chiseler | Day Two, post-trial;

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Day Two, post-trial;

[The trial had been a shitshow. That was fact. His nose continued to throb even after he applied the cold compress to it. That was also fact. But curfew was coming soon and he didn't have an appetite for dinner so he departed from his previous location and made his way back to his room.

Perhaps he should be embarrassed that when he enters the apartment shirtless with a bloody and wet shirt balled up and pressed to his nose Elizabeth is already there. Perhaps he should have some decency. But instead all he does is linger in the doorway as he studies her carefully. He takes a breath before shutting the door behind him, leaning against it.]

Well...guess that's one less person to fight with over the bed. [Even if it's a joke, it's obvious he's uncomfortable by the events of the evening. But he needs to gauge her reactions first.]

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[He looks more interested suddenly.]

You do know that Tantalus was sent to the Fields of Punishment because he tried to feed the gods his own kid, right? I don't think the two situations are really comparable.

Not that. [ She dismisses him a bit. ] His punishment. He had fruit dangled in front of him, did he not? His stomach growled, empty and withering away for all of eternity when nourishment was dangled just out of reach.

[ If she's right, she has a point to this. ]

That's what we would be doing to that woman. Where I'm from - [ She flinches a bit, crossing her arms. ] - dangling something - a dream, a wish, a hope - just out of reach is worse than death.

[As far as he knows, he's probably still suffering that same fate. Oh well.]

While I don't agree with the way the gods handled the Tantalus thing just because the guy stole some nectar and ambrosia, I also don't think it's entirely unjust. People...deserve punishment for certain crimes. Am I saying Diva deserved this? No, I don't...but I also don't know how I feel about everything else she admitted.

And anyway. I know. That's the fastest way to make somebody snap. If we're going with that logic then yeah. Death was kinder to her.

No - no. Luke, stop for a moment. [ It's getting really heavy and she tries to cut him off. Not out of anger, but because she feels as if she wasn't being clear. How can she be if she wanted to keep herself distant...? ] Tantalus was just an example - of how having something so close but unobtainable could be someone's own hell. I just -

[ Her words stammer a bit. ]

I understand how people looked at me after defending her. [ And the chill she got when Diva approached her. ] Point is sour, the woman is dead.

[ But, there's a bit of warmth in her voice soon after. ]

I know what it's like to be caged, that's all. If there's anything I can stop, it's prolonging the inevitable.

[In a place like this, he's come to forget that sometimes the stories are just that: stories. So Elizabeth tells him to stop and he stops talking, watching her with wide eyes for a moment as he rolls that thought around in his head. Being caged...being locked in a fate.

He pauses, giving her another unclear look. Isn't that what he'd also experienced? Someone knowing his fate but not giving him everything? It's the same ideal of being locked in and being unable to reach what he truly wants.]

You'll do well to be careful with stuff like this, Elizabeth. I don't even know who we can trust or defend anymore. [He licks his lips, flinching again at the movement of his newly set nose.] Yours wasn't a literal cage, was it?

[...please tell him to stop questioning things.]

[ It's not like she wants to really talk about what happened to her in Columbia, but for Diva's memory... that woman - even if she never uttered more than a few words to her, it was important to discuss this. She feels it less of victimizing herself and more of setting herself transparently. There's no secret she's willing to tell, but he gets a vague glimpse of it. ]

Don't worry, I'm not telling you my biggest fear and weaknesses. I'm not crippled by my past anymore. [ She doesn't "trust" Luke, especially with the cautionary motion. She nods, for she can use any information she gains from him against him if needed. ] Not a literal cage, no. I wasn't an animal or what have you. It was just - ...let's call it what it was: a prisoner. I told Veronica, even if this place offered food, water, a warm bed and the appearance of a stable environment... doesn't make it any less of a prison.

[ GOD, THEY ARE DUMB. ]

Just a thought to chew.

I should hope not. [It's mumbled and hard to say if he means he hopes she won't reveal her weaknesses or if he means she's not crippled by the past. That'd be a shame, wouldn't it? Luke meanwhile also doesn't trust her but he has a little less to hide, he figures. Most people don't believe him when he tries to explain what he is anyway.]

Can we really be considered prisoners if they seem to think we agreed to be here? That's the real question. [There's a beat.] Also the food's gross so I don't take that offer to mean much. So…wouldn't the next question be how to break out? You must have done the same back wherever you're from.

[…dumb is definitely a word to describe at least one person in this room.]

[

Elizabeth watches him with a slight bit of confusion, trying to size him up. Tension may be high, but she keeps her composure a shocking amount for the most part. She stores away what she thinks he said. ]

Of course. They're lying. Even if we agreed on it, we're being denied basic knowledge alluding to such fact. [ There's a venom in her tongue. ] How to break out has been the best option and I've already talked to people about trying to find a way to the skylight.

[ Not very good theories, but it beats anything else. ]

I had a little help breaking out back home. [ Seriously, 19 years by herself and she failed every time. ] He's not here luckily, so you're stuck with my ambitious ideas. Hopefully nothing else happens because of them.

[ She lightens the mood with a tease. ]

I've got plenty of bones to break if your ideas get too ambitious. I think it's better than nothing at all. [He seems to also be joking, though the look on his face says he's thinking about what she's elaborating on.]

The skylight...you think it'd actually open if you got there? Or do you have ideas how to break the thing?

Heh. Cute. [ She plays along, making note to run him through the wringer if needed. ] Can't be for sure. We have some people with guns here, if you've really looked into our little profiles. Get up quick enough and shoot the skylight out? Could be freedom.

[Try it, Elizabeth. He might even enjoy it.] We have a couple of people with guns here but do you really think the skylight wouldn't be bulletproof the way that viewing glass was downstairs? I didn't expect that either. It's a solid theory, but that could end pretty bad if the bullet ricochets.

[ Luke thinks a few steps ahead of Elizabeth and that? She's not use to. The company she kept was one that was more force than logic. Booker... she doesn't dwell on the thought too long. ]

Keep everyone out of the atrium until we do it. I don't mind being the test subject - [ she really does ] - since my ideas are what's pushing the line of logic and nonsense.

[Despite the fact he plays right into the dumb blonde trope sometimes, Luke is actually very smart in that regard. He's put thought into it himself, not used to being trapped like this either. On the other hand, he looks a little concerned when she immediately brings that up.]

I would really prefer you not being a test subject unless you can move fast enough to dodge. That sounds pretty risky. [Though...] You're right though, your ideas are blending both. Do you even know how to fire a gun?

[ There's a knot in her stomach when he asks something about her skill of firing a gun. She gives a shake of her head, bluffing fairly accurately. ]

Not much of a shot at all. I know more about them than how to fire one. If my target's the broad side of a barn? Then I'll be good.

[ There's an honest laugh there, truly trying to sell her downplay of her ability to defend herself. ]

But, can anyone dodge a bullet? They're pretty fast.

Better than me. [He doesn't seem uncomfortable admitting that which alone might be dangerous.] I've never even seen a gun fired if you can believe that. They look a little too complicated for me to bother with. [Regardless, he laughs slightly.]

Some of us could probably figure it out. Have you studied the profiles at all? I don't even know what half of these skills mean.

Besides my own and a few others? I gave them some glances. [ "Some glances" means studied fairly accurately. ] They're really invasive but they're helping us out. Lets us know what advantages people may have.

In most cases, anyway. I don't know if knowing that Alice? is good at complaining helps us out a lot. [He hums to himself.] Everything else though seems to accurate enough. [...] But wouldn't it just be easier to run in flats instead of heels?

[ There's a huff of air that escapes with a nice laugh. The Alice? kid sure does seem to cause a stink wherever he goes. But - the sly dig at her... ]

People from Rapture value style over comfort. They're too spliced out of their damn mind to give a rats ass. I'm just one girl, Luke, can't change fashion trends myself.

Isn't that how anybody changes anything though? [Just hear him out for a sec.] One person revolution, whatever. You have a leader who comes up with a good idea, starts feeding that idea to other people and soon people latch onto it even if they know it's illogical? That's probably how the fashion in…Rapture? Wherever that is, that's probably how that happened. [He shifts to lay on his back, rolling onto his side to face her but also close his eyes.]

You always undersell yourself? Just curious. [Because that, he thinks, might be a little dangerous.]

I'm not too keen on being put on some pedestal to change the tides of fashion. [ It's petty, but it's definitely not where her interest lies. Leave that to the fashionistas, businessmen, and dreamers that inhabit Rapture. ] Women are meant to be what's befitting of a lady - prim, proper, elegant with a dash of sultry. It's just a man who decides that.

[ When he tries to talk about underselling, she scoffs a bit. ]

What angle are you fishing for? What's that suppose to mean?

This wasn't entirely about fashion, you know. I was talking more in general? But no offense, the idea of what's befitting of a lady sounds pretty boring.

[Surprise, this is how a boy from the 2000s feels.] Why do you think I'm fishing for anything? I'm actually just wondering if that's a common thing or not. Maybe I'm not used to girls not being up-front about what they're capable of.

What do you expect me to do, then?

[ This kills man. ]

I don't think I'm really underestimating myself. I guess I'm just trying to do what everyone else is - live another day. [ She doesn't want to draw attention to herself, but there are times she can't sit idly by and let things go unnoticed. ] That's all we can do when the answers are hidden and messy.

[He's not getting much further and yet he wants to keep pressing for answers. Still, the dull throbbing in his face is keeping him from being too obnoxious. That's a blessing, perhaps.]

I suppose that's one way to look at it, but I've never been that great at sitting around and leaving answers hidden. And anybody who has a crossbox brought into this place with her probably isn't either. [He shrugs though, stretching out on the bed.] But I'll take your word for it. We're both in the same boat here. Maybe something will change soon, huh?

That's called ambitious. You'd do well in Rapture.

[ He calls her out on her item and she smirks a bit. There's a confidence of knowing she is not the one to be messed with. She can use that. ]

The only change I want is to see the damn sun. It's been a while, it feels like. People will get all claustrophobic at this rate.

…thanks. [It's a hesitant answer because he's not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Still, he's more curious about Elizabeth's reactions and that's it, that's the smirk he wanted to see. It's enough to confirm his suspicions that Elizabeth is someone to monitor. That's good to know.]

It's only been a couple of days, but if you think people can't hack it. [A shrug.] You think more people will kill if they think it'll get them out of here faster?

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Day Two, post-trial;

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pictured here: ty ruining my life

:*

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