Bright and clear.

Zeno raises an eye right back, and, with deliberate subtlety, engineers his body language to appear totally disengaged from the conversation. Body angled away, looking anywhere but her, almost bored. ‘Chase my attention’, per se. “Interesting assumption,” he says, and that’s all he gives her.

// clary: our partnership is over zeno: thats crazy. anyway what if i gaslit you

“Did you.” It’s not so much a question as an acknowledgment, and even then… It doesn’t feel complete. Almost a little… Bitter. “Well, I’m happy for you.” A long pause. “And, frankly, I find it inspiring that you are so confident in the completeness of your information.”

You must have ample free time in your retirement, then.

A pigeon— … You really have become senile, haven’t you? Oh, dear. I surely hope you get the care you need. Perhaps it’s time to consider hospice. Football… Good grief.

Yes, the second iteration of any project is generally a refinement on the techniques used. Mm. Perhaps I was ‘engineered’ to be a little less killable. Shocking.

Thank goodness for that.

“ʙᴇ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɢɪʀʟ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴛᴀʏ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴛɪᴍᴇ.” ᴀʟʙᴇʀᴛ ᴡᴇꜱᴋᴇʀ ᴜꜱ ᴀʀᴍʏ/ꜱᴛᴀʀꜱ/ᴜᴍʙʀᴇʟʟᴀ/ʜᴄꜰ ᴘʀᴇ ᴍᴀɴꜱɪᴏɴ- ᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛ/ᴅʙᴅ ꜱʜɪᴘꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄʜᴇᴍ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴘʀɪᴀᴛᴇ

𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐖𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐒

There would be nothing of use within them, anyway… Paragraphs cut off between disordered pages, sentences beginning with promise, but the ending redacted or removed entirely. Milestones. Weight at birth. Fair skin, strong cry. Normal appetite. Normal sleep. Normal, normal, normal. +

Well, you know… Often times, those with the most hardened exteriors secretly wish for someone much softer to gently push their way through. And you are nothing if not determined, miss. I mean that in the best way possible.

I’m sure. You are far too gentle for that. I know that. I don’t think you would upset him… He has surprising emotional depth. I think he understands more than he lets on. And I think, quite possibly, so do you… But that’s an entirely different conversation.

…….. ( What a perfect coincidence.) Right, right. My apologies… I wasn’t aware you had such a soft spot for him, Mrs. Willows.

Hmmh… Yes, very much like your father, just less elegant about it. More honest. Don’t lose that trait, boy. It’s endearing. Makes you so much easier to… Understand.

Well. I’ve spoken to him face to face, once or twice. We call each other ‘brother’, but the more accurate term is probably… Father and son, almost. Creator and creation, perhaps. Template, and upgrade. What would you prefer to be, to me?

I’d say jealousy is a good look on you, but I’m not terribly sure you have many other ‘looks’… I kid.

Am I not allowed to be kind to the son of my ‘ancestor’?

Ah. That’s what it is. Poor thing… Well. You’ve only become stronger in the face of adversity. That, at the very least, I do think he would have been proud to see. Very proud.

I mean, their reactions are their own prerogative. I don’t intend to incite fear. On the contrary, I try my very best not to, but, ah… I suppose your father did grace me with his looks, and it’s not the friendliest face, is it? You aren’t curious at all? Hmm. I wonder why…

Pfft. Right, right. Wary, aren’t you? Fair enough. Did you ever meet your father? Or is this your very first time seeing ‘him’ in the flesh?

Hmm. Nurture VS nature, I suppose. Your father never had the opportunities you did. Of course you would surpass him emotionally. He convinced himself he didn’t need such useless things as feelings. I disagree with him, though. You are much more… Lively, than he ever was. I prefer that.

Mm? Well, that’s nice to hear. I’m glad you had some goodness in your life, despite the… Circumstances of your birth. I do sound like him sometimes, I know. It’s a bit embarrassing, isn’t it? But you should know. We can’t really stray that far from our ancestors after all, can we?

Anyway. I suppose I at least… /Owe/ you some sort of introduction, for whatever it’s worth. I’m not your father. I’m built from his genetics, but I am not him, nor do I wish to be. But if you want to project whatever grief or grudge you might hold onto me, feel free… Might be interesting.

Aha, so that’s the nerve. Fantastic. Thank you for the information.

You’re taking this surprisingly well. No identity crisis, no immediate violence, not even an emotional reaction? Hmh. So you do take after him in some little ways, then.

All we share is our genetic code. Nothing else. That… Person, is not my son by any means. Why must you always panic so loudly?

….. What a pitiful introduction.

….. Pffft. Well, if she gets out of line, I’ll just kill her. She knows that, I know that. With that memory of hers, she can’t be allowed to wander alive.

…. By the way. (He pulls the Redemption from the holster wrapped around his shoulders beneath the jacket and fires without a glance.) +

(Bullets don’t particularly phase him— He doesn’t fear for his life, not in the least. One bullet is caught in a palm that moves too quickly to be human. One tears the lapel of his coat. And several more punch into his chest… Uselessly.) Go on. Struggle. Fight. Violence is all you have. +

Doctor, let him do whatever he pleases short of seriously injuring himself. He is the only reason I’m not truly losing my composure at the moment. At least we have him. At least we have him…

(He keeps his cool right up until…) …. (A whirl of dark coat and he’s ON the other, hand around his throat, lifting him straight off the ground like he weighs nothing, right in his face.) You will /not/ speak to me like that. Do you understand me? You will NOT speak to me like a lesser being. +

You… You are a /fool/, Oliveira! You think your weapons and chivalry will protect her when it comes down to the wire?! Don’t make me /laugh/. Men you like breed war wherever you go. And you will drag her down with you. Refuse my offer for peace if you must. Just do it more QUIETLY.

You are the only person that doesn’t irritate me as of late. For that, I’m thankful.

There seems to only be one person left in this world with any common sense, besides myself…

…. Huh. Lost my composure a little bit… Sorry about that.

Scared of her? ….. Pffft, ha! Scared? Of that pest of a girl? She’s nothing but an inconvenience at best! I don’t claim to be holier than thou, but I do know my place and it is notably /above hers/, and yours as well if you continue to challenge me like this.

Besides. I have the ‘truth’ now… It would be a shame if something happened to it.

She’s not. It’s not a bad thing. Her skillset is just suited to a… Support role. Intelligence, human resources, even medicine— She would be vital behind the scenes. Don’t let her get crushed underfoot because of her own stubborn pride.

I’m not vying for power, or wealth, or fame… I’m vying for peace. Unity. Oneness. No war, no strife, no murder. No more lost loved ones. No more lives cut short. How, pray tell, is that ‘evil’?

Won’t you two listen to him? He’s an adult. Not a child to be nannied. Not a fool to be educated. Don’t you think he’s been through enough?

Come now, Oliveira… You and I, we’re not so different. We both live in danger and crisis. You don’t want to drag her into this world. She’s so soft hearted and unblemished by harshness… She needs to keep her distance.

Threaten? Ah, my apologies. You misunderstand. I’m looking out for Grace’s health. This world that we walk in— people like you and I— isn’t suited for people like her… And I certainly wouldn’t want her getting hurt for her friends’ sake, either.

Anyway… One of you is valuable to me for your mind. One of you is valuable to me for your history. One of you I really wish would stop turning up everywhere I go. It’s getting annoying, Grace. Time to move on, don’t you think?

(The rare raised eyebrow of genuine surprise.) Doctor, you are more useful than you let on. You have my thanks. Expect a bonus for this.

I’m sure it is. Very, very sure.

The content… Maybe, maybe not. The magnetic pull they have on you, dear? That very much does interest me.