poly_chromatic | Video | Forward dated to the middle of the night

[ Lucy is sitting up in bed, blankets rumpled around her. She's wearing pajamas and she looks exhausted because she hasn't slept well since she saw that cottage. She's twisting a strand of hair that's fallen out of a sleep-mussed ponytail around and around her finger, releasing it and twisting it again. There's a giant ginger cat curled up amidst the pillows. The edge of a sheet covered mirror can be seen not quite out of frame. She presses her lips together, teeth digging into her bottom lip before she releases it with a puff of air. ]

At what point in the whole insomnia cycle do you start seeing hallucinations? I've pretty much decided I'm going crazy because curses don't last this long. And yet...

[ She pauses, rubbing a hand over her face. ]

I'm sorry. I'm just tired and according to Fight Club, you can't die from insomnia so...[ She shrugs. ] I've lost my train of thought. Good night, City. I hope you all sleep better than I am.

[ She leans forward, flicking the recording device off. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ From one control freak to another, ]

That's not screwed up at all. [ Control is a theme in Hei's life, in every mutable shape. Not having a lick of it. Being in superlative possession of it. He's spent a majority of his existence being exploited as a tool by his employers, while simultaneously using other people as tools to get the secrets or outcomes he desires. That word -- control -- is a two-faced monster you have to keep a firm grasp on, or it can turn on you in an eyeblink. ]

Think about it. Your body and mind are your most valuable assets. If they fall apart ... it's like losing everything that makes you, well. You. At least if it's a curse, you know what to expect. A bad day or week, and then it's over.

[ Hei gets Lucy a lot more than she realizes, probably because he's too busy being Li around her for her to realize. In any case, yes. Accurate.

She takes a deep breath and gives him a wavering smile. ]

Thanks. I mean...that makes sense and I kind of thought I was beyond sense.

[ Hei's trained to be good at human arithmetic. What Contractors lack in empathy, they make up for in perception. In theory. In Hei's case, as a Tiresias between human and inhuman, he possess both. It's why he's dangerous. He can see the cracks in another's mask. But he can intuit why they're there. ]

Even if you were beyond sense, no one would blame you. [ He offers her a reassuring little smile of his own. ] Anyway, you aren't. Is anyone with you? It's a bad idea to be alone, with the mirrors playing awful tricks.

[ The smile is good, as are the words. ] Not right now.

Well, would you like some company?

I have three different recipes of cookies we could try out, to pass the time. [ A beat, before he relents with a wry tilt to his smile, ] Or you could just eat the cookie dough.

I would very much like some company and some cookies. Both dough and baked.

Great.

I'll gather up the ingredients and be over in a bit. Sit tight until then. Think, um, cheerful thoughts? [ A pause, before he cringes in vague apology. ] My mother always used to say that, when I was waiting to face the dentist. It always struck me as awful advice, and here I am repeating it.

[ Who knows, of course, if he's telling the truth -- about the advice, or the existence of a mother, or motherly advice in general.(99% likely: he's lying. Parents were one more redundancy he'd shed, like a majority of emotional flotsam, after becoming a child soldier.) ]

[ It makes Lucy smile. ]

My mom used to say something of the same sort when I was little. 'Think happy thoughts, Lucy girl. They can't make things any worse'.

[ oh hei! she's just going to continue to take you at face value because she likes you. ]

Video | Forward dated to the middle of the night

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video; I love that they're going to do this

video; nothing as therapeutic as baking cookies with a murderer 8')

video; TRUTH