you want it darker,

something godly in the effort, he says, as if that helps. is there anything more religious than eternal suffering?

"than perhaps i should come back tomorrow."

her eyes are low-lidded, the black curl of her lashes hovering like a censor bar. idly, in some form of irritation, the soft round of one calf rubs against the ridgeline of her other shin. in cicadas, this motion produces a song. ironically or otherwise, some believe the liturgy of these insects are songs of the souls who died with something still left to sing.

what do you have yet unsung, dovie?

her eyes turn out the window, where the world is half-shuttered by blinds. the remaining light coming through only in abridged strips.

"i sought you out because i was in need, but if i was mistaken in coming here, than spare my time and yours." she rolls her gaze back to him, to the dark, promising eyes and the track marks lining his face. the scars don't make her flinch. she's seen far worse. they do, as an experienced traveler of pain, make her wonder where he's been. "sermons do me no good, detective. never have."

dove is unwilling to debase herself with an account of all the things she's lost in the leaving. to describe to him, a stranger, how she got here when she's already actively submitting to the humiliation of reporting where it is she stands.

it isn't his business. she's barely allowed it to be hers.

irritation is a kind of tool. friction makes sparks fly, but moreover, friction wears away at people's outer coatings to reveal the truth underneath. sometimes ti takes more or less effort.

dove moreno is a woman who, at first glance, might seem all varnish and paint, thick enough that it might as well be armor. he knows the type. he's met the type before, as client, as suspect, as anywhere in between.

you don't build that kind of thing unless it was necessary. nor is she going to flay herself open just because he asks nicely and insists it might be for the good of the case.

arthur shakes his head. "it's not the wrong place. god's not the one offering people escape routes, at any rate."

if he did, the world would be a much kinder place. god asks you to get comfortable with your suffering, to shake hands with it until the day that he decides to relieve it. arthur's patient, but not that kind.

"neither am i, to be clear. not right away. but i have some insight on matters like this. so let's start simple." he tilts his head a little, watching her. in truth, letting john watch her. he'll play the card. she's here for help; he's here to help. he's also here because there's a man on a cold steel table across the city right now.

a glimpse of her face, even shrouded in the dark. john's said it. arthur will always believe him.

"why don't you tell me yourself what happened to mr. webb this past tuesday?"

dialogue prompts from lost lambs by madeline cash.

i just made all that up to get a rise out of you.

my virtue is post-theocratic.

i don't like talk radio. it feels like eavesdropping.

any pleasure is a guilty one.

children never fail to leave a residue. they're like little snails.

regardless of your gender, you should know how to boil some water.

i don't ask questions, and i'm well-compensated for it.

can we just sit here a minute?

where are you going, all dressed up?

it's always the quiet ones, isn't it?

it's unbecoming to snitch.

some of your mail was delivered to me by mistake.

cleanliness is a luxury.

people like them don't understand people like us.

you're an artist. i could tell right away.

you're not living. you're just enduring.

you eat like a hunter-gatherer.

i feel like we were only young for a summer.

very few things are impossible.

you're too clever for your own good.

you aren't being challenged enough.

education is a system of imposed ignorance.

it's ironic that the punishment for not going to school is... not going to school.

i feel like you're failing to grasp the gravity of this situation.

let me ask you this: do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy?

being right brings me happiness.

sadness can add a depth to beauty.

what do you think's going on in there?

the whole place is soundproof.

so, tell me something about yourself.

i doubt you're ever unserious.

scarcity fosters desire.

how'd you sneak in here?

i don't like seeing you this way.

do you want me to make you something to eat?

i don't think i have a talent.

how long have you been standing there?

silences don't make me uncomfortable.

weird. i usually skip anger and go straight to depression.

who has the money for frivolities like mental health?

we're older, but no wiser.

you can be so cruel.

it's the twenty-first century. there are no good cops.

i'm allowed to have a little fun, too, you know.

i don't care for awkward pauses.

do you sleep at all?

you don't seem to suffer from inhibition.

think of something that brings you joy. one thing.

do you ever get lonely?

i never fully know what you're talking about.

'beautiful' seems too small to contain you.

perspective isn't just what you see: it's what you plan to do about it.

who are the bad guys?

you don't even know my middle name.

i'm not a rule-breaker.

no one can 'make' you feel anything.

something bad happens to everyone, eventually.

nothing bad is going to happen to you.

i got too close to the truth. for that, i must suffer.

i guess i didn't know as much as i thought.

something's up with you.

you seem happier.

are you wearing my _____?

news travels fast, around here.

mystery is a hop and a skip from misery.

what's with the flowers?

you're sounding like a conspiracy theorist.

it's a lot, all at once.

i really thought you were different.

this town's going to heck in a hand basket.

you've always cared, in your own way.

nothing good happens after midnight.

would you mind repeating what you just said?

i am the arbiter of my own misery.

who are you? do you even know?

you're being quiet and weird.

i want more from life than this town.

things will never look the way you think they're going to look.

you get used to it. the cameras.

i like a man who doesn't mince words.

do you often disobey instructions?

sometimes, the pot needs stirring. how else are you going to make something?

control what people do, and you're a king. control what people think, and you're a god.

let me get some frozen peas for your hand.

i don't care if you're sorry.

i don't worry about your business, you don't worry about mine.

this is a public street. i have a right to be here.

you will have to live with yourself and the company you keep.

what do you know about who you're protecting?

taking pride in one's work is a lost art.

i wasn't dishonest in the traditional sense.

i'm no stranger to online hostility.

it's like the land has its own memory.

we all make mistakes. saints and sinners alike.

i like you. i think we could work well together.

i think we should have a threesome.

i didn't want to hurt anyone.

i don't really know what to do in this situation.

you would be good at tell-based card games.

i don't like to see anything go to waste.

don't worry about rumors. none of it's true.

i've started to question the very nature of truth.

to say there is no absolute truth is self-refuting.

human beings are confined to their perspectives.

everything is true, from a particular perspective.

some people don't quite fit anywhere.

you gonna be okay?

do you want to be a pussy, or do you want to be a hero?

who's in charge around here?

you're all business and no banter.

are you familiar with the popular adage, 'ignorance is bliss'?

i imagine this is a lot to take in all at once.

i know i was right, but thank you for saying so.

smell the roses and then blow out the candles. that's how you should breathe.

there's biblical precedent for covering your own ass.

you're like a truffle pig for trouble, aren't you?

dialogue prompts from eskew productions' our wars have ended.

the living go on living.

do we have a future here?

new prospects can blossom in the most unexpected places.

you're an optimist.

how long did you last?

it's not true, what they say. that the dead are cold. they're nothing but yearning.

sounds like you've learned to live with it.

we've learned to live under its shadow.

every chance they get, they remind us of what it means to be powerless.

don't expect a man with a full purse to walk towards a hard fight.

it's a life. i can speak to that.

better to die in a bed than on the road.

i suppose a soldier learns how to march.

things can only go from bad to worse.

we can die by the madness of the old, or the pride of the young.

the pain's easing a little.

am i dying?

did you ever see snow before?

there's nothing waiting for us, is there?

i'm so scared.

you're doing wonderfully. you're doing so well.

did _____ die wise, or foolish?

i can't help but feel a little left out.

how are you feeling today?

nothing needs to be said. i'm just tired.

you're still as good as you've ever been.

i'm who i've always been.

you're needed at home. you have responsibilities.

you don't need to worry so much.

doctors don't worry. we watch very carefully for signs of spreading infection.

what's that ugly smirk on your face for?

we gamble lives, or we expend them.

everything yearns to be what it was.

you're one of the good ones.

one must be pragmatic. one must find a use for every part.

i know losing odds when i'm looking at them.

put hands on ______ again, and i'll kill you.

the war against history leaves a stain on all of us.

it is an ugly thing, to survive.

i've done everything you asked.

my daughter's smile could fix the world.

it'll help with the pain.

i know you're hurting more than you can stand.

i can't stand the thought of being left here alone and going on without you.

you can't leave me alone with these people.

you write a lot of letters to dead people?

everyone must have their limit.

all right. what's the play?

you haven't lived, except in books.

there's a limit to how much i can excuse from _______.

in your mouth, it all sounds so reasonable.

why are you crying?

you saved my life. you probably don't remember.

i need you to smile again.

if we're no longer being polite, i'll tell you to go fuck yourself.

you don't have to listen to _____ anymore.

get to bed. we'll talk more in the morning.

i'm leaving for the day. you need anything before i go?

it's hard to fall out of love with stories, even when they're devouring you.

everything changes, but no one escapes.

sure you weren't followed?

getting harder and harder to keep a low profile.

strange time to be alive.

if we're going to work together, you and i need to reveal to one another first.

you can't be afraid to make yourself a little foolish, if you want to see who's loyal to you.

if i don't know you, i can't like you.

i lack the will to perform for you, but there's nothing in my heart i'm not willing to share.

remember, and remember well: death is no escape from me.

what really happened to you?

what you did was very brave.

none of this has been your fault.

you need to learn how to let go of a grudge.

survival can be a repulsive affair. it has to be, sometimes.

hard to make the right choice in times like ours, isn't it?

no need for sorries. i'm luckier than most.

have you ever left [place]?

you are nervous. i can hear your heartbeat.

i'm not running.

how could i hide anything from you?

all your life, you've feared nothing more than being caged.

i'm sorry it came to this.

i don't have a plan. i don't have anything left.

some part of me always wishes i could stay behind.

it's hard to unpick kindness from spite, isn't it?

you're not political, are you?

that's an evasive answer. well done.

you seem very quiet.

the carrot tastes good. i'm just waiting for the stick.

i don't believe in threatening people. i don't think it gets the best work out of anyone.

i'm not in debt to you, and i'm not beholden to you.

i can't tell you how endearing it is to discover you have such a sentimental streak.

i thought we were done for.

are they listening in, do you think?

EVERYDAY LIFE / DOMESTIC

📋 : how organized is your muse?

✅ : what do they pretend to have together that they don't?

🕰️ : what time do they naturally wake up when no one needs them?

☕ : what's their morning ritual, and what happens when it's disrupted?

🧺 : how often do they do laundry?

🪞 : do they look at themselves in mirrors, or avoid them? why?

🍽️ : do they eat to survive, for pleasure, or as comfort?

🏠 : what part of their living space reflects them the most?

🌱 : do they keep plants, and are those plants alive?

🧼 : what's something they're weirdly particular about being clean?

📺 : what do they put on when they don't want to think?

SOCIALIZATION / CONNECTION

🗣️ : are they better one-on-one, or in groups?

📱 : do they text back immediately, or let messages rot?

🫥 : how often do they pretend to be fine to keep the peace?

🎭 : how different are they with strangers versus people they trust?

🤝 : do they make friends easily, or accidentally?

🧠 : what do they assume people think about them?

🌘 : how hard is it to really know them?

🎉 : do they enjoy social events, or endure them?

🪑 : are they the type to leave early without saying goodbye?

INTROSPECT / INTERNAL LANDSCAPE

🕵️‍♀️ : how often does your muse think about death?

🧩 : what part of themselves do they not understand yet?

🫀 : what emotion scares them the most?

👣 : do they believe they deserve good things?

🧱 : what walls are they aware of building? which ones are they not aware of?

🕳️ : what do they spiral about at night?

📉 : what's their most common self-criticism?

💀 : do they trust their own memories?

🌊 : what emotion do they drown in when they're alone?

PERSONAL / DEEP / TRAUMA-ADJACENT

🩸 : what wound shaped them the most, even if they won't admit it?

🔥 : what moment do they replay when they're ashamed?

🧷 : who failed them first?

🕯️ : what do they grieve that no one else sees as a loss?

🪤 : what pattern do they keep falling back into?

🧨 : what pushes them past the point of restraint?

🧬 : what did they inherit emotionally from their caregivers?

🕶 : what lie do they tell themselves to survive?

🩹 : what actually helps them heal, even if it's unhealthy?

HABITS / VICES / COPING

🚬 : what vice do they justify the most?

🍺 : do they drink to socialize, numb, or celebrate?

💊 : what's their relationship with substances, past or present?

🏃 : do they move their body to feel alive or to punish it?

🛏️ : how do they sleep when things are bad?

🎧 : what kind of music gets them through the worst days?

🖊️ : do they write things down or let thoughts rot in their head?

☔️ : do they intellectualize pain instead of feeling it?

🕳️ : what habit would unravel them if taken away?

SEXUALITY / INTIMACY

🫠 : is it easy for them to get turned on, or do they need emotional safety first?

💞 : do they separate sex and feelings, or blur them dangerously?

🛑 : what's an immediate turn-off for them?

🔥 : do they crave intensity or stability?

🤲 : do they like being in control, or giving it up?

🪶 : are they gentle with people they desire?

🍒 : how do they feel about their own body during intimacy?

🎱 : what do they need to feel wanted?

🔒 : do they guard intimacy, or give it too freely?

💔 : have they ever used sex to avoid something?

MORALITY / CHOICES

⚖️ : what line will they never cross?

🩶 : what line have they already crossed and justified? or regret?

🧭 : do they believe they're a good person?

🔪 : what would they do if survival demanded cruelty?

🪙 : what do they value more, loyalty or truth?

🚪 : who would they abandon if forced to choose?

🕊️ : do they believe in forgiveness? for themselves? in others?

🧨 : what would make them snap permanently?

📜 : what promise do they regret making?