010

[nakesnakecobracobra]

[ Video ]

[ Medusa addresses the network solemnly. She’s recovered from her death toll, and considering she hasn’t been attacked she thinks it’s safe to show her face again. ]

I want to… apologize, for any trouble I caused during port. [ She forces the word ‘apologize’ out, like the very idea sickens her. In reality, this is all a planned speech, but she makes it sound candid, organic. ] I wasn’t myself.

[ She pauses, and looking very much like this has been forced out of her, she adds: ]

I do have some restraint.

[ Private to Red ]

Are you happy now? [ She sneers. ] Did it make you feel better?

[ Private to Lua ]

[ She looks just a touch less grudging now. Almost more genuine. ]

I didn’t mean what I said before. You’re not entirely useless.

Comments

private

[surrenders]

[Lua's not entirely sure how genuine this is, so is really slow to respond, and her words even come out slowly, like she's only saying this to be polite. She's still thinking of Medusa watching her die like she needs to get it over with, and even though it's mostly healed up by now, her breathing starts to hurt worse, and she's breathing quicker now in spite of how calm she's trying to stay.]

So it was just that place, right? [She's not addressing the comment about uselessness.]

private

[nakesnakecobracobra]

It called to my... baser instincts. [ Which accounts for murder as much as insults. For the most part so far she's come off as a relatively harmless troll. ]

private

[surrenders]

You wouldn't have done it here.

private

[nakesnakecobracobra]

No, I wouldn't have. [ Which is the truth, mostly because if she had done it here without a flood on she would have been entirely culpable. She's moving past the experimental phase and has no desire to be put down. ]

I'm not a nice person by anyone's definition, but I am not a thoughtless murderer.

Re: private

[surrenders]

Never thought you were.

Sometimes this place just makes people worse.

private

[nakesnakecobracobra]

Considering I'm still alive I presume you haven't told your boyfriend what happened.

private

[surrenders]

Doesn't need to know. [She hates having to lie to him, but telling the truth's going to lead to no good end.] He'd do it to try and teach you something, but it's nothing you need to learn.

Re: private

[nakesnakecobracobra]

That was generous of you.

[ She pauses, to emphasize how difficult this must be for someone like Medusa. ]

Thank you.

Re: private

[surrenders]

It's all right. Even if...

[How should she say it? "We don't get along", "you hate me", everything like that sounds too harsh.]

Even if I don't know how to talk to you, I know it wasn't really you.

private

[nakesnakecobracobra]

Shall we call it a truce, then? [ It seems like the next natural step, assuming that someone like Medusa wouldn't expect that sort of behavior from someone like Lua. A revelation, perhaps. ]

private

[surrenders]

[An agreeable look, and a faint nod. She did try to shoot Medusa, even if it was self-defense.]