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[This seems like too big a deal to leave to text, so she places calls to them one by one. There's no way to tell from her voice that she'd been crying a lot just a bit earlier. In fact she almost sounds cheerful.]

Hi! I talked to Chara and I think things are pretty okay now.

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[She lets out a sharp breath, her eyes narrow in disbelief as she shakes her head again, small movements from side to side.]

Do you really think I'd... do that again? After all the trouble I caused? All the people who... who fucking died?

[And there's the water in her eyes again, that she tries to blink away. She should have seen this coming- even with Chloe. Once in a while she caught her best friend's worried expression, wondering how many times Max had rewound to replay one of their conversations and make it come out just the way she wanted to. Even when Max hadn't been rewinding at all, that doubt and tiny hurt were always there.]

Come on, Alex. I'm not that dumb.

So you don't know if it's gone.

[Christ. Some part of him is aware that he's being a dick to one of the few people in Wonderland who can tolerate him, who will actually go out of her way to bring him food like a friend, but this touches far too deeply on something he doesn't want to think about.

Namely, time. And all the possible variations.]

So that's why you - you thought you could change things. [The realization dawns over him belatedly.] You thought you could stop me from - ?

[He slides a finger across his throat, curt and taut.]

[She feels like stomping a foot on the ground, petulant like a child, frustrated. Instead she shoves her hands outward slightly, palms up, eyes still narrowed because she's going from disbelief to downright irritation.

She knows he's a bit too smart to think she's sure about the current state of her power. There had been the hope that he'd take the word of a friend at face value, but that seems dumb now. She can't help but gripe internally at how different his reaction is from how she reacted to his virus.]

No! I didn't think that because I don't have it anymore. [Her voice isn't quite as hard as it can be, still more of pleading for him to understand, but there's an edge to it as well.] Even if I did... I didn't try. And I definitely can't now.

[She needs pictures to go back farther than a few minutes, and the one she took with Nageki during the Mystery Mansion tour is somewhere in the forest, its pieces flung to the wind. Even the one she took with Alex is gone, now.]

All right! [He holds up his hands, palms out, now more than a little aware the he's crossed a line of some kind.] All right. I get it.

[He looks away, at the wall, trying to piece together everything she's said before with what she's saying now.

Finally, he lets his head fall back to he's staring at the ceiling, and he blows out a long, weary sigh.]

Sorry. I just, uh, that thing I told you about - it liked to dick around with time sometimes. Jerk me around.

[She's not sure he actually does get it. She's not even sure that she does. But she's shared her story, and she doesn't feel like explaining it any further.

At least he helps her understand his reaction more. She pauses, then nods, calming down.]

...I think we'll both agree that it never ends well. [While she's disturbed to hear about time getting messed up in any form, it's actually sort of nice that he can relate, though on a different level.]

Nope. [They're solid on that front, at least. Solid. And hey, the fact that she trusted him with this has gotta mean something, right?]

Pretty much just makes things worse.

[His nose wrinkles briefly. Weeks upon weeks of lost time - yeah, he's never getting those stolen memories back. Fuck amnesia.]

[She nods vaguely, obviously starting to get lost in thought, staring at the floor.

Nope. She doesn't feel better. It was probably too optimistic to think a sharing session would help all that much. But she doesn't blame Alex for that.]

...Anyway, I'll let you get back to your little introvert bubble so you can eat in peace.

Right. Yeah.

[They probably both need some time to process this shit. It's heavy stuff, and frankly Alex is wishing that he had some handy little time-powers, so he could erase the memory of this conversation from both their heads.

But, hell. It probably doesn't work like that. He indicates the bag with the jerk of a hand.]

Thanks. For these.

No problem. [She fiddles with her bag strap. It feels dumb leaving him hiding like this, especially when she feels like she could have helped avoid it all in the first place.

Not for the last time, she sorely wishes he had kept his cool. But for his sake.]

It's the least I could do.

Just... don't do anything crazy again. [And by 'crazy' she means 'stupid'.]

I'll do my best.

[He says it dryly, but the sentiment remains nonetheless. He's going to do his best to lay low from here on out. Especially from little murdery kids with a fondness for knives.]

[And... that's not quite how she should have said it. She pauses at the door, just before leaving.]

Meaning stay safe, Alex. Okay? I'll bring you more food sometime.

All right! All right.

[He throws up his hands in tired defeat.]

I owe you anyway. So, fine. Lay low, right?

[She smiles, sheepish. Okay, so he gets the point.]

Yeah. [Juuust a bit, though. She opens the door.] See you!

See you on the flip.

[Cue a jaunty little faux-salute as Alex collapses back into his desk chair and starts chugging that coffee like there's no tomorrow. He is staying UP tonight.]

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