Je me fous du passé

[wormintheglass]

[The feed opens with Bianca. She stands in Delight's bar, the lighting rearranged to get as close as she can to the appearance of being on stage, and she glares into the camera and takes a large swig of the glass in her hand before she makes any sound.

Then she sings. Inside the bar, her voice is strong enough to rattle glasses.

People listening to the feed on the network may hear the familiar Lancastrian accent of Kate, grumbling almost inaudible complaints. Most of them seem to be along the lines of why did I agree to this and why did I give up booze.

The song ends and Bianca casts a grateful look at Kate before launching into speech.]

I have lived a long time, my friends. I am sorry for many things. I've been unforgivably careless of people's hearts and hopes. I've allied myself with the most treacherous of worms - I have trusted too much, cared too much, and -

[She stops.]

Or not cared enough. I have broken people for my own gain. I have sold myself to a power I knew to be malevolent, to buy my own life. I have tormented those I believed I loved, and abandoned those I know I did. Kate -

[She gazes, stricken, past the camera.]

I pulled you into this scheme. You almost died. Sharon and Maketh did die. I'm sorry, so sorry, for that.

[And then she lifts her chin, defiant.]

But I'm not sorry we made the attempt. I'm not sorry for taking a risk on the chance of buying all our freedom. Are you watching, Hope? Did you feel it, just when it started? The only real hope I've felt since coming here? I hoped so hard to end you.

I'm only sorry we failed.

[There's a brief resigned sigh from behind the camera as the feed goes out.]

Comments

at the bar

[dedikated]

[ yeah. she is just... wondering how on earth bianca got her to agree to this, and why she had to decide to give up alcohol when the crushing regret and bianca-ness set in.

this isn't so much entertaining as it mildly embarrassing.

she's sat in a corner with nothing but bianca's phone beside her. please save her. ]

at the bar

[wormintheglass]

[During a lull in the conversation, Bianca comes and drapes herself lightly over Kate's shoulder. She has not apologised at any point, but Bianca's emotions - especially when she's this drunk - have a way of making themselves felt, and she is sorry, if only that it went so wrong.]

Has anyone tried to give you a hard time, my Kate? Other than yourself, that is.

permavoice.

[torrefied]

Then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought.

[video]

[wormintheglass]

And you're a bigger coward than I imagined.

permavoice.

[unitas]

Shut the fuck up, Mello. [ no real anger to her tone, just irritation. ]

[voice]

[circumitus]

If it hadn't been you, it'd have just been the gods pulling our strings instead, seeing as we've been treated like marionettes in a puppet show this entire time. Won't hold it against any of you for what you did.

...Don't have much of a right to lecture anyone about moral ethics, anyway. [Rey has done worse, as far as she is concerned.]

[video]

[wormintheglass]

Oh, Rey. Sweet, precious Rey.

Come drink with me.

voice

[lingeringhope]

I don't understand why you want to kill me.

[video]

[wormintheglass]

Because Hope is a cruel lie.

And because I feel it constantly.

voice; private

[dedikated]

[ really, this is just agreement with Bianca, but said in a very concise manner. ]

You're the most painful one.

[Video]

[mismanagement]

[Maketh looks tired more than anything.]

I understand what you tried to do. I hope you understand why this can't happen again. Not like this.

[She hesitates.]

If--if I came to the bar, could I listen to you sing a little while longer?

[Video]

[wormintheglass]

Dear lady. I am so very sorry.

[Bianca is moderately good at looking sorry when she isn't, but for Maketh she doesn't have to fake it.]

Of course, dearheart. For you I'll even perform requests.

action.

[scarletcast]

You've been busy.

[ She comes to the bar after the tail end of the broadcast, having ordered nothing, and sits nearby, quietly. She doesn't know what to make of Bianca yet, or if anything can be made; she's not shifty but — complicated. Old in a way Wanda hasn't encountered before. ]

Re: action.

[wormintheglass]

[Bianca smiles thinly to see Wanda.]

I have. Tequila, dearheart?

voice

[unitas]

We tried. [ which is more than she can say for anyone else in this place. ]

[video/private]

[wormintheglass]

We did. Where are you, darling? How are you feeling now?

[voice]

[synthedick]

You know what they say about the road to Hell.

[Sigh. What a mess this has been.]

[video]

[wormintheglass]

[Bianca looks into the camera, her eyes large and her face painfully sincere.]

I'm so very sorry about all the trouble we caused for the Guard.

video

[morphinum]

[ Johanna is, unsurprisingly, high. She knows that any more of the drug is enough to be seriously dangerous, and the reason she doesn't take more of it is that Bianca doesn't get to kill her. Fucking Bianca. Johanna is high, but what's worse, she feels things.

And maybe it's the fact that her judgment is so impaired that she finally allows herself to be broadcast over a public network. It's the propos all over again, just one more thing for Johanna to hate. ]

Fuck you. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you up the ass, you fucking asshole.

[ Johanna sighs. Then, a Fruedian slip: ]

Fuck me.

[wormintheglass]

Yes please.

[She can't help herself. Or perhaps she could, but Johanna snarling invective at her just feels ...right. It feels like affection.]

1/2

[verinumeri]

[ Miss Maketh died? His fingers convulse, almost hitting video, an instantaneous reaction -- but he restrains. He measures. A video would make his distress obvious. ]

text;

[verinumeri]

What precisely did you do? How did it work?

video;

[pellameno]

You have a beautiful voice, Bianca.

...what was this attempt you mention?

[video]

[wormintheglass]

Thank you, dearheart.

[As much for not going on the attack as for the compliment.]

The recent ...event. The fog, the monsters - I may have inadvertently made it worse.

text

[unfollowing]

so you're the reason chris got killed

go fuck yourself

[video]

[wormintheglass]

[Bianca's distress shows on her face, though her voice is calm.]

I didn't know he'd been killed as well. Emily, I'm so very sorry about that.

[muscovy]

Maketh Tua is dead?

[That would be very inconvenient and also sad. She seemed like a nice person.

...Guess who is used to death being a permanent affair, people who cannot die notwithstanding?]

[wormintheglass]

Not now, no. Hope revived her. But she was killed during the trouble.