He needed Aiba for his brain to work? Dammit, Aiba must have said something to her while he was unconscious. At this point, he felt there was no use hiding his intentions. Not while Aiba was in his damn head. That was his mistake, really. He should’ve known she had a backup plan for when he started acting on those urges buried deep within him. But dealing with these two is so tiring.
He lets the fake front drop.
“I’m not acting like ‘myself’? You think you can help me? I was doing just fine before you came along, Aiba. They gave me a replacement left eye. One that was doing your ‘job’ making me feel happy over any damn thing–but that’s not who I am, is it? No… I’m just a monster, aren’t I?”
Like Saito. Like Saito… Where did Date’s memories of killing end and Saito’s begin? The warehouse district blurs in his mind, a strange overlap of half remembered memories from his own past mixed with residual memories of Saito’s body. Was it someone who deserved to die that night? Did it even matter at this point?
He turns his attention to Mizuki. Her insults and shouting would usually cause a painful ache in his chest when he knew she was genuinely upset, rather than just being a punk ass kid. But now he feels absolutely nothing. Maybe they won’t let him hurt someone physically, but that doesn’t mean he won’t make it hurt another way.
“You didn’t even know, did you Mizuki? That I have a 'brain dysfunction.’ Boss knew. Pewter knew. Oh and Pewter–of course–did you know he was dating your Daddy? The man you loved so much…and yet he let you live with me. Do you really think he cared about you at all, at any point in your life? Do you think I did? Any affection I ever showed towards you was as fake as my eye.”
It’s funny…how Aiba thinks she can just fix him if given enough time. He’s not going to let that happen. This is the way he’s supposed to be.
“Aiba, you might as well give up now. You want the 'real’ Date back? You aren’t going to find anything else. This is me. And any person I once was is gone–he was never real to begin with.“
@aiofwadjet -> clionequeen
Aiba shouldn’t be surprised that Date’s lashing out- He’s trapped, with nowhere else to turn, a cornered animal at her and Mizuki’s whim. With no means of lashing out physically, it only makes sense that he’d turn to his words, instead.
… And yet, as Aiba comes to find out, no matter how prepared you are for a verbal beating, it still has it’s way of leaving a sting.
“You… You don’t mean that!” She’s supposed to be analytical, controlled, rational… All traits of an AI. And yet… And yet she can’t keep the raw emotion from tinting her voice, and this feeling… It’s almost like that time she’d had a ‘panic attack’ of sorts over the prospect of making a phone call. “You don’t mean what you’re saying to Mizuki, and you don’t mean what you’re saying to me. I know that you cared about me, about us, because I could feel it.”
She could feel it couldn’t she? He couldn’t possibly have been faking caring about them… Could he?
No, she mustn’t doubt herself. If she does, then she’s already lost.
“And I’m never going to give up, whether you like it or not. I was made to serve you, and I’m not going to stop that just because you’re being so… So stupid right now! ”
“Stupid, stupid, dummy Date!”
… There went being rational.
@clionequeen -> psyncintheabis
Mizuki knew that Date wasn’t ‘right’ at the moment. She knew that his brain wasn’t working properly, that he probably didn’t realize what he was saying. But that didn’t change what she saw, what her brain took in- that this was Date saying these things, and that Date meant it.
“P-Pewter was.... dating daddy?”
She knew that her mom and daddy didn’t love each other anymore. They weren’t together anymore, mom didn’t even share daddy’s last name anymore. But her father had... started seeing someone else?
No, it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like her dad had to tell her everything. He didn’t have to tell her anything.
“I-I.... I know....” Her voice was soft, shaking with poorly-hidden tears. “I know... I-I know mom and daddy didn’t love me.... th-that I was a horrible daughter.... i-it was my fault that they couldn’t get along.... th-that we couldn’t be.... a family....”
She couldn’t stop herself from crying, so she didn’t even bother trying. When she looked up, there were tears streaming down her face- it hurt. It hurt too much.
“B-But Date... you.... you idiot!!!” She didn’t hold back when she punched the wall beside him, leaving a solid dent. “Are you saying all of it was a lie?! That everything was fake, even inside your own head?! You liar! You stupid, stupid liar!!! I psynced with you when you were unconscious, you idiot!!! I know that you care!!! So shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!!”
@psyncintheabis > aiofwadjet