Audience: Omi Fushimi

[probe]

Comments

[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.

[housewolf]

[What does he say to that? What can he say? It's terrifying, to think that Envy would be stuck somewhere, alone, just like that. Over and over, watching people leave. Nothing more than a tool. Not only that, he's being killed by those versions of them, where ever they went.

No wonder he didn't want to be alone when he came back.

His voices is shaking, it's different. He's never sounded like this before.]

How-how did you get out?