EXSILIUM - contact.

[hostage]

UNIT№409



_“ Hey, it's me. Wait for the thing. _”

Comments

[hostage]

What, am I embarrassing you?

[affections]

I think the months I've been here is the longest stretch I've lived anywhere at all, since we left Oxford. I'm, shall we say, unaccustomed to such attachments.

( A brief pause. ) It's nice. ( Just to clarify, there. )

[hostage]

Couldn'ta asked for a better roommate. I mean it.

[affections]

There are certain things that could be improved on.

( Such as, for example, her needing to occasionally kill people. )

We need to have a bit of a chat, later. In person. There's some things you should know about my home.

( It's not really fair that Lisbeth knows more than him. She needs to fill Lisbeth in on some information, too. )

[hostage]

[Well, that sounds mildly serious. But Jesse assumes it's about the in-laws.]

We could do it right now, if you want? I was just about to head home.

[affections]

Yes. We can do that.

( Oh God. Facing the music. )

I'll put the kettle on.

( It's the solution to everything. )

[hostage]

[Jesse's there about ten minutes later, smelling vaguely like a meth lab. (Sorry.) He peeks into the kitchen as soon as he arrives.]

Hey.

[affections]

Hiiiii.

( But imagine some extra iiiiiiiii dragging that out, as she passes him a nice soothing cup of tea. Not coffee, right now. Just tea. )

Good day?

( Stop avoiding it, Jules. )

[hostage]

Fine, I guess.

[No one died or got melted. Good work, team. He sips the tea politely, though he's not a huge fan.]

What about you?

[affections]

Poppy's here. I apparently have a wife that I don't know about in the future. ( a sip of tea. )

So good, yes. Perfect.

[hostage]

Oh, hey, congrats! That's like one of the best things to find out, right?

[affections]

I have no idea who this person is or what might have addled their judgment to marry me.

( Okay, hang on she is grabbing his wrist and leading him to the sofa. ) Remember how I said there was something you needed to know?

[hostage]

[Jesse's about to argue that Jules would make a perfect wife, but - more pressing matters. He allows himself to be led and settles onto the couch.]

Right, yeah.

[affections]

( She appreciates the focus, really. Jules doesn't sit, though. Pacing is definitely a thing that's happening. )

Um. Right, okay. Well. In the course of your time in Exsilium, have you ever-- met people who weren't human? Strictly rhetorically speaking.

( Chewing them nails. )

[hostage]

Um, yeah. Of course, yeah.

[affections]

All right.

( Okay. Oh, God. She looks like she might be ill. ) Right. In my world, charming place that it is-- well, simply put there was an invasion. Of monsters, monsters invaded, and humans lost, basically. They're not doing so well. And, in some cases, monsters and humans bred.

( Just don't look at him, just keep gesturing and pacing. Yes. Good. ) And then there are the devils, and they and the monsters hate each other, and if a human sells their soul to the devils, they can get powers to fight monsters. "Sulfur slaves," they're called.

( A slow wheeze. ) God, this is like horribly executed exposition in a tawdry novel. Except I can't skim over it and get straight to the smut.

[hostage]

Um...

[He's kind of lost on the relevance here. Jules really looks upset, though, so he offers sympathetically:]

That sounds pretty terrible.

[affections]

( Yep.

She nods, swallows a little bit. )

I'm a hybrid.

[hostage]

Which one is that?

[affections]

( Somehow, that gets a quiet laugh out of her, and she's rubbing her eyes with her wrists. )

My father is half monster and half human, and my mother is human.

( Another attempt at a smile, but it's a bit weak. ) My family are, ah. Rather frowned upon.

[hostage]

Oh.

[He looks distant for a second as he gets lost along a line of thought, like what it must be like having a half-monster for a dad and if that was scary and then how awful it must be to have people get all judgmental about it and -

Wait a second, she's coming out to him right now, isn't she? That's what this is.

Jesse immediately puts his cup down on the table and straightens his posture.]

Whoa, hey - You know that doesn't matter to me, right? I'm not racist or anything.

[affections]

( Oh, Jesse. She hangs back, keeps from latching onto him with a hug, although it is extremely tempting. )

They hate us because they're scared. Hybrids are dangerous.

( Gently, stepping a little closer, and crouching down with the coffee table between them. In light of this information, the puncture scars on her body might make a little more sense. )

We've got a bad reputation.

[hostage]

Okay, but... I mean, you never hurt any of us.

[affections]

I'd never hurt any of you.

( Desperate, a little raw. ) I've done bad things, but I'd never hurt you or Lisbeth or Stanley.

[hostage]

Then we're okay, Jules. I mean really. It's cool.