TRAUMA PROM

[takewing]

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[unlocksmith]

Nalea. . .

[takewing]

What?

[Sharp, but distracted.]

[unlocksmith]

[if she could transport them here, if she could lock them in this dome, then she could make it so they couldn't escape.]

Some people are going to die today. I'd rather it not be us.

[takewing]

[. . . Sttttops.]

[unlocksmith]

Think about it. She took us from our homes, brought us here, and trapped us in a tiny, glass cage. I dunno who this lady is, but if she doesn't want there to be any exits, then there won't be any.

And that narrows our actions significantly.

[raps his knuckles against the glass walls with a frown]

[takewing]

I stand by what I said before. [Clenches her fists by her sides, ignoring the way her bruise knuckles ache and smart.] I refuse.

She can have my life if she wants it so badly, but I'll not keep anybody else from surviving.

[unlocksmith]

[his voice drops, unusually cold and sharp]

She will have to go through me to get to it.

[takewing]

[. . . and for a moment, she can't help but think: getting rid of that poison was a bad idea. her gaze drops briefly but tellingly to the knife in his belt.]

[unlocksmith]

[SUDDENLY HE IS GLAD HE PICKED UP THE KNIFE]

Your life is worth no less than someone else's. What can you do to stop her-- to make her pay for the crimes she's committed-- if you're dead, Nalea?

[takewing]

[JERK. Glances at the glass-ridden puddle on the floor next . . .]

This has nothing to do with worth.

[unlocksmith]

No, it's about you makin' a rash decision to give up your life because you think survivin' means you'll have killed someone else.

[taking a step forward, keeping his gaze trained on her]

Or it's about refusin' to go along with her wishes because you think by defyin' her, you'll hold onto your principles and show her that she holds no power over you.

Let me tell you, Nalea, types like her. . . she does't give a shit whether you play along with her or not. She'll kill you and move on without givin' a second thought. And if you survive, and someone else dies, she will be the one to have murdered them, not you.

Her actions are hers alone, not yours.

[takewing]

If somebody else dies in place, when I had the opportunity to do something to prevent it—then the blood is on my hands just as much as hers.

[Stands her ground when he moves, defiance in every line of her body.]

[unlocksmith]

No.

You can't take responsibility for her actions.

[takewing]

I'm not!

[unlocksmith]

You are! You're standin' here, sayin' that you're willing to give up your life-- your ability to do anythin' to stop her from doin' this again in the future, your ability to live and experience things, to help people who might need you-- all because you think there will be blood on your hands if you try to survive!

Don't let her make you feel guilty for what she is doin'. It's on her, and her alone.

[takewing]

[it's . . . it's tr—]

[shakes her head fiercely]

Khoalan, I can't.

[unlocksmith]

[reaching for her shoulder, gripping it tightly]

. . . you can. You're strong, Nalea.

And we won't let her get away with this.

[takewing]

. . . all of those people I spoke to. Valerian, Eveningstar, Yellow Sparrow, and the others. If they die while I live, I won't be able to forgive myself.

[unlocksmith]

Do you think dying along with them would bring them back? Do you think it would make her pay for kidnappin' and killin' all those people?

[his grip tightens, ever so slightly]

[takewing]

If I died, maybe they wouldn't.

[Maybe.]

[But if I die, how will I know for sure that she'll be stopped? Who's going to look for Da? With a low curse in her own language, punches him half-heartedly in the shoulder.]

It might not make her pay, but it would show her that she can't force me to bow to her cruel whims.

[unlocksmith]

[rolling with the punch, barely flinching]

. . . but she can. She already has.

She's already trapped us here, hasn't she?

[takewing]

There's a difference between being trapped and being forced to compromise this.

[thunks her fist, loosely curled, lightly over his heart.]

[unlocksmith]

She'll take it from you, whether you refuse her or not.

[placing his hand over her fist, gripping it just as tightly as he's gripping her shoulder]

We're already at the mercy of her whims. And if you refuse her, she'll kill you, and then you would be left with nothing.

[I would be left with nothing--]

[takewing]

. . . And you, too.

[For all that she doesn't doubt he could live without her, she's seen what he's willing to do for her sake. Heard him call her name as the raptor bore down, saw the blood all over his shirt after he'd killed those men to save her life.]

[unlocksmith]

. . .

[I would kill an entire army if I had to in order to keep you alive. leans forward, thunking his forehead lightly against hers]