15strangers | F̀I҉̵N̶ÁL͘ ̵̧̀WE҉̧̀E͞K̷̨

[ Oh. That was interesting.

He's not heard Eric be quite that blunt and sharp towards him in some time. Definitely proof that whatever had happened to them had more and more side effects, and it was very likely due to a certain entity's influences, no less. ]

Don't take it out on me just because things were awful. Even if i'm sure even saying it's awful wouldn't quite describe it with what I saw when me and McBurn walked in yesterday and found you all like that.

[ Normal people might be super considerate about things, but the way Eric seems so damn relieved that the ugly gray food tasted? He knew what it meant... and as such? Karma was not some perfect angel who just didn't say something to spare someone's feelings, as he'd never been much of a liar.

He missed the taste of real food and missed the normal textures of what it was like to eat it, and not the awful sand-like taste and texture. God. Soon as he got out of here, he was going to fully go back to cooking his own food again with a LOT of spices. ]

Hm. Right. Because IT is just so considerate about the food it gives us and specifically gave us comfort food. Not likely. There's a reason you find it more appealing... in the same way Hiyori and Link do.

[ Sorry. He's not being that considerate. Whoops. ]

Sounds like something I could see you doing, yeah.

Edited (Pressed Enter button before tag was done >> sorry for edits) 2020-02-25 09:58 (UTC)

Don't be such an ass. How would you feel if you got tortured and someone said that?

[not all emotions are conditioned even if they were still caused by it.]

Besides, you really think I don't know that? I'm not stupid. I'm just tired. Let me have this.

[He is still going to eat it even if now it's more glumly.]

....the ice cream shop... it's where I met my wife. I wasn't ever really happy to work there, but now when I look at my ring, I start wondering if my life would be better if I never did.

[of course, one can't go from 60 to 0 like that without thinking it's strange.]

I think IT made me like Hiyori in that way too.

[but he's stating it really plainly since he literally can't care about this. He might as well be talking about doing taxes.]

Probably wouldn't even bother me that much.

[ The speed to which he says this should be an indicator of sorts, but he is also quite tired. Of all this mess. Therefore his filter on what he says is definitely not functioning as well as it could be. ]

Sure. I'll let you have your gray ice cream and not say another thing about it, then.

[ Oops. That may or may not be words spoken with a little bit of an edge to them, his gaze then falling to the bandages wrapped around his one hand. ]

Probably. All I can say is to not completely give up the idea of loving your wife, because i'm sure you'll hate yourself for it later if you do.

[His hostility is off-putting. Eric feels the beginning of a wedge between them, but he decides to push through that to speak honestly.

Honestly for the situation. His heart is in knots. Eric thinks about this for a moment, before putting his chin in his hand with a painful expression.]

... I already hate myself for loving her, though. She killed my mother, you know. Lots of other people like her too, people who were just minding their own business, going about their day. She even killed me in the other timelines.

Mira is a murderer and I stay with her because I can't bear the thought of losing the only person in my life I have left to care about.

[His head hangs, fearful and shameful.]

...if I can't even do that... I'll be so alone....

[ It's honestly nothing personal, Eric. These past couple days including today has been a bit rough on him. Not as bad as what the six of them dealt with during their punishment but it's still not pleasant all the same.

Which made hearing that confession a bit surprising. That was not what he was expecting in the least, when it came to hearing that Eric loved a woman who was a murderer. ]

...That makes sense. Nobody wants to do something that will make them be alone, and to feel like someone loves them. Needs them. I totally get it.

[ Any harshness in Karma's expression tapered off into a smile now. No judgment showing at all on his face. ]

So what if you love a murderer. If it's love, who cares what other people think?

[Eric sputters into his next bite of ice cream.]

Karma, what the fuck... I can't believe you're being serious if you take something like that this well.

...What? Am I supposed to look disgusted and tell you you're an awful degenerate who loves a killer?

[ Oh god he just looks so damn amused now. He was being honest and this was the reaction he got?

Either way he just sighed and ran his non-bandaged hand through his hair, unable to stop smiling even as he then set his elbow on the table and propped up his chin in his upturned palm. ]

Look. I spent the last year before these stupid games being taught by a former assassin who was turned into a smiling, yellow, many-tentacled being through human experimentation, who could move up to mach twenty speeds and was also teaching us the skills on how to kill him.

[ Maybe he is a little smug but hey. This was being truthful here so why not tell him so there was something to compare it to? ]

So... yeah. That's kind of why I took what you said so well.

These situations are NOTHING alike!

[Eric is now waggling the nearly-empty ice cream stick at him.]

I mean, I'm glad you don't think I'm disgusting, I guess. But still...

I never said they were. I'm just explaining why I'm not really bothered with you loving a killer and everything.

[ It was almost easy to forget that slight hostility he'd held earlier, as the air now was much calmer and he was smiling so that was a plus, right? ~~He wields a knife with ease, Eric. A nearly empty ice-cream stick being waggled at him wasn't all that intimidating.~~ ]

Just take it as it is. If it helps, the one I love is someone who'd be able to kill you before you even knew he was there. Probably has killed someone by this point.

It doesn't, but... thanks for trying, I guess.

[it's kind of hard to be annoyed at Karma since he's here trying to pep him up in his own weird as hell Karma way.]

[ That response is definitely enough to make him laugh a little, a smile now in place where before there'd been something quiet and almost subdued. ]

No problem.

[ Stubbornly, Karma then took another bite of his dinner and swallowed it as if it didn't have the taste or consistency of sand. Stubborn will was a hell of a thing. ]

Just remember that we can't give up, and will make it out of here. [ Exhaling a small breath., and then: ] Be strong. Don't let IT win.

I'm not letting IT win! How am I letting it win? [Eric tosses away the stick in frustration, the last of it having disappeared in his mouth while Karma was talking.]

I don't need Mira to defeat IT... she isn't even here.

[he can scarcely even remember all the times he cited her as his sole reason for going home, so the thought of making it out of here rings a bit hollow now that he mentions it. but the desire to stay is certainly not present. he feels more of a dependence on the other strangers than it.]

Look, all I know is, we have to defeat IT as soon as possible and we can't fuck it up and get put in those tubes again. We have to know we can win.

[ Wow, Eric. Way to go on the offensive?

There's just a moment where he gave the older man a blank stare before laughing, grinning almost cheekily because he wasn't expecting that kind of reaction, all things considered. ]

I never said you were. I was simply just giving out some advice as a... reminder, you could say. Same with your precious Mira. I didn't say you needed her to defeat IT, either.

[ Sorry. He's sassing now but it's the good-natured kind at least? ]

That? I can completely agree with. We can't afford any mistakes. Not again. We're gonna make IT regret all the things it's ever done to us.

F̀I҉̵N̶ÁL͘ ̵̧̀WE҉̧̀E͞K̷̨

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ZERO TIME DILEMMA SPOILERS

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