Quoted By:
>Tête-à-tête
«Well, you're in a bit of a corner.»
«It's a good thing they all already think you're socially inept. I would recommend a simple explanation of—»
No! A), you're not "socially inept," that's— that's so on-its-face stupid you're not even going to bother, and B), you're not explaining. You're not. How hard is that to understand? Did he come back to life with half his brain?
«Charlie, please.»
He did. He definitely did. And you're just going to have to figure out your <span class="mu-i">own</span> plan, which is easy, because you're great at plans. So great, as a matter of fact, that you've <span class="mu-i">pre-</span>planned your plan— you're just going to do what you were going to do before, without relying on moron Ellery to cooperate.
He's looking moronically at you right now, as a matter of fact, as if he expects you to fall upon your knees and grovel and weep— about <span class="mu-i">what?</span> Just because you enlisted Richard's help for one little thing? Idiot. You'll see how he likes it when you've got <span class="mu-i">him</span> in a corner, all without Madrigal and Earl egging him on.
"Excuse me," you say, then lunge for Ellery's skinny wrist. Latching on's no trouble, given your grip strength, and you hold on dearly through his protests and yanking. His skin crinkles under you as you lean in, find his eyes, see—
>[-1 ID: 12/14]
Normally you ease into the whole 'communing' thing: get some vague impressions, some flashes of feeling, all that. Ellery offers no such thing. As your fingers go numb, all you get is the keen sensation of being hooked, pierced, and reeled.
-
It is black everywhere, except for the shiny golden cage you're in, and the tattered lounge chair Ellery is on. He is wearing his dumb sunglasses, and he's slurping some kind of drink through a curled straw.
You need a moment to comprehend this, and then you start to beat yourself against the cage bars. "HEY! ELLERY! WHAT THE HELL! WHERE EVEN— I DEMAND THAT YOU LET ME OUT THIS VERY— ELLERY? <span class="mu-s">ELLERY?</span>"
Ellery slurps vigorously.
"ELLERY, YOU USELESS WHORESON, LET ME OUT OF— I BET YOU THINK YOU THINK YOU'RE SO SMART! HOW IS THIS EVEN ALLOWED? THIS ISN'T— THIS SHOULDN'T BE—"
"It's my head," he calls out to you, but doesn't move.
"SO WHAT? THAT'S A— a stupid—" You ram your shoulder against the bars, to no effect. "That's a stupid rule! So what! I'm the one communing with <span class="mu-i">you,</span> so I— I— Ellery! Come on. Just let me commune with you proper, and I can get my thing fixed, and you can have a— a personal revelation, or something— don't you want a revelation? Ellery? Won't Madrigal be <span class="mu-i">mad</span> if you trap me in here forever? She'll be mad, and she won't hug you, or even kiss you, and, um—"
(1/2)
