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[ Mental note to never piss her off.

Goddamn, Aniki, why did you say women gotta be protected? His experiences so far have shown him nothing but they're terrifying. Not that he won't protect Liv when things come to that, but... damn. There's something about the way she says it that makes it sound not just 'fast and strong'.

--Uh.

Wait what. ]

Huh?!

[ She eats those too?! ]

Wh, what... Uh, what the... What do they taste like?

[ Is that the important matter here... ]

No, uh, I mean... holy crap.

[ He's definitely shaken about this reveal. It wasn't until now that he drew the lines from dot to dot about this particular fact and that's just... man. Rather than being scared, he's just terribly confused. Thing is, he knows she won't just attack him out of nowhere, she's just doing that to help with research. Heck, she most probably doesn't even want this to happen to her, because like, who the fuck does? But it's just, like, what does that even feel like? What does he say to that? He's quiet for a moment, trying to wrap his head around it. ]

.....

[ But obviously, he can't. It's impossible to relate to unless he's in her position. He looks at her for a moment before running his hand on his own face, sighing.

Well. Actually, there's one thing he can sort of relate to. He's experienced seeing someone else's memory through one of the events here, and it was... unpleasant. So having to, you know, eat a corpse on top of that? ]

...That must feel shitty.

[ Liv smiles just a little, ducking her head. What a rollercoaster of emotions, she hopes everything's okay. ]

They're pretty boring, in all honesty, so I cook them all kinds of different ways. No reason to be boring and stereotypical about it, right?

[ She's trying to make light of it somehow but then she nods in acknowledgement. ]

It does. I mean, mostly because...I can't exactly tell a ton of people, right? I trust you. And you were worried about me, so I thought you deserved the truth.

Ah... That so. Guess you're right.

[ Maybe it's because he's incredibly conscious of everything at the moment, he can see her casual attempts to air the heavy atmosphere out. But as much as he'd like to cooperate in that, he can't exactly think of a better response. If his big bro was here, he definitely would've known what to say better in this kind of situation. Goddammit, what would he say?

Mondo's intense nape rubbing promptly halts when he hears what she has to say after. The awkward look in his face pales.

I trust you.

His train of thoughts stop there, his movements freeze. Words that are supposed to warm his heart send sharp prickles to it. ]

...'m... not really trustworthy.

[ Ah, that's right. He's been getting too far ahead of himself.

He was internally glad that he was slowly making some 'friends' here, the rare few ones he'd made his gang back home, those who weren't hanging out with him out of 'duty'. It was a good feeling, to know that some people have your back. But it just hits him that that also means one thing: they're the people who don't know of his past.

His arm drops to his side, unable to meet her eyes now. What would she think if she knew? Does he trust her as much as she trusts him? He tries to swallow something, gulp back something, to wash over his increasingly dry throat. But even then, the words can't climb up. ]

[ Liv looks at him when he says that, but she's resolute. ]

Are you going to make an announcement to the entire mansion letting them know I'm dead and eat brains?

[ She asks that question bluntly with one eyebrow raised. ]

Look, Mondo...we all have a past outside of Wonderland. Some of it's terrible. But all that counts while you're here is who you are while you're here. Does that even make sense?

[ That does the job. Mondo's head shoots back up, immediately facing her eye to eye with his dilated. ]

'Course not! I--

[ He stops when she continues talking, head slowly tilting back down. What she says makes sense. It does, but... ]

Well... I dunno. Some things aren't as excusable as others. I dunno if I'm even doing better here.

I guess all I'm trying to say is, in the time I've known you, I've never seen anything questionable from you. All you've ever been is nice to me. So, unless you actively try to hurt people here or ignoring people who need help in an emergency, you're doing okay.

[ Liv's drinking hadn't even been his problem, and yet here he was making sure she was okay. That says a lot to her, at least. ]

[ It's funny how he came here to look out for her, but here he is, being consoled, regardless of whether or not she meant to do so. ]

My bad, I didn't mean to-- [ He sighs. ] Thanks, Liv.

[ For Mondo, even back home, gut feeling is what he relies on more than anything, it's what he's continued to believe in. Liv has easily knocked down his shields from their first encounter, and that doesn't change even now. His gut feeling seems to favour her a lot. In fact, this very moment solidifies his trust in her ー whatever amount he has now. At the very least, she's someone he would consider a friend. Someone that matters to him here. ]

I-- [ "I trust you, too." is what he wants to say, but he can't seem to say it aloud. Not right now. His eyes that slowly meet hers shy away from them again. ] Is there... anythin' I can do to help? [ He hasn't really thought it out when he rushed over, apart from stopping her from drinking, but surely there are better things they can do together rather than her just drinking away. ]

[ If she knew he thought that she'd probably be emotional. She'd saved her best friend's life once, as a zombie, and she'd run. That moment has set the tone for her in telling other people, so if Mondo feels that way after knowing what she is, it means a hell of a lot. ]

No, I don't think so. Just bummed I died. Again. But at least I can't get 'more' zombie. I'm okay, Mondo, I promise.

That so.

[ Unfortunately, Mondo at this point, is still a coward. He's a coward who's (finally) taken a few steps forward and regained small ounces of trust towards other people. But as long as he hasn't learned to trust himself, it's hard for him to regain more of that courage. ]

Well... if you say so, I guess.

[ Still, there's one thing he can say about it. ]

I... [ He clenches his fist. ] I'm on your side.

[ A roundabout way, he knows. But this is about he can manage for now, and hopefully one day, he can say it straight to her face. ]

So... uh. You can always gimme a buzz if there's anythin', y'know.

Thank you, Mondo. Really, thank you. I've been really...afraid to tell anyone about this. I know zombies have come here and destroyed a lot, killed a lot of people. So I figured some more...passionate people might want to take some kind of action into their own hands.

[ That's why it's such a big deal to trust him with this, to trust anyone with it, really. ]

[ Mondo shakes his head firmly. ]

You're not like 'em, you don't hurt people for no reason.

[ He hasn't known Liv that long, not even all that well yet, but this conviction of his stays unusually strong. Maybe he's underestimating his ability of believing, it's unthinkable for him to be this way just a couple of months ago. Maybe it's because it's Liv. Whatever it is, he doesn't want to doubt her. And he doesn't, at this point. ]

...If it ever comes to that, well, you're probably stronger than me... [ It's tough to admit. Though rash as he is, he knows he can't win against those with superpowers. ] but I can give you a hand in fights, too.

[ Maybe. Hopefully. Despite being the unofficial 'head' of Japanese delinquents, he's been pretty useless against all those supernatural beings of the past events. But! He's been training, and hopefully will be picking up more skills by then! If it ever happens, anyway. ]

[ That means a lot to her, and Liv's grateful, glad she has an ally, but more than that - a friend. ]

You know, if you ever need anything, you can come to me, too. I have no idea what I could ever help with, but if an event goes sideways and you need someone's help, I'll do my best to get to you.

[ He didn't really think much about what he said ー at least, he wasn't expecting for something in return, he was just conveying what he felt. So hearing what Liv said surprises him, and more than anything, makes him feel genuinely happy.

'Happy' might not be the right word, it doesn't feel enough to express what he's feeling. But he wasn't the best with words, and he doesn't know how else to put it. Either way, he really appreciates this encouraging feeling of being able to bond with someone and build a two-way trusting relationship. It feels like that just added more meaning to this life. ]

Heh. [ A short chuckle escapes his lips. ] Gotcha. [ He holds out his hand to Liv. ] 'm countin' on you from here on, friend.

[ Liv smiles and shakes his hand. ]

You've got a deal, friend.

[ She had no idea she was going to tell him this today, but she's glad she did. ]

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