tsaf loop 2: nowhere to run

PVH_Robbie: ...

PVH_Robbie: How are you holding up?

PVDC_Alice: eh.

PVDC_Alice: im supposed to be taking over the company. and its weirdly quiet at home now.

PVDC_Alice: idk

PVDC_Alice: don't really like it, i have music going all the time but it keeps giving me headaches >^<

PVH_Robbie: Sorry.

PVH_Robbie: Actually I'd always assumed you were home alone most of the time anyways

PVDC_Alice: nah. my dad was pretty busy but something was always happening whenever he was home

PVDC_Alice: it could get overwhelming but i was used to it yk?

PVH_Robbie: Guess that makes sense. Just not the impression I got

PVDC_Alice: wdym?

PVH_Robbie: Grief works in funny ways, I guess. But you don't really need to pretend to be sad around me, if that's what's going on here.

PVDC_Alice: we didn't get along sometimes but he was still the only family i had

PVH_Robbie: Not to be rude ( for once ), but being treated like shit by someone doesn't make them your family, you know?

PVH_Robbie: Doesn't matter if you're related to them or not.

PVDC_Alice: i don't really want to talk about this. especially in dms

PVH_Robbie: That's fine. I'm not going to pry

PVH_Robbie: I just think you deserve better.

PVDC_Alice: don't say things like that

PVH_Robbie: Trust me I don't make a habit of it

PVDC_Alice: can you meet me somewhere

PVDC_Alice: like. idk park

PVH_Robbie: Be there in about 15 minutes.

———

No impulse control? No impulse control. Alice can't sit still. 

She's pacing.  

She doesn't know what she wants to say or what she's planning to say but she is overwhelmed with the urge to completely ruin absolutely everything. And she's not going to chicken out.  She's a couple drinks in. Her head hurts and her side hurts and she should probably sit down, but...  She's too in her head for it. 

Well, Robbie made it. 

It’s late, and he looks like shit — like he just rolled out of bed. Which is pretty much exactly what happened, to be fair. Pretty short notice, Wonderland.  

... but that’s all right. At this point? He’d show up regardless.  

Crossing the distance between them, aaaand... for once, he frowns disapprovingly at the bottle. He should probably take that from her.  

“... Heya, Wonderland.” It’s a little softer than usual.

It's two in the morning, so, she kind of expected that. But. Really, it's not every day that someone can see through the front she puts up.  

And it's not often that someone who can see through it treats her gently nonetheless. 

And that's kind of scary. And it makes her feel some kind of way. 

"Hey." It's weak. She's. Kinda having second thoughts about this. She's pretty sure there's no way it's going to end well.

One hand buries itself in her pocket. H.  

"... I didn't expect you to actually agree to come out here."

... So that means she's stuck on this.

She's definitely gotta say it.

... But she'll stall for now. Till he asks what this is about, at least.

“Come on, ‘s it really that surprising anymore?” Robbie can’t help but laugh, just a tiny bit.  

It’s true. He hates that he’d do just about anything for her, but.. he’s gotta accept it eventually, right? 

“ ‘Course I showed up.” He had said that if there was something she needed, she could just ask. He might pepper in some complaints along the way, but... he’s trying his best.  

Pause.  She’s clearly upset. Probably mostly because of him, honestly. He wouldn’t be surprised.  

“Are you okay?”

Something about that—something in his tone— just makes something in her ache. She doesn't laugh. God, isn't that— this?— the kind of thing she's always wanted from someone? And yet, here she is. Her chest feels tight, and her hands might be shaking just the slightest bit. 

(Not that he'd notice. She's doing her best to keep them still.) 

"..... I don't know." It's... Surprisingly honest, actually. Weirdly so. She kinda hadn't expected it.

It would be easiest to say 'yes,' and leave it at that, but she didn't. Really cementing her fate, huh.

God, she can hardly look at him.

Maybe he doesn’t see the way her hands shake, but he notices the way her gaze won’t meet his, the way that this is... exactly the kind of situation that he usually does everything in his power to avoid.  

He could just turn around and leave, you know. He’s not being held hostage here.  

... But he doesn’t end up moving from his spot. Something about ditching her right now feels wrong, feels ugly. And that notion’s honestly just as awful. 

 “ — you wanna tell me what’s wrong?”

... There's the question she was half-hoping he wouldn't ask. 

Okay.

She said she wouldn't chicken out. This has to be done. She knows that. But she still hesitates. 

A deep breath, and... 

"I've been lying to you."  

That sounds bad. She knows that. Maybe it's intentional. So maybe he'll get mad and leave and she won't need to finish the thought in its entirety. She can't even let herself do this properly, huh?

... 

..... Scoff.  

“That supposed to come as a shock to me?” 

He’d have to admit that it does sting, deep down — just a tiny bit.  

“Most people do, you know.” He’s... gotten pretty used to it, at this point.  

Still... a raise of brow.  

“— About what?”

Looks like you can’t scare him away that easily, unfortunately.

... Shit. 

...Okay. 

She's resigning herself to it. 

You know how people say your life flashes before your eyes before you die? She's never actually experienced that before, but she's pretty sure this feeling is similar to that. 

"I killed him." ... And once she says it, it's kind of like she gains some confidence, or momentum, or something, because she doesn't stop there. 
"...And then I stabbed myself. A lot of times." 

... "And everyone believed me." 

... "And I don't regret it and I would absolutely do it again."

If you’d asked Robbie to make a list of reasons why she’d asked him to meet her out here tonight...... he can’t say it wouldn’t have been anywhere on the list, but, like, probably not in the top ten or so, at least.  

There’s a long pause before Robbie rakes a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh.  

“ ...... You could’ve fucking died, Alice.” 

Against better judgement, or maybe quite simply the lack thereof, he’s... taking a couple steps forward.  

There’s another sigh, this time like he’s exasperated at himself more than anything.  

... He’s pulling her into a hug.

— She kind of flinches, actually, until she realizes what is actually... happening.  

... She can't tell if she's... Relieved, or frustrated, or... What? But regardless of whatever she's feeling, she doesn't relax at all. 

She expected... Well, she doesn't know, but. The whole point was kind of to make him hate her, so this was nowhere near it.  

... So she lashes out, because what is she supposed to do in this situation?
She's pushing back, away from him — scrambling for something.  

"What is wrong with you? I — I'm a bad person. Don't you get that??? I'm just going to keep lying to you. Always, because that's how I am."

"This— Whatever this is, it's not going to make me better. Nothing is going to ever make me better and I'll hurt anyone I want. You're not— Different, or something." 

Her voice doesn't give her away, not at all, but. It's probably clear enough that now she's just trying to cover for herself, close up whatever hole that vulnerability left in her defenses, and hurt herself in the process.

For a moment, he just goes deer in the headlights.  

And then something kind of clicks, and he sees right through her, even more than he usually does. 

Because it’s not just her staring back.  
... It’s him. For just those few seconds, it’s exactly like looking in a mirror.  

“ ... You sound just like me.” He laughs again, and it’s hard to tell whether it’s bitter or slightly fond.  

“Do you really think I of all people give a fuck about what bad things you did? Honestly.” Sigh. “And you really think I don’t see through that bullshit? I practically invented it.” 

“You wouldn’t be telling me the truth right now if you wanted to hurt me that badly.”

"Don't—" Her voice shakes just slightly this time. "Don't act like you know me! You don't know what you're talking about!"  

Is it scarier if he doesn't believe her or if he does? "I don't care! I'm not a good person, and— Every bad thing that's ever happened to me was something I deserved, and whatever thing in the universe that's out there knows it!" 

At this point, she's panicking. She has to backpedal on all of this somehow. And, yes, sure, maybe she knows he's right, but to admit that, to admit someone can really, genuinely understand, is just too vulnerable a position. And he probably knows that just as well as she does. 

So, still, she's flustered and scared, and struggling for words. 

"I— Shut up! You don't—! I'm always lying. About everything! Even stupid inconsequential things! And— and I don't care about you, or— or anything, or anyone!"  

Frustrated tears well up in her eyes. Just— leave! Why is this so difficult? Tell everyone about everything she did! Let everyone hate her, and she'll rot for the rest of her life! That's what she gets, right? She's tricked everyone into thinking she's good, or at least decent. It's just karma, isn't it?  

God, really, she doesn't even understand why this bothers her so much. Since when has she been one to get so stuck on things like this? On lies she's told?

Maybe it's just something about someone saying she deserves anything better than what she's gotten.

She deserves even worse. She knows that.

“— Don’t I, though?” 

Jesus fucking christ, is that really how he looks when he does that? It’s almost like secondhand embarrassment or something, seeing it reflected back at him. Honestly...? He thinks it’s kind of pathetic to see it when he knows exactly what’s going on, and he hates it. Gives him the urge to scream in frustration — tear out his hair or something.  

“Like I haven’t heard that one before.” 

Unfortunately, his traitor brain has already committed to caring about her, so here he is. As disgusting as it feels to have to play the other part in this act for once.  

“You know what? You shut the fuck up. You’re spiraling.” 

There’s a huff as he moves to grab her by the wrist, sort of dragging her towards the nearest park bench to sit.  

“Remember what happened last time I was all— fucked up, spiraling out of control...?” Falling down drunk in a parking lot, because he’s awful and he hates himself and he never changes. 

“— You came. Picked me up and took me home even though I bitched about it for like an hour. We made breakfast after I spent all night puking my fucking guts out.” He hated pretty much every second of it, that vulnerability.  
“... Don’t think it matters why you did it. What the intentions were. Just matters that you did. Went out of your way.”  

He kind of loses steam a little, but he continues anyway.  “Point is — so now it’s... my turn, or some shit.”

... This really isn't working out at all in her favor, is it? This was all on some self-destructive whim so he would decide he hates her and never say literally anything about her being, like, even a halfway decent person again.  

But... Here she is now. And she can't— accept it entirely, really— but... She guesses he isn't going anywhere. ...She's not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. But she's (mostly) given up on trying to convince him to. She'll sit, and she'll wipe at her eyes, quieting down a bit... 

"... You're still stupid." Just... Just saying that, though. "Don't be mad at me when something happens." When she eventually does hurt him.  "'Cause.... I'm warning you about it now."  

... "I won't do it again."

No, it’s really not. 

And maybe it’s hypocritical of him in a lot of ways to be so forgiving — Robbie Goodman is not nice. He’s not kind, or sweet, or anything of the sort, and he makes that abundantly clear. And he is certainly not so gentle towards himself of all people, so... why her? 

He mulls it over, taking a moment before responding.  

“S’pose it’s good to know we’re on the same page with each other, then. Better give me the same courtesy, aye?” 

It means he has to be a little more careful, then, he guesses. As much as he doesn’t want to, eventually he’ll have to hurt her before she hurts him, because that’s just what he does. His way out of everything. It’s an awful competition now, which one of them will end up destroying the other first.  

... But isn’t that kind of how it’s always been between them, really?

...A little nod. 

"Okay."  

She's quiet now, but kind of... half-leaning her head against his shoulder. 

"...I'm sorry." That she can't just be a normal person that isn't like this. And it's going to eventually come to one or both of them hurting each other. Such is life, she guesses.  

This is how her relationships are, really. She knows she'll hurt every single one of her friends in trying to protect herself. She just doesn't usually... tell people that. As self destructive as she is... It's nice to have friends. So... It's a weird, exposed kind of feeling, actually saying this to someone. And even weirder and more uncomfortable that he just accepts it. 

She doesn't think it's unwelcome, though. Seems like she got all the misdirected anger  out of her for now.

That’s all right. He’s not going to push her away. Well, physically, at least.  

“It’s okay.” It’s not like he could claim to be a normal person either, after all.  

It’s always just a matter of time. Robbie doesn’t... willingly do friendships. The universe just sort of drags him into them, like he’s a dog on a leash far too short. And most of the time, he does everything he can to cut everyone off.  

Yet here he is again. Uncharted territory, this time. It’s... terrifying to think about, in a lot of ways. 

“ — I’m glad you told me the truth.”

Yeah, it's appreciated. Though, it'd be a lie to say she isn't confused. 

For someone who is so scared of being hurt, who pushes everyone away to avoid it, he won't do it to her? To the person who admits she'll definitely hurt him one day, whether she wants to or not? 

She always had him pegged as the kind of guy who was smarter than that. 

He thinks he can relate to this, she guesses.
... But he wouldn't think that if she told him everything. The things she won't even bring up when she's actively trying to make someone hate her. Does that make her even worse? Or maybe he realizes that there's so much she isn't saying, that no matter what he thinks he's done, she's so, so much worse. And he is just stupid enough to stay here anyway. 

"... I don't get you at all."

It seems like she’s forgetting something, though. 

He knows so much about her now — he’s always seen through most of the things she’s said to him.  

... But she really doesn’t know much of anything about him in comparison, does she? 

There’s a raise of brow as he tilts his head, glancing over at her.  

Well, good. But...
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Curious, more than anything.

That's a scary thought. Especially for her, who thinks she knows everyone better than they know her. Which, sure, in every other case, she'd probably be right. Really, aside from him, who knows anything about her? Like, really knows. Fel doesn't. Abcde doesn't. Aurora doesn't.  

...Sucie, maybe, but she doesn't think that really counts. 

... A little shrug.  "I usually get people, at least a little bit. You're confusing."

Robbie shrugs too.  

“— Works out better for me that way.”  

It means he’s doing something right, if even she can’t tell exactly what’s going on with him.  

Funny, how so many people seem to think they have him all figured out — couldn’t be further from the truth, of course — and yet someone so similar to himself is left in confusion.  

“Tad surprised to hear it, though,” he admits.

Realistically, had the tables been turned, yes, she probably would have done exactly the same thing. But she thinks better of herself than that.  

"... I mean... I kind of do? But also, I really don't." 

... She'd say that she can't imagine she'd keep someone around if they admitted they hurt people, a lot, and they'll hurt her too, but. Really, that's what's already happening, huh.

"... I don't know. Sometimes I can tell exactly what you're doing, but sometimes I'm just confused." Like now.

Well, now he can expect it. That’s his excuse. Being aware that one day, someone will hurt you — you can brace for it. Far better than being blindsided by it, after all.  

“Well, I’m evil. Can’t have everyone figuring out my nefarious plans,” he quips. It’s the first time he’s joked with her like that tonight, huh? 

A little pause.  

“ — promise I won’t tell anyone, by the way. Feel like I need to make that clear.”

She guesses she shouldn't complain, then. She's not... Going to jail, or anything. Even if she deserves it. That's a good thing. 

"Yeah? Guess you're pretty good at that, then." A soft smile. 

Her emotions are always so confusing— she needs to be alone so as not to hurt everyone, and she needs to punish herself and be hated, but she also desperately wants people to accept her and like her. Honestly, she doesn't even understand it fully, herself. You'd think that since she knows her feelings are irrational, it would help her manage them. But it doesn't. It just makes her even more frustrated with herself. 

... But it's sort of comforting to know someone else kind of gets it. Kind of just hugging him loosely. She's not really entirely sure what to say, and tonight has been... Overwhelming. And despite how deeply uncomfortable all of this is, she's kind of grateful. Even if she won't express that out loud.

... Oh. She’s hugging him now. He almost yanks himself away from her, purely on instinct — but manages to stop himself.  

Fuck. Okay. Fine.  

... Slowly, he’ll slip an arm around her, despite how much he wants to bolt. Emotional and physical intimacy... bad enough on their own, but they’re even worse when they’re paired together, you know?  

There’s things he wants to express, sitting here in silence — but he won’t.  

— I just think you deserve better. 

Against all odds, he still thinks so.  

“... Don’t drink any more tonight, okay?” Is what he eventually goes with. Hypocritical, coming from him. Hopefully, she can tell what he really means by it.  

I want you to be safe.

Sorry, that's the best way she can think to communicate her feelings without actually saying anything. Feels bad either way, but this is easiest. 

It's scary trusting people. Telling them things that can be used to hurt you, or betray you, or ruin you. And sure, it seemed great at first when she was totally self destructing, but since that didn't work, as that dust clears, she's left here to deal with the fact that there's someone out there that would literally let her get away with murder. Which is such a weird concept. She's really not sure what to do with that. 

"Okay." ... Despite saying she doesn't get him at all, it's pretty easy to tell when he means something else.  
"... Thank you." 

She hates the way this feels, though. She's going to keep moving forward with something else. It's weird to dwell on this. 

"Hey, um, you know, like..." She's pulling her arms back after a few more seconds...
"... Since I can't really talk about this at home, or online, or on the phone or whatever, if there's anything you want to know about... that, then I can explain now." She thinks he knows the gist of it. But she figured... Since he decided he's not going to hate her after this, she can answer some questions. Especially since her initial admission was made to sound as bad as possible.

“Told you I wasn’t gonna pry, and I won’t. But if there’s shit that you want to tell me about, or you think would be useful for me to know... I’m listening.”  

He drops his arm when she lets go of him, but he doesn’t scoot away from her or something, at least.  

It is a bit odd to now be covering up a murder — at least he recognizes that much. His moral code has never exactly been perfect, so it’s not entirely a stretch.  

Robbie’s... not sure how much he trusts Alice. How could he be, after everything that’s happened tonight, paired with his already massive trust issues? It unfortunately does nothing to change the fact that somewhere along the line, he accidentally found himself caring about her. He wouldn’t be here otherwise.  

“You think it’ll work out all right? Company takeover, I mean. Know that’s one of the things you’ve been planning all along.”  

There’s a tiny chuckle, a raise of brow.  “ — whole thing probably woulda been more of a shock to me if I wasn’t already wondering whether you were at least somewhat involved.”

"... Rather not go into specifics, but... I think this was the best way I could do something to protect myself, without ruining any chance I have at a future. Rich people are scary."  

Which is why it was always covered up. (She'd be worried about housekeeping suspecting her, but she doesn't take them for very smart, or moral people, considering they've worked in that house for so long. As long as she's their employer, even if anyone was suspicious, she'll pay them enough that it won't make any difference to them what bad thing they're letting happen. Besides, with this, they really don't have any proof. It's completely different. And it works out perfectly for her.) 

A little laugh.. "Geez, I told you about that?" She must have been drunk...  

"... Well, yeah, then. I guess that says a lot. I'm not sure how it'll go. I think I know enough to keep it running for now." She's smart! And she thinks she can be a pretty decent leader sometimes. 

"I think my biggest regret about all of this is that now I can never tell anyone about the things he did. As much as I'm glad I did it, people will always look up to him now, like some kind of tech business martyr, or something. I said I'd do it again, and... Maybe I would? But if I could do it over, I think maybe I'd rather just take over and then tell everyone what he did. Ruin any legacy he's got. I think it'd hurt more."

... Regardless of why he's still here, he is. So... Even if he was lying about keeping her secret, (she doesn't think he is, but it's not out of the question) at least she gets to feel... I don't know, something, before she gets locked up. Like maybe there's some part of her that isn't completely rotten and twisted and ruined. It's weird, someone seeing you for how you are, and not hating you for it, the way any normal person would. She's pretty sure she's thought that exact thing about a hundred times tonight, but it's really just that much of a shock to her.

"... Thanks, by the way. For... All of this." Genuine feelings are something that are kind of alien to Alice. But, she really does mean that. She's not certain that anyone else would understand and cover for her this way.

“Aye, you were completely feckin’ ossed. Went off about how your dad’s an asshole ‘n hating that he gets away with shit from being rich, everyone’s stupid enough to trust you with their industry secrets, and you plan on using your evil powers and riches to topple them someday.”  

It’s not exactly hard to connect the dots with that context, you know. He would’ve figured everything out soon enough, even if she hadn’t confessed to him. He may not know all of the details, but from what he knows? He probably would’ve done the same, if he was in her position.  

Snickering. “Then you sent me pictures of cursed foods ‘n demanded to tell everyone that I’m your friend.” 

“... But you know ‘M not really one to dredge up personal shit. Don’t really care what you get up to in your personal time, sure you got good reasons for it all.”  

Robbie goes quiet for a bit, just taking the time to listen to what she has to say.  “At least the fucker’s gone now. Better than the alternative, aye? ‘S like I said. Someone like that isn’t really your family.”  

He shrugs, slightly awkwardly. He’s not really one for the feelings thing either, if it’s not completely obvious.  

“Don’t mention it.” Like, seriously, don’t. Things like this just make him feel... icky, when he thinks about them. 

Thoughts that lead him into uncomfortable territories he desperately tries to avoid.  

“... If you ever do need to talk about it..” he manages to force the words out — they are genuine, but it doesn’t matter. They stick in his throat like molasses anyhow.  

“... I am here. I’ll listen, at least.”

"Yikes." A little laugh... That's why she doesn't talk to people that much when she's drunk. 

"It's true, but I shouldn't say it." Wow, she's an embarrassing drunk, huh. Who spills all her secrets.  

... Well, most of them, at least. But, yeah, had the tables been turned, she'd have pieced it together, too. Makes it obvious enough, really. She's not... entirely surprised, considering he knew that.

 "... Yeah. You're right, he's gone. That's the important part. It's going to be okay now." The police don't know, and won't know, and she's going to be able to get away with it. Probably. She was meticulous about the little details about it, like the angle where she stabbed herself and not to hold back, and... There's no reason that she'd be suspected, right? She's the poor deaf girl who couldn't even hear the attacker coming. 

... It's weird that it keeps getting soft, despite the attempts to lighten the topic. Ugh, what's with the energy here? This is what she gets for opening up. 

She might as well just address it. 

"Thanks. And with that said... Let's stop talking about all that, maybe. We said what we had to say, and..." A little laugh, kinda to try and defuse the tension. "You kind of look like you're gonna throw up. So... We can leave it there. It's weird to keep talking about it, and the whole vibe feels off. We're alright." 

A light nudge on his arm. "We should go back to threatening death to each other, or something. This is way too sappy."

He’d have to admit that he’s impressed by the whole thing. It’s more or less the perfect crime — even if someone did suspect her involvement, or her condoning it, what reason would they have to believe it was actually her that did it? 

Personally, he’d have figured that was just a horrible accident like the news said — just that it happened to work in her favor. Or that she’d hired someone else to do it, maybe.  

... She really risked killing herself just to get rid of her dad, huh? Robbie doesn’t need to know what the man did in order to understand that whatever it was... it must have been really bad.  

He lets out a breath he hadn’t entirely realized he was holding.  

“Oh thank god. It’s fucking dreadful.” 

... And that, right there, is exactly one of the reasons why he finds himself enjoying her company so much, even though he tries his hardest not to. 

Maybe she doesn’t have him all figured out. But she does seem to understand when something makes him uncomfortable, and tries to back away from it.  

“Well, I do have a knife in my truck. Could cut your head off with it, even if that’s a bit of a boring end.”

She's had a lot of time to think about how she'd commit a crime. Well, at least this specific one. I think it's a normal thing for everyone to kind of contemplate the logistics of murder and if they could get away with it. But an opportunity like being doxxed and having random people showing up at your house isn't one you get super often. With other times, it'd be harder to come up with a motive for a random attack. But it gave her exactly what she needed. 

Getting rid of the body was always the thing that was the most troubling for her. Sure, she had her ideas, but as soon as a body is hidden or burned or dismembered or whatever, it means that they can stick you with premeditated murder. Once you hide it, it becomes planned, and you can't use self-defense or something to cover for you. This bypassed that entirely. She even made herself a victim, too. And, who would she be to turn down extra pity points? 

"It is, right?? IIIIII kinda hate it, I'm not gonna lie. It sucks." Another little laugh. She's honestly just glad to move on from it, herself. Talking about the way she actually feels about stuff is the worst. Maybe aside from like, video games, or Pokemon, or something. 

"I would encourage that, actually, because at least it'd stop my headaches for a while, buuut I don't think you'd be able to get through my spinal cord that way..? Also, you'd get blood everywhere.  It'd be a mess. You didn't bring a sword or anything? You could get a clean cut that way."

It's not that strange, really. Robbie has certainly contemplated things like that before, even if he hasn't exactly enacted any of those plans. It feels a little strange to know that he'd unknowingly aided in carrying it out, what with throwing Dakota under the bus.  

Can you blame him, though, really? If you thought your b... — no, he is not going to fucking go there and admit that bit quite yet.  
If you thought someone you... cared about had nearly gotten murdered, and you knew exactly who caused it to happen, would you have sympathy for that person? Especially when they wouldn't even be kind enough to explain why. 

"Such short notice I didn't get a chance to pack a sword. That's on you, Wonderland, I've only got my knife. Take it or leave it — sure there'll be better opportunities to kill you soon enough."

... Alice thinks that she should probably feel worse about the way everything worked out. How things worked out perfectly well for her, even though it hurt other people in the process. But she kind of doesn't. Well, she did say she was a bad person. Guess it's not too much of a surprise. 

"I'll go with... Not the knife. I'll just wait. Knives are messy." Making a blech sort of face. 

"I could make jokes about how I know that firsthand right now. Is that in poor taste? Would you murder me instantly if I did?" A laugh. Sorry, she doesn't know how to treat it seriously, so...

Robbie gets to his feet after another moment or two, stretching a bit as he turns back to face her again.  

"S'pose that's fair. Giving you more stab wounds doesn't exactly make it unique, after all. They'd look at your body, 'n they'd just be like — ah, stabbed again." 

Snickering. It's easier, joking like this. By now, their banter is all-too familiar, y'know? 

"...I can wait a bit longer. Use that sword you gave me or some shit, I think that's a bit more fitting, aye? You wanna be cut in half horizontally or vertically?"

LAUGHING...  

Honestly, it's much nicer to just banter on like this rather than actually talk about important deep stuff.  

All in all... Tonight was a failure from what she initially set out to do. But successful in the fact that... She kinda realized he's a better friend than she would've thought. Despite the fact that people understanding her is scary... He is Literally willing to help her get away with murder. Even after she admits to manipulating the entire situation and him. 

... Whether it be because he's stupid, or desperate, or he just cares that much... It's appreciated. A lot. And it's not something she'll easily forget. 

Mission failed successfully.