tushanshu | Voxophone II -- PSA

Entry tags:

Voxophone II -- PSA

[Elizabeth is not in the suite she was last seen at. Nor is she nearly as happy looking. Oh, no, the young woman that appears on the screen right now is extremely cross, her bright blue eyes ringed with red and dark circles. Her mouth is set in a fine line and her jaw tight.]

Do not trust Booker DeWitt. He's a liar and a thug.

Don't make the same mistake I did.

[Without any further explanation, she cuts the feed.]

----
[major spoilers likely for bioshock infinite in the comments, if you're worried about that sort of thing]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She doesn't know how to begin or where or why. Right now, she just wants to be near Pavel, to hold him, to let him hold her. Someone that likes her. That trusts her. That believes in her. After a moment, she finds the words.]

Tell me you'll never hurt me, Pavel.

[He frowns, not that she can see it. Booker must've hurt her quite badly-- perhaps Chekov should give him a call. What kind of call depends on the way this conversation goes.]

I will never intentionally hurt you.

[He can't promise he won't do it accidentally. In fact, he couldn't keep that promise. So he gives her a promise he can keep.]

Thank you. [She whispers. She knows he can't make the promise to never hurt her. She's not that naive.] thank you.

[She gives him another squeeze.] I should... I should tell you. What happened. [She didn't know how, but she'd find a way.

Reaching down, she takes his hand, leading him to the guest bedroom that had become hers.]

[His heart breaks at her desperation. The fact that she needed this affirmation in the first place...

Booker is in big trouble.

He squeezes her hand and follows.]

Okay. Tell me anything you need to.

Thank you.

[She doesn't say anything until they're in her room. Then, she's sitting on the bed, both his hands in hers.] I guess... I should start from the beginning. Back on Columbia, I told you I was kept locked away. Because Father Comstock wanted to use me, so I could lead Columbia once he died. But that wasn't the only reason. My mother- or the woman I thought was my mother- didn't want to raise me. Because she thought I was Comstock's bastard. But I wasn't. I wasn't Comstock's at all.

[She can't even look at him.]

[He takes a deep breath and squeezes her hands lightly. He can't even imagine what kind of shock that must've been, to find that the man she thought was her father actually isn't.]

[Gently:] Did you find out who?

[Elizabeth nods mutely, leaning forward and resting her head against his chest.]

Pavel, Mr.- he- he sold me! He sold his daughter. He sold me!

[She practically collapses in his arms as she begins to cry.]

[He wraps his arms around her tightly. Selling a child is inconceivable in his culture, so this feels so surreal. Who would do this to their own child? Sell her away and leave her with heartless people who treated her like a specimen. Chekov is silent a full half-minute, instead focusing on rubbing his hand in small circles on her back. Finally, he speaks:]

That says nothing about you, and everything about him. I value you very much and so do others here.

He sold me to get rid of a debt! [She sobbed, holding on to him for dear life. It was inconceivable even to her. But here she was. A girl who had been bought and sold to a horrible man. Her life ruined by her own father. The man who abandoned her.]

He didn't even try to get me back. He left me there. Pavel- they tortured me! Experimented on me! I was a child! And he forgot all about me. I was dead to him, his stupid, stupid Anna. Dead as my real mother.

[A sharp intake of breath. He feels cold all over. This is surreal-- Elizabeth was sold and tortured and lied to. Chekov's at a loss. What do you say to any of this?]

I'm sorry. [He squeezes her tighter.] I'm so sorry, Elizabeth.

[She shakes her head, letting him hold her. She's been cold for the past day, trembling, cold and numb. Perhaps it was for the best. Hide away all the pain so they couldn't hurt her.]

Why would... Why would he do that to me? After- my mother died giving birth to me. Why would he get rid of all that? Even he would have been a better father than- than that man who imprisoned me! He sold me and forgot. And now he'll forget again. [A laugh bubbles inside her.] he can carve E C on his other hand, now.

Booker.

[He'd suspected it was either Booker withholding this information or Booker being this despicable father. Somehow having it confirmed makes anger boil within him. Oh, he'll make sure Booker doesn't forget. Chekov's not inclined to starting fights, but he'll make an exception for Booker.]

I don't know why he did it. I don't know how he could forget his own child. But I will have a... conversation with him. I will make sure he will not forget.

No! Pavel, you can't! He'll hurt you. I can't bare for him to do that to you- I've seen him kill men in cold blood without a second thought. He's- he used to work for the Pinkertons. He was there at Wounded Knee.

[She pulls back, looking at him with wild eyes.]

I can't let men who call themselves my father hurt people on my behalf. Not anymore.

[He looks at her quite seriously.]

He won't. I have training too.

[Okay, so 'Fleet training isn't quite on par with old U.S. military training.]

Someone needs to hold him accountable for his actions.

Pavel. No. [She's dead serious.] this is my fight. And I don't want him responsible for hurting another person I love.

[He reaches out to brush away her tears, though stops partway there.]

... love?

[Okay, he's a touch startled.]

I-- I think.

[Maybe that isn't the right word. But it seemed right. She cares about him so much. More than anyone else.]

I don't know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

No, no it's okay.

[He reaches forward and brushes away her tears.]

This is not the time to answer those questions.

It's not? [It's times like this that it's easy for Elizabeth to remember how young and naive she is. How small she is. She knows so much from books, but actually being out in the world, experiencing it? It's still all so new to her, and it shows.

She hates it, for the first time.

Maybe, maybe if she weren't like this... None of this would have turned out this way.]

You're right. I should- just- I don't know. I don't know what to do, Pavel.

You have had a very bad shock. I would not want you to burden yourself worrying about it.

[He's genuinely concerned with her well-being. And, well, then he'd have to answer the question too.]

I don't know. I wish I knew. [He hates not having the answer.] But I am here for you. No matter what. I will do my best to help you find the answer.

[She nods, pulling herself against him, nestling her head against his chest.]

I'm cold. I'm cold and I'm scared, Pavel. I'm so scared. He was my best friend. My- I- [She grimaces with a small noise somewhere between a shriek and a whimper.] my first kiss! [You asked. A month ago, sure, but you asked.]

I'm disgusting.

[Okay that... is a bit of a surprise. Finding out that you kissed your dad? Yeah.]

No. No, no, you're not.

Why are you scared? What can I do for you?

Yes, yes I am.

[She groans.] Because- Pavel, all my life I've been alone. He was the first person I can remember seeing. And now I'm alone again.

[Okay, that hurt his feelings a bit, but he tries not to let it show.]

You are not alone. I know nobody can replace him, but you have friends now too.

[She didn't mean it.]

I know. But... What if you all leave me, too?

action

action

action

action

Re: action

action

Re: action

action

action

action

Re: action

action

Re: action

action

Re: action

action

action

action

action

action

screw it. action for forever.

cw: vaguely incest-y kissing talk

no subject

no subject

no subject