dissonance

[isthisart]

Dr. Cheung's at a funeral all day, so Linya decides to go up to London and see if Miles is out of his Mood.

Security has decided to be deeply unhelpful today. She is currently showing them various forms of ID and repeating in a slow, patient voice that she has been here before, there is not more than one of her, and she promises she is not there to assassinate her husband or whatever fool thing has them skittish today. Perhaps she shouldn't drop in while the captain's missing; it seems to make them worse. But she got in before while he was missing...

Comments

[isthisart]

"In some cultures," she suggests, "it's customary to shake hands when meeting someone."

[unmarred]

"True." He still eyes her hand as though it might electrocute him on contact, but he approaches close enough to clasp it in the socially approved manner.

[isthisart]

Shake, shake.

[unmarred]

He lets go and backs away again, shivering.

[isthisart]

She puts her hand in her lap and watches him.

[unmarred]

"I don't understand you," he says.

[isthisart]

"I do. Ask away."

[unmarred]

"Are you angry with me?"

[isthisart]

"I am a little frustrated with you. Not angry. After all," she adds, "you did apologize."

[unmarred]

He smiles slightly, then shakes his head. "And that makes a difference?"

[isthisart]

"Compared to just shooting me? Or for that matter continuing to attempt to pass as Miles to me? Yes."

[unmarred]

"Why?"

[isthisart]

"Well - in particular you said you were sorry for even trying. Well. Bothering. It's a signal that we aren't as determinedly opposed as it might otherwise seem. You don't want Miles's life, you don't want me, you don't want to hurt me, you regret doing it even incidentally for unrelated reasons. 'Under happier circumstances we could have been friends' is not friendship, but it is much closer to it than 'our strongest preferences are irreconcilable'."

[unmarred]

"Oh, I don't want you to die either," he sighs.

[isthisart]

"Is that new?" she wonders.

[unmarred]

"Yes and no. There's a difference between - not wanting, and not wanting."

[isthisart]

"Yes, I suppose there is."

[unmarred]

"Before, I didn't mind very much, because there was nothing I could do anyway. Now I mind that there's nothing I can do."

[isthisart]

"Because there's a goblin on your shoulder."

[unmarred]

He nods.

[isthisart]

"I don't have as much insight into that as I'd like... I've never taken a class on other people's psychology and mine's atypical by design."

[unmarred]

"That's right. Anti-akrasia project."

[isthisart]

"Yes. Where did you even come by that tidbit?"

[unmarred]

"It's not secret. I'm good at finding information."

[isthisart]

"It's not a secret or I'd be considerably more agitated at it having got out, I just don't know where, exactly, it would have been dispensed. How much do you know about me, if the plan was originally to fool me too...?"