[ Cain's eyes drop the glossy floor, his brows furrowed.
Keep moving forward—that's the one thing he's good at. He's not going to forget Siffrin (assuming their pattern of remembering the loops holds going forward), but he'll be ready for whatever the next week brings. That he knows.
[ Cain stares at him for a moment, evaluating him...
They're total opposites when it comes to this sort of thing, that he knows. But it's because he's stared down the end of Bradley's gun and survived that he has the courage to acknowledge it. ]
...It's not. [ He turns to face him fully. ] I want to know what you would've done.
[Brad is likewise evaluating Cain, trying to decide how much of the truth he can handle. Cain is a knight, good and honest, and Brad's techniques might turn his stomach.]
Narrowed it down to a group of possible suspects, then started squeezing them a bit. Figuratively.
[He could squeeze them literally too, but.]
Tying someone to a chair and acting aggressive can get some people to break too. But y'know, most people don't like those kinda things. I probably woulda drawn the votes to me by doing that.
See, the hard part after that is that I would've wanted to start with people at Siffrin's curfew, but I wouldn't have done it on you. That woulda made people look at you as the culprit instead.
I would've done it anyway, for honesty's sake. And I know you would have defended me anyway...
[ Crazy how much trust he has for Bradley is leaps and bounds above everyone else here. ]
I keep finding myself looking like I could be related to the case. I didn't carry a sword with me this week but I just ended up looking like I got into a knife fight instead.
I do, but it's somethin' I can make real for myself once I get home. No point in killin' and riskin' death here.
[He knows he's one of the strongest wizards alive, and he knows that everyone is going to need his strength at the next Calamity. He is prioritizing making it back alive.]
Cain seems to relax when he hears that. He knows Bradley well enough to be confident in his assumption that he wouldn't fall for the wish thing—they're similar, in that way. ]
Nah.
[ His answer is certain. ]
I'd rather get my eye back with my own strength. I think Owen would be disappointed if I took a shortcut. [ A pause, and then he corrects: ] —I would be disappointed.
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Even if they have touched already today, he recognizes Bradley's gait pretty well by now. He glances over at him in his approach. ]
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How're you doin'?
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...I dunno. I feel like...I could've done things differently. I could've done more.
[ About, well. Everything. ]
You okay?
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[He is not feeling okay, but that's basically life.]
But that's how things go sometimes. You can't save everyone. But if you dwell on it too much it'll drag you down until you die from it.
[He might be thinking of someone specific when he says that.]
So grieve what could have been today 'n tomorrow, and then let it go. On Monday we gotta keep moving forward.
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Keep moving forward—that's the one thing he's good at. He's not going to forget Siffrin (assuming their pattern of remembering the loops holds going forward), but he'll be ready for whatever the next week brings. That he knows.
But everything else? That's where they differ.
He looks back up at Bradley again. ]
What would you have done?
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[Because he has ways of getting information out of people. Ways that are not usually considered ethical.]
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They're total opposites when it comes to this sort of thing, that he knows. But it's because he's stared down the end of Bradley's gun and survived that he has the courage to acknowledge it. ]
...It's not. [ He turns to face him fully. ] I want to know what you would've done.
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Narrowed it down to a group of possible suspects, then started squeezing them a bit. Figuratively.
[He could squeeze them literally too, but.]
Tying someone to a chair and acting aggressive can get some people to break too. But y'know, most people don't like those kinda things. I probably woulda drawn the votes to me by doing that.
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More importantly— ]
Yeah. Neither of us want that.
[ He's pretty sure...? both of them want to get back to where they belong.
He nods. ]
Continue.
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[ Crazy how much trust he has for Bradley is leaps and bounds above everyone else here. ]
I keep finding myself looking like I could be related to the case. I didn't carry a sword with me this week but I just ended up looking like I got into a knife fight instead.
[ He looks at his arm, where his stab wound was.
He looks up again. ]
Hey. Do you have a wish?
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I do, but it's somethin' I can make real for myself once I get home. No point in killin' and riskin' death here.
[He knows he's one of the strongest wizards alive, and he knows that everyone is going to need his strength at the next Calamity. He is prioritizing making it back alive.]
Why? Is it something you're thinking about?
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Cain seems to relax when he hears that. He knows Bradley well enough to be confident in his assumption that he wouldn't fall for the wish thing—they're similar, in that way. ]
Nah.
[ His answer is certain. ]
I'd rather get my eye back with my own strength. I think Owen would be disappointed if I took a shortcut. [ A pause, and then he corrects: ] —I would be disappointed.