[PCA] UNIVERSAL CONSTANTS

[skinstealer]

[image description: Maes sitting on a couch with a incredibly strained look on her face, teeth jagged and clenched facing toward Charon who's mostly obscure, his cloak over his shoulder being the only thing shown]

 

Charon's phone buzzes on his way back up.

 


Are you coming over?

Just wrapped up, everything's alright?

I'm fine

Sorry that things went so off script.. was it at least nice meeting the others?

Very nice
I'd like to see more of them

I saw you really take a liking to Flor.




 

A long pause.

 








Is that so?

Into the witchy type?

Seems antithetical to my deal
But I suppose so

They're all a little antithetical, no?

I don't mind

 

There was a knock on the door.

 


Here.

 

The door unlocks.

The dog pokes his way inside.

 


CHARON: Boss.

 

Maes stands slightly off to the side, tail curled around her ankles and looking...
Reserved. 

More than usual.

 


MAES: Judgment.

 

He closes the door behind as he stepped into the room.

 


CHARON: Bigger day than expected.
MAES: ...yes.

 

Her fur bristles.

 


CHARON: Time to cool off?
MAES: ...

 

She walks to the couch, sitting down with a noted lack of grace.

 


MAES: ...likely.
CHARON: ...Talk to me.

 

He follow suit, leaning over the empty seat.

She hesitates, before resting her tail tip against his calf.

 


MAES: I-
MAES: I don't like that you're going down there.
CHARON: If someone might be trapped-
MAES: I know! 
MAES: I -

 

She chokes.

 


MAES: It's selfish. 
MAES: I know. 
MAES: I just-
MAES: ...I knew you'd be seeing it, but I thought-
MAES: ....
MAES: I thought you wouldn't know me. 
MAES: Not like this.
CHARON: ...What scares you? 
CHARON: What are you afraid of happening if I go there?
MAES: .....

 

Her tail tip twitches away.

 


MAES: You'll look at me differently. 
MAES: Us. 
MAES: I don't know.
CHARON: ...Mind if I sit with you?
MAES: ...you can...
MAES: I- 
MAES: I'm not good at this. 
MAES: This isn't exactly usual conversation for me.

 

He maneuvers around the couch and joins the cat.

 


CHARON: This is about your past, everyone's.
MAES: I hate it.
MAES: I hate that-
MAES: You get to see all of this. 
MAES: And you get to know me. 
MAES: I could manage someone finding out about Intake if they saw me as some sort of corporate figure- easy to blow off. 
MAES: Just what we do up here, isn't it?

 

She spits out the words.

 


MAES: Just another rich sadist devouring her loved ones. 
MAES: Typical cultist spawn. 
MAES: And now she's a Director!
CHARON: ...I killed someone for the first time at 14.
MAES: ....

 

She doesn't flinch.

 


MAES: Did you enjoy it?
CHARON: No. 
CHARON: Nor the second, third, fifth, dozenth that year either.
MAES: Then you've got a better soul than me.
CHARON: And what makes us so different in that regard?
MAES: Because you're not the one in-

 

She chokes, her voice coming out pained and angry.

 


MAES: You're not the one who has to sit here with-
MAES: If you were just some- some worker, some contractor, and not having to question why I'm like this now, that I like this, when all of that happened-
CHARON: My first employer left me permanently disabled in more than one way. 
CHARON: You've treated me well consistently since I've taken this job.
MAES: ...

 

She sniffles.

 


MAES: You haven't brought that up.
CHARON: Hasn't really needed to before.

 

Another sniffle.

 


MAES: B-but I bet you didn't have to wonder if-
MAES: Fuck, we don't even have a word for this-
MAES: ....If y-your...companions, ever wanted a relationship like this because of-
CHARON: Because..?"
MAES: ...You saw the raw meat diet. 
MAES: It was one of the first things you noticed.
CHARON: Mm..
MAES: ....

 

She lets the implication hang, shrinking into her shoulders.

 


MAES: ...I- I don't think it's- 
MAES: I don't know, I-
MAES: ...I just don't want you to-
MAES: ...
MAES: To leave-
CHARON: You've decommissioned the place.
MAES: That doesn't change the fact that I'd take a chunk out of you in a heartbeat.
CHARON: Because you like me.
MAES: Judgment.

 

A little shocked laugh broke through.

 


CHARON: Because your language is just a bit on the bitey side.
MAES: Come on.
CHARON: You don't want to hurt me. but...
MAES: ...no.

 

She sighs, leaning onto his shoulder face first.

 


MAES: I do like you.