@electroglitch asked: "yakno, there's really one thing im stuck on—" she's fiddling with a pencil, weaving it back & forth between her fingers, before abruptly closing it in her palm. and then she snaps it in two. "you treated us so... casually. like colleagues, or coworkers, or something." if her tone is just ever so slightly more bitter, no it isn't. "doesn't really fit with the usual scientist and experiment motif. so, if you can actually fucking manage it for once, be honest: were you honest to god so desperate for some kinda connection that you brainwashed your own creations into being your friends?"
it has been rough since the defeat. starline found himself at a loss for what to do with himself. but at the very least there was still a chance for recovery... if only they could retrieve kitsunami. there’s that lurking thought in the back of the doctor’s mind, though. that even with the fennec he would have no clue how to proceed. so why even bother to retrieve him?
he guesses to retrieve the technology. to prevent kitsunami from being used against him. to keep surge as in line as she possibly can be.
across the room, starline finds himself slumped in a chair, eyes locked on the screen of a monitor. however, when surge breaks the silence he turns around in his seat to face her. it was clear they were no longer on good terms. they needed each other--- they were using each other. and there was no guarantee that they wouldn’t throw each other to the wolves when they no longer needed each other.
at her initial words, he raises a quizzical brow. but when she continues his expression becomes... flatter. difficult to read. eventually he averts his gaze from surge, his shoulders drooping. he clicks his tongue.
‶ please, don’t give yourself so much credit. ″ his hand grips the arm of his chair- tightly. it’s easy to see how his glove strains. ‶ it’s not as if you’re at all pleasant to be around. ″
‶ i needed you to be people--- not mindless drones who followed my orders. you needed to be capable of acting on your own. of being able to operate without orders. the easiest way to get you to listen to me was to act friendly with you. ″ as he says that, he glances down at his left hand. the one with his hypnotism glove on it. it’s a subconscious glance. accidental.
‶ that’s all. ″ it’s not. ‶ despise me as much as you want for it, it’s not as if care. ″ but for some reason he finds his stomach twisted. ‶ this is an alliance of necessity now, isn’t it? let’s try not to get ourselves confused. we know what our relationship is. ″
