[Whelk, tending to take things personally, is beginning to feel like Maruki is insulting him instead of playing the game; whether or not this is true is left up to our audience.]
[Whelk isn't suicidal, but there's a lot he'd rather do than talk to a fucking counselor, let alone one that works in a high school.]
Chance. [Hm. Huh. He doesn't look quite right, for a moment, when he says that. Seems to lose a little bit of his Appearing Awake and Alive and Present and Normal reputation here.]
[Oh, Christ on a crutch, not one of those insufferable "children are our future" bastards. Also, what a creepy fucking answer. Whelk keeps his expression very! Neutral!]
Brighten. [He can't make himself smile. Sorry. Can't. He fucking hates kids. But this is the sort of thing a teacher says, so he badly sells the line.]
[ ?????????????? WHAT IS IT WITH PEOPLE THINKING HE'S CREEPY FOR THIS!!!!! My god. Sorry all your students were so terrible apparently. Get good. Counsel the Phantom Thieves. ]
[They fills his ears now, sizzling and popping. Welcome back. Saving souls. This guy loves pretty ideas.
[Whelk sticks his tongue between his back molars, pressing down. His eyes briefly introduce themselves to the floor, and then he looks back up at Maruki and shrugs.]
no subject
Moment.
no subject
Second.
no subject
Chance. [Hm. Huh. He doesn't look quite right, for a moment, when he says that. Seems to lose a little bit of his Appearing Awake and Alive and Present and Normal reputation here.]
no subject
Fickle.
no subject
no subject
Students.
no subject
Teacher. [He taps his own chest.]
no subject
Unfortunately, Maruki's complicated feelings for his own school are now showing. ]
Apathetic.
no subject
[And, anyway. "Students".]
Teenagers.
no subject
[ Guiding ones, even. ]
maruki that's not normal
Brighten. [He can't make himself smile. Sorry. Can't. He fucking hates kids. But this is the sort of thing a teacher says, so he badly sells the line.]
is fine
Focus.
no subject
Eyes. [Whelk doesn't sleep, by the way; eyelids probably don't work - he doesn't know. Point is - squinting, squinting, squinting, always--]
no subject
Souls.
no subject
Damned.
no subject
Saved.
no subject
[They fills his ears now, sizzling and popping. Welcome back. Saving souls. This guy loves pretty ideas.
[Whelk sticks his tongue between his back molars, pressing down. His eyes briefly introduce themselves to the floor, and then he looks back up at Maruki and shrugs.]
I don't know. Money. Again.
I guess I lose.
no subject
Oh, that's no fun. There's nothing else worth saving besides money?
no subject