Quoted By:
Well, you might as well see if you're even talking to the Gary you know. You stand up as straight as you possible can before clearing your voice. "I deserved that, didn't I?" The old lady is confused but Gary instantly responses with the same cocky smirk you see on most of the Rangers.
"You sure did. You and the other greenhorns don't understand, you don't gloat until after the fight is over." His face twitches, slowly turning into a frown. "It felt bad hurting that kid. But he hurt Izzy first."
You flash a small smile. It really is him. You hold out your hand. "Long time no see after all. I really have to thank you." Gary makes a quizzical "hm?" in response, so you continue. "For, well, all the work you've done. You're the only death I don't...have any worries about."
"Am I really dead? Or am I just in a better place?" His handshake is strong and firm. Decades worth of calluses coat his palm. Reminds you of treebark, if it was warmer and softer. "But it was no issue. What I was before...we both know I wasn't going to make it as an employee."
"All of them were going to live longer. You don't need any fancy anomaly to tell ya that." A wry, dry laugh slowly oozes out of his mouth. You nervously laugh along, trying to ignore how he isn't wrong.
"All good things must come to an end, sweetie." The old lady coos. "We both accepted that, didn't we? The City wasn't for us anymore."
You sit down on the bench alongside them. The old wood creeks and groans with your additional weight on it. It feels like you've sat on many a bench like it. Old, forgotten, dusty. A remnant of what once was.
[HOPELESS WRECK] THE POT TALKING TO THE KETTLE.
"Regardless, your continued assistance has been helpful. I do wonder how exactly you made one, though." You muse to yourself. The other PARADIGMs have been, well, a Paradigm an anomaly operated on. Gary isn't one, last you checked.
"It was a gift." The old lady responds. Gary nods along. "Something to remind him by. I felt it would've been fitting." That seems like all you're going to get out of them on that. Though, you still have something else to ask of them.
"You said there was a young lady that came here, was there not? Who were you talking about?"
The old lady fidgets with her hands. She's not too comfortable with what you're asking of her but she begins answering. "She was crying so much. Inconsolable. Rambling about everything and nothing at the same time. I could barely make her out."
"Her spirit was barely holding together. Something damaged what made her 'her', you know?" You have no idea-, well, you have a vague idea of what she might be on about. "Was her name...Kate?" You ask, trying to piece together the pieces.
"Mmh." Gary nods. "Yeah, that's what Gary called her!"
"Huh. She doesn't really emote much of all when I talk to her. What was she going on about? Mind being a bit less...vague, please?" Even in your dreams, you get hit with this.
