[Week 2, Thursday: Setz]

[purrtagonist]

[sooooo knife rain!!]

[Akira is waiting it out at McDonald's, trying his best not to meet the eyes of the weird guy behind the counter who recognizes him from yesterday's shenanigans. it's almost a relief when he spots Setz, a) because it gives him a reason to not pay attention to the employees, and b) he's been looking for Setz, anyway]

Yo.

[and he drops a fresh, M&M McFlurry in front of Setz, wherever he may be sitting]

This one's on me. How are you feeling. . .?

Comments

[subordinacy]

[... He wants to believe in what Akira's saying, but it's hard ("getting blamed for everything" is written on his profile for a reason, really). All the more so, when he remembers a hand gripping his shirt and a cold smile—though what stings more than the guilt is the realization that... Shinssin never really cared, did he?

Sometimes, Setz hates being right.

Wednesday was a really shitty day, emotionally speaking.]

... I suppose so. It would've been better if they hadn't ended up in those conditions, though...

[purrtagonist]

[I liked maybe Akira WOULD punch Shinssin even though he likes him :(]

It would've been better if all three of you hadn't wound up in that condition.

[Akira corrects, because like hell is he letting Setz leave himself out of this?? take care of yourself buddy?? if he's learning anything about this guy it's that he's definitely, perhaps, a little too selfless]

Whatever you do, don't try to shoulder the responsibility alone.

I'm just glad all of you are okay.

[subordinacy]

[Shouldering the responsibility alone is kind of inevitable when every single support system he's ever had either died, became unusable in some way, or was just plain unreliable.]

Tell that to Eleanor. She's trying to blame herself for it all.

[purrtagonist]

[Akira doesn't know Eleanor well, but he has seen her around. she had always seemed so outspoken and kind, so her trying to blame herself doesn't come as a surprise at all]

. . . good people always do that when someone they know is suffering.

[heh]

I would tell her that, though. It isn't any one person's fault. And in the end, who cares about the blame, when you guys didn't die?

[subordinacy]

Other people might care.

[And by that he means more likely than not... ha... ha...]

[purrtagonist]

[makes a sort of. . . confused noise?]

Like who?

[subordinacy]

[Oh.

Um, he shouldn't have said that.

Awkwardly,]

... Other people?

[purrtagonist]

[stares at him]

Other. . . specific people? You don't mean Hume-san or Griffin-san, do you?

[subordinacy]

[Cringing just a tad...]

Other... hypothetical people?

[Setz, master liar.]

[purrtagonist]

[uuuuh huh]

That's a bad lie, Setz.

[just. pointing that out]

You don't have to name names. But if they're blaming you for this, then they're wrong.

[subordinacy]

... You're rather certain for someone who wasn't there.

[purrtagonist]

I'm a people reader.

[or so he likes to think he is]

And usually when people are actually at fault for something. . . they don't try to take all of the blame onto themselves.

[subordinacy]

... Is that so?

[purrtagonist]

It's what I've found in my experiences.

I could be wrong, but. . . well. I guess that's neither here nor there. What's done is done, and you're all alive. That's enough.

[until Eleanor and Clarke suddenly weren't god]