♦ ♦ 14th Contract [Video/Action]

[mortemscintilla]

[ The feed snaps on to 'Li' popping shut the oven. He's in Cafe Satine's kitchen, surrounded by a colorful cornucopia of half-and-fully decorated desserts. Most stark is a tray of painfully red cupcakes with sugar-shards. A serial killer's treat. ]

[ Sublimation is a terrible thing. ]

[ Scowling, Li digs the heels of his hands into a slab of dough. Folds it. Digs again. From behind it looks like he's pummeling someone to death. One of his memories has crept its way onto the Network. He can't ignore it. But he can't withdraw somewhere until it disappears either. ]

[ That'd be tantamount to admitting he has much, much more to hide. ]

[ OOC: Memory bits shown are from 11:27 to 12:37, 15:21 to 20:17 and 20:28 to 24:19. ]

Comments

video;

[negativegate]

[Rita...is sort of confused by the memories and is thinking Li is kind of a weirdo for following a girl around. She could possibly give him credit for trying to fight off those goons...if she thought he was any good at fighting.]

...Your world looks pretty weird.

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[mortemscintilla]

[ His expression is carefully neutral. ]

Weird?

How so?

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[negativegate]

Following around complete strangers is considered creepy in my world.

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[mortemscintilla]

Well...

To be fair, her father did ask me to keep an eye on her.

[ Liesss. ]

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[negativegate]

I'd say that's even creepier-

[No parents :<

Though now she gets a little more serious.]

But it looks like he might've had good reason. Who were those goons?

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[mortemscintilla]

Tell that to her father. [ The pathetic bastard. At her question, he hesitates. ] Just that. Goons. Her family had enemies, I guess.

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[negativegate]

[She thinks there might be a bit more to it, even if he isn't necessarily lying.]

...So what happened after that?

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[mortemscintilla]

[ There's more to every story than meets the eye. But the truth, in Hei's profession, is something to be boxed away and buried. ] What happened ...? [ His face falls. ] She ... didn't make it. [ Not as a human or a free person, anyway. The Mai working for the Syndicate is little more than an automaton. ]

video;

[negativegate]

[Her mouth tightens and she glances down.]

So those jerks got her?

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[mortemscintilla]

[ A single nod. ]

They did.

[ Or, more fittingly, the Syndicate did. ]

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[negativegate]

...Hmph.

[It kind if depresses her. But she won't get too sad over a stranger.]

So how did you get out of that fight?

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[mortemscintilla]

[ Behold the glib lie. ]

Honestly?

I ran away. [ After electrocuting them. And disposing of the bodies. ]

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[negativegate]

[She believes it! Despite the look of disbelief she gives him.]

You what?

[Then it disappears a moment later so she can go back to scowling.]

Hmph... I guess there's no way someone like you could've taken them on.

video;

[mortemscintilla]

[ He hangs his head miserably. ]

I know it wasn't the bravest thing to do.

B-But I had no choice.

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[negativegate]

[Liiii....]

Like I said, you wouldn't have stood a chance. It's not like it was your fault.

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[mortemscintilla]

I know.

But still...

[ It was her father's fault for experimenting on her in the first place. Hei doesn't feel much for him -- for the memory itself -- beyond a disgusted pity. ]

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[negativegate]

Does that kind of thing happen often?

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[mortemscintilla]

What do you mean?

The goons attacking little girls?

[ Because that's a fact of life. ]

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[negativegate]

I mean them doing it so obviously.

[Because there's sure plenty of goons in every world.]

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[mortemscintilla]

[ They were obvious because they were amateurs. But he keeps that tidbit to himself. ]

Usually.

It was a pretty deserted street, after all. Not many witnesses.

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[negativegate]

Hm... I guess that would do it. Idiots...