holyposition | IC Inbox

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t.laughlin

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You've made yourself an impressive adversary, Mr. Laughlin, if there are those who are trying to kill you.

Am I supposed to say thank you? I don't want to be an adversary to anyone.

In this game, it is better to prove someone not to be underestimated. Otherwise you end up a victim.

So what does that make me? Both?

You survived. That alone distinguishes you.

I guess so. I was rescued. It's not like I fought him.

It has taken me many years to recognize the difference between knowing when to fight and when to prioritize yourself.

...if someone is trying to kill me, I don't see the difference.

All I've done was have someone willing to protect me. That's not an achievement.

Trust me, it'd be more insulting if they decided you weren't worth the effort of killing.

I wouldn't be insulted. Who thinks like that?

People who know how to play this game, among others.

Knowing how to play this game isn't an accomplishment. It's dark and hurtful even if you win.

And that is precisely the point. To sow division, to lead us to regard each other with suspicion, if not outright hostility.

When I speak of survival, that is what I mean. You cannot give them the satisfaction of breaking you.

I won't.

[ He will. ]

Why are you giving me a pep talk while Louis is in prison?

Because Louis is in prison, and I am limited in the number of hours I am allowed to spend outside his cell.

[ and because he doesn't want to run into armand if he can help it. ]

No one would ever accuse me of giving a pep talk, you know.