♻ 019 | audio

[tucky]

[filtered to Letty]

Can I talk to you?

[filtered to Roderick]

Can you come and see me? I'm in 603.

Comments

[tucky]

You're my friend.

[characterdefect]

But you're my friend whether you're a warden or not.

[tucky]

I know. And I don't think I'm a different person now from how I was, like, last month. But I got responsibilities that I didn't have before.

... I meant everything I said, that night in Paris.

[characterdefect]

I know you did. I believed you then and I believe you now.

I'm sorry I can't give you a hug, Tiffany.

[tucky]

It's okay.

I'm gonna tell you right now, I ain't mad at Lloyd for doing what he did.

[characterdefect]

No, that's okay. I'm not, either.

[tucky]

I mean... I see people I care about get hurt here, and I get sad and upset and angry and I wish I could've protected them. I don't feel that about this.

[She is sad and upset, even on Roderick's behalf - but for different reasons; for the reasons they've already talked about.]

I feel like you deserved it.

But I don't love you any less.

[characterdefect]

I did deserve it, by most people's standards.

[Not by his. But he's capable of understanding, of empathizing, well enough that he can see how it might mess people up.]

[tucky]

Yeah.

To me, it feels like you went and hurt yourself.

[characterdefect]

No. Me getting hurt, that's an afterthought.

[tucky]

But it still happened.

[characterdefect]

But I don't regret it.

[tucky]

I regret it.

[characterdefect]

It's not you it happened to.

[tucky]

It happened to my friends.

[characterdefect]

No. "It happened to" is too sanitary. We did things to each other. The only innocent person in this equation is Letty.

[tucky]

Yeah, and I'm sad for her and I'm sad for you.

[characterdefect]

[He sighs, closing his eyes, the only thing he can do in the face of all this.]

I'm not sad for her.

[tucky]

I know. And that makes me even sadder for you.

Are you hurting real bad right now?

[characterdefect]

Yeah, it hurts. I'm not, you know, dying or anything.

[It might've been easier if he was.]

[tucky]

I just wanna know if it's gonna hurt you if I hold your hand.

[characterdefect]

[He smiles, very faint.]

That's not gonna hurt me at all.

[tucky]

[So she does take his hand, and she also angles her chair around so she can lean over the arm and rest her head on his pillow, next to his.]

[characterdefect]

[He tilts his head to lean against hers, gently touching his forehead to hers.]

It's gonna be okay. I'm sorry it's bad right now. [For her; not himself, not Letty, not Lloyd. Just for her.]

[tucky]

Yeah.

[She nuzzles her nose against his cheek, ever-affectionate.]

I wish Merlin was still here.