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[viking_seer]

"Anderson here. Leave a message and I'll get back to you. Thanks."

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[knowmyplace]

[The way she's said it makes him wary. The way it's worded makes him skeptical. She hasn't seen his file - but...]

Do you know my book?

[viking_seer]

[ She shakes her head. But she's going to be very specific right now. ]

I know of a play that has a character who roughly matches your description. But I'm very well aware, from personal experience even, that sometimes an author will make you who they think you need to be instead of who you are to serve their story. That they can twist and even break parts of your life to suit their needs.

[ Her shoulders sink a little at that. ]

I've seen how damaging it can be, a-and how maddening it can feel, when other people know this 'character' while you're trying to live your life and be who you actually are. So [ she turns her hand ] I won't deny that I've read A Play.

But I'm the last person who's going to let it tell me who you are.

[ She tilts her head towards the safe. ]

Same goes for that file. It's a tool, for us, nothing more or less. At least in my book.

[knowmyplace]

[There's a sharpness in his gaze that hasn't been present for their entire conversation. He's not being honest or charming. He's calculating how much he wants to give up and how much he wants to trust her.

He takes another sip of his coffee and twists the truth to make a lie.]

I was tortured. Killed. Over a supposed mutiny against a leader who became mad with his own power. We had been friends, once before, and then he turned on me, on Vienna.

Now he is the hero of the story and I, the humble villain, am paying the price.

[viking_seer]

[ She's watching him, and maybe he can tell. He's not a stupid man by any stretch, after all. And anyone who can manipulate has to be able to see the controls to use them as he does. Her eyes are deep and dark and looking into them too long can be unnerving, at least if you're trying to lie to her. Because the depths of how much that won't work are abundantly clear. ]

You don't believe that.

[ Not angry. Not hard. Just matter-of-fact. ]

You're welcome to try again. But you might want to ask a few more questions before you do.

[knowmyplace]

[He meets that face, that gaze, and there's a flicker of recognition. He sees her as she sees him. Not in the same way, but it's a variation on a theme.

He brings the coffee up but does not drink from it. He just watches, that familiar silence rising up in his chest.

He says nothing in this moment, the thoughts circulating all at once. It is the same as he was in the end, when he was caught, when Othello called him out. He snapped his jaws shut then and he didnt say another word until his execution.

He does the same with her now. Death is not certain and so this will not last, but he does this now.]

[viking_seer]

[ She nods. And she'll sip her own coffee. ]

I want to listen to you, Iago. I want to work with you. I want exactly what I said: I want you ready to write the next chapter in your own story. I want to give you the pen.

But it doesn't work if it isn't based on something real. None of it does.

[ She sips again. ]

You can't force me to be on your side. But you don't have to.

[knowmyplace]

[He keeps quiet, setting his coffee down again once it's mostly empty.

Of course he doesn't believe her. No one wants to help him. Not really.

He runs his fingers through his hair, scratching the back of his neck. And when she stops talking, when she's given her stance, he looks away from her, pointedly at the wall. He's pensive, though, not as defiant. Still silent.]

[viking_seer]

I would like to know what you do believe.

[ She finishes up her own coffee and puts the cup to the side. ]

But I also know you probably aren't ready to trust me with that. I doubt you think I actually want to help you. And I don't begrudge you that.

I'm ready to start wherever we need to start.

[ She folds her hands together. ]

But I am going to do my best to always keep us moving forward. The last thing I want is to see you disappear without getting your chance at life again.

[knowmyplace]

[He links his fingers together. And after a long, very long, moment, he finally speaks.]

Are you certain you wish to continue on this journey with me, signora?

[viking_seer]

[ She looks back at him plainly. ]

Yes, I am.

[ She tilts her head just a little. ]

You willing to give me a shot?

[knowmyplace]

Today, yes.

[He smiles and it's mostly genuine.]

Tomorrow has yet to be lived.

[viking_seer]

[ She nods. ]

All I'll ever ask for is 'today'.

[knowmyplace]

Then we are in agreement.

May I see the file?

[viking_seer]

[ She nods and then she'll push herself up out of her chair. She walks to the back of the cabin and she'll put her finger to a certain spot, then her eye, and finally she draws back to open the safe and pull it out. It's just a few steps to pass it over. ]

Here you go.

[knowmyplace]

[He watches for a moment, curious about that magical box. But when she hands it over, his attention is trained on the words on the page. He reads through, and though his facial expressions don't change, he's gleeful as he goes through the list of his crimes. It really was a stroke of genius. When he's finished, he hands it back to her silently.]

[viking_seer]

[ She takes it back and she puts it back in the box before closing the door. Then she looks over at him, an eyebrow raised.

She was watching him while he went through it. And the lack of an expression certainly says a lot. ]

[knowmyplace]

[He raises his eyebrows.]

You aren't going to read it?

[viking_seer]

[ She glances back before looking over at him. ]

You asked to see it. You didn't tell me you were all right with me reading it. I'm not going to assume something like that.

[ She tips her head. ]

And if you want to change it so it only opens for you, your finger, your eye? I'm more than happy to do that.

[knowmyplace]

You aren't that naive.

[Which means she has other ways of finding the truth, as he saw already. He has already switched tactics, though.]

But if you'd like to read it, I have no objections.

[viking_seer]

Not naive at all. [ Not even a little bit. ] And do you have no objections... or do you want me to read it?

[ She shakes her head. ]

I'm not interested if it's the first one.

[knowmyplace]

[Silence for a beat. Two.]

Why provide it if you don't need to read it?

[viking_seer]

[ An eyebrow raise from that. ]

Don't get me wrong: it'd be useful to read through. I'd love to hear what you think about how it's written, what it says, all of that.

[ She turns her hand. ]

But it's not worth doing something that will make you question if I mean what I say. And I'm not really interested in doing this pulling you kicking and screaming anywhere like you're a child.

[ Wry. ]

You aren't. You can make your own decisions. You know what the stakes are here. You want me to read it, fine. It's a great tool. You don't? It's not worth making this something where you just 'don't object'. If you aren't on board, there's no point.

[knowmyplace]

[He weighs his options here, but decides that he can play the game.]

Read it. I would prefer not to dance around our conversations.

[viking_seer]

[ She nods and she'll go back, open it back up, and pull out the file. She glances up before sitting down. ]

'Dancing' huh?

[ She smiles before she starts reading through the document. ]

[knowmyplace]

Would you mind if I poured another cup for myself?

[He stands just as she takes the file out and wanders back to the machine, fascinated by it though he keeps half his attention on her.]