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Yeah, that's what you said. You're just staring warily at Horse Face now, who is showing no signs of concern, ordinary or otherwise, about your protracted silence. Can he <span class="mu-i">feel?</span> Like a person? He claimed to be glad to see Gil, you suppose, but how do you know he wasn't lying? Or maybe it was a mercenary kind of 'glad,' a 'finally, I can dust off this stupid dossier' kind of glad. God.
...This kind of got away from you. (The black-haired woman is looking at the two of you with bemusion.) But it's not <span class="mu-i">your</span> fault: it's Horse Face's, for being so awful and weird! If he wasn't so awful and weird, you wouldn't have to think about how awful and weird he is. The trouble is, all the thinking hasn't helped you at <span class="mu-i">all</span> in determining how to convince Horse Face to help you: it's just told you that you can't convince him. You can't persuade him or insult him. He doesn't <span class="mu-i">care.</span>
Which is impossible, surely, because you can't just— you can't just <span class="mu-i">not</span> accomplish something. Especially not something that sounds so straightforward. What are you supposed to do, turn around and walk out? Lose? Never. Positive thinking, Charlotte! There is of course a route forward, a blindingly obvious one, really: you must gaze into Horse Face's VERY BEING and ascertain if he has feelings. Well, useful feelings.
«...»
«...»
«I am incapable of articulating a full and complete reaction to this. Kindly proceed to imagine it.»
You nearly pop a blood vessel attempting to imagine Richard expressing admiration.
«That is not the reaction.»
Possibly for the best. (Horse Face has racheted his placid amusement up a notch, watching you struggle. Which is not at all the emotion you're looking for.) However, you <span class="mu-i">refuse</span> to imagine any other reaction to this concept, which is after all awesome and cool and set to succeed in leaps and bounds. You're admiring yourself for coming up with it.
«It is nonsensical.»
According to who? Because you've totally gazed into Gil's VERY BEING—
«Those were extraordinary circumstances.»
—and Annie-the-worm's VERY BEING—
«Do you recall how that ended for you.»
With you biting Jesse, blah blah blah, whatever. The point is that you DID, did you not?
«I acknowledge that you managed to lull yourself into a highly suggestible state—»
You communed with that worm, Richard. You communed with it. Using your PURE AND KNOWING HEART. And with that very same heart, you shall sally forth and COMMUNE with Horse Face. Right now. As soon as you finish telling Richard off.
«There is a significant difference between a worm and a human being.»
That sounds like coward and quitter talk to you, which makes sense, as Richard is a coward and quitter and a known negative thinker. Fortunately, you are well-proofed against such things, and therefore you are choosing to ignore him. Also, you will say that you told him so when it works.
«If it works, we are having a discussion.»
(2/5?)
