He waited ( && ) watched ( && ) listened. That was all he’d ever done, really, ( && ) now he saw little reason to try hiding it. The bear’s lips were parted in a silent inquiry that was never spoken, but the blank curiosity in his eyes gave away his fascination as he witnessed this shift in behavior. He couldn’t say he expected it because the concept of betrayal was not something he’d understood, or at least not until he’d supposedly befriended the Investigation Team. Even now, he only understood it at its most basic level – a textbook definition was one thing, seeing it in action was another. In hindsight, he supposed he should have expected this reaction. He did not see them as ‘FRIENDS,’ but they had certainly decided he was one to them. Perhaps none of them more fervently than the MAGICIAN. Is this what betrayal did? It changed people?
There was something bright in Yosuke he’d become accustomed to over the past few months they’d spent together – it was almost ( what was the word ?? ) – QUAINT! ( && ) to an extent, even he could admit that the warmth he presented to others was comforting if not somewhat nauseating at times. It was jarring when he saw that pushed aside in favor of anger the few times he’d bore witness to those changes in emotion, but this wasn’t even in the same vein.
What was this, beyond the obvious? Sadness? Disappointment? Maybe a muted anger? It was something. Humans never just had one emotion plaguing them; there were always too many. That’s why their shadows were so volatile. Even his own Shadow, ironically similar in mannerisms ( && ) presentation as he acted now, had been subdued in terms of personality.
He couldn’t say it, so he finished the train of thought for him ( && ) even he couldn’t help but think he sounded detached. The human world had taught him many things – of which the concept of morality ( && ) doing what was right happened to be apart of, but he was not human. He’d wanted to learn of them; he had no wish to become them, despite his temporary integration into their group.
“Puns are a waste of breath. Humor
is subjective – why attempt something
that is only likely to please a small
percentage of the party, if any at all?”
There was certainly no familiar humor to his voice; no respect for the hurting teen before him. Humans were fragile. A PART OF HIM had once told them that searching for the truth was meaningless. Now he believed that needlessly seeking justification for it was even more-so, ( && ) he had no intention of softening the blow by wearing the fake identity he’d constructed for himself. No more hiding behind baseless humor ( && ) constructed lies. The next step to obtaining knowledge was achieved by first revealing himself. Maybe in some part of him there lingered a piece of compassion that allowed him to feel guilt for hurting Yosuke in particular, but it still didn’t matter. It wasn’t enough.
"My observation: you’re here because
you thought we were friends. You want
closure, preferably in the form of being
told this is all a cruel prank. It’s not. I
did not throw them into this world, but I
was in fact the one who killed those
women once they were trapped here.
Denying the truth you fought so hard to
find is irrational.”
I’m going to be angry, he tells himself over and over again, I’m going to be angry and I’m going to punch that stupid bear in the face because this isn’t fair, this isn’t fucking fair I---
He wants to scream. He wants to lash out. He wants to cry at this sordid reality because this whole concept is nauseating to comprehend, it’s a vile poison that can’t be expelled and for a moment, Yosuke thinks he’s going to hurl because of this, thinks he’s going to collapse and cry into the ground because this is Teddie; this is Teddie, this is Teddie this is Teddie--this isn’t fucking... this is horrible and he... he really did all those things...
No. That can’t be right. He can’t... he can’t accept this.
Maybe he’s stubborn in a way. Maybe he wants Teddie to pay deep inside for what he’s done. He killed Saki and Yamano personally, but... god, Yosuke can’t even feel anything for that. He knows there’s rage somewhere, but it’s a mute thing in face of the overwhelming sadness and emptiness threatening to eat him alive. He doesn’t want Teddie to suffer for it. He doesn’t, and that makes him wonder distantly if there’s something wrong with him.
“Okay,” he finally mumbles, and that sounds distant too. “Okay. That’s... that’s the truth, right?”
It’s hard to move his lips when they feel so numb. It’s hard to even do anything when the maelstrom inside him has suddenly gone quiet. He’s in shock, maybe. He doesn’t know. He just... all he knows is that he can’t comprehend this properly. Not in the right way. Teddie’s done that... so what? It was... it’s the person who pushed them in... that’s that guy’s fault. Not Teddie’s... not this stupid bear that’s slept in his closet and left far too many topsicle wrappers for him to clean up.
Something in the back of his mind is screaming at him to move, to attack the offender in front of him but Teddie doesn’t deserve that. He doesn’t! He’s just... he’s a shadow, after all. He didn’t---he didn’t fucking know right from wrong and that’s... it’s fine. God, it’s honestly fine, right???
He takes a step back. Then another. He’s staring blankly forward with the slightest frown, even when he reaches the wall behind him, and slides down until he hits the cold ground. It’s a slight jar to his reality right now, but he doesn’t pay much mind to it. It does tend to be cold sometimes in the TV world, though he’s not sure whether that’s the default temperature, or whether it’s just this area.
Then, something occurs to him to ask of the other, as if it’s a mere question about the weather.
“Are you going to kill me too?”