IC Inbox - Entranceway

[directed]

Obviously I'm not here right now, but leave a message and I'll--listen to it. Eventually.

Comments

( voice )

[shrinkage]

You didn't have to shoot anyone. [ there's no masking the shake of his voice. ray is comfortable wearing this emotion on his sleeve. ]

Re: ( voice )

[directed]

I see Dr. Heywood must have gotten the message out.

[Meanwhile, Rip sounds rather like he couldn't care less.]

Considering he was not only the first one to employ violence, but he equally made clear his intentions to imprison me, it seemed an appropriate response.

Besides--it was nothing more than a superficial injury. He'll recover in short order, I'm sure.

[shrinkage]

Rip, it doesn't have to be this way. You don't have to be what they want you to be.

[ god, he's already speaking in platitudes. it's like he knows this is a losing battle or something... ]

You're better than this.

[directed]

No, you'd much prefer it if I were who you want me to be.

"Better" is quite a subjective measurement, Dr. Palmer. One that you and I define differently.

[shrinkage]

[ ray's fought plenty of losing battles, even before rip recruited him. this is one he'll happily lose over and over again. as many times as it takes. ]

Are you happy? Content? Does being like this make you better? Because it's not subjective. Not by a long shot.

[directed]

Ah, but I am content now, Dr. Palmer, and certainly far more free than I've been in ages.

Or have you failed to consider that I might want to stay exactly as I am now?

[shrinkage]

[ ray's silence betrays him. he knows he takes to long to respond, and hurries to make up for it with force: ]

Only because it's easier. Not because it's right.

[directed]

[And where Ray hesitates, Rip doesn't. His reply is quick, sharp--certain.]

And what has being "right" achieved, hmm? The opportunity to be manipulated by the organization I once swore my loyalty to? Or to see my wife murdered over and over?

The chance to cradle my dead son in my arms?

You're right, Raymond. It is far easier to not give a damn about moral obligations when it's all meaningless anyway.

[shrinkage]

[ though it's an audio chat, ray feels like he's staring up at rip through refracted water. the pieces are here, but unrecognizable at a glance. he keeps floundering, keeps pushing. he should've learned by now, after a year, when to stop pushing. ]

I know you're hurting, I-- I know it's not fair...

[directed]

It's not fair. It will never be fair.

And that's the point. History doesn't give a damn about how you or I or anyone suffers. I was a fool to ever think it worth protecting.

And the lot of you more so, for believing me.

[shrinkage]

We believe in you, Rip. And that gives it meaning. It gives us purpose, foolish or not.

And it means I'll keep showing up with cereal, and you're just going to have to shoot me through your door. However many times it takes.

[directed]

[The bark of laughter that follows is no doubt unfamiliar to Raymond; Rip is not, after all, a man who laughs often.

But the bitterness in the sound? That is likely far more recognizable.]

Tell me, does it make you feel better to paint me as the villain in your piece? I already told you that Dr. Heywood struck first in our encounter. Moreover, he made perfectly clear his intentions to keep me prisoner until you bunch manage to find a way to twist my mind into what you see as being "better."

[No; the lines have been clearly drawn between them. There will be no innocent engagements, nor will Rip carelessly trust in the word of those who would betray him, all for the sake of a worthless concept of goodness.]

You really should be wary of how far you're willing to go, Raymond. You wouldn't want to end up doing something evil when you're supposed to be better than that.

[shrinkage]

Look, nobody's tried to imprison you. And let's be honest: A shot to the leg is a little extreme quid pro punch, Rip.

[ come on, dude. that's extra even for you. ]

I don't believe that caring about you could ever result in "evil." Abandoning you right now, though? Yeah. That'd be wrong.

[directed]

No? Then perhaps you should confer that to the rest of your team. Dr. Heywood seems to have a different opinion on whether or not I should roam free.

[But if Raymond, out of all of them, would prove to be the reasonable one? So be it. Rip's got no interest in spending all of his time playing some game of cat and mouse with his former colleagues.]

Well I can't stop you from feeling, I suppose. Although I also don't have to listen to it.

[And the click Raymond hears should make it clear enough that Rip is done with the conversation that had begun to circle around anyway.]