012 - Lemon Meringue

[deadly_ned]

Question.

Or, um. Query, if you will.


Why do we have the death toll?

Does it teach us anything? Don't go doing what you do or you'll get punished for it? And why a week's worth of suffering? Doesn't death make you suffer enough? I hear it can be painful.


Why just...not have a death toll? Can any, um.

Is there anyone else on board who can stop a death toll from happening?

Just.

Just curious.

[Strike visible to those with psychic powers]

Comments

[Private]

[deadly_ned]

You're not a sociopath. You just need a break.

[Private]

[with_my_teacup]

Mostly I am, though. Just learned to intellectually consider other people as more than irritating scenery. It was probably a graduation condition.

[Private]

[deadly_ned]

Have I been upgraded to irritating livestock?

[Private]

[with_my_teacup]

No. You got-- inside the circle of people I actually consider people. Probably after you started teaching me. I'm not sure what triggers it.

It's not a big circle.

[Private]

[deadly_ned]

It doesn't have to be. I have...three people in my life back home. Just the three.


And then I came to the Barge and that circle got a little bigger.

[Private]

[with_my_teacup]

I didn't take you for the sociopathic tendencies. That's interesting. Helps, don't it? Makes life less stressful

[Private]

[deadly_ned]

Sometimes. Sometimes it makes it more stressful, when you're without them or something happens to them.

[Private]

[with_my_teacup]

Yeah.

....yeah.

It was easier before I knew. Not the best life, but being able to cut through anyone in my way, it was ...simple.

Right now that's not in the cards. That's not what a warden does, and I kinda need my job.

[Private]

[deadly_ned]

You don't want an easy, simple life anyway. You want rich complexity, to find out what's worth living for.

[Private]

[with_my_teacup]

Is that what I want, pieman. Becaus eI gotta say, it feels a lot like I want to go hibernate again.

[Private]

[deadly_ned]

I'm taking your shift for the next two days. Go, go relax. Please go relax.

[Private]

[with_my_teacup]

Pieman. Baby. No. Cooking's the closest I have left to a murder spree anymore. ...if you take the front and deal with people who want food and let me cook, though, I'll owe you one.

[Private]

[deadly_ned]

Deal.

I'll give you my, um. My special fruit to work with. The stuff that's died and been brought back. It tastes fresher and you can keep it to store however long you need it for.

It won't rot.

[Private]

[with_my_teacup]

I appreciate that, but now I owe you two. When you planning on cashing in?

[Private]

[deadly_ned]

Would you stop with the "I owe you"s? We're friends. Friends don't owe each other except in the loosest sense of companionship and a friendly ear.

[Private]

[with_my_teacup]

Look, the friend thing...

You don't want to get too close and I'm trying to get my distance back, too. I don't wanna rely on it, when there's just. I've got an animal in me and it wants what you people can't provide. Might be easier to keep it businesslike.

[Private]

[deadly_ned]

You don't want to be friends?

[Private]

[with_my_teacup]

I thought we had this talk. You didn't want to have a connection.

[Private]

[deadly_ned]

I do. I do want a connection. I want to feel...connected.

[Private]

[with_my_teacup]

Now I'm confused.

[Private]

[deadly_ned]

I want to keep being friends with you.

[Private]

[with_my_teacup]

[...still confused.]

A'ight.

Lemme know if you change your mind.

[Private]

[deadly_ned]

Heh.