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“Are you sure you don’t want me to go along with you?” Null asked as it leaned against the back of MR’s wheelchair.
“I’m sure, don’t worry, Daedalus.” it said, reaching back to gently caress his face.
“Alright. I’ll be waiting for you when you come back.” glitch said softly as glitch nuzzled their hand.
Rock waved before rock tapped the ground, feeling it shake a bit as the loud whirring of the Regretevator as it came up from under the ground.
Burn felt burns heart race.
Something about the Regretevator always felt like they were on equal grounds.
Like this was a similar soul to stones.
Drain patted the exterior of the elevator, murmuring a thank you before the doors slowly opened, the elevator ramp extending for drain.
But, as god went up the ramp, god was tempted to roll back down or get Null join at the sight of Pest inside the elevator.
Of course he was the one who was there.
Sighing, MR went into the corner across from them, parking its wheelchair right next to the buttons.
There was silence, as expected, that was only broken by the soft tapping of their fingers against the arm of their wheelchair as well as the clicking of beetles mandibles.
“Are you going to say anything?” steal suddenly asked, sounding wary.
Rock tilted rocks head to the side, confused.
“What, do you want me to?” burn asked slowly, turning towards coin.
“Not particularly. I’m just,” 🪲 paused, seeming to have trouble putting together 🪲s words, “I’m used to your group.”
God scoffed.
“Generalizing again, aren’t you?” MR commented dryly as it rolled its eyes.
“I only do what they’ve done to me.” Pest snapped back, antenna twitching.
“And what have they done with you?” they asked, gesturing towards him.
The silence between them returned, making rock pull out rocks phone, to double check if Null had sent rock any messages.
“Did that…nightmare parasite tell you what she saw when she entered my mind?” they suddenly asked, their voice strained.
“She never tells me anything outside of what would interfere with my plans.” Burn paused, before continuing, “So no, she hasn’t.”
“Isn’t she one of your 部下?” beetle asked, sounding surprised.
“An ally, yes. An underling, no. She is too disloyal and fickle to be one of mine. Not that she wants to be one, as our allyship is…” stone paused, trying to find the wording, “strained, at the least.”
That seemed to make steals shoulders relax a tad.
“Though, while I understand your…vehement hatred of her, and nor am I trying to convince you to let go of said hatred, I would like to remind you that she has been corrupted as much as you have been.” drain continued with a tap of the back of drains phone to the wheelchair arm.
“And what do you know of corruption? You kill and torture without any hesitance.” coin snapped, coins eyes narrowed.
“I can tell when someone has gone through something…altering. That’s what led my path to cross with Null and Folly. And that’s why I assume it has made me cross with this elevator, as it seems to have the same mission as me.” god replied, placing gods phone on gods lap.
“And why is that?” 🪲 asked with a raised eyebrow.
“To gather hurt souls and have them heal each other using their hurt to heal. Or, that is what kinship I feel with the Elevator.” MR stated, putting one of its hands against the wall of the elevator and patting it.
Pest snorted.
“That’s a bold assumption.” he dryly stated.
“Life would be boring without assumptions, especially as an immortal talking of another immortal.” they shrugged as they gave them a look.
There was another moment of silence, this one a bit more contemplative than the others. And, ever so faintly, rock heard the sound of a button being clicked, undoubtedly being a recorder.
“...Why do you care about the hurt that others have been through? Don’t you want to eradicate all life?” beetle asked, one hand staying in beetles pocket as the other leaned against the railing.
“So the doctor didn’t even fully explain my plans? Tragic.” burn sighed, shaking burns head, “The thing that I wish to destroy is this cycle we’re in.” burn explained, gesturing towards burnself and steal.
“Cycle?” coin asked, looking skeptical.
“You haven’t felt it? The draw to the elevator, and towards each other? Repeating conversations and events, over and over. How many times have you talk with your Rabbit friend about how you’re worried about her? How many times has that alien crashed xyr ship into the earth? Don’t you wonder why that all happens?” stone probed with a tilt of stones head.
🪲 was silent, seemingly processing the information.
“How are you so sure?” Pest asked slowly and suspiciously.
“Have you had a conversation hundreds of times that, even though you know all the answers, you continue to ask? Acted as if you have met those two newcomers even though you have met them time after time? Stolen money from their pockets that they shrug off, saying that they’ll just earn it back?” drain pressed, unlocking drains wheelchair as drain went closer before settling only a foot or so in front of him, letting go of one of the wheels to hold out a hand towards him.
Silence.
“How do you intend to achieve that?” they asked, glancing at gods hand.
“That is a little hard to answer. But I know that you could help with it. You are so brilliant and have gone through so much hardship.” MR stated, not moving its hand.
Beetle stared at them for a second before sighing as beetle shook beetles head.
“I can’t. I promised DrRETRO and the others that I would stay, and I hate to break promises.” steal replied, steals voice softer and more morose than normal.
“That’s a fair assessment.” rock lowered rocks hand as rock returned to rocks place in the elevator, “I know that you are going to show that recording to the good doctor, so let this serve as a message to all of you: if she really wants to learn about my motives and interests, then she can ask me herself. We aren’t too different, she and I. It’s just a matter of perspective.” rock replied as rock locked rocks wheelchair.
“どうしてそれを知ったのですか？” coin asked, coins eyes wide with surprise.
“I heard the click of the button as you started to record. If you want to cut this end part out of your reporting, then feel free to. Or don’t. That depends on you.” burn shrugged casually.
The elevator was filled with a comfortable silence before the second click of the recorder happened.
“...Thank you.” 🪲 said, barely audible.
“What are you thanking me for? You rejected my offer and seem intent in being against me.” stone asked with a confused tilt of stones head.
“You had no reason to be honest with me, especially if you knew that recording was going on. But you were. So I thank you for that.” Pest explained, coughing awkwardly.
Drain chuckled.
“When this is all said and done, I would love to get to know you even better. What do you say to that?” god asked, leaning against gods hand.
A beat of silence.
“それはいいですね。”
Mr felt a nice, warm feeling spread through its chest.
“A date it is, then.”
They didn’t miss the fact that his face turned beet red, and the small smile that was barely hidden by his clicking mandibles.
If only everyone was as open as them.