[55] Old Habits Die Hard

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[Cissie is a wee bit hungover today, but it's mostly worn off now, so she has an important Thing To Do here. The camera's turned on, and is poorly positioned to point at... a book. Wait, she has to adjust it. A bit of maneuvering and the Barge is treated to a video of this book, Monsters Eat Whiny Children. Cissie herself isn't visible beyond

Comments

[Private]

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It's not that bad. Well, it is, but--Beatty and O'Brien beat the living crap out of each other. Beatty doesn't have a warden yet, and... well. Una thinks he broke O'Brien's nose.

[Private]

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Ah. Well. ...I used to read Dr. Seuss to him when he pulled this kind of thing. Given how much he hates books, it generally worked.

I'm not sure. That's kind of part of this. I might be able to get him to talk a little if I provoke him a bit first.

Re: [Private]

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That's what I thought. And reading aloud means he has to at least work to ignore me, as opposed to giving him a book he'll just burn, or something.

...You know, it worked more often than it didn't. I'm pretty stubborn when I need to be.

[Private]

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Exactly.

...You know, you may be onto something with that. If nothing else, we all have to be pretty stubborn to stick around with everything this place throws at us.

Re: [Private]

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I think that sums this place up perfectly, Howie. We're all kind of... operating on faith, huh?

Re: [Private]

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Yeah, there's no way I would have made it through Beatty's first time through here if I didn't really believe in this second chances thing.

Re: [Private]

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...And sometimes all you've got is conviction, because... you never made a deal?

Re: [Private]

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Sometimes it feels like I'm the only one, so I know what you mean. I'm glad I'm not.