uncomfortable silence. No real prize for guessing where our thoughts were going.
I shook my head, leaned against the railing of the canal, and grumbled. "And that, Juliet, is why I hate dealing with fanatics."
She frowned, the nodded. "She's a good kid, but ... her mind's messed up. I don't think there's one thing she can agree with herself on ..."
"Actually, I'm thinking there is," I spoke after another moment of silence, broken only by the sound of water flowing in the canal. "Which either makes things much worse, or much better. Depends on how you look at it. She genuinely cares about people in general, her friends in particular ..."
She looked at me, then pinched the bridge of her nose in a gesture of resignation. "And it's tearing her apart, isn't it?"
"Not yet, but it would. It would."
Neither of us had anything to add, until a thought crossed my mind. I chuckled.
"... what? Is there something funny about this?"
I considered not telling her for a moment, then decided to hell with it.
"I'm actually jealous."
She looked at me as if I were insane. I got that a lot.
"It's been a long time since I've been able to care like that," I finished. "If ever."
Her eyes widened fractionally, then she slowly nodded.
I like Juliet. Not in 'that' way, maybe, all hotness aside, but as a character. I think she'd make a good conversation partner, if nothing else. Or just someone to bitch about the state of the world with.
Okay. If all goes well, this will soon be moving away from the 'mostly conversation' phase soon. Perhaps not too soon, but be assured, there'll be big explosions.
-Griever
who, during the past few days, has dusted off his flash drive and after deleting a fair bit of junk text in that still to be made chapter, has begun working on Machine Spirit again. No matter how far I have it by then, I'll be posting what I do have of Chapter3 on Sunday.
When tact is required, use brute force. When force is required, use greater force.
When the greatest force is required, use your head. Surprise is everything. - The Book of Cataclysm