week 2 ( friday )

[subordinacy]

[In terms of self-preservation, approaching someone with a record of violence, including against him personally, and who's blatantly unstable in his grief? Likely not the best idea. In fact, it's probably a terrible one, and the part of Setz that acknowledges this is why he doesn't inform Jacopo where he's going.

Still, he has to see him.

... Even if Shinssin doesn't consider him a friend and may never have—even if Eleanor was wrong about all of that. It doesn't change this.

When he finds Shinssin, he has nothing with him. (Nothing to give, especially when he knows that the one thing Shinssin must want right now is something he can't grant.) He stops a short distance from him.

Quietly,]

Shinssin.

Comments

[subordinacy]

[This is becoming a bit of a surreal conversation. That, or Shinssin slammed his head harder than he thought.

He looks uncomfortable for a moment, but he answers.]

... My feelings towards someone, I suspect. [Then, when he realizes how that might sound—] I mean my friendship with him. Seeing as how he was the only thing I had left to fight for by the end of my life, I suppose it's an appropriate fee for this game.

Why do you ask?

[shinssin]

[He smiles.]

... Nothing. I just wanted to confirm something. Maybe we got more in common than I thought.

[In a flash, he disappears.]

[subordinacy]

[...

He has no idea what that was about, but Shinssin stopped trying to murder him and showed some degree of stability by the end, so... victory, he supposes?

Time to pay a visit to an extortionist and make sure Jacopo never, ever finds out about this.

And hope that, ultimately, Shinssin will make it through.]