Quoted By:
>Who's Afraid of Virginia Shearer?
You can't be certain, but two of these names sound familiar. Wasn't Iris one of the people you met on the tour? She was kind of paranoid. Nothing's saying it's the same Iris, of course, or that this Norma is the same Norma (though you don't quite remember where you've heard that name)— but is that something you'd like to risk? You don't want the person you're possessing to know you, and you don't really want to know them. It just makes it all too complicated.
Which leaves Virginia, a name you're certain you've never heard before. Alas, poor Virginia! Though, er, you shouldn't— she'll be fine. You're not going to do anything to her, really, except lock her in a mind closet for a bit. You didn't do anything to Rudy, except freak him out a little bit, so it's fine. He was fine. She'll be fine. Everything will be fine, and you won't be doing anything wrong.
You nudge Gil. "I think we should, uh— Gil?"
He swallows.
"I was looking at these Headspace people, and... uh..." He isn't looking at you. His stump wrist is still oozing. "Um, your hand will come back, right? It's not stuck like that?"
Gil shuts his eyes, and— that's it, you think, it's over, he hates you now— he'll run off with Horse Face, or else he'll stay here, in the tent <span class="mu-i">you</span> got him, except he won't talk to you or look at you ever again. Except his stump is twitching nastily, and in places distending, and Gil (eyes shut) makes a face. "Yech."
You're glad he said it, so you don't have to. "Is that a...?"
The stump snaps back to usual. "I-I, uh... it'll come back. I-I-I-I'd rather just wait for— for— to get me back, though, so I don't have to..."
"That makes sense," you say encouragingly.
"Yeah." He flexes his remaining hand.
You don't say anything. He doesn't either. The Gil-in-the-box is speaking haltingly: "I-I-I, uh, I've just gotten used to it, I guess. I-I-I guess you can get used to anything, if it's all you have to—"
"I-I hate hearing myself," your Gil mutters.
"Why? You always sound like that."
"Exactly."
"Gil! You don't... you sound normal. And you're always beetles, so I don't see why it's so bad showing Eloise, by the way. Lots of people have seen you beetles. It's not that weird."
"I-I-It's pretty weird."
"It's..." You think about it. "Okay, it's kind of weird, but not in a bad way. It's just a funny thing about you. Like being left-handed or something. People notice, but it's not like they really care, or—"
Gil drags his fingers up his temples. "'Bug Man'?"
"That's just a— I made them stop saying that! That was just them being mean, because they're... bitches. Pat and Madrigal are bitches. If you were left-handed, they'd be calling you 'Leftie,' or something, okay? It doesn't mean anything. And Eloise would never say that, so you're just being all self-conscious for no reason. She thinks the beetles are cool. Right? Eloise?"
"What's that?" She looks up from the box.
"What do you think?"
(1/4)
