Quoted By:
"I KILLED him!" Claudia's mascara is running into your stinging eyes. You have to space your words between warbling exhales. "I- I MADE him into my FATHER so I, I, I could- so I could summon- so he could help me- I, I, needed to tame ANNIE, but I didn't want to- to BITE anybody, so I couldn't- and I- so I thought he could help me, since that's his JOB, but he wouldn't, and I, I mean- magyck runs in my BLOOD, so I thought my father- I thought- but he made me stab him, and he, he, he DIED! And I ate MUD and now I think GOD is in me and it keeps wanting me to KILL people and I- I don't want to- I don't want to kill you! I don't want to kill... I don't want..."
Probably Gil's mouth is open a little bit. You wobble up at him until he shuts it and furrows his brow. "I know you don't want to kill me...?"
"But it WANTS me to!" You don't know how to explain it. "It- it <span class="mu-i">HATES</span> you! It-"
"Okay. Uh..." Probably Gil purses his lips. "...maybe we better sit down...?"
-
It is a while longer before you can string together complete sentences. Gil's ushered you down some trail and found some unoccupied park bench and the two of you sit there staring straight ahead. He keeps adjusting his glasses.
"I get the chain of events..." (You've reexplained with more sniffling and less sobbing.) "Um, I'm not sure I get why you decided to do a, a ritual, but-"
"It's in my blood," you say wanly.
"Okay. I guess I don't have to completely get that part. But I-" Probably Gil clasps and unclasps his fingers rapidly. "I don't get why you're so upset about it. Not the murder stuff, that's, uh... I mean the Richard part. You don't even know if he's dead."
You stare down at the snake draped across your lap. "He hasn't come back."
"And so fucking what?" Probably Gil's voice is more vehement than you were expecting- you look askance at him. "Lottie, he's a fucking <span class="mu-i">monster!</span> He fucking beats you up! He-"
"He doesn't beat me up."
"Yes he <span class="mu-i">does?</span> I fucking <span class="mu-i">saw</span> it? Then he wiped your whole memory-" Probably Gil exhales. "Does he do that every time? Is that it? He whales on you until he gets <span class="mu-i">bored</span> and then he eats the whole-"
"No! He wouldn't- he just calls me dumb and worthless sometimes, and I don't even care about that anymore. And that's it."
"Oh, okay, he just-" He slaps his leg. "Wow! He just calls you dumb and worthless sometimes. And you're sad the guy's dead."
Maybe it is a Gil-entity, after all? You halfway hope so, from the audacity of him. "You're my <span class="mu-i">retainer.</span> It's none of your business. People of noble breeding can feel sad for whomever they deign to-"
"I'm calling it how it goddamn is, Lottie. Do you like your shitty dead dad calling you worthless?"
"That's not-"
"Do you like being <span class="mu-i">beat up?</span>"
"Shut up!" you snap. "It's <span class="mu-i">none</span> of your- he just wanted to keep me safe. And I- I- I- I- betrayed him, and I- and he's my father. So just shut up. Please."
(2/5)
