Audience: Omi Fushimi

[probe]

Comments

w4, sunday

[probe]

I do, yeah- where are you over there? I can come by in a little bit.

[housewolf]

I'm at the bar.

[probe]

[he gets a thumbs-up emoji in response!

then, a little while later, envy enters and slides onto one of the bar seats.]

Jeez, that was a long weekend.

[housewolf]

I'd offer you a drink, but they're still pretty awful here.

[A little laugh.

There's a pause, and then he looks more concerned.]

How are you doing after all of that?

[probe]

About as fine as I'm going to be, I think...?

[he shrugs one shoulder, a little awkwardly.]

I can ignore it, anyway.

[housewolf]

Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?

[He fidgets for a moment, awkward.]

I wanted to apologize for what I did last week. That wasn't fair to you, and you never asked.

[probe]

I never asked for pretty good reason, apparently.

[...he leans forward to fold his arms on the bar counter, propping himself up.]

-it's okay, though, I'm-- it's not like it's the first time? I know how to move on.

[housewolf]

[Okay. He nods and looks off to the side for a moment. Omi's the one who doesn't really know how to move on.]

If you say so.

We uh got a vision of the... nine of you? The leap and the panel. Were you guys... in a competition like this before?

[probe]

[it's fine, envy actually doesn't either, he just practices a lot of repression. he shifts uncomfortably at the question, though.]

Something like that?

[housewolf]

It seemed like four months of... whatever lead up to that moment. And a lot of losses.

[probe]

It, um. It kind of sucked, yeah.

[fidgeting with his robe sleeves. it doesn't look like it's a subject he really cares to go into detail on unprompted.]

[housewolf]

Worse than this, huh?

Is that how you ended up with this job?

[probe]

...yeah, it is.

[housewolf]

[Softly-]

Is it going to happen again at the end of this? Is there anything we can do to help at all?

[probe]

That's-- it's more up to everyone on the other side, honestly. You guys are already more or less out.

[housewolf]

[A tired little sigh.]

What do they need to do? More indulgence stuff?

[probe]

Basically, yeah. But I don't know how well they're doing, exactly.

[housewolf]

I thought Lust said there was some kind of meter?

[probe]

Sure, but that doesn't mean we can always see or read it in that kind of detail.

[housewolf]

How do you know when it's filled? It's there an alert?

[probe]

Honestly, that's a good question? I've been assuming we'll just know.

[housewolf]

I hope you're right.

... What did you see on Thursday? [The thing that seems to chew every one up?]

[probe]

...you're sure you want to know? It was, um. Kind of a lot.

[housewolf]

... Yeah.

[Deep breath. Move past the fear.]

I do.

[probe]

...I got separated from everyone else, and I got stuck in this long, looping hallway, but- every so often, I'd run into one of you guys. You were leaving it when I couldn't-- some of you guys were leaving together, and you all kept telling me it didn't ever mean anything. That I was just... there for you to get what you wanted, and then go. And every time, they'd kill me before they left, so I couldn't follow them.

...but I just came back, and then it happened all over again with someone else. And I just-- I was so jealous of all of them for getting what they wanted when I didn't get anything, I felt sick with it.