I took them where they needed to go, and somehow most of us ended up here. They don't have much reason to follow my lead anymore. You're here now. You've known them longer.
But I still have an interest in keeping the people I care about away from unnecessary danger.
Maelle told me a little about what ended up happening. And yeah, I have. I know them, which is why I'm doing what I can but trusting them too. I'm not the leader. We're in this, whatever this is, together.
Right, yeah. That, I get. What I don't know is why you won't tell them that, but you're telling me.
Then it's worth the discussion, isn't it? Together.
[ What is this turning into. He didn't come here for therapy. ]
Why won't I tell them to get out of the castle, or that I want them safe? The former, I already explained as much. Leader or not, they look up to you. I saw what it did to them, losing you.
The latter, well, I already have told them. In my own way. They know. Maelle knows.
[ Maelle has more-or-less claimed him as part of her 'family' but that is entirely too loaded of a statement for Verso to make himself, and he doesn't think Gustave would be too excited about the idea, either. ]
But someone needs to make sure Renoir keeps his distance, now that we're all veritably trapped together. That's my responsibility, so you lot can have a little less to worry about.
Handled in that it's not a problem at the moment. They shouldn't run into each other. And it's temporary because it's not, you know, solving the problem. But it's giving me time to figure that out. And you time to figure you out.
Renoir will only keep to agreements so long as it suits him.
[ No matter what he says, this revelation only raises Verso's anxiety about this situation. None of this is good. Apparently Renoir needs another confrontation, because what the hell was he even doing talking to Gustave in the first place?
After a moment's contemplation, ]
It seems both of us are doing what we can to keep him away from Maelle, but should something happen to me, should Renoir find a way around whatever you agreed to, I think we ought to prepare for the worst.
You held your own against Renoir pretty well before, but I could teach you how to do better. To last longer and buy Maelle more time, if necessary.
[ While he had assumed Gustave wouldn't fill him in on the details, it can't hurt to ask, can it? Verso realizes not everyone is as dodgy with the truth as he is, and he's hoping that Gustave can at least believe that Maelle is a priority for the both of them. ]
If you want to get technical, if it solves the problem it counts as a solution.
[ Gustave laughs out loud at that attempt at praise(?), which would have surprised anyone near him, if there was someone. One for three wasn't great odds, though generously, he hadn't... he'd survived the first encounter, too. It doesn't count as far as he's concerned. ]
I did what I had to and I knew I wasn't going to survive so I gave Maelle the best chance she had.
Sure. Yeah. If you think it can help.
[ It can't hurt anyway. ]
All he asked was that I keep Maelle away from you and Clea.
[ Would he have gotten this far without technicalities? ]
Is that so.
[ "All he asked."
Talk of training is momentarily suspended while his mind does somersaults to keep him from immediately going to tell Renoir off for this. He's a little more flabbergasted about Gustave's end of the deal. More shocked that he hasn't upheld it, at least so far. ]
And yet you haven't told me to stay away from her.
[ No, well, he thought about trying to and then decided he was going to go about it a different way. So no, he hasn't really been keeping his end of the deal but he didn't think he'd be able to, even if that was something he was considering, which truthfully, he did but also let that pass. ]
Because I know it wouldn't have made a difference if I did. I agreed to his terms and I figured something else out. Just in case.
I know why he asked that. Partly at least. What I don't know is how she fits in. What the threat is. I have theories, but they're just theories. So I guess this is where you decide if you're going to tell me the truth or not.
[ Which truth would that be? There are so many tangled up in lies that Verso is going to lose track before the end. And, unfortunately for him, it's getting harder to tell when that end might arrive. It may never.
Can silence be loud through texts? Because the pause here is...
...substantial. ]
The truth is that Renoir is deluded. He's holding onto the past, something he can no longer have, and he doesn't like that I've gotten close with anyone else. He feels threatened.
Maelle
[ There's just...no way he's laying it all out in the open. It's impossible at this point. Despite having watched Gustave on and off for at least sixteen years now, he's not about to trust the man with the full of it. He can't trust any of them with the truth of this tragic fantasy they're all trapped in.
Maelle is the key. Is he supposed to believe that Gustave would agree in helping send her back? ]
Maelle shares a resemblance to my younger sister, so Renoir has cornered her as the main threat to restoring his relationship with me. Like with most things, he's grievously mistaken. I stopped thinking of him as my father long before any of you were in the picture.
I'm not sure why he brought Clea into it, but as far as I'm aware, Maelle hasn't met her yet.
[ The silence doesn't bother him. Gustave's never minded long pauses and he doesn't sit with his eyes glued to the screen. There are things he needs to work on and he does that instead of wait, so when the responses do finally come in, he has to stop what he's doing and he reads, and he waits, and he thinks.
And the really funny thing is, he might have agreed with him about sending her back, saving her life, if Verso had bothered to ask him.
Gustave doesn't know that though, he just knows that he doesn't have a reason to trust him because none of this feels like he's ever going to get anything true out of him. Not really. ]
She hasn't said anything to me about her, so I think we're safe to assume probably not. Spoken, maybe, over these things, but nothing in person.
I know the why, though. It wasn't hard to figure out.
[ Sent a little while later. ]
Nice try though. It almost didn't sound completely like bullshit.
[ The bullshit really does sell better when accompanied by his charming voice and soulful eyes. He needs a second take. ]
It's the truth.
[ It just has some...holes in it. And he really doesn't know why his father brought Clea into it when she hadn't even interacted with Maelle yet, but now Renoir has made it that much more difficult for Verso to manage.
Just as he planned, no doubt. ]
You seem to think you have a whole lot figured out. What exactly do you have worked out "just in case"?
[ At this point, it's fair play. He doesn't blame Gustave for staying wary. Respects it, even.
But it's still frustrating as hell and he's far too sober for any of this. Putain.
After another stretch, ]
I meant what I said about teaching you how to hold out better against Renoir. If you still think it's worth the effort, find me when you've got the time and inclination.
[ This guy misses the sass from a certain friend, so if anyone's going to appreciate the attitude, it's Verso.
And he did offer to match Gustave's 'schedule', so he's not about to back out now. ]
Fair enough. I'll be here.
[ → action ]
[ His camp is just past the treeline, but Verso will move closer to wait by the actual station so that he's easier spot. At least he's not covered in mud and blood this time, but the old Expedition uniform still probably stands out against the backdrop to anyone looking for it. ]
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But I still have an interest in keeping the people I care about away from unnecessary danger.
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Right, yeah. That, I get. What I don't know is why you won't tell them that, but you're telling me.
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nearly forgetting about SPOILERS
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one day we'll be free of these
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the end of june can't come fast enough LOL
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Now works for me.
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And he did offer to match Gustave's 'schedule', so he's not about to back out now. ]
Fair enough. I'll be here.
[ → action ]
[ His camp is just past the treeline, but Verso will move closer to wait by the actual station so that he's easier spot. At least he's not covered in mud and blood this time, but the old Expedition uniform still probably stands out against the backdrop to anyone looking for it. ]
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i'm just chucking the spoiler warning in the subject line, reader be warned lmao