Participants:
| Scene Title | Try Sending Flowers |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | So. An Apology. It was a nice thought at least. |
| Date | June 13, 2009 |
The Internet
It's been several days of trying. Either Robin Hood is not looking in the right places, or he's being ignored. Unfortunately, that feeling of helplessness continues to play over his mind and only makes him that much more desperate to find her and do what he needs to do.
Of course, knowing her anger issues — he experienced them first hand, he's not so much looking forward to this encounter as he is hoping to just get it over with.
I've been looking for days. Are you here? Can you hear me at all? You've no reason to talk to me, but I'm hoping you'll at least listen.
He's not inside the net, but just connected enough that he can send out digital S.O.S. packets hoping one of them connects.
Mallory isn't much of one for answering distress calls; at least, she has no particular intention of helping when she finds this one. Just a quick glance and she's away again — almost away. Something seems familiar. She fidgets, flashing through several decisions and changing her mind about fifty times a split second before nudging back.
What?
Well. That's quite the response right there. The signature is easily identifiable. He shared it for weeks before being forced from the body. He considers his next words before they are sent over the data stream.
I was wrong to do what I did. I wanted to apologize. I was an asshole.
Nanoseconds tick by. Instinct makes her recall her body, reach back to check if it's still there, lying in — lying on the couch? No, bed, right — but it's there, and Mallory's next instinct, once she's figured out she's okay, is to harm. The push is sudden, another flood of data, but it abruptly pulls back. No other reply.
The datastream sent towards Hood like a flood moves by him, threatening to push him back to where he came from, but he weathers it until it finally stops.
I don't want anything.
He reaches out again.
Just an acknowledgment of an apology. You can tell me to fuck off or go to hell or accept it, but tell me something.
Well, if he's going to tell her… She can wait. Silently. And she does. There's no response. Just to see what he'll do. And gathering strength again, because the urge to harm him is so great her teeth are grinding all the way back in the meat world where she is not nearly so powerful. Maybe she should wait. Wait for a real chance to trap him. She can't hold back any longer: she pushes again. Hard. As hard as she can.
It's the equivalent of 'ducking' in the cyberworld as Robin Hood curls up as best that he can, letting the binary bits cruise past him lest he lose his own 'binary bits' to the angry female technopath — a trophy she would most certainly like to hang on her digital wall, it seems.
STOP!
Which is followed by a softer toned:
Please.
The desire to keep pushing, to keep hurting is still there. So strong. She just wants to destroy, and she pushes longer until she realizes she could be leaving herself vulnerable. No. Worse than not ending him now would be getting taken again. What changed? Why would I possibly forgive you? What do you think you're doing?
I'm protecting the one..
.. he loves? Perhaps a little soon for that. There's a certain amount of affection there, but 'love' hasn't been spoken just yet. He unravels himself as the pushing stops.
.. I care about.
He cares about someone other than himself, it seems.
Mallory can understand that, at least. What she does with the understanding, though…
Who?
That question will take a lot to answer at this point.
A woman. Far too sweet to be with the likes of me, yet she chooses to do so. A very caring person who has never harmed a soul. And never could.
So you want to reform? If only scorn could be conveyed over this medium.
I want to be better than I am. Whether it can happen or not, I don't know. But I want to try.
How remarkable, is Mallory's reply. She must be like a better looking Mother Teresa or something.
No fair taking pot shots at his girl.
I never said that. Just said she was far too nice to be with someone like me. I don't know what else I can do to prove to you that I'm being sincere.
We'll see. We might be in touch again. There are people looking for you and if they find you you're going to wish I'd taken care of you now.
Looking for him? Whom?
I'm not that hard to find. They just need to know how to call me. I'll get what I deserve at some point, I'm sure.
You know what works on girls? Flowers. And then Mallory's gone.
He knows she's gone now. He doesn't bother sending any more messages out to her. WTF? Flowers? He blinks open his eyes coming out of his digitally induced slumber as he peers around. Flowers?
Not quite what he had in mind. He at least attempted. Failed, but attemped to apologize. He's too tired to reach back out to K.Apila today.
He'll try again later.