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.」

Comments

[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. 」