INBOX ⦿ EDGE OF REVERIE

[gunmettle]

INBOX

"This is Juzo Inui. Leave a message."

voice • text • action

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[alienation]

[ He has to really decide, here.

In the end, if Kaine wakes up, it's possible for it to spread anyway. He might as well have some control.

(This is both the truth AND an excuse.) ]

Something like that. Will you meet with me in the diner?

[gunmettle]

[ Juzo is partly confused, partly curious, but even with all that aside, he does owe Lotor. A meeting in the diner in the wee hours of the morning is the very least he can do. ]

Sure thing. I'll be there in a few.

[alienation]

[ and within a few ticks, he's already there, sat at a booth and drumming his claws on the table thoughtfully, the other hand holding up his chin. ]

[gunmettle]

[ Juzo arrives not long after, hands in his pockets, cigarette hanging from his teeth to trail thin wisps of smoke after him. ]

This seat taken?

[ He says, knowing it's not. ]

[alienation]

[ gestures with a slight smile. ]

Be my guest.

[ literally. you are to be his guest here. that's the whole point. ]

Thank you for humouring me.

[gunmettle]

[ He slides into the other side of the booth, then. ]

Don't mention it, though I gotta say, you're the last person I expected to get a text from at the witching hour. What's up?

[alienation]

[ his words are ever so carefully chosen, now. ]

I've gotten myself into quite an abnormal situation, you see. The crimes listed under my name on this device [ the phone, ] usually go unnoticed, or at least unmentioned. I'm a bit surprised, honestly.

[gunmettle]

[ Well, since he's brought it up, Juzo is none too subtle about pulling his phone out to refresh himself on Lotor's list of crimes. ]

They finally come back to bite you, huh?

[alienation]

[ MASS MURDER. ]

It did. But after a time, I expected it would. This place enjoys spewing the contents of one's mind out into the open.

[ truth effects. memories. dreams. literally wandering the various scapes of one's heart and mind. it was going to happen eventually. ]

The revelation of what I've done had already happened in my reality, and as a result, I had died and woke up here.

[gunmettle]

[ Juzo looks mildly surprised at that last bit. So Lotor's already paid the ultimate price for his transgressions? This is one hell of a second chance to be given. ]

Seems to me you wouldn't text me outa nowhere if you were unbothered by the whole thing. What happened?

[alienation]

[ A long pause, and a sigh. Being unbothered, but also bothered in this way was a lot of the issue. ]

The person who found out is someone I've grown quite fond of, and he took my explanation... poorly, as I thought he would. No. [ another pause. ] I knew he would.

And then... yesterday, after it had happened, I found him comatose instead of finding him furious.

[ He can't tell anyone Lotor's secret! ...but he doesn't prefer that after all. ]

[gunmettle]

[ Mm, yeah. Juzo understands the fear that someone will see the worst parts of his past and take it... poorly. He looks concerned, to say the least. ]

Comatose? But he's not in solitary?

[alienation]

[ shaking his head. ]

I found him in his dormitory. I knew something was off earlier, as he usually has his creatures stationed around keeping watch, namely around his team's dormitory.

I do believe similar things have happened before, but nothing quite like this, and I am... concerned. At the same time, I have nothing that can be done about it except to reflect on our final conversation.

[ AT LEAST HE DIDN'T SAY KAINE SPIES ON ME OUT OF LOVE. ]

[gunmettle]

[ Juzo doesn't know about the spoders, so his first impression is frankly a Pokemon of some kind. Whomp. ]

Left you twistin' in the wind, huh? So, why call me?

[alienation]

[ oh no now he HAS to be self-aware. ]

You are one of the most level-headed people I've met here and I suppose I may need... another's perspective.

[gunmettle]

And one that isn't gonna judge you.

[ A low rumble of a laugh. ]

You've already seen all the skeletons in my closet. I can return the favor.

[alienation]

[ He's contemplating his claws now, considering. ]

I've purposely taken many innocent lives in my ten thousand year long quest for peace, and I struggle with understanding how I should feel remorse over it. If I can feel remorse, or if that ability has been burned out of me.

From the very day I arrived here, I had planned to use this prison's abilities to change what I did, but I am not certain it's the same thing.

[ Maybe it'll lead to it? But he's aware that his body was corrupted beyond imagination even before he was born. An awful upbringing doesn't help. ]

That is, essentially, the short start of it.

[gunmettle]

The prison's abilities? You mean the Universe card from the shop, right? I get the feelin' that ain't gonna be all it's cracked up to be.

But all that aside, what was it that had your friend all riled up? Was it that you did the things you did? Or that you didn't tell him?

[alienation]

[ He's considered that.

If the warden can bring him back to life, however, he thinks that there must be a way to get what he wants, even if it's... not the way he's aiming for. ]

Both, I presume. He and I started off rocky here, but we have been close for the majority of our stay.

One of the last things he said to me was that he couldn't be a good person, since he still cared about me even after find out. Even though he was clearly agonized about that fact.

[ His tone here might give away that Lotor doesn't exactly agree with the sentiment of "still being in love with a bad person after finding out they're SUPER bad = I am bad person". ]

[gunmettle]

[ Juzo gives a little tilt of his head, his equivalent of arching an eyebrow. No, he doesn't really agree with that line of thinking either, but unlike Lotor, he's not keen on keeping that thought to himself. ]

Can't say I agree. Not like you asked him to take responsibility. The real unfortunate thing here is that now you don't have the benefit of takin' some time to talk it out after coolin' down.

[alienation]

...no, but he is... [ dramatic and emotional and he thinks this positively of Kaine. ] Very hard on himself.

[ a short, dry laugh. ]

Because I cannot try speaking to him, here I am telling this tale to you.

[gunmettle]

I get that.

[ Says the master of being hard on himself. ]

Well, if nothin' else, I'm glad to give you an avenue for gettin' it off your chest. Sometimes you just gotta let these things hit the open air. Makes it easier to think about.

[alienation]

[ Lotor studies him, now, for a moment. Carefully picking out the words he wants to use. ]

Since he's incapable of telling anyone else, you're the only other one to have any details about my crimes now.

I wouldn't hold it too much against you if you were to consider me a threat.

[gunmettle]

That what you think I should do? Consider you a threat?

[alienation]

Only my ego would have me saying yes. Galra are meant to be dangerous.

[ there's a silent "but" there. ]

In all honesty, I have no intention of harming anyone here. Of course, the warden will not allow that to occur.