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[neverjoinyou]

Leave a message. I will hear you.

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<3

[tetractys]

"YEAH. I'M GOING TO HAVE QUENTIN HELP ME, HE'S RESTORED A WORLD BEFORE. ... AND HE PROBABLY WON'T LET ME PULL THE TRIGGER IF THE SPELL'S JUST GOING TO EXPLODE THE UNIVERSE."

Probably!

[neverjoinyou]

"Probably," Luke says, one eyebrow slanted.

[tetractys]

"HE'S A SMART GUY, AND HE'S AS CLOSE AS WE GET TO SOMEONE WHO'S DONE THIS BEFORE."

[neverjoinyou]

Luke does not think talking Bill out of this would help. Then again, he's been in a smiliar position before and should be wary of plans labeled "Bill," but here's the thing:

This really doesn't feel like last time.

He thinks it's ill-conceieved, he thinks it's probably for the wrong reasons, but it's not bad-hearted. It's not, on its face, wrong as far as Luke can see.

"Okay," he says again, lips pursed briefly in resolution. "What can I do?"

[tetractys]

"I DON'T KNOW. I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU, I GUESS. .. YOU HELPED ME FIGURE OUT I DON'T NEED THE POWERS, YOU KNOW."

They're fun, but-

[neverjoinyou]

Luke smiles.

"I'm glad you did. Thanks. What I'm saying is... If you want to keep me informed, I'd like to know how it goes."

Both to keep an eye on things, and because yeah... he cares.

[tetractys]

"YEAH. I'LL TELL YOU WHEN THERE'S ANYTHING TO BE SAID. IF."

Bill appears to suddenly remember something.

"OH, SOMETHING ELSE. ME AND A COUPLE OTHER INMATES ARE TRYING TO BUILD A RADAR TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY OTHER, EH, ANY AUTHORITY SHIPS CHASING US, I GUESS. SEEING IF THEY'RE IN COMMUNICATION RANGE."

It's a good idea in theory. In practice, trying to herd Entrapta's eccentricities and short-sightedness and Jasper's inability to separate her emotions from her work has been a trial.

[neverjoinyou]

Luke chews on that for a moment.

"Okay," he says finally. "Can I ask about motive? Or is that the sort of thing I don't want to know?"

[tetractys]

"WELL, AT THIS STAGE, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. IF WE KNOW FOR SURE THEY'RE CHASING US, WE'LL PROBABLY DECIDE WHAT TO DO AFTER THAT. BUT I DON'T LIKE THE IDEA OF IGNORING THIS WHOLE 'STOLEN SPACESHIP' THING UNTIL IT COMES BACK TO BITE US."

[neverjoinyou]

Luke nods because that actually sounds… right, and he feels dumb for not thinking about it. “And when you say ‘us’...?”

[tetractys]

"WHOLE SHIP!"

Bill gestures around, tired but frustrated.

"I MEAN, WE'RE ALL CONTRABAND AT THIS POINT. THE ADMIRAL TOOK THE SHIP AND KIDNAPPED US, AND IT KINDA BUGS ME THAT NOBODY SEEMS TO THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT..."

[neverjoinyou]

It's the correct answer. Luke doesn't know if Bill knows that--it's probably a better sign if he doesn't.

"They might, and might just... forget about it, what with everything else," Luke points out. "Who knows about this so far?"

Because we've been down this road before, Bill. Of people who are clearly affected not being looped in.

[tetractys]

"ENTRAPTA, JASPER, MEOWTH, AND ME. AND YOU."

He's letting you in on it from the beginning now! It's ... progress ! (?)

[neverjoinyou]

Okay. All inmates--of course. Luke nods.

"At what point," he says, "do you think it's important for the rest of the passengers to know about this?"

[tetractys]

"UHHHHHH."

Never.

[neverjoinyou]

Luke frowns.

"I'm not saying I'm going to go announce it," he says, because, you know. Trust. "But it goes back to... things that affect everyone. And making choices for other people."

[tetractys]

"MAYBE IF I SAW EVIDENCE THAT EVEN ONE PERSON CARED..."

[neverjoinyou]

Luke spreads his hands. "You're making assumptions," he insists. "Look, maybe it's true that no one cares. Or maybe they're distracted by their own lives and issues that are more immediate, or maybe they don't want to be the one to say it, or maybe a hundred other reasons you can't assume you know everything."

[tetractys]

Luke's right. This is the same thing he did in the Second Dimension. Bill sits back, rubs his eye.

"I'VE TRIED, I'VE TRIED TO TALK TO PEOPLE. I ALWAYS TRY."

[neverjoinyou]

Luke's mouth firms into a line of determination.

"Then you'll have to think of something else," he says. "You haven't tried the right thing. Here's a question: have you given people here any reason not to trust you?"

[tetractys]

"IT'S NOT ABOUT ME, IT'S NEVER ABOUT ME!"

He drags his hands down, catches fingertips on his lower eyelid.

"IT'S ABOUT SOMETHING BEING WRONG THAT EFFECTS ALL OF US! IF THEY DON'T TRUST ME, IT'S JUST SHOOTING THE MESSENGER. I DIDN'T MAKE UP THAT WE'RE ON A STOLEN SHIP!"

[neverjoinyou]

"Hey." Luke reaches out to touch his shoulder-area. "I know that. I'm not blaming you, exactly. I'm saying... there might be a reason people are wary of trusting you on this. So if there's something they need to know, we may need to... change the messenger."

[tetractys]

"NOBODY EVEN... LISTENS TO ME WHEN I TALK, EVEN WHEN I HAVE A POINT."

It's so fucking frustrating, Luke :(

[neverjoinyou]

"I know," he says gently. "But I do. And Entrapta and Jasper and the rest, apparently. Think about it; you've spent a lot less time of your life, relatively, being someone we should trust than not. So you gotta give it time. And I'm asking because I'm listening, and I want to help."

[tetractys]

"I KNOW."

Bill gets a sad little handful of Luke's tunic and leans on him.

"YOU ALWAYS LISTEN, EVEN WHEN I'M JUST TALKING IN CIRCLES."

He really appreciates that.