020 ♪ audio ♪ how can they possibly know that

[chosenfake]

[The communicator clicks on, and at first, it seems incredibly innocent. Just the sound of a bath. But then there is a shaky and familiar voice pleading over the water.]

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Just make it stop.

[For those inside of his apartment, there's a pretty evident trail of red leading from Luke's room to the bathroom-- so thick in

Comments

[craaaaaaaazy8s]

Luke?

[craaaaaaaazy8s]

[Vriska doesn't know what to say. She comes from a society where people kill people. That's what they do. And when people do wrong or break some Alternian law, they're sentenced to death.

People aren't given the opportunity to chance. She can't understand a world where killing isn't the norm, even though she hates that kind of world.]

You did it for a good cause, right? A heroic cause? I think, if you were God Tier, you would die a heroic death, Luke. Not a just one.

[Vriska, how is that even going to help.]

[chosenfake]

[What does that even mean? He shakes his head, bangs falling into his eyes.]

N-- no. I mean, I thought if I did it, I'd become a hero. But I was wrong about everything. I'm not a hero. I could never be someone like that.

[He clutches the towel tighter. It hides his shaking nicely. Sitting like this with his back against the warm window, a shoulder against his, and his knees pulled to his chest... it's actually soothing.

But the reality of the situation makes things less than pleasant-- hardly tolerable, in fact.]

To be honest, I'm not really sure that heroes exist, even with God Tier and everything. I think that people are just... people. We might admire some, but they're still people. They're capable of doing good things and bad things like everyone else.

[He leans his head back against the window, thoughts drifting to his detached, distant father. He, too, had encouraged Luke to use his power to become a hero.

Ugh.]

I WILL DESTROY CHROME IF IT EATS THIS AGAIN

[craaaaaaaazy8s]

[Vriska doesn't want to think like that. It pretty much invalidates her entire goal of trying to become a hero and die a hero's death. Maybe it is too late for her to try to become a hero, maybe she doesn't have what it takes, but...]

You're definitely wrong about that, Luke. But I think heroes are probably born like that, with natural qualities and abilities for protecting and saving the world.

[She pulls her legs to her chest, leaning more against him as she looks down at his bloody hands. She thinks of how similar Luke is to someone else she knows.]

I think you were probably born like that. You're a hero, just like John. You just made a mistake, right? I bet your friends forgave you.

♥;

[chosenfake]

[He doesn't mind her leaning against him. It says a lot when he's practically covered in blood. He glances down at her with faint surprise, then shuts his eyes against the world again.]

Being forgiven doesn't erase what happened. [He couldn't even do that.] It shouldn't. What I did was terrible, and it'll be with me for as long as I exist. [In some way, shape, or form. Whether he's here or not.] ... But they did forgive me. If they hadn't, I... I don't know.

[Hahah. Special ability. Hahahah. It was Asch's. Luke only has it because he's a replica. That kind of power doesn't really belong to Luke at all, not truly. But Luke is his own person now, and he has that power, and he'll have to use it to get out of here.

Even if it kills him.]

... Were you born with a special ability, Vriska?

[craaaaaaaazy8s]

[She wants to say Yeah. The ability to fuck everything up. But she's too proud for that, and she doesn't want to be that weak in front of someone. She's still caught up in trying to be too strong, as what would have been expected of her.

Luke keeps making her second guess her choice to go after Jack to fix everything she did and even out her mistakes. Maybe he was wrong in that it couldn't make up for it. Yeah, he had to be. She couldn't be wrong, right?]

Sure was! I was born with my ancestor's Eightfold. It's pretty great.

You're lucky your friends forgave you.

[chosenfake]

Y-yeah. I am.

[He's not sure if she's being sarcastic or not. He gets the feeling that Vriska hides a lot of what she feels, but he doesn't pry this time.]

What if... that ability was given to you just so you could kill others and then die?

[She should know he's not really speaking hypothetically.]

[craaaaaaaazy8s]

[...Oh. She isn't sure how to deal with this. She stares intently at the floor, memorizing the grain line.

She has used her Eightfold to kill people.]

So what? Would you just let yourself be used and die like that? That's pretty weak.

[chosenfake]

[Luke straightens a bit.] N-no, of course not!

[He takes a moment to collect himself. Back to speaking hypothetically but not really.]

Because... even though you know what you did was wrong, you want to live. And that's enough. You don't need anyone else to give you a purpose.