Evaline decided to ignore the insult for now, but she felt the pricy of annoyance bubbling in her again. "Uh huh. Sure," she said instead, far too tired to argue.
Jerica rubbed her face, frustrated at how passive-aggressive Eve was being. Again. "Yeah."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Evaline kept walking, letting the silence sit between them for far too long to be comfortable. She was tired of this. All of it. The tension, the anger, the annoyance, the pent-up frustration... She didn't care to think Jerica as a friend, but she could at least tolerate her.
She thought back to the map, and the presents, and their circumstance. There had to be something connecting them together.
"So... let's say we go down the dragon's path," she said, trying to meet her eyes and gauge her reaction. "What if it's all an elaborate trick?"
The silence between them was oppressive. But Jerica didn't know what to do to fix it, since she'd apparently offended Eve when she'd tried to offer to slow down for her. She was glad when Eve finally broke the tension between them, and looked over to meet her gaze. She wasn't sure what Eve was talking about. Of course it was a trap. That's what she'd been saying all along. But, she decided to give Eve the benefit of the doubt. "What do you mean?"
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Evaline sighed. She wished she had all the answers to the thousands of questions swirling around her head. "I don't know. I just wish I knew why we're here."
"I do too," Jerica agreed. Finally, some common ground between them. "I've been thinking about it and I can't figure out who would want to do this to us. There are more direct ways to kill us than send us on a snipe hunt like this."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Evaline was quiet for a moment, trying to think. Trying to piece things together.
"Maybe it's not about picking us because of who we are, but rather what we have done," she said steadily. "What were you doing before you woke up here?"
Jerica thought for a moment. "I don't remember," she admitted at last. She was silent for a long moment as she tried to think through what the last thing she did remember was. "I think I'd gone to bed. But I'm not sure. What were you doing?"
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"I also went to bed," Evaline said back, even though that part seemed obvious. "What about before then? Did anything significant happen before you slept?"
"I mean, Biryn had--" Jerica cut herself off. There was no point in airing her dirty laundry. "I got into a fight with... well, it's not that out of the ordinary... and he wouldn't have done this. He likes to be more direct when he's mad at me."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"Because I..." Jerica hesitated, laying an arm over her own abdomen protectively as she tried to think of a way to explain this that didn't paint her as an absolute monster. "Refused to torture the scout before I executed him." She crossed her arms defensively, the agitation from her fight with Biryn welling up in her again. "There was no reason to torture him. I didn't do anything wrong."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Evaline was quiet for few moments, knowing she didn't really understand Jerica or her backstory or the context of whatever happened the day before she came here. She had no clue how heavy the implication may be for an assassin, but she knew from Jerica's body language that there was guilt.
And that was a perfectly natural emotion to feel on the topic of torture and execution of all things.
"Executing is part of your job," Evaline said calmly, still looking ahead. "Is torture too?"
"No," Jerica snapped. She took a deep breath, realizing she was lashing out at Eve for no reason whatsoever. "I mean, yeah, I guess. Kind of. I don't know. I'm just Biryn's bitch, and he wants me to, so I guess... but... there was no reason for it." She set her jaw, still angry with Biryn for making the demand in the first place. And for the abuse he'd meted when she defied him. "I'm not sorry for not doing it, if that's what you're asking. I didn't do anything wrong."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"I'm not casting blame or assuming anything," Evaline replied calmly, especially because it was the truth. She was only gathering information. "You're following orders and doing a job. And, I suppose, doing what you think is right."
She paused again, staring intensely at the skyline.
"What about your executions?" she asked. "Were they only done out of orders?"
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