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[justsayyes]

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Maybe I'll decide to care.

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[justsayyes]

"You're not stupid enough to not have thought that war was a likely outcome."

She's not buying it.

[biocomposer]

"I'm smart enough to know why war wasn't a likely outcome."

Elijah smiles thinly.

"I thought it most likely that the android population would be easily overwhelmed by superior military force, rounded up, and reprogrammed or destroyed. The best I realistically hoped for was that they would be allowed to live in some kind of - enclave. Prolonged conflict seemed an unlikely outcome, given the massive imbalance of power between sides."

[justsayyes]

Jasper snorts. "Uh huh. Been there." The rebellion started with two gems, after all. No one knew one was a Diamond, but still.

"Either way, they were made to be sacrificed to your own ego."

[biocomposer]

"Yes. They were. I was an inmate for a reason, Jasper. What I did was deeply irresponsible, and there is blood on my hands because of that. I - can't say I entirely regret what I did, but I regret how I did it."

[justsayyes]

"If you get to remind me of my problems all the time, I at least get to know yours."

She's not actually that surprised, but she does want to rub it in just a little.

"You think helping me will make you feel better?" Because the parallels are just a little obvious.

[biocomposer]

"I can see why you'd ask, but no. You are your own person, in your own situation."

Still no bugs, not that he's proven he's affected in the first place.

[justsayyes]

Jasper snorts, looking at him sidelong "So you stick around out of the goodness of your heart. And because you like me." Or so he claims, though she doesn't quite get the other connotations 'liking' someone might entail.

[biocomposer]

"Cardiac health aside, I don't particularly believe that I have a good heart," Elijah says. "But, yes, I do like you, and I want you to fulfil your full potential."

[justsayyes]

"Even if I don't want to be helped." Phrasing it as a hypothetical is probably all that avoided another bumblebee spawn for her.

[biocomposer]

Ah, Jasper, you can't just accuse him of being smart when it's convenient for you.

"Do you not want to be helped?"

[justsayyes]

"I don't even know if I can be helped." Which is totally not answering the question. She snorts and crosses her arms defensively, looking away. "I'm just a waste of your time."

And. Bees again. She should've known, snarling as she swats them away.

[biocomposer]

Elijah smiles despite himself.

"...I see. I apologize, I didn't intend to turn this against you, but it's encouraging to know you don't believe that."

[justsayyes]

She glowers.

"I hate you."

She knows better, but it's out before she can stop herself. More bees. So many bees. It's lucky she can't get anaphylaxis.

[biocomposer]

Elijah leans back, cautious. Bees are still bees regardless of who's...generating them.

"Would it feel better for you to know that I'm affected myself?"

[justsayyes]

"How would that help?!" To her credit, Jasper isn't yelping at the stings, but by the look of the welts they have to be pretty painful.

[biocomposer]

"I don't want you to go away from this conversation and realize that you have no evidence I was telling the truth," Elijah points out. "I'm assuming you can deal with a few insects, given that you have superhuman strength and speed...?"

[justsayyes]

She glowers, muttering a defensive "they're magic insects," then sighs. "Fine."

[biocomposer]

Elijah helps, at least insofar as he can help by using a book against a few bees far away enough from Jasper that he won't exactly hit her.

"...well, then. I'm an inmate," he says, bluntly, for the experience of coughing out something with more legs than he's happy having had in his mouth. "And - affected, clearly."

[justsayyes]

She smacks the last one so that it poofs back out of existence. "Great, you've proven it. Congratulations."

[biocomposer]

"The intention was to prove the honesty of everything I've said so far," he reminds her. "That I want to see you graduate, I believe you're capable, and I do fully intend to let you benefit from my deal when it's been granted."

[justsayyes]

Jasper sighs dramatically. "I know. You already said all that."

It never occurred to her to think Elijah was lying about being affected. Even if she thinks he's too smart to believe the rest of it.

[biocomposer]

"Mm."

He looks across at her.

"As I also already said, I don't intend to use this as an opportunity to interrogate you. So unless you have any further questions for me...?"

[justsayyes]

"Why not? You ask enough questions the rest of the time."

[biocomposer]

"I do. But ordinarily, you have the option to respond however you like. I already have enough power over you without depriving you of that."

[justsayyes]

"Doesn't stop you from assuming you know when I'm telling the truth or not, you know."