[ 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.
[ β 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. Youβ [ A gesture with the tip of his sword as he shakes his head, forever wrestling that headache of awe and shame. ] βyou 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
My injuries. [ It was almost funny, that word. Gustave had been dead long before any of them had realised, but that wasn't exactly true. Though he trusted the fae as much as he trusted Verso, that needling thought lingered. Condemned to die. In the end, it doesn't change anything — Gustave would have still stood between Renoir and Maelle, he would have chosen to die to protect her no matter what led up to that choice. ]
I was as lucky as I needed to be. [ A half-hearted shrug and a flickering smile. It was... an understatement, just as comical, just as heartbreakingly final. Gustave hadn't been lucky, no one in Lumière had ever been, but he'd had hope and he had dreams and in the end, he did what he could. For those who come after. ] Your motivational speaking needs work, [ he jokes as he shifts his feet, watching and waiting, knuckles blanching where he gripped the sword too tightly. ]
Yeah, I... I know. I saw. [ Every time he closes his eyes, he sees. That kind of terror doesn't go away without a fight, even if the blood was gone and the screams had stopped. ] I did what I had to. For Maelle. For Lune. Sciel. I'd do it again if I had to.
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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.
[ β 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. Youβ [ A gesture with the tip of his sword as he shakes his head, forever wrestling that headache of awe and shame. ] βyou 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
I was as lucky as I needed to be. [ A half-hearted shrug and a flickering smile. It was... an understatement, just as comical, just as heartbreakingly final. Gustave hadn't been lucky, no one in Lumière had ever been, but he'd had hope and he had dreams and in the end, he did what he could. For those who come after. ] Your motivational speaking needs work, [ he jokes as he shifts his feet, watching and waiting, knuckles blanching where he gripped the sword too tightly. ]
Yeah, I... I know. I saw. [ Every time he closes his eyes, he sees. That kind of terror doesn't go away without a fight, even if the blood was gone and the screams had stopped. ] I did what I had to. For Maelle. For Lune. Sciel. I'd do it again if I had to.