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D.Ag: Epilogue
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The night was colder on the roof of their hotel, above the protection the buildings provided from the wind. It was late. But the rain had calmed, and the protestors were thinning out on the streets below. “So…” Weir asked, “what now?”
Dagney had her arms wrapped around herself like a second coat she wished she’d packed. “Well. I think I still have crazy guy blood on me. So a shower, definitely.” “Sounds like fun, I’m in.” “Who said you were invited?” “Who said that I shouldn’t assume I was?” “You know what they say happens when you assume.” “I wear your ass like a facemask?” he wondered. “That might actually be fun. Or gross. I’m not completely sure what you mean by it, so…” “So we start with a shower. But after that?” “Well, I’m pretty sure the Cox brothers are going to jail for a long time. And a hospital, possibly a mental hospital; definitely some combination of the three.” “Okay. And maybe I can infer that we’ll be testifying and attending their trial, visiting them in whatever facility they end up getting buggered in. But in the meantime, and the interim, what’s next for us?” “This isn’t one of those cloying do I want to marry you questions, is it? Because I’m still a bit tired and emotionally fragile from all of the… weirdness.” “Hey, I warned you trying to take on my whole Weirness without extensive calisthenics and stretching was dicey.” “Funny. But for tonight? Sex, I think. I’m kind of tense enough right now I could crush a freight train like it was a beer can with my keggles.” “I’m not sure sex sounds safe.” “Since when are you, father of my oopsy-baby, afraid of unsafe sex?” “That doesn’t sound fair, but for the life of me I have no witty retort. But shouldn’t the tension make you not want sex? I mean, I really have no idea, you being kind of my first girlfriend and all. But isn't this like the emotional equivalent of having a headache?” “Any other day, and maybe you'd be right.” She paused. “It's a lot to take in-” “That's what she said.” “I mean it. I have two children who could be categorized as either animal or vegetable. A reprobate living on the couch, which could be awkward for you, since Nelson's also been sleeping there.” “If I've learned anything it's that the harder you rip on me the more you like me.” He hesitated a moment. “And I love you, too.” “That's... the first time you've ever said that. And under some pretty odd circumstances.” “I get the feeling that pretty odd circumstances are par for you, as a course.” “Okay, now's my turn to be cloying, but, do you really mean that? It wouldn't hurt my feelings, even a little, if so far we've just had fun, and adventures, and.” “I wouldn't say it was love at first sight, though I did think, just for a second when we first met, that I should kiss you. You were in Foxtrot, still strapped to that table, and I thought that I should kiss you. It's silly, I guess, that part of our 'socialization' involved fairy tales, but I thought about Sleeping Beauty, or Snow White. Then I didn't, because I realized it was a little date-rapey. Actually, it's odd how many Disney movies involve taking advantage of sleeping women. Creepy.” “You are such an idiot, and I think I love you for it.” “I told you I'm very loveable.” She kissed him. “I've had a thought, and I apologize for screen-dooring your submersible, but, do you really want to be naked in the same bed Krieger's been naked? I don't think I like the idea of sitting on his couch after it's been steam-cleaned, let alone that.” “Oh... I got us a separate room.” “Shut up.” “Yeah. I hadn't decided whether or not we would use it. I guess I was still kind of worried, that,” she stopped. He kissed her. But she was still clammed up, so he told her, “You did kind of take my virginity. And I wasn't really prepared for that. Or you. But I completely like you.” “Crap. I knew being neurotic would get me demoted.” “No, I love you, too. But they're not the same. I know it might not be the greatest compliment in the world, because my only friends have been brain-washed cloned vegetables and a demented geneticist, but you're the best friend I've ever had. Not to mention you popped out my child of the corn.” She smiled. “And that, right there, is it. I feel alive when I'm with you. And not just when we're trying to topple megalomaniacal billionaire incest-brothers. Even when we're just in a small-town diner eating pie.” “Or standing on a rooftop in the bitterly cold rain.” “Yeah, why are we here if we’ve got a nice, warm, Kriegerless hotel room we could be naked in?” “Well, I hadn’t decided if I wanted to be naked with you again, and- I guess I wanted a little perspective. This all feels too… big for two people, or five, or even five thousand. There were a million people on the streets tonight, maybe more. The Coxes stoked a little bit of that fire, but most of it… do you really think the terminators will be able to keep the protests calm?” “Actually, yeah. I didn't realize the significance at the time, but a while back we all had like speech and leadership training. But not in any kind of a militarized context- it was all for gaining the trust of people outside a command structure. So yeah. They'll be better than the cops could ever be, because they'll help calm people down from the inside.” “I'm not sure how to feel about that. These protests, they might have been manipulated by the Coxes. But there are some real grievances to be had here, too. The world is inherently an unfair place, and it's getting less fair and more exploitative every day. I guess I just worry that ultimately we may have helped that imbalance stay in place.” “It's a delicate thing,” he said. “But ultimately, it shouldn't be the Coxes, or even us, who decide what to do about the world's problems. And you're right, those problems will be here in the morning. They'll persist even after the conferences convene. But we just have to hope that the right people, for the right reasons, will be there to fix things. But for right now we should just be happy we can go back to our lives, or, I guess, your life. Since my life was formerly in a big test tube. Though I guess if you didn't want to share your bedroom, I could always sleep in a broom closet.” She turned away from the roof’s edge, and started towards the door to the stairs. “Well mark that plan b. You don’t kick in your sleep, do you?” “Like a hyperactive Chihuahua.” She opened the door and held it for him to go through. “I’ll be sure to put a pillow in the closet for you when we get back to our place.” “Our place. I like that,” he said as she stepped out of the rain. “Me, too,” she said, as the door closed behind her. |
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