[ she doesn't believe anyone can go through all this completely unscathed, even a cold, money-grubbing bounty hunter. But she gets his point, so she lets him off the hook. ]
Three more innocent people are going to be dead by the end of the week. I've seen war, but this is different. This is just... slaughter. [ she sighs. ] Usually, I know who the bad guy is, and I just have to focus on taking him out. Here, I don't even know where to point my sword.
There's nothing to think of. We were summoned by the Realm to fulfill a mission. Although the contract was forced onto me, I will abide by it in order to return to my world.
Not all contracts are favorable to all parties involved, of course; however . . . my payment will be getting to do what I meant to do before coming here.
[His knee-jerk reaction, of course, is to tell her off by saying that it's none of her business. It's what he's done for the last two weeks anytime someone has asked for the details. But Fiora knows something they don't, even if it's just a small detail in the big picture—that his mother has been dead for centuries when she should still be enjoying the long life granted to nonmortal beings from birth.
Thinking about the business from which he was taken away by the Realm, he seethes.]
. . . Yes.
He did something he shouldn't have. Once I kill him, he can use that filthy mouth of his to beg for her forgiveness.
[ she's not unaware that this is probably something he doesn't want to share - that's why it's a little more meaningful that he does, and she can't help but blink in surprise when he confirms her suspicion. And with such emotion, too. It's not a side of himself he's shown before. ]
... Mm. If I was in your position, I think I'd feel the same.
[ Fiora disapproves of killing. But when she looks back on how she felt when Colony 9 was attacked - and how Reyn and Shulk felt after she died - she can imagine that disapproval fading. ]
Well... I hope you can find him. [ she rests her head in her hands, looking at the floor. ] If your team wins, is that what you're going to wish for?
[Now that he's gotten it out, he can start to cool down a little. It still enrages him, just thinking about what was done to his mother, but he can start to come back to this moment in the Realm with Fiora in the adjacent pod. Right now, the competition demands his attention.]
He was there when I was brought here. As soon as I return, I will kill him.
[ same as her, then - getting yanked right out of something very important. No wonder he's so grumpy all the time. There's a twinge of uneasiness at his eagerness to kill this man - but she doesn't know the entire story, and she's not about to insert herself into something so personal. ]
Then we've got to make sure we can all make it back. [ pursing her lips. ] We need a plan. At this rate, we'll all get "removed" before we get enough nova.
[This is good. In order to move away from private matters, it's good to discuss something that qualifies as business. Fiora raises a valid concern; he racks his brain for all the possibilities.]
[ believe it or not, even Fiora knows not to dwell on some topics... she doubts Rufus wants to talk about this much more. But, once again, she's glad he told her. It's tucked away safely into her memories - or, at least, she hopes it's safe. ]
... I'm not really sure. That's why I'm so out of sorts. If only we could get everyone to work together... This whole "teams" thing is the problem.
It doesn't help that we don't know who did it this time. We can't even look for similarities.
[ fiora sighs, sinking further into her hands. ]
If I had to guess, though... the perpetrator is probably someone like you. Someone who doesn't care what happens to them, as long as they can finish what they need to do... but unlike you, they can't wait. Or... what they want is something they need a miracle to get - a wish.
Between the two, the latter is most likely the case. The former risks losing more than gaining. Of course, we have no way of knowing for certain; it could be neither.
[ urgh. she's not a detective!! she's a jock robot. ]
How about you - do you have any ideas? You're a bounty hunter, so maybe you've had to track mysterious people down before. I've only hunted monsters. They're not nearly this subtle.
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[ she doesn't believe anyone can go through all this completely unscathed, even a cold, money-grubbing bounty hunter. But she gets his point, so she lets him off the hook. ]
Three more innocent people are going to be dead by the end of the week. I've seen war, but this is different. This is just... slaughter. [ she sighs. ] Usually, I know who the bad guy is, and I just have to focus on taking him out. Here, I don't even know where to point my sword.
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Even if you did, there's no guarantee that you would be the one to pull the lever next.
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And if I was, I don't know that I'd want to. I don't want to kill people. We're all trapped here just the same.
[ naive, perhaps, but that's just how she is. ]
... Rufus, what do you think of all this? Do you have a plan? I can't tell at all.
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[ Fiora is almost jealous... almost. ]
Don't you think it's unfair...? You might not get paid, and you don't know who your targets are.
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[That's more than enough for him.]
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[ after all, he doesn't seem to care about much else outside of his work. ]
I wish I was that focused.
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. . . As long as I can kill him, I do not care what happens to me.
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[ perhaps surprisingly, she doesn't sound all that distressed by his bloodlust. ]
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Yes.
[She's seen war and faced death. Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that she takes his bloodlust in stride.]
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[ in a more delicate tone. maybe she shouldn't ask, but she can't help it. It makes sense. ]
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Thinking about the business from which he was taken away by the Realm, he seethes.]
. . . Yes.
He did something he shouldn't have. Once I kill him, he can use that filthy mouth of his to beg for her forgiveness.
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... Mm. If I was in your position, I think I'd feel the same.
[ Fiora disapproves of killing. But when she looks back on how she felt when Colony 9 was attacked - and how Reyn and Shulk felt after she died - she can imagine that disapproval fading. ]
Well... I hope you can find him. [ she rests her head in her hands, looking at the floor. ] If your team wins, is that what you're going to wish for?
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[Now that he's gotten it out, he can start to cool down a little. It still enrages him, just thinking about what was done to his mother, but he can start to come back to this moment in the Realm with Fiora in the adjacent pod. Right now, the competition demands his attention.]
He was there when I was brought here. As soon as I return, I will kill him.
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Then we've got to make sure we can all make it back. [ pursing her lips. ] We need a plan. At this rate, we'll all get "removed" before we get enough nova.
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What do you suggest?
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... I'm not really sure. That's why I'm so out of sorts. If only we could get everyone to work together... This whole "teams" thing is the problem.
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It doesn't help that we don't know who did it this time. We can't even look for similarities.
[ fiora sighs, sinking further into her hands. ]
If I had to guess, though... the perpetrator is probably someone like you. Someone who doesn't care what happens to them, as long as they can finish what they need to do... but unlike you, they can't wait. Or... what they want is something they need a miracle to get - a wish.
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[ urgh. she's not a detective!! she's a jock robot. ]
How about you - do you have any ideas? You're a bounty hunter, so maybe you've had to track mysterious people down before. I've only hunted monsters. They're not nearly this subtle.
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I have my suspicions . . . but airing them without proof would be no better than gossip.
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[ looking up from her slump at him, eyes hopeful. ]
We can at least trade ideas. We're partners, after all, right?
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What ideas do you have?
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I don't have any proof, either. But... Jeanne seemed like a likely suspect to me, between her hair and her weapon.
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