duel 5. ( anon text. )

[puzzlingly]

You know what fucking sucks?
The Speakeasy
The owner is never around.
Just Who Does SHE Think She Is?!?!?!
She can't do shit right around here.
WE HAVE NEEDS!
HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO STAND THIS HEAT WITHOUT MY BOOZE?!

「Hey, hey, Rey's friends... yeah, he's calling you out, come defend your friend, come show you care about her! He needs you... She needs you. Please.
The clock is ticking.

Yep, this is ruse. It WAS HARD, OK?! He feels terrible. It had to be done.」

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[puzzlingly]

「That's good enough, no, it is perfect.」

All right...

「He sighs slightly, it's not easy to just begin talking about it.」

About Rey, she... she's not doing well. Something happened that's made her lose herself. She... she needs help, from her friends, from the people she knows and knows her enough, not just anyone. I guess you're one of them.

[onlyanautomaton]

...In truth, I do not know Miss Rey that well. Most of what I know about her has been learned through my interactions with those who are familiar to her and through my own observations.

...But I think I may know what has happened.

I do hope that I'm wrong.

[He falls silent. He is of course thinking of Dr. Undine Valentine. What would she have wanted him to do?]

[puzzlingly]

「He sees that, it's strange but he can still see something in there. Not as clean as other's thoughs have been but, it's there. Who is that? Valentine... Is she related to Nick in someway?

No, hold on, he didn't put this thing on to snoop into people's minds... no matter how strange this one is.」

Can you tell me?

「Maybe he doesn't have to force his way into this guy's HDD after all.」

[onlyanautomaton]

...If she neglected to inform you of this herself, then she probably does not want other people knowing about it.

[He bows his head a little, apologetic. He fears that Miss Maketh did not simply disappear from Hadriel. Mr. Hope may not have had power enough to revive her...]

[puzzlingly]

「That makes him chuckle, it is not an amused one, however.」

She's not sharing much at the moment anyway.

「He shouldn't sound so bitter but, it hasn't been easy. He shouldn't complain, it's not like she's making him do anything either...」

Look... I don't... 「No, it's not that he doesn't care, but whatever information he has, it's not going to help him.」 If you can help her, just do it.

[onlyanautomaton]

[After a small pause for thought:]

While I can't say I approve of your methods, I must thank you for bringing the severity of the situation to my attention.

[He does mean that.]

[puzzlingly]

「He doesn't approve of his own methods either, but... He was growing desperate. He honestly doesn't want to sound as if this is such a big chore, but it's wearing him down. He's not sure if he can see it or not, but, again, he's not going to complain.」

Thanks for understanding.

「A beat.」

Do you have a name I can call you?

[onlyanautomaton]

You may call me Oscar.

What is your name?

[puzzlingly]

「What a simple name, it's, again, not quite what he was expecting, even though he doesn't know what he was expecting. It's still a good name.」

Atem.

「There is a hesitant pause from his part.」

... What do you mean, Rey is not human?

[onlyanautomaton]

Miss Rey is a machine. Her bio-mechanical makeup makes it difficult to identify her as such.

[puzzlingly]

She...

「W o a h . . .

But... How? It's obvious by the surprise in his face that he wasn't expecting that, and, it's not so hard to imagine what he might be thinking. His prior question to Oscar as example. 」