[ 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. ]
[ This was probably a terrible idea, but Gustave has made plenty of those since he formally decided to join Expedition 33 and this, going out to the train station at this hour, didn't actually rank in the top ten. Gustave is aware of how bad that looks on paper, too. ]
All right. [ His voice isn't all that raised. If Verso was close enough to hear him, then Gustave figured he'd hear him. ] I'm here. What is it you wanted to show me?
[ It isn't the wisest choice that he himself could have made, considering the spike in anxiety Gustave's very presence creates, but to completely avoid him would only hurt Verso's cause in the long run. He's already been forced to accept that he can't cross a certain line again, at least not right now, so instead it's to everyone's benefit that he try to win the other man over.
One may question his methods, but if Gustave's going to serve Verso's interests while staying alive, then he has some catching up to do. There's no shortcut for experience, but some tips never hurt anyone. ]
Right.
[ Wasting little time, he unfolds his arms and lowers a hand, where the shape of a slender sword shimmers into view. The golden gleam of the blade's tip fades into an onyx black as it reaches the hilt, where his grip shifts deftly from right to left. He's mimicking Renoir's grip on his cane. No dagger this time. ]
Should there ever be a next time defending against Renoir, I'm going to show you how to stay alive for as long as possible.
[ His shrug is tilted. He would like to believe that everything's going to go smoothly from here on out and Gustave will never be in that situation again, but Verso stopped dreaming ages ago. ]
[ Coming here wasn't entirely reckless, though it might have seemed it. Gustave knew next to nothing about who this man was, though he had thus far painted an unflattering picture, between the events of the maze, the dancing around the truth, and Zorya's inciting words, but there was something to getting a fuller picture, especially because they were, for now, all trapped here together.
As they say, the devil you know. ]
All right. [ As the pictos solidified into a sword, Gustave flexed his fingers, testing his own grip. He chooses not to bother with the pistol this time. ] Survive longer than last time, you mean,[ he says, staring across the space between them and watching to see how Verso reacts. ] Demonstrate away. I'm ready.
Hm... [ There's the slightest head tilt and grimace, a mocking apology in the form of a nod and shrug. ] It wasn't hard to figure out how long you lasted, by the state of...well, your injuries.
[ A word he uses gently, as soft as his next step. He's not striking, he's just deciphering Gustave's stare at the moment. Something in it, a questioning, triggers a darker intent that shifts his grip on the hilt. ]
Lune and Sciel hadn't found a way back up in time. Which is good. To be honest, most people don't live long past their first meeting with him, so consider yourself...luckier than most. You may not have lasted long, because no one does...but you clearly gave him a good scrap. It was probably like...a brisk jog for him, you know?
[ If there's any venom in the taunt, it may be favored for Renoir over Gustave, but it may also be difficult to make that distinction, given the way he's scarcely restraining a hooded glare. Gustave existing at all is going to complicate everything, making it impossible to reason with Maelle should that opportunity ever arise. Inconvenient doesn't even begin to cover it.
And yet, he owes him. Or, at least, he owes Maelle. ...Even if still that makes him the bad guy to someone. ]
I've seen him obliterate entire Expeditions without breaking stride. You— [ A gesture with the tip of his sword as he shakes his head, forever wrestling that headache of awe and shame. ] —you saw it too, what he was capable of, and you stood up to him, anyway. It was brave. ...Foolish. But, brave.
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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. ]
action;
All right. [ His voice isn't all that raised. If Verso was close enough to hear him, then Gustave figured he'd hear him. ] I'm here. What is it you wanted to show me?
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One may question his methods, but if Gustave's going to serve Verso's interests while staying alive, then he has some catching up to do. There's no shortcut for experience, but some tips never hurt anyone. ]
Right.
[ Wasting little time, he unfolds his arms and lowers a hand, where the shape of a slender sword shimmers into view. The golden gleam of the blade's tip fades into an onyx black as it reaches the hilt, where his grip shifts deftly from right to left. He's mimicking Renoir's grip on his cane. No dagger this time. ]
Should there ever be a next time defending against Renoir, I'm going to show you how to stay alive for as long as possible.
[ His shrug is tilted. He would like to believe that everything's going to go smoothly from here on out and Gustave will never be in that situation again, but Verso stopped dreaming ages ago. ]
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As they say, the devil you know. ]
All right. [ As the pictos solidified into a sword, Gustave flexed his fingers, testing his own grip. He chooses not to bother with the pistol this time. ] Survive longer than last time, you mean,[ he says, staring across the space between them and watching to see how Verso reacts. ] Demonstrate away. I'm ready.
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[ A word he uses gently, as soft as his next step. He's not striking, he's just deciphering Gustave's stare at the moment. Something in it, a questioning, triggers a darker intent that shifts his grip on the hilt. ]
Lune and Sciel hadn't found a way back up in time. Which is good. To be honest, most people don't live long past their first meeting with him, so consider yourself...luckier than most. You may not have lasted long, because no one does...but you clearly gave him a good scrap. It was probably like...a brisk jog for him, you know?
[ If there's any venom in the taunt, it may be favored for Renoir over Gustave, but it may also be difficult to make that distinction, given the way he's scarcely restraining a hooded glare. Gustave existing at all is going to complicate everything, making it impossible to reason with Maelle should that opportunity ever arise. Inconvenient doesn't even begin to cover it.
And yet, he owes him. Or, at least, he owes Maelle. ...Even if still that makes him the bad guy to someone. ]
I've seen him obliterate entire Expeditions without breaking stride. You— [ A gesture with the tip of his sword as he shakes his head, forever wrestling that headache of awe and shame. ] —you saw it too, what he was capable of, and you stood up to him, anyway. It was brave. ...Foolish. But, brave.
i'm just chucking the spoiler warning in the subject line, reader be warned lmao