evocation | ⚡ hadriel

[She's not sure it's going to hold her over if it doesn't work, but she appreciates that he's trying.]

Do you think he'll just... fix me?

Why wouldn't he? He's the one that fucked you up in the first place. He owes you that much.

[He has a feeling it still won't be that cut and dry, but there's no point in hashing out hypothetical deals they'll have to make to get back her magic and his hearing.]

Yeah, but I don't think they give a shit about what they owe us.

They should. We died defending them from the Null. If they attack again, and they will, it's not going to do them any good to have a bunch of pissed off and disabled citizens running around.

Yeah, I know, but... It's not like they usually do the shit they should do. I bet they're going to give me some shitty deal.

You made a deal with Delight, didn't you? How did that go down?

[Yeah. That.]

It felt really easy when I did it, but now that I know she fucked us over, it was weird. She told me to use my magic to protect everyone else here, and that was it.

Delight fucked us, sure, but it's not like she's pure evil. She's not any different than the other gods. If anything, by your logic, the other gods should be more sympathetic.

[He shrugs.]

This time shouldn't be any different.

Maybe. I hope so.

[But everyone said Delight was one of the nicest ones, so she's not sure what to expect from any of the others.]

I'm just afraid they're going to try to make me their fucking lackey or something.

That's not gonna happen. If nothing else, you've got options. There's six gods to choose from. You don't like the terms for one, hit up another.

[He's not actually as optimistic as he sounds, but this much is true, at least. It's not like Kyna has to take the first offer they give her.]

If they really give you a hard time about it, let me know. I'll talk to 'em for you.

[Kyna hesitates, then reaches out carefully to touch his hand, just a brief brush of her fingertips against his knuckles.]

Thanks, Harlan. I don't get how everything got so screwed up.

[Harlan shifts a little as she reaches for him, more out of awkwardness than discomfort. Usually, reaching for him like that means she wants to hold his hand, but then she just barely touches him and pulls away again. Man, physical intimacy is so confusing. What was that? Does it mean something? Was he supposed to do something back?

He spends another half a second puzzling over whether or not he's blowing it, but then decides: Fuck it.]

It sounds like this shit was in motion well before we got here. We're just caught in the crossfire.

[That doesn't make her feel better, even though she knows it's true.]

Assholes. I can't believe we have to defend them.

We don't have to. We could've sided with the Null, or stayed out of it entirely.

I guess so. I don't know. I don't know what our best shot at getting home is.

[He nods, going quiet for a moment. The thought of getting home is complicated nowadays. Harlan definitely doesn't want to stay in Hadriel for the rest of his life, but there are people here that he doesn't want to think about leaving behind.

He'd like to leave, yes, but he wouldn't mind staying here a bit longer.]

I don't know either, but I'm not gonna throw my lot in with some fucking computer that thinks it's okay to call for kids to be executed.

[Kyna doesn't want to go home just yet either, but that's the end goal, isn't it? It's got to be. She shakes her head.]

Yeah, fuck them. At least the gods want us alive.

Yeah. And it's not like no one ever gets to leave here. People go home all the time.

[Maybe, anyway. He's not entirely sold on that.]

⚡ hadriel - ic inbox

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