Damn. When she's right, she's right. So, he turns around to meet her gaze.
"Thanks. At least, this time, we got to end things on our own terms. Hasn't been the case for either of us before." His long and storied history of failed loves stretches out behind him like a dark shadow, but at least he can still look Sally in the face and know he did the right thing before she got hurt by him this time.
"So it... transformed you into some kind of human-machine hybrid?" he guesses--not skeptically, just trying to clarify. He completely believes those twisted landscapes could do such a thing.
"With the Spiral it's all mental. It made me forget... everything. And I think the part that still scares me is how much of me didn't want to recover what I lost. Remembering it all at once again was... like seeing a highlight reel of all the worst moments of my life. And there's... a lot of choice material."
"Yeah, exactly. With a— fucking dog's head on top. A real dog. Blood, spit, the way I saw color, everything. Its face was my face, like a mask." Carolina's throat strains, humiliated against the memory. "Had me acting like a brainless murder-pet. The dogs armies used to send out into the field. Not that it would be wrong. I think that's the worst part."
In an effort for this to be truly collaborative, Carolina gets down on her hands and knees to join Crichton on the floor. Following his lead, she scoops out a bit of mixture and slathers it thickly onto the dark brown stain.
"Jesus. Not the movie you were hoping for? I know what you mean, though. Part of me keeps saying, Don't let this be a step backward. Things are finally starting to feel okay. Then this happens, and I wonder— how are any of us supposed to get better? How do things keep getting worse?"
"Making you into a literal war dog was a bit on the nose," he tells her ruefully. The irony isn't lost on him. "Then again, whatever forces these were didn't seem interested in subtlety."
His expression warms when she takes a place beside him. Doing this together makes the talking part feel easier too.
"Yeah, let's just say I'm a little tired of creature features." His dry laughter sounds suspiciously like a cough. "But I actually think you've hit on an important point. Every time some new calamity strikes we have to pivot all our resources into fixing it and healing from it. Doesn't leave a lot of time or mental energy for solving the bigger issue here, does it? That feels like a pattern."
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Date: 2025-12-30 10:33 pm (UTC)"Thanks. At least, this time, we got to end things on our own terms. Hasn't been the case for either of us before." His long and storied history of failed loves stretches out behind him like a dark shadow, but at least he can still look Sally in the face and know he did the right thing before she got hurt by him this time.
"So it... transformed you into some kind of human-machine hybrid?" he guesses--not skeptically, just trying to clarify. He completely believes those twisted landscapes could do such a thing.
"With the Spiral it's all mental. It made me forget... everything. And I think the part that still scares me is how much of me didn't want to recover what I lost. Remembering it all at once again was... like seeing a highlight reel of all the worst moments of my life. And there's... a lot of choice material."
no subject
Date: 2026-01-05 07:19 pm (UTC)"Yeah, exactly. With a— fucking dog's head on top. A real dog. Blood, spit, the way I saw color, everything. Its face was my face, like a mask." Carolina's throat strains, humiliated against the memory. "Had me acting like a brainless murder-pet. The dogs armies used to send out into the field. Not that it would be wrong. I think that's the worst part."
In an effort for this to be truly collaborative, Carolina gets down on her hands and knees to join Crichton on the floor. Following his lead, she scoops out a bit of mixture and slathers it thickly onto the dark brown stain.
"Jesus. Not the movie you were hoping for? I know what you mean, though. Part of me keeps saying, Don't let this be a step backward. Things are finally starting to feel okay. Then this happens, and I wonder— how are any of us supposed to get better? How do things keep getting worse?"
no subject
Date: 2026-01-07 04:18 pm (UTC)His expression warms when she takes a place beside him. Doing this together makes the talking part feel easier too.
"Yeah, let's just say I'm a little tired of creature features." His dry laughter sounds suspiciously like a cough. "But I actually think you've hit on an important point. Every time some new calamity strikes we have to pivot all our resources into fixing it and healing from it. Doesn't leave a lot of time or mental energy for solving the bigger issue here, does it? That feels like a pattern."