[He can barely speak. I'm not in much better shape.]//
Shotarou, we should know.//
[He shakes his head.]//
//Philip, I can't hear him say it. I can't hear him say I'll heal, that I'll grow past you. He's going to say some kind of anchorless zen bull like that and I just can't--
//[My shoulders are tense agains Philip's. I twine closer to him, wrapped around him. There's static, sharpness at his edges. The data, decaying. Even now. Even like this.]
//[He's slipping through my fingers. I can't save him.]
//Boss...Philip... I'm sorry...I'm so sorry I can't do anything more. I'm so sorry I'm not hard enough to take it.
//"Yes," I say, quietly, the eyelight on Joker's side of the faceplate flickering dully. "Tell us."
no subject
Shotarou.//
//Philip...
[He can barely speak. I'm not in much better shape.]//
Shotarou, we should know.//
[He shakes his head.]//
//Philip, I can't hear him say it. I can't hear him say I'll heal, that I'll grow past you. He's going to say some kind of anchorless zen bull like that and I just can't--
//[My shoulders are tense agains Philip's. I twine closer to him, wrapped around him. There's static, sharpness at his edges. The data, decaying. Even now. Even like this.]
//[He's slipping through my fingers. I can't save him.]
//Boss...Philip... I'm sorry...I'm so sorry I can't do anything more. I'm so sorry I'm not hard enough to take it.
//"Yes," I say, quietly, the eyelight on Joker's side of the faceplate flickering dully. "Tell us."